- Eminem is often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
- Yet, the behavior of his fans and other bizarre hangers-on have made the news more than anything musically that the rapper has done.
- Perhaps it’s time to stop with the “stan” behavior and start focusing on what made Marshall Mathers famous in the first place.
Eminem is often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Whether you like his music or not, he has changed the face of hip hop.
Despite this, he hasn’t made the news for his musical offerings lately. (And there’s a good reason for that, unfortunately.) Rather, he’s made the news because his kinda-sorta ex-girlfriend wrote a book…and because a fan in Scotland used him, in a way, to break a world record.
Didn’t Eminem Rap About Stans Like This?
In the classic Eminem track “Stan,” Marshall Mathers spits 16 about a fan of his becoming increasingly obsessed with him and increasingly unhinged to the point of homicide and suicide.
As a refresher, take a listen to the song below.
As the video demonstrates, “Stan” is not an instruction manual. It’s a cautionary tale.
Someone should have let Nikki Patterson from Aberdeen, Scotland, know this — because old girl just earned the Guinness World Record for having the most tattoos of the same musician. (I didn’t even know this was a thing.)
As NY Post, via Fox News, reports:
Patterson, who goes by @CrazyEminemLady on Instagram, also tells Fox News she’s also gotten a 16th tat since her record was confirmed, with plans for five more in the near future.
Patterson first became an Eminem fan when she was 14 (she’s 35 now), has seen him live seven times, and has an additional twelve other tattoos on her body that are merely “inspired” by the rapper and not just portraits of his face. That means this woman has a total of twenty-eight tattoos of Eminem — either of his face or his lyrics — and has plans to get another five soon.
None of this — absolutely none of it — is necessary.
Don’t Let Fandom Become Obsession
Look, everyone is a fan of something. I, myself, am a self-admitted fan of both “Star Wars” and K-Pop bands. But there’s a world of difference between enjoying a creation — and its creator — and becoming dangerously obsessed with it. Whether the target of your obsession is Eminem or One Direction, being this obsessed with a celebrity that doesn’t know you exist is not healthy.
If you cannot call a celebrity in an emergency, they are not your friends — you are a fan to them, and nothing more.
And as someone with experience in the entertainment industry, I don’t find stories like Nikki Patterson’s funny, cute, or newsworthy. I find them downright scary — and there’s nothing “cute” about admitting to the world that you’re “crazy” obsessed with a celebrity.
Even Eminem’s fans — a devoted bunch, if nothing else — think even this is a little too crazy for them.
Eminem has already had a problem with dangerous stans in the past. Recently, one even tried to kill him. He’s not the first celebrity that’s had a problem with stans, and he won’t be the last. And we, as journalists, need to stop giving valuable headlines to stans who use his name — and other famous names — to get attention.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.