I was wondering if any African-Americans like Eminem because he's a rapper and white.
Blazerdt47
Seems you have not gotten many serious answers here (OK, not any) so I will answer.
At first, there was some hating going on by the black media and rap listeners. I actually frequented a hip hop spot when Em was first hitting the scene and remember them passing out a cd single for him. It was probably 6 months to a year before he officially dropped. Most people did not pay him any attention (although I admit the mix of the song was not that good yet).
But when he blew up, many felt the typical "they trying to steal or stuff again" and "he's not that special. He just gets all the press cause he's white". I actually used to defend him, even if I never bought him, and say that his flow was better than most rappers at the time. Then there was that incident where that old Em song surfaced where he said some bad things about a black woman (that he used to date) that were taken as racist. This did not help, of course.
Eventually though, I think he came to be accepted or at least tolerated. It's worth mentioning though that as many rap fans as I know, only one actually bought Em's stuff. I think most think he just talks about doing drugs and hating his mother, both of which are not popular with most black listeners. Also, most "black" radio stations don't really play his stuff, which doesn't help much. Someone here said "a better question is do whites like him". I am pretty sure that 90% of his fanbase is white. Of course, 75% of ALL rap is bought by whites.
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