Rodman's Eminem: White Privilege In Rap Art

Rodman’s analysis of Eminem brings up a discussion about the extent of white privilege when one seemingly blurs racial lines. Rodman finds that although Eminem doesn't face racism, he is not afforded similar things black artists aren’t; such as separating their artistic authenticity from their real life. So where did his white privilege go? Rodman speculates that it isn’t Eminem, himself that brings him criticism, it’s his method of expression, rap music. This brings up racism, and the way it is indirectly brought about by framing of judgments. To fully understand the above concepts, a brief definition of white privilege, racism and racial frames are necessary, and then put into context with Rodman’s interesting take on Eminem. As defined by Peggy Mcintosh, white privilege is an invisible, unearned set of assets that all white people are born with. This includes small things such as being able to buy nude bandages that actually blend into your skin, or larger more detrimental things such as your skin color not working against your financial reliability (34). Racism is a term that can have various meanings, but a broad meaning, as given by Beverly Tatum, is a system of advantages based …show more content…
Rodman is of course talking about the backlash most black artists receive. Writing off Eminem in this way, falls under the way broad generalizations are made about rap music in general, which is a way for people to frame their disapproval of black culture without actually having to say it so directly (105). This a perfect example of racial frames. Rodman, while not letting Eminem’s problematic tendencies slide, points out this gigantic hypocrisy in music and it’s reception. While Eminem has white privilege in most aspects of his life, his artistry has been stripped of