Make A Lot Out of A Little

     A lot of people don't agree with me, but I think Eminem is a really influential person. Yeah yeah, he's corrupting the minds of our generation, he's always walkin' around with his pants down by his ankles, and look at all his scandalous tattoos! But have you ever really sat down to listen to his lyrics? He's not just a "rapper" he is a poet, and a very talented one at that. The amount of skill it takes to completely free style an entire verse of rhyme is unimaginable. I'm a passable poet: I can construct decent rhymes and rythms and all that, but I could never dream to stand up in front of thousands of people and come up with whole songs and raps off the top of my head. Eminem does it every day. And he's not just some entitled celebrity who was handed his fame and money without having to work for it. He struggled for years just trying to put food on the table. He had no other discernable skills but one: he could write unbelievable rhymes. There's tons of would-be rappers out there who are really, really talented, but they didn't perservere like Eminem did. Then again, half of it comes from perserverance, and the other half comes from pure luck. Eminem was rejected by so many people and so many labels, but he didn't just stop because people were telling him he wasn't good (they are all probably regretting their decisions right about now). On the other hand, there are plenty of young rappers perservering their little butts off and still not getting the break that Eminem got simply because the stars didn't align for them, and that comes from sheer luck. Anyway, I clearly don't have much to say, but I do really like Eminem, not just for his music, but for his story.

Movie Recommendation: Nowhere Boy. Just like Eminem, John Lennon made a lot from a little. Even though this movie has a lot of unnecessary sexual stuff, it also has a really touching story, and a lovely, lovely soundtrack. Plus, Aaron Johnson plays an impeccable John Lennon.

Here's the greatest song from the movie, written by John Lennon about his mother. Unfortunately, this version cannot be bought individually on iTunes, but the original version by the Quarrymen is available.
-VaughnDL