Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Time: 7:30 AM
Song: Sing for the Moment
Artist: Eminem
Mode of Consumption: Listening to MP3s on shuffle on the way to work.
Link to song: https://open.spotify.com/track/3CpoeW0cZSDzIRv5z34F87?si=e52b564433a34a7f
I sometimes wonder
if the rise of rap was a precursor to the social media environment that burst
into existence in the late 2000s and 2010s.
Stick with me. See,
I like some rap music. I like Eminem. But I can’t deny that there are songs
like “Sing for the Moment,” where I wonder why I want to listen Marshall
Mathers complain about the pressures and challenges of stardom and navigating the
legal battles he faced (that he also often caused).
Especially now that
the song is probably two decades old. The daughter he mentions is grown. The
legal problems are likely forgotten by most of the world. Why does this song
matter? Do I like the sampling of Aerosmith that much?
While other genres
certainly have songs where the artist aired their problems, it always seemed
like rap did it more and with less ambiguity.
It’s like a Facebook
post. One where we decide that publishing our gripes in a Festivus type “airing
of grievances” is somehow going to improve the situation in any matter. In my experience,
it only amplifies the problem.
That being said, it
is therapeutic to release anger, fear, sadness, and other emotions. Using it to
create something artistic is also taking a negative and making a positive.
Still. It’s twenty
years later. Do I care about Eminem’s problems enough to keep listening to this
song?
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