"Marshall from Detroit" - A Review of the VR experience at Sundance

Eminem is one of the greatest rappers to ever exist. Sway Calloway is the best hip-hop journalist and radio personality in the world. The two come together to have a patient conversation about some of Eminem's roots in Detroit, utilizing a medium that usually gets attributed to a modern aesthetic. However, with Eminem and Sway Calloway being such rich fixtures of hip-hop history, the aesthetic is grainy and has a vintage feel to it.   

The 20 minute short is a VR experience that transitions smoothly between their conversation in a limo and scenery around Detroit. You get to see the streets, the frigid snow, his old apartment and the shelter where he came up in the underground rap battle scene as a youth. Having the feeling of sitting in a car while Sway and Em candidly talk about topics ranging from his political views, his sonic progressions, and his syllabic rhyme schemes, felt like a dream come true. A highlight of the piece may just be when you get to sit in the middle of a rap battle between two crews at the old shelter.

The VR experience seems to be improving every year. I still had some issues with nausea even in this experience where it moves about as slowly as it can. Right from the get-go, when the title comes onto the screen, a slight headache hit and I felt a bit dizzy. After a few moments, I got used to it and it got better, but I never quite shook the feeling of visual discomfort. It was hard to tell sometimes if the graininess was intentional or if the blur came from technical bugs that still need to be worked out. Overall though, it was a trippy experience that any Eminem fan would enjoy thoroughly.