Eminem was major pioneer in making this a reality in generally black business.

Like most artists, Eminem did not hesitate when referencing current social issues or topics in his lyrics.

Eminem's ability to manipulate words made him one of the most successful and talented rappers of all-time. It also made it impossible for the rap community to not recognize his skill.

This was a huge controversial issue regarding Eminem's lyrics considering the degree of vulgarity they possessed.

Eminem was able to fulfill the style of music this audience enjoyed while giving them the ability to relate to him because was white.

I really like this connection because a lot Eminem's songs and other rap songs truly are about the trials of an individual's life. Eminem's flow is a great representation of the because his songs tend to follow a story-line for the most part recounting a pivotal moment in his life.

Before Eminem there were still non-African American fans of rap, but the main barrier that he broke down was the possibility for non-African Americans to break into the industry and be taken seriously.

"Soulful" is not usually used when describing Eminem; however, in many of his songs, especially on the albums Curtain Call (2002) and Recovery (2010), he poured his entire heart into reiterating his struggles growing up and battling addiction.

While Eminem is not racially black, by the other's definition he embodies all the necessary traits of black culture music. His strong connection to his roots and shared a similar up bringing to what is commonly associated with the black community and struggles faced during life.

Rap is such a major and broad area for modern day "african-american" music that there should be a larger focus on rap as it's own unique sound, along with Hip-Hop, rather than as an extension of R&B.

Because of this rich history about how Black music originate, it could be why some early critics of Eminem did not think he belonged in the genre. For them there was much deeper roots the he could never fully understand.

Pac addresses this exact point in Keep Ya Head Up

Sexism just seemed to be a part of what the culture was and no one said otherwise

This doesn't seem typical for a "gangster", but it shows the diversity of Tupac's life and how complex of a person he was

Interesting how Pac started off rapping with Digital Underground, a somewhat comedy rap group, to rapping about serious issues.

This is the perfect quotation to capture Basil's affection for Dorian

This reminds me of what one of my coaches would say in junior high, "involved in everything, committed to nothing." meaning people were doing all sorts of things but never cared about any single one.

I think this is one of the many quotations Wilde puts in to give himself goals of what he aspires to be one day.

What is considered civilized then?

Not wanting to publish a painting because there is too much of himself in it could possibly mean that he is trying to portray a different version of himself as an artist.

Whether Byron's true personality was that of the one he personified in his poetry, it was difficult to be himself and not take the role of his characters in public.

The author is claiming that many people played a role in creating the star the was Byron. They helped exaggerate his personality to create this larger than life celebrity persona.

He does not let critics influence his work. Saying that they do not decide what is exceptional poetry.

I really enjoy this line, it basically is going against the saying "money can't buy happiness".

It is nice to receive some background about where his inspiration stemmed from.