The Authenticity of Eminem: A Tale of Two Commercials
I believe in Eminem. He says things with Authenticity. Amongst the slate of carefully timed, coiffed, and vetted Super Bowl XLV commercials (no one wants another Janet), Eminem’s brand of honesty – brutally truthful, affectingly honest – seems so real in its honesty. It is an honesty that is singularly Eminem’s. It is in effect, his brand. Rappers have it hard. Their scrappy, hard fought origin is the very thing that makes them successful in their music genre. It is the touting of their survival in the midst of such hardship that is at the core of their identity and their product. It is the classic position of the Other in that the authenticity of the rapper is completely based on his/her alienation and marginalization in society. Once they become successful in the music industry (the platinum records, Grammy awards) their success risks them becoming “soft” and inauthentic to their fanbase. Eminem has negotiated a means around this co-option of toughness. His characteristic refusal to enjoy his celebrity – to be seen enjoying the parties (he may attend but always with his iconic scowl), hanging out with other celebs, and other fluff that is part and parcel of being a celebrity – validates his Otherness and perpetuates his success. In short, he is a celebrity whose very success lies in his manufacture of “authenticity.”
It is irrelevant whether or not Eminem actually is honest in the way he navigates through the luxurious excess that his fame brings. What is more significant here is that his brand is all about representing this honesty. In his Brisk Tea commercial, when the “suit” tells Eminem that he can’t re-name the tea to “Eminem’s Shut Up and Drink It! Iced Tea,” Eminem pushes the claymation guy off the building and says “See! That’s why I don’t do commercials!” We all laugh at the contradiction – but simultaneously embrace his truthful pronouncement of the ridiculousness of product endorsement.
His Authenticity brand works beyond self-parody. In the Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” commercial, Eminem’s brand works to a stirring crescendo as his gritty, honesty is intertwined with the downtrodden, imploding-and-yet-still-surviving city that is Detroit. In reading the viewers’ comments for this commercial, its no surprise that this is the one that brings tears to their eyes. It isn’t the cute mini-Darth, Jedi-mind-tricking the Volkswagen to suddenly start up. Even after you find out that the kid has a pacemaker and has overcome real physical challenges in life – its still Eminem endorsing Chrysler that wins our hearts and minds. In the words of one viewer, “this is the shit!”
If only we got paid for being so “authentic” and always striving to be The Other.
I wasn’t a fan of the Detroit ad, and didn’t find Eminem that great of a spokesperson.
I would love to hear more about how we define ‘authentic’, since the moment Eminem appears on the commercial to promote a product authenticity goes out the window. As soon as financial gain enters the picture, all bets are off on being authentic. Think of all the tweets by any number of high profile actors etc…are the tweets really authentic? It’s hard to tell since they can be paid huge sums to tweet about anything. Keep up the analysis and nice choice with the Superbowl. Thoughtful and relevant!
This isn’t about real authenticity. It is the simulation of it. Hence the capital A. He isn’t authentic. He sells it. Therein lies the difference. Everyone with name recog shills for a living. These two commercials are interesting bc of his contradiction in them: 1. Brisk- as someone who doesn’t do ads and 2. Chrysler- as an honest sell. Why does the Chrysler ad work on any level? Because he’s saying- “I don’t sell products. So what I’m saying right now is authentic/honest.” He raised the ante of the shill into a cause.
Great article. I dont love Eminem as a person, but I have some respect for him. These ads are pretty cool – especially the Chrysler one. We have a version of it in Australia – not as good though.
Interesting article. I’m from Metro Detroit. Metro Detroiters like Eminem because his mystique and Authenticity combined represent the type of celebrity that a city like Detroit needs. Detroit is not a bling city anywhere on the surface. It’s complex and Eminem is a good celeb to represent Detroit because his persona is complex.
I like your thoughts on the simulation of real authenticity. I guess when it comes to Detroit, I’ve bought what he is selling.