So from the old school rap of Run DMC to the politics of Public Enemy to the ghetto gangsters of NWA to the daisy age of De La Soul it was Eminem who put the fun back into rap. His jocular raps and hugely entertaining videos were a sensation making him an international star. But the jokiness took a dark turn with the sombre No 1 hit ‘Stan’ that saw him assume the mantle of an obsessive fan who murders his girlfriend. It’s the song that gives the documentary its title and what his fans became known as and here in homage to his first big hit they introduce themselves as, ‘My name is………’. Yet they are also understandably only too keen to emphasize they are not the Stans he rapped about.
Produced by Eminem’s own production company it’s a career analysis album by album of an artist whose been around for almost thirty years and is commented on mostly via the Stans themselves who are treated with respect and all seem decent people although there’s one, Zolt, a kind of all bleach blonde crop baggy white T-shirt and necklace wearing real life tribute act who is perhaps the only one who perhaps has the potential to veer into the same territory as the song. There are a number of other contributors notably his own mentor Dr Dre as well as others as varied as Jimmy Iovine and LL Cool J but what it does miss is cultural commentators, someone like Paul Morley, who could objectively contextualize and evaluate his impact on the music scene.
Stans could be seen as something of a vanity project with Eminem now bearded and far more reflective on his career and speaking quite openly. The double whammy of the huge success of his hit Stan as well as the success of his autobiographical film ‘8 Mile’ (and lets not forget he won a Best Oscar for his rap ‘Lose Yourself’) was a career high and yet as seems almost obligatory for hugely successful musical artists he opens up about feeling trapped by fame and subsequent mental health struggles that saw him dabbling with drugs eventually OD’ing. It’s a rare bit of vulnerability that perhaps makes him more accessible than other rappers.
Stans is perhaps a little too reverential to its subject but for both fans and those with a casual interest it’s a respectful look at one of the genres biggest stars.
related feature : The best and most disastrous films featuring a popstar…….
related feature : Rami Malek, Queen & Mike Myers at the Bohemian Rhapsody World Premiere
Here’s the Stans trailer……
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