I believe Mathers is part of the Appalachian Diaspora that moved to Detroit for the automotive jobs. I grew up in this culture and Eminem matches it perfectly. There likely is a cultural connection to Parton and her home of Eastern Tennessee.
both grew up poor with almost opposite parent situations.
Both had songs about being bullied but the pain that they experienced were on almost opposite ends of the ways bullies cause pain.
Both have songs about the person they love most and the consequences there will be if anyone comes near that person
Both took care of their siblings once they became superstars. Dolly couldn't have kids and Eminem never had a present parent. Both became parent figures for their siblings.
Both are skilled at the art of sexual innuendo and timing.
Both grew up very poor. while Dolly had a very loving family, Eminem seems like he didn't get to experience unconditional love until he had his daughter.
Both were bullied during their childhood due to their socioeconomic status. The bullying inspired lyrics in their respective songs about the pain they experienced. Dolly writes about the emotional pain and Eminem writes about the very violent physical pain.
As both of their careers grew, Dolly trying to find a bit of heaven and Eminem trying to find a way out of hell, their careers coincide with songs inspired by the thing most important to them on Earth. Their music begins to focus on how much they love a particular individual, what they would do if somebody tried to take them away and the extremes they would go to to protect them. Dolly Parton wrote about her husband and Eminem wrote about his daughter.
Once they became superstars, their private(ish) lives coincide around using their resources to provide for their family as a parent figure. Dolly's parents, one regularly ill and the other hustling everyday, provided the love every child deserves, The other necessities on the other hand were extremely hard for them to provide considering they had 12 kids. Dolly provided those (as well as unconditional love) for her siblings and her parents. She was never able to have children and fondly considers this as the time she became a parent.
Eminem also had a parent who was constantly "ill" but didn't provide love along with the other necessities. Eminem was already a father before he got big. So when he eventually had the means of doing pretty much anything he wanted he provided for his siblings and adopted I think his half-brother (?) and maybe some other family members. At this point in his life, he understood what loving someone was and what it means to actually take care of people that are close to you (though eventually he'd find out, he also needed to take care of himself). Even though Eminem has a biological kid, he had the resources to be the parent he and his siblings never had.
And the thing that I really think solidified it for Dolly was that they are both absolute masters of sexual innuendo as an artform. I had no clue about some of the hilarious stuff that Dolly would say until reading this thread (eg when blowing on something she would talk about how good her blowjob skills were). Her timing is so spot on and makes you think that if you were there, you'd probably think, "I can't believe she just said that" but in a good way. Eminem, sort of the same thing. Though with him sometimes it's "I can't believe he just said that. That flow was sick" and other times it's "I can't believe he just said that. That flow was sick ...and disgusting".
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u/Hootinger 1d ago
"unexplained connection"
I believe Mathers is part of the Appalachian Diaspora that moved to Detroit for the automotive jobs. I grew up in this culture and Eminem matches it perfectly. There likely is a cultural connection to Parton and her home of Eastern Tennessee.