Eminem and the business of Controversy

The art of creating controversy in the media either makes the artist look horribly wrong or incredibly inspiring. But knowing how to take advantage of the situation leaves huge room for profit. Eminem knows how to take either situation and turn it into a profitable experience. Eminem takes the controversy that is sparked over a feud between him and another artist and is able to create an entertaining battle for literally years to come. Eminem is able to preserve these feuds by releasing a track that deals with the feud periodically but not overly dwelling on it. These ongoing feuds show that Eminem is a very smart businessman. He understands how to make the most profit from a simple situation. The business end of a feud makes perfect sense. After gaining popularity, the people want to see each side fight back. By creating a situation where one must always answers the other to avoid looking scared, the room for profit is huge. The insane clown posse feud has been going on since 1995. Just by saying something about their appearance at a party, Eminem sparked a feud that has so far lasted 15 years . (http://www.eminemlab.com/eminemenemies.html) He did the same thing with Britney Spears. Releasing the song “Marshall Mathers” to pick on her but then leaving it alone after creates an ongoing battle. Even though he usually seems like the predator picking on people who can't adequately fight back, he is still able to turn the situation in his favor.  

The attempt to fight back from the other side is usually very popular too. Take for instance “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey. The song is clearly a diss to Eminem showing him as an obsessed loser. It gained huge popularity because it continued the feud. In this way, Eminem not only creates popularity for himself, but the artist he picks on, in effect, evening out the score.

Eminem is truly a master of his craft. By taking a simple feud and turning it into an ongoing ordeal, he maximizes the business of it for both parties and furthers his own success because he is a master of “diss”