Lose Yourself Analysis

Marshal Mathers otherwise known as Eminem or Slim Shady romanticized his struggle for success in his song and music video titled, Lose Yourself. The glorification of his struggle is the ideology of the song. In the context of this ideological critique, ideology is defined as, “…a system of meaning that helps define and explain the world and that makes value judgments about that world.” (Croteau, 2002). While Mathers sought out to tell his journey from humble beginnings to fame, the song resulted in an idealized version of reality. Mathers not only perpetuated the idea of violence as a stepping stone to success, he was also quick to forget his roots, and he glorified sacrifice, reinforcing that it is essential for achieving goals. He conveyed …show more content…
While Mathers intended to show his struggle to stay safe as a hard-working, young father, he perpetuated the glorification of violent behavior. In one scene of the music video, Mathers could be seen fighting a large group of men for no apparent reason. There was no evidence that this encounter was for self-defense or even to help a third party. This violent episode appears to have been a fight for approval or appreciation within the rap community. According to Ronald Weitzer and Charis Kubrin, authors of Misogyny in Rap Music, “Violence is one means of eliciting respect from others or punishing those who withhold it.” (Kubrin and Weitzer, 2003). Another example of this brutality can be found within the lyrics of the song. Mathers wrote, “No more games, I 'm a change what you call rage, tear this motherfucking roof off like two dogs caged.” (Mathers, 2002). This profanity laced lyric demonstrates the rage he was not only feeling but also acting on. Mathers is attempting to appear as a dedicated father, working diligently to pursue a career in order to stay out of trouble and support his family. In reality, he is yet another young musician using violence to attract attention and approval from peers to generate popularity and