8 mile

"Look, if you have one shot, one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment. Would you capture it? Or just let it slip."

Here are several things I know about 8 mile. I know it's about Eminem, I know it's released in 2002, I think it's about rap culture. But I did not expect to see Brittany Murphy, whom I first saw in Ramen girl before her sudden death last year. I also did not expect I could find so much commonality with the perspective expressed in this movie.

The movie surrounds the life of Jimmy Smith (Eminem) from the lower stratum in Detroit. He got his girlfriend pregnant, then moved back with his mum in a trailer, where his mum is living with a man of his age and his little sister. Jimmy hangs out with mostly Black gangsters and rappers. The crux of the movie is Jimmy's run in a rap battle operated by his DJ friend. The psychological barrier, the stage freight, the economic pressure, the race issues etc. are rhythmically summarized in Eminem's rap song "Lost yourself". The prologue of the song is excerpted at the head of this entry.

Not only am I an Asian girl, I am also a fob, a PhD student from the Far East. These qualities make me the farthest type of outsider to a rapper community and its culture. Honestly I couldn't have understood the lyrics without subtitles. Too fast, and too tongue tweaky and sliding for me to grasp. There are obvious material and cultural demarcation separating my connection with this tribe. I don't want to pretend I'll ever understand or not understand anything about the hip-hop culture but at the core I think it portrays a psychological need to get accepted by people you identify with. In order to do so, you need to overcome the physical inconvenience (like being a wigga among a Black community) and bootstrap yourself for the best performance. People recognize accomplishment and results, not the physical attributes of the performers, although they are by no means eliminated.

Everyone has had many opportunities presented to them at one point or another in their lives. Indeed, life is the best gift we've ever had. Say no more and give your best show to every audience you are lucky to encounter in your life.