After critics overlooked Eminem, New York Times readers made sure he was includedNow, Marshall is the second-highest-ranked hip hop artist out of only five mentioned on the list.
Opinion makers
Earlier this year, The New York Times compiled a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters. This list included some big names like Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Taylor Swift, and Bob Dylan, as well as writers who do not often receive the spotlight, writing for other artists.
Of course, it is impossible to satisfy everybody’s taste, and many were offended by not finding their favourites on the unranked list. However, one omission was glaring – critics ignored Eminem. A man who wrote some era-defining songs that continue to live and thrive in a contemporary music landscape, such as “Stan”, “Lose Yourself”, and “Mockingbird”, to name only a few, was left off the list.
Vox populi
Now, the newspaper publishes a new list, compiled and ranked by readers’ votes. Some names, whose absence from the original list prompted the audience to question the critics’ qualifications, are finally included. For instance, Billy Joel was not mentioned at all by critics but landed at No.6 in the readers’ ranking. Tom Waits, Randy Newman, Stevie Nicks, and many more had also been snubbed by the critics only to be voted onto the list by more than 25,000 readers.
Same story with Eminem. Readers voted Marshall onto the list of the greatest living American songwriters. He ranks No.31 on the general list. Simultaneously, he is the second-highest-ranking hip-hop artist, following Kendrick Lamar at No. 17. Jay Z, whom critics preferred, sits lower at No. 38. Then comes Outkast at No. 62, and Ye at No. 72.
The way critics have treated Eminem has not changed much over the years. He has been dismissed, ridiculed, and chastised since the beginning of his career. Too violent, too emotional, lacking cultural significance, or exerting too much power over young listeners. It did not matter that journalists’ claims were contradictory. What remains important is that people do listen to his music, connect with his lyrics, and do indeed see him as one of the greatest living American songwriters.