Taking a closer look at the music videos for “Made in China” and “Without Me”, there are a lot of similarities that can be found between the two different artists. For example, the main premise behind the video for “Without Me” is the idea that Slim Shady, the image that Eminem had built for himself was just more than a crazy alter ego, and that without him, the rap industry would be nothing. The music video portrays Eminem as a super hero and has scenes where Eminem is dressed up in a super hero costume at times and includes that nostalgic comic book look within the music video. It’s almost as if it is a statement of this is who I am and I don’t care about what other people think. In the music video for “Made in China”, the premise of the music video is the stereotype that everything is made in China. The music video takes place in China and includes their home town of Chengdu and it is way for them to express that this is who they are as people and they are proud of it no matter what other people may say about them.
Sonically, there are many similarities that can be found between the Higher Brothers and Eminem. Eminem has always been known to either have an almost comical voice when under the alter ego Slim Shady, or to be almost “shouting” into the mic. Referring back to the Kajikawa reading, Eminem was also known to use rhythm within his delivery of his lyrics. In his song “My Name Is”, there are times where Eminem is either not on beat or accelerating or slowing down his lyrical speed which adds a layer of rhythmic complexity. He also tries to sound “white” within the song by using a stereotypical corny “white” voice. In the song “Made in China” right from the start, there is a stereotypical joke used in the intro of the song. There are also times where the lyrics being delivered are being “shouted” and you can hear their accents when they speak English in the song. Going back to the sound that both artists are trying to create, Eminem’s used the traditional New York style paired with a different lyrical rhythm. The syncopation of his voice over the beat was something very new at the time and being “off beat” as a successful rapper was very uncommon. Because the higher brothers use Chinese in their songs, sometimes it is difficult to create a phrase that makes sense in Chinese as it would in English. Since Chinese is such a complex language, it takes an immense amount of skill to deliver lyrics on time and clearly. In the song “Made in China” there are times where the Higher Brothers are off beat, or when they exaggerate their accents to fit the song.