But more often, rap-metal aims a lot lower. The new rap-metal frequently seems calculated to offend, to rake in a quick, lewd buck. The influence of pornography on this culture is worth noting. The band Korn, for example, garnered early credibility among fans by posting interviews with porn stars on its Web site. The Insane Clown Posse goes on cable-access porn shows.
Porn gives bands cool points and boosts their fan base.
There is something creepy about the ongoing compulsion to wed rap and metal and from there to fuse it with wrestling and porn and seemingly every other precinct in popular culture. And it hasn't peaked yet. Recently, Eminem's new album broke records for first-week sales. Still, the music itself can sometimes be profound. He gleefully forces you to consider whatever differences exist between thoughts and deeds while making you extremely uncomfortable to discover that maybe the two aren't far enough apart.