Eminem is one rapper who breaks the conventions of his genre. The genre, in which he is most accurately described, is Rap/Hip-hop. The stereotypes of this genre are usually very crude and include drugs, money, alcohol, crime, and women. Most people believe that rap has no purpose. They believe that there is no meaning behind the lyrics, and finding a catchy beat is all you need to be successful. One thing that contributes to this ideal is the music videos in Rap, and the pace that some songs are sung at. Most music videos show a graphic image of all those stereotypes, and some songs are sung so fast that people cannot fully understand what is being said. These videos include images of fancy cars, half naked women dancing, and money falling from the sky. This is in part the medias fault. Modern television channels like MTV, thrive off showing these crude music videos. Other channels like VHI survive by showing the latest controversial music video or rap image. This negatively affects the exposure and literary value of rappers like Eminem, who actually have meaning and value to their work. In this song by Eminem, the music videos show different flashbacks throughout his life. This is very powerful in my opinion. It shows a visual image of the song, which makes it more inspirational and easier to follow.

The song When I am Gone by Eminem is one example of such. Most songs in the Hip Hop/ Rap genre, use derogatory language against women. These songs also have lyrics that make no sense. This song and Eminem as an artist, is all about explaining the troubles of life through music. Each song has special handcrafted lyrics that have great meaning and passion behind them. For example, the first line of the song When I am Gone reads: "Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for? Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for? When they know they're your heart. And you know you were their armour." This is the type of music Eminem creates, and these couple of lines is a perfect example of how rap songs can have meaning and passion.