The Underlying Message Behind Eminem & Rihanna’s ‘The Monster’
I recently wrote and released an article that focused on another side of the music industry, presenting the potential existence and influence of MK Ultra and Monarch Mind Control.
A big part of the article was the concept of an alter ego, how popular they have become in the entertainment industry and how critical the creation of an alter ego is with regards to effective mind control techniques. One of the celebrity figures that I mentioned, as an example of an artist that fully embraces an alter ego, was Eminem, with his alternate persona of Slim Shady. Throughout his illustrious career, Eminem has regularly toyed between fully embracing and casting aside his alter ego in his music. In the early stages of his work, Slim Shady was presented as his troublemaking counterpart, the rapper who would regularly cross the boundaries of what society deemed as vulgar, sexually suggestive and in many cases flat out offensive towards other celebrities. Songs such as ‘The Real Slim Shady,’ ‘Fack’ and ‘Just Lose It’ are just a small sample size of the songs that fall under this umbrella. Within many of these songs, Eminem regularly alludes to his alternate self, perhaps most famously in the song ‘Without Me:’ I’ve created a monster, ‘cause nobody wants to see Marshall no more they want Shady, I’m chopped liver. Well if you want Shady, this is what I’ll give ya... In his latest radio release ‘The Monster’ featuring Rihanna, Eminem has once again brought his alter ego into the forefront with lyrics that I feel are truly worth looking into and considering.
The song itself is about the relationship that Eminem has with the voice inside of his head, which both he and Rihanna alternatively refer to as the monster under his bed throughout the songs chorus. In the song’s first verse Eminem takes us through his own personal story and journey into fame. He explains his initial intentions as simply being the desire for fame and the exposure of both his music and rap talent. He goes on to say that the amount of attention and fame that he received was a lot more than he had anticipated and that it had consequently developed quite the relationship with his ego. I wanted the fame, but not the cover of Newsweek... Fame made me a balloon cuz’ my ego inflated The modern day entertainment industry is one that thrives and survives off of ego inflation; countless individuals have been quickly transformed and controlled through acceptance, praise and recognition for what began as sheer talent. Eminem’s story, it appears, is of no exception to this. He uses the remainder of the verse to allude to how extensively his ego has inflated, and how tormenting it can be to deal with at times. ...I think I’m getting so huge I need a shrink. I’m beginning to lose sleep; one sheep, two sheep. Going cuckoo and cooky as Kool Keith... In my opinion, the ego is the perfect access point and fertile environment for an alter ego to develop and thrive. We all at some level enjoy receiving recognition for what we do, it’s when we let that recognition become the necessary source for our happiness and survival that an alter ego develops –a version of ourselves that is never satisfied and can therefore be programmed to do almost anything just to continue to attain more of what it seeks. Once established, this alter ego is readily available and whenever activated immediately conflicts with the naturally occurring mind making the subject have to continually delineate between two distinctive “voices.” We all know how treacherous and overwhelming our single mind-based voice can be at times; I can only imagine difficulty sleeping as a mere minor ailment amongst many in a two voice environment. In the songs second verse, Eminem potentially alludes to this dual voice reality by audibly changing his voice to that of a deeper and darker presence for a brief interval (we hear this voice in many mainstream songs these days, i.e. ‘We Can’t Stop’ by Miley Cyrus) **The part in bold is what is said in the altered voice. ...Sometimes I wonder where these thoughts spawn from. Yeah, pondering’ll do you wonders. No wonder you’re losing your mind, the way it wanders. Yodel-odel-ay-hee-hoo Whether intentional or not, the alternate voices presence mid-verse is quite resemblant of how the mind often works and interjects, at least in my own experience. Eminem’s questioning of where these thoughts may have spawned from could allude to them not being recognizable as those he is used to his mind conjuring, and alternatively could be from an alter ego-esque source. This becomes even more probable later in the verse when Eminem makes a cry for help in his desire to separate himself from this “monster.” ...Cause I need an interventionist to intervene between me and this monster. And save me from myself and all this conflict. Cause the very thing that I love’s killing me and I can’t conquer it... Eminem’s use of the phrase “save me from myself” suggests a recognition that the root of the challenge that he is facing lies within. Whatever we as a listener believe this monster to be, an alter ego or not, it appears as if he is suggesting that it has been programmed into him and has become a very real part of his reality –so much so that he alone cannot overcome it. Quite possibly the most evidentiary part of the song comes at the end of this verse when Eminem states: ...Keep knocking, nobody’s home, I’m sleepwalking. I’m just relaying what the voice in my head is saying. Don’t shoot the messenger... For me, these lyrics point to the potential reality that the alternate presence within Eminem has become so prevalent and powerful that it regularly fully controls what he produces. He at the core, the talented rapper who began with nothing more than a dream for fame and exposure, has little to no desire to say or share at least part of what he releases. If this is the case, then this end result is directly inline with the primary goal and purpose to MK Ultra and Monarch Mind Control: to create an alternate persona within the psyche that can programmed and activated to do as desired by those in power or control. Eminem begins the songs final verse by sharing a dream that at least a part of him seemingly hopes to one day become a reality: Call me crazy, but I have this vision. One day that I walk amongst you a regular civilian... In my opinion this statement suggests that despite all of the fortune and fame that Eminem has received throughout his career he still values the lifestyle of an “ordinary civilian.” Whether it be the ability to experience privacy or an escape from the torment that this life has thrust upon him, he longs for the normalcy that so many of us regularly long to break out of. This further suggests that as lucrative and enticing as the entertainment industry may appear at times, the weight that it so readily comes with should at the very least make it a little less luring. This goes directly inline with a statement that former TV star Roseanne Barr recently made at an MK Ultra and Project Monarch Event that I had the opportunity to attend in October. When asked for advice from an audience member whose children were just breaking into the entertainment industry, Roseanne bluntly suggested that the mother “keep [her] children as far away from it as possible” –stating that the industry takes a far heavier toll than the surface level ego gratification that it seems to provide.
The third and final verse continues with Eminem reminiscing on the earlier stages of his career before making one last suggestive statement towards his current state: ...Maybe I need a straight jacket face facts, I am nuts for real. But I’m okay with that... Whether or not this statement is meant to imply that Eminem has found a level of acceptance with who he has become the song is certainly laced with a lot to consider. I’d like to conclude this article by saying that all of the conclusions I drew towards the meaning of the lyrics to this song are purely hypothetical. Since writing the article on Monarch Mind Control my level of interest and subsequent research has been pretty intensive in this subject. Eminem always has been one of my favorite artists, and to this day is in my opinion one of the greatest rappers of all time. I simply heard the song, drew some immediate mental links and wanted to put together this article to share my insight and give you all the opportunity to make your own informed decision/ opinion towards it. For those of you that haven’t heard the song and have interest in listening to it, here it is: SOURCES Rap Genius – http://rapgenius.com/Eminem-the-monster-lyrics Rap Genius – http://rapgenius.com/Eminem-without-me-lyrics .
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