“Which is mightier? The sword, or the pen?”
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It is not well known to most people, but the Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest known piece of literature, dating back at least more than 5,000 years ago. The story tells about the tyrannical king, Gilgamesh, and his adventure of his own kingship.
“I’m a fucking kamikaze crashing into everything!”
– Eminem
In this song, its theme – as is the rest of the album – is, despite that Eminem is on the top in terms of fame and status in the hip hop industry, he is overlooked in the current rap scene.
What makes “Lucky You” a tad bit different from his other songs on the album is that both his and Joyner’s verses are polar opposites; whereas Joyner’s verse is a perspective of a new and a rookie rapper who hasn’t been given any awards, but over time, he is steadily gaining recognition like his song, for example, “I’m Not Racist”.
Eminem, on the other hand, is an old veteran and a legend who had done everything in his career marked in controversy, but also regrets some of his actions back then. Another thing to note is that in the early 2000’s, he was a nobody, so he had nothing to lose, unlike now. And while he has won several awards, Eminem only became a rapper for respect and recognition.
To deconstruct this song even more, let us analyze each of their verse. We begin with Joyner:
” Can’t fuck with you rappers, you practically suckin’
You mighta went platinum but that don’t mean nothin’
I’m actually buzzin’ this time
Straight out the kitchen, I told ’em the oven is mine
I do not fuck with you guys
If I don’t kill you, just know you gon’ suffer this time!”
Here, Joyner has expressed his distaste toward to the currently trending “mumble rappers”, who, for some reason are achieving platinum records (1,000,000 alum copies sold) despite their lack of talent and skills. With him featured on an Eminem song, Joyner finally uses this chance to make his name known on a global scale.
“I ain’t no gangster, but I got some bangers
Some chains and some blades and a couple of nines
Choppers and jammies, a partridge, a pear tree
My 12 Days of Christmas were nothing but lies!”
Joyner puts a twist on this famous carol, 12 Days of Christmas, to show how different his lifestyle during his childhood, whereas most people would be celebrating at this time.
Of course, at this moment, Joyner shows off his technical ability by going double time on his rapping:
“They’ve invented a level up in the ghetto to get old
Lookin’ for somethin’ I prolly can never find now
Shit get relevant ’til ‘nother beef die down
In truth, a nigga just really want me tied down
I’ve been alone and I never needed nobody
Just only me and my shotty, I’ll tell these niggas to lie down
Keep all the money, I never wanted the lifestyle
I just pray to God that my son’ll be alright now. “
The lyrics above was rapped in an impressive 7.73 syllables per second. He finally ends his verse saying there are snakes in the grass, but he has a lawn mower, meaning while there are several treacherous people everywhere, Joyner is there to expose all of them.
Now, let us decipher what Eminem’s verse is all about.
“I got a couple of mansions
Still I don’t have any manners
You got a couple of ghost writers
But to these kids it don’t actually matter
They’re askin’ me “What the fuck happened to hip-hop?”
I said “I don’t have any answers”“
Eminem begins with talking to someone who has a ghost writer, meaning they themselves didn’t write their songs, but someone else. Unfortunately, most people don’t even care, just as long it has a catchy beat and hook.
“But nothin’ is feeling like anyone has any fuckin’ ability
To even stick to a subject, it’s killin’ me, the inability to pin humility
Hatata batata, why don’t we make a bunch of fuckin’
Songs about nothin’ and mumble!”
Here, Eminem also shares Joyner’s opinion about the new generation of rappers, while showing almost all rap songs sound the same with using the Triplet flow, aka the Migos flow. Said rap group popularized this on their song “Versace” back in 2014.
“Let’s recap, way back, MC’s that wreak havoc on tape decks
ADATs, where the G Raps and Kanes at?
We need 3 Stacks ASAP, and bring Masta Ace back.”
Eminem shouts out famous MCs back in the 80’s: The Juice Crew. The trio are composed of Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane and Masta Ace. Eminem also calls out Andre 3000, one half of the hip hop duo, OutKast. All of them were recording their songs using cassette decks, including ADAT, or Alesis Digital Audio Tape.
Of course, at this part, like Joyner, Em also shows off his speed, reaching 10.15 syllables per second, surpassing Joyner’s 7.73 syllables.
“On the brink, any minute
Got me thinkin’ of finishin’ everything
With acetaminophen and reapin’ the benefits
I’m asleep at the wheel again
As I peak into thinkin’ about an evil intent
Of another beat, I’ma kill again
‘Cause even if I gotta end up eatin’ a pill again
Even ketamine or methamphetamine
With the minithin, it better be at least 70 to 300 milligram
And I might as well ’cause I’ma end up bein’ a villain again
Levels to this shit I got an elevator
You could never say to me I’m not a fuckin’ record breaker
I sound like a broken record every time I break a record
Nobody could ever take away the legacy I made, I never cater!”
In this entire section alone, he doesn’t just raps fast; he is still telling a statement. A statement that he may as well get back into drugs again, since some of his fans believe he makes better music while under the influence. On the last few bars above, Em references Kendrick Lamar’s hit single “HUMBLE.”, saying that while he agrees with K-Dot that there are levels in hip hop, Eminem can easily go through all of them.
Em finally ends his verse saying:
“I’m back on the bull like the cowboy”
This is also a callback to Joyner’s opening line: “Back on that bullshit”.
Welcome to my blog!
My name is Gabriel, but you can call me Gabe. I am about 18 years old, and this is my first blog ever.
Why did I did this?
Here are some FAQs:
Yeah, and that’s about it, actually.
Have fun while you’re here!
The Literary World