By Diana Hernandez

It’s beginning to feel like Eminem is more than just a Rap God.

Eminem has proved to be one of Hip-Hop’s most successful rappers. If being the first and only rap artist to win an Oscar (for a song) doesn’t convince people that the man is talented, then it’s unlikely what will. But then again, it’s likely that he could care less about anyone’s opinion because he is back.

It’s nothing new that Eminem has been hard at work in the studio. Shady Records recently dropped Shady XV to celebrate the label’s 15th anniversary. The new compilation album includes collaborations from Shady Records artists like: Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, D12, Yelawolf, and of course, Eminem himself. The album includes a respectable variety of songs like the duet with Sia, Guts Over Fear which appeals to a more modern-Eminem fan base, and the single Detroit Vs. Everybody, which appeals more to hip-hop fans; the album surely has the best of both worlds. Thankfully, a disk of the group’s greatest hits is included, giving the listener a chance to reminisce about the good old days.

Controversy should have been Marshall Mathers’ middle name. With a sharp tongue like that, and a nonchalant attitude to go with it, it’s not hard to believe the artist has several haters. Here’s one more to add to the list: Iggy Azalea. In one of his latest songs, Vegas, Eminem tells the Australian rapper to put her rape whistle away before she blows it on him. Iggy takes offense to this, eventually making it a public media discussion. The Detroit rapper had nothing to add.

It feels like compassion is dead these days; there are more hate crimes in the media than anything. On the contrary, Eminem recently demonstrates how an act of kindness can light up someone’s day. With the help of the media, word got out to Eminem that a terminally-ill fan’s wish was to meet the rap star. Doctors had given the boy, Gage Garmo, about a week to live. The rapper went on to fulfill the dying-teen’s wish by visiting his home the day before he passed. In spite of the hard exterior the artist portrays, it obvious that he has a kind heart.

With a long list of accomplishments behind him, it’d be fair to agree that Eminem has a significant role in the direction of where today’s music has been and where tomorrow’s is headed. It is thrilling to see a prevalent artist such as himself come back into the world of mainstream music; the amount of potential the future of music is now exposed to, is massive. If it meant wiping out the awful noise (contemporary hip-hop) that currently clogs the radio waves and replacing it with lyrically complex music, then so be it. In a perfect world, Eminem would be on the radio all the time, but since that is doubtful, one can only hope that he continues to make beautiful music for many decades to come.

Header photo and music is property of Shady Records.