Blogcritics: Eminem turns 30 Eminem turns 30
Marshall Bruce Mathers III alias "Slim Shady" alias "Eminem" was hatched 10-17-1972, making him 30 years old today.

Yeah, Mr. Mathers has issues. He has asked for most of the flak he's gotten. Carrying on about killing faggots just might earn you a spot of criticism.

Still, he's a sincere artist of considerable skill and vision. His best songs have strong hooks and something resembling melodic development. He expresses genuine and complex emotions. In short, he's real- and there's far too little realness in music today.

Nonetheless, he needs to be thinking about getting some new material. A 30 year old man still bitching about Mommy ain't cutting it. Sounds faggy, frankly. As OK Go puts it in the jam of the year, "Get Over It."

Plus, autobiography as the basis of your art in general becomes very limiting and repetitive very fast. If any y'all gets to talk to him, direct him to Walter Rimler's book on songwriters whose work has stood the test of time, Not Fade Away. It'd do him a world of good.