Why I Think Eminem Would Have Made a Good Copywriter.

Last night I was driving back home from guest speaking for a friend’s design class. It was late. I was exhausted. And yet I was also pretty amped up. Guest teaching had really gotten my creative juices flowing. After all, I love talking about creative advertising and copywriting, and I had just spent most of the day preparing what I was going to say to these young design minds. How could I cram everything I know about copywriting and concepting into one three-hour class? (Spoiler alert: No one can!) But I had been noodling all day about what makes good copy and what makes someone a good copywriter.

So there I am in my car, hugging the curves of Lake of the Isles. Mind racing. Empty streets. Just me and iTunes shuffle.

Then all of a sudden one of my favorite songs began:

“I sit back with this pack of zigzags, and this bag of this weed, it gives me the shit needed to be 
the most meanest M-C on this, on this Earth. 
And since birth I’ve been cursed with this curse to just curse and just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works. 
And it sells and it helps in itself 
to relieve all this tension dispensing me…”

The song is called The Way I Am. The artist? Eminem.

And it hit me:

Eminem would have been an insanely good copywriter.

No, I’m not on crack. This totally makes sense. Stick with me.

It’s no secret that Eminem is one of the most talented rappers that ever existed. He single-handedly changed the rap industry in this country about 15 years ago—selling millions of records, shattering all sorts of statistics and not giving a flying cuss what people thought about him or his work. Sure I might not politically agree with every word in every song (particularly ones about rape and killing his mom), but I DO agree that Eminem is a genius. He’s a brilliant writer, thinker and performer—which are the three things that essentially make someone a successful copywriter.

Here are just a few other reasons why I think Eminem would have climbed the corporate ladder in creative advertising quite quickly:

-    He’s an amazing storyteller.
Eminem has had a ridiculous life. He came from essentially nothing. No money. No supervision. No support. No hope. And he shares a lot of his life experiences through his writing and rapping. Eminem knows how to set the stage for stories by exploring three-dimensional characters, creating drama and using story arches (I would particularly argue these points in his song “Stan” which is a narrative about a desperate, suicidal fan). So not only does Eminem have a lot of stories—he knows how to make them sound as dramatic, authentic and poetic as possible. And these are traits that make good creative advertising particularly engaging and endearing.

-    He understands metaphor, irony, juxtaposition and other writing techniques and utilizes them creatively and effectively.
Eminem is smart. He references all kinds of pop culture and literary works in his own work, (“I cannot grow old in Salem’s lot…”). He understands irony. Alliteration. Metaphor. He makes sure every rhyme is perfect. Every literary device is relevant. The man is clearly a control freak in the best possible way. There are no sloppy syllables that don’t fit. Every word is carefully picked. This is the work of a true artist. And something that is very important to copywriting—not just having a big vocabulary, but writing creatively. Pushing your words. Hand selecting them so they communicate the PRECISE emotion you want to communicate.

-    He thinks differently.
Eminem is not a man of clichés. In his song, “Lose Yourself” from the movie 8 Mile, he doesn’t rap about how he has butterflies in his stomach before taking the stage. Instead, he says “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti.” Eminem finds new ways to communicate very common emotions and themes: fear, isolation, frustration, despair. He doesn’t rely on crutches or tired ideas. He thinks of new ideas. Which is perhaps the hardest, yet most important part, of being a good artist and a good writer.

-    He communicates clearly.
Eminem enunciates. He makes very clear, succinct points. He doesn’t mumble or mutter. He doesn’t use words like “maybe” or “possibly” or “sometimes.” He speaks with conviction and confidence. With passion and purpose. He’s easy to understand (for a rapper, at least). He doesn’t waiver or worry. Nope. He says what he means and he means what he says. Dr. Seuss would approve.

-    He’s fearless.
He doesn’t edit himself or his thoughts for anyone. Ever. Sometimes even to his detriment. He’s not afraid to be himself. To put himself out there. To share his art, his words, his purpose. He stands behind what he does, even in the late 1990s when moms would form picket lines and boycott his albums. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t back down. He didn’t edit or censor his creativity. Now you never really get this luxury when clients are involved. You don’t just get to spit out whatever you want…but the fearlessness to communicate your opinion is something that’s very valuable in client meetings and in the work itself. Because people respect fearlessness. They listen to it. They appreciate it.

Of course I’m relieved Eminem isn’t a copywriter. It would have been a shame to have missed out on all his creative insight just so he could have written an edgy spot for Old Spice. (Now that’s a depressing thought). Worst case scenario, it’d make a great back-up career for him.

So in honor of my weird late-night epiphany, for the rest of this week my goal at work is to be a little more Eminem.

But maybe without all the curse words.