Month: May 2009

1.What makes Isabelle..Isabelle? As a professional and as a person in general.
Good question! As a person, a good dose of enthusiasm, personal conviction, honesty and sometimes rage in specific situations. I try to always stay true to myself.
The same as above also applies to the professional person, of course. As a professional, I try to raise enthusiasm and interest and to share it with people. I am deep into what I am doing. I speak out my mind in any case, because I don’t say things to please people.
In general, people value that.
2.What is your profession and where do you think you stand among your competitors and or associates in your field?
I am a freelance music journalist. Along with this I am also a tutor of German and French. But let’s talk about what I like doing most, the writing thing.
Well, it is always difficult to situate myself in the business. All I can say is that I have improved my writing skills through the years and done some interesting interviews with artists such as Dirty Red ( who has known Eazy E personally) and Detroit emcee Dogmatic, a close friend of D12’s Proof…I’ve been published on some online magazines and written for Detroit’s ILL Mag too where I got the chance to interview Proof ( the interview got never published though), Purple Gang and Woof Pak…
It is really hard to emerge in this business, but I think I’ve done some good progress. I keep grinding, of course!
3.When did you decide to take on this profession and are you where you thought you’d be when you made the choice?
I decided to be a music journalist after writing an Eminem biography in 2002 ( kept in form of a manuscript till now), because I wanted my work to be known by people. But in the end, I find music journalism more interesting than authoring, because you are investigating even more. A journalist is a sort of detective, you know…but I love being a musical detective…couldn’t live without hip hop…
Actually Gavin Sheridan gave me my chance to prove my skills in 2003…
4.What drives you to wake up everyday and get out here and do what you do?
It’s the music and the determination to achieve something concrete in this field. One of my characteristics is a strong determination. I can get discouraged, I can feel disgusted, weak, I can fall, but I WILL NEVER GIVE UP.
5.Who is your favorite Emcee, RnB Artist & producer?
I have a few faves. The old Eminem ( I mean what he did in the past influenced me for a great part and motivated me to achieve something in my life), the D12 emcees, Eazy E from the Cpt, Nas, Ice Cube, but I also love many underground emcees like Trick Trick or I-Mac…
I am not so much into RnB, but one name caught my attention…and it is Ron Patterson, he’s quite good at it.
As a producer, I find Denaun Porter really competent. He is so much underrated!
6.If you were to compare yourself to a successful business tycoon whom would it be and why?
It would certainly be Dr Dre…I admire his competence in beat makings and producing. He’s pretty cool too and seems to have stayed down to earth, despite his giant status.
7.What are your goals for the next 5 years and how do you plan to accomplish them?
My goals are to achieve something as a writer in the hip hop business. Either I will start my own business or I will try to get more connexions to become a well known hip hop magazine staff writer…I know I still have to define my plans more precisely, they are still in the works…In any case, I want recognition for hard years of work and I know I’ll have to sweat for it for a while…
8.Who is your favorite LOCAL DETROIT Emcee, RnB artist & producer?
Again, I could name several names such as Trick Trick ( I love his gangsta style), Dogmatic and of course Proof ( he was amazing), I like I Mac who renamed themselves I Dash, Mu, Journalist 103 and many more…but generally speaking and particularly on the Detroit scene, I like it raw and gangsta…
In non hip hop artists, I think that Monica Blaire is very talented…she deserves to be known better!
Again, I really value Mr Porter as a Detroit producer, but should i classify him as local or not?
Copyright by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

I am getting interviewed by a Detroit graphic designer and music talent…yes, for once I am not the interviewer, but the interviewed person.
Why am I doing this? Because I’d like my readers to know me better, to understand my motivation as a writer and music journalist…in short, to know better who Isabelle, whose articles you’ve been reading now for years, actually is.
I promise to be honest in my way of answering…stay tuned, folks…it’s gonna be cool:)
Isabelle

One of my contacts on my space sent me the snippets to two other Eminem songs…I must say that I LIKE these ones…his style is different and he does some lyrical efforts on them.
Enjoy:)

Eminem/ Relapse/ album review
Global rating of the product : 2 stars
For a first time listener, Relapse shouldn’t be a reference album. Anybody who’d check Eminem as an artist for the first time should really dig deeper into the emcee’s previous work in order to see what he can do. Unfortunately, Relapse is a pale reflection of Eminem’s artistry.
I can tell, because I have spent years enjoying Eminem’s music and writing about it-from his pre-Infinite work till now. Eminem’s music influenced my life tremendously and in a very positive way. So please don’t take my honest critic of his present album as the words from the mouth of a hater. I am definitely not. I still have loads of respect for Eminem and I am still enjoying his former work.
But from a professional’s point of view, I owe the artist the truth about how I feel about his current music. I also owe the truth to all of you readers, no matter if you like to hear it or not.
The first detail that really bothered me while listening to Relapse, is Eminem’s fake accent. I used to enjoy his REAL voice and his edgy spirit. I keep asking me where Slim Shady has gone. Let me guess…oh true, Eminem killed his fictional character in Encore, but was he right to do so?
Not in my opinion. The full mouthed, lyrical, bad spirited Slim Shady had the power to conquer crowds with his creative skills. He has now been replaced by a weak sounding supposedly ironic accent that spoils most songs in the album.
Second detail that really spoils it all: the music.
Hip hop purists will probably agree with me: Relapse sounds more like bad mainstream pop than good hip hop. Eminem takes the role of a random singer. Has he forgotten that he was supposed to rap on a rap album?
While I still appreciate Eminem’s very personal approach in the album and his honesty towards his public about what he has been going through during the last couple of years, I am disappointed with his performance. I think I am not the only critic/ listener to feel the same way.
I was bored, most of the time. Although My Mom recalls some serious drug addiction history in Eminem’s family, the usually brilliant emcee should have chose a less theatrical entry and a more serious tone to talk about such issues. The instrumentals ( horrible tuba sounds) don’t fit with the theme either.
I already expressed about the mediocrity of We Made You. Also, I don’t see the point in dissing so many celebrities while being himself a very famous person.
Despite the fact I don’t like Eminem’s voice in it, 3 AM ( particularly after watching the video) is probably the best song of the album. Eminem has made a good effort on the lyrics, and his video is very imaginative. Plus he keeps being real about his addiction. The instrumentals and vocals manage to create a scary atmosphere here. If he only dropped that stupid accent, the song would have been fine, because I even enjoyed the rapping style in it.
I enjoyed Bagpipes From Bagdad, because I don’t like Mariah Carey and her brand new husband. Nick Cannon is fully ignorant to call a white man who spend most of his life among black folks and whose best friends and collaborators are mostly black – a racist. You go, Eminem, diss them hypocrites!
However, most other songs in the albums are really disappointing.
Crack A Bottle is a nightmare- lyrically and instrumentally as well. Even Dr Dre sets up a very weak performance. The video doesn’t make sense at all.
Old Times Sakes does not enlighten the artists abilities at all.
Globally speaking, Eminem’s new album is a flop. I am really disappointed. Marshall Mathers might be going through a lot at the moment, I don’t know. Hopefully he will come back with something better in the future.
Copyright by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Most Eminem songs from Relapse have been leaked on You Tube…I have listened to most of them and VERY HONESTLY I am not feeling Eminem’s album at all…it really makes me sad to listen to low quality music from him…his music resembles more mainstream pop than rap music…and I define myself as a hip hop fan…I’m not in harmony with what he is doing, don’t like what he is doing at the moment.
I don’t care how some people will rate me (oh you are not a fan any more, oh what’s the purpose of your blog, then etc etc…)
Ok…let me clear things once for good…
I happen to be a music journalist and a writer who has explored Eminem’s work in depth. I have ALWAYS been very appreciative of the artist’s lyrics and work in general.
No, I don’t hate Eminem. I am just being honest. I still think that he is an outstanding person and artist. I love his global work and do consider him as a lyrical genius and a major hip hop artist. But I have the right not to feel his current music and the turn it is taking.
I am disappointed of the way Eminem dumbs his music down. I don’t like his current accent and I don’t like when he sings. He is very good at rapping, not at singing in my opinion.
I would tell him face to face the same things I am already telling you all. If you respect somebody, you won’t kiss ass. You will tell the person the truth, That’s the way I view things.
I’d act the same way with anybody else.
I’ll review Relapse as soon as I will be less busy. You might not like this upcoming review, but I promise to be honest about how I feel about this album.
Sincerely,
Isabelle

One of my readers, a German speaking reader of my Eminem blog, gave me a very interesting interpretation in German for the naked manikin man in Eminem’s recent video. She wrote the following comment:
“Zu der Textstelle
“Kiss the naked manikin man again
You can see him standin in my
Front window
If you look in”
Meine Theorie dazu ist, dass der nackte, puppenartige Mann für den Tod steht, der ihm schon so nah war, dass er ihn geküsst/angehaucht hat … der Hauch des Todes … würde auch zu seinem Interview passen, wonach er angibt dass er fast draufgegangen wär wegen einer Ãœberdosis Methaton. Außerdem hatte er sich auch mit Suizidgedanken zu kämpfen nach Proofs Tod – für ihn war das sicherlich ein harter Schicksalsschlag und noch dazu vorher das “Toy Soldiers” Video … da können schon Schuldgefühle hochkommen.
( Vielen Dank noch Nathalie:))
Her interepretation is that the naked man doll is a symbol of death, as Eminem has been that much close to death that he kissed/ breathed it…the breath of death…it would also fit into his interview in which he specifies that he nearly died from an overdose of methadon. Moreover, he also had to struggle with suicidal thoughts after Proof’s death that was certainly a hard hit from destiny…also, if you think that he has released Toy Soldiers before, culpability thoughts must have overwhelmed him too…
Thumbs up to Nathalie for actively contributing to the theme and helping me and other readers on Eminem’s video’s symbolism:)
I really wanted to share this with you, as her interpretation seems original and quite interesting. Feel free to comment…
Isabelle

I have a few brand new Eminem pics for you. Credit to Donna who kindly sent me all the links:)
As most of you would probably know, Eminem stayed in London for a few days…
Here is a video in which you can see Em and his bodyguard.
Here is a recognizable Marshall Mathers wearing a wrestling mask.

Read the full Daily Mail article on the same subject.
Enjoy:)
Isabelle

A lot of people only show respect to the clean, classy and wealthy people. A lot of people are following religion’s principles, but seem to forget about the mains spiritual reality: God judges you by your acts, as your daily way of acting is deeply intertwined with your REAL beliefs.
My advice to all of you readers would be not to despise anybody. Remember that God comes to you in so many different disguises. It could be the begger next street or the child next door. Well, if you despise the begger or the poor, how will you be ready to welcome the king?
In spiritual matters, persons are not valued by their material possessions, but by their hearts. If you are rude and heartless, either change your ways or God will reject you in the end.
The Holy Scriptures abound in multiple examples. Before being anointed, King David was the smallest and the most humble goat keeper you could find. He became one of the most respected king of Israel.
God loves humbleness, that’s why he often chooses the most humble people to teach you about life. I myself have learnt more from modest people.
Not only the Bible, but real life teaches you not to feel superior to anybody. Some greedy girls might have missed a prince in the poor guy they despised and rejected because of his lack of financial means.
My advice is: open your heart, open your ears. Be nice to most people unless they are rude to you. It could be God or an angel in disguise talking to you.
Treat your neighbor the way you’d like to be treated in return and God will bless you in so many ways.
Copyright by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

This new Eminem song, that happens to be a Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon diss, was leaked on Hip Hop Galaxy.
I admit that I had a lot of fun with that one…particularly after the load of crap Nick Cannon said about Eminem.
My word to the song? Fuck that fake Mariah doll and her husband !
It is so true that we should try to walk just one mile in a person’s shoes before making any anticipated or wrong judgment…
Enjoy:)

Credit to Donna for the news:)
Read the original article here.
The rapper – whose new album, ‘Relapse’ is due out May 19 – says it’s the first sober album he’s done in 7 years.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Eminem’s latest effort, Relapse, is slated to hit stores May 19, and the rapper told the latest issue of Vibe magazine that it’s his first sober project in 7 years.
He’s been sober for a year now, and the album, he says, is a statement to the world that he’s back. He writes in the magazine about his newfound motivation, “I almost feel like a little kid again with rap. I wanna play around with different flows. If I don’t feel like it’s what I’m fully capable of, if there’s one weak line, I wanna change it. Rap was my drug. It used to get me high and then it stopped getting me high. Then I had to resort to other things to make me feel that. Now rap’s getting me high again.”
Before he made the decision to get sober, Eminem struggled with drug addiction that almost took a fatal turn.
After getting some mysterious pills from an “acquaintance,” he admits that he almost took what could have been a life-ending overdose.
“My doctor told me those mysterious new pills were methadone, which is used to wean heroin addicts off dope,” he told the magazine’s June/July issue.
“Had I known it was methadone, I probably wouldn’t have taken it. But as bad as I was back then, I can’t even say 100 percent for sure. My doctor told me the amount of methadone I’d taken was equivalent to shooting up four bags of heroin. Even when they told me I almost died, it didn’t click.”
Em went on to tell Vibe, “It’s no secret I had a drug problem,” he says. “If I was to give you a number of Vicodin I would actually take in a day? Anywhere between 10 to 20. Valium, Ambien, the numbers got so high I don’t even know what I was taking.”
And realizing that he was an addict himself helped him to identify with his mother on a new level.
“It never once hit me that drug addiction runs in my family,” he said. “Now that I understand that I’m an addict, I definitely have compassion for my mother. I get it.”
Relapse hits stores May 19.
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