Hip-hop is an often overlooked genre in literary circles. However, if one considers the relevance of art to the society that spawned it, one can hardly ignore hip-hop as a barometer of the society in which we live. In a world where school-shooting have become common place, as society searches for answers to their woes, they do not have to go far to find the answers. EMINEM's music has become a social icon as it reflects these societal problems. The following will analyze "Kill You" by EMINEM for the literary clues that it holds.
             The first element that becomes apparent in the song "Kill You" by EMINEM is the anger of the artist. This is punctuated by the sharp staccato music in a minor key. Minor keys are often used to convey somber moods. They are often used in horror movies to create tension and suspense. This was the intended purpose of these elements in "Kill You." The song is a about a world gone mad. This is enhanced by the way the melody jumps around in a maniacal manner. The music complements the mood of the lyrics and adds a sense of sense of madness.
             The song is in first person and represents a personal journey into madness. This is suggested in the first stanza where the artist makes references to an unstable childhood with a lack of a strong father figure. This stanza alludes to the setting. The audience can surmise from references to the broken home that the author did not grow up in a middle-class suburbanite neighborhood. This opening stanza serves as a background for the rest of the song. The audience gets a glimpse into the reasons why the author feels the way that he does. This presentation was stereotypical of those presented by the mass media when they provide the social background of a criminal, particularly a serial killer. They often say that he was from a broken home, much like the one presented by EMINEM in the opening stanza.
             EMINEM uses strong imagery and icon...