Eminem Has Sold Out

Money changes people, especially artists, and Eminem is no exception. Saying "sold out" is a broad term I use for abandoning your artistry and saying that now after people have probably already said it and thought it for several probably makes you think, "Well, did that not happen a long time ago?" Maybe you are right and maybe you are an asshole. Who knows? Having graduated high school around the turn of the century I was a fan of and affected by Eminem's music greatly. I remember where I was and who I was with the first time I heard "My Name Is," and from that point I was hooked. He rapped about me thinking about him saying the things that I wanted to say but was too afraid to do so (grammar wreck.) No one's music has resonated with me as hard as Eminem's did.
That was one reason I was surprised when word from the organizers of London's Wireless Festival, where Eminem is scheduled to perform, came that after they asked Eminem nicely he agreed to tone down his anti-gay rhetoric, specifically rhymes that incite violence against gays. Look, this post is not about me being mad that Eminem can not try to allegedly incite violence against gay people in his performance at the festival. I do not think anyone in their right mind wants that. My point is Eminem is compromising his artistic license and what he does to please some music promoters. Is Eminem that hard up for cash that he needs to bend to their pressure? Eminem should not have to compromise who he is as an artist. That is what Eminem does. That is who Eminem is. He says what is on his mind regardless of consequences, at least the old Eminem did. This corporate version of Eminem will tailor his performance to your specific needs. I realize this may not be that big of a deal to most people,but I knew every word to every Eminem song (including the punch-ins) for the first two albums. And then I listened to the third album, and the fourth, and I do not know if he has one after that because they went down in quality and edginess each time. I am just not interested anymore. But why not relive the good old days. I found this cool Eminem video from when he was first breaking on the scene on youtube- after the jump.