In a word of fake desillusions where people are used to hide the truth and the facts at any price, Eminem appears to have started a real revolution. His lyrics as well as his story are based on real facts.
Eminem exposes truths and harsh things people often don’t want to hear about.
Like he expresses it so well in the song « Square Dance » from the « Eminem Show », he fights for « the right to say something you might not like. »
Eminem exposes his own story as a poor white trash kid to the public. Many people in America, who live their comfortable lives don’t want to hear about poverty. Eminem understood it well and let his words explode at their faces in his song « Rock Bottom » from the Slim Shady Lp, that is certainly one of the realest and the more touching song of the whole album.
Yes, the facts are so real and do hurt : look at this father who’s unable to feed his daughter :
« My daughter’s feet ain’t got no shoes or sock on ‘em… ». Rich Americans, open your eyes !
They prefer to ignore some facts, particularly the existence of white trash and underground people. Eminem is deranging to them. They prefer not to look at what he has to say and criticize his lyrics as « demeaning to the youth and to society ». Those people live in a closed world and are totally ignorant of the every day reality of the poor working classes.
To be well understood, young people need people who are really close to them and not the kind of psychologists who spend their time writing theories about them. Marshall stands very close to the youth. Not only that he dresses like them, but he experienced the same kind of problems teenagers usually do : broken families, drug addiction, misunderstandings…Marshall shows his concern for kids in his music. The sentence taken out of « Stimulate » from the bonus CD of the 8 Mile soundtrack « Bless the children, nothing less than brilliant… » is touching. « Sing For The Moment » helps so many teenagers who experience harsh problems with their families.
Eminem cannot be held responsible for the society’s decay. The issues Eminem raises need to be exposed. Too often, people picture America as a wealthy paradise.
We also need to discover America’s « other side », a country where some people live in misery in the ghetto where drug dealers and murderers reign. Eminem has the courage to expose his vision of America that may be shocking and full of uglyness, but that is certainly closer to the every day reality.
« Guilty Conscience » featuring Dr Dre from the Slim Shady LP is very representative of that reality. Dramas, robberies, murders also belong to the American reality and shouldn’t be ignored. « Guilty Conscience » may have shocked many politicians, but who could deny the existence of those events ?
Eminem has done a real good job as an engaged artist. He has certainly contributed for a large part to open people’s consciousness about the urban culture and ghetto reality. He is not afraid of a public exposure of the harsh reality. Violence exists, particularly in the ghetto. No doubt, it’s hard to live in the 313, but it’s worth discovering this world where murder is law and drugs deals , prostitution and poverty belong to the daily reality.
Most of us up grow up in a society that rarely allows us to show our true feelings. When we are angry or hurt we are supposed to hide it or to show it very little. I used to grow up in a particularly rigid parental environment and I didn’t dare expressing what I actually felt inside. This made a sick person of me.
I was also tought to care so much about people’s opinion. What people could think about me was supposed to be the most important, so if they thought I was a loser, it was supposed to be right and I just had to accept it. I spent years doubting my own qualities, torturing myself and my relationships with people have always been complicated at this time, because I was too shy to speak my mind. To all the people who are going through same situations than mine, no matter how old they are nor where they come from, I’d like to advice : « Don’t ever say yes when you intend to say no to people », because that’s the best way to get abused.
I discovered the Marshall Mathers LP first in 2001 and thinking of Eminem, I spoke to myself : « See, here’s a guy, who’s been through harsh situations and who’s not afraid to speak his mind. If you acted like him, you’d certainly feel better. »
So i started applying to this, even in very conflictual situations and I started noticing that it actually helped me to feel better.
I began to realize that I had been the prisoner of other people’s opinion on me for too long. It was such a great feeling to be able to oppose my opinion to other people and « not giving a fuck » about their reaction. I began to regain some self confidence and to act the way I always wanted to.
For the first time in my life I felt like I was myself.
In fact, it is so much important to realize that we should never fake our feelings and to be real about everything.
Marshall has changed my perception of life, for sure. He has given me the greatest gift through his attitude and his music : being real. For that, he deserves so many thanks from me.
The biggest mistake is to try to please everybody by agreeing on things you innerly don’t agree with.
You cannot force the whole world to like you, but if you keep real, you will certainly feel in total harmony with yourself and gain genuine people’s sympathy.
And for those who don’t like me : remember that I just don’t give a fuck about it.
The « Marshall Mathers » song from the Marshall Mathers LP
This song was supposed to be a « Just Don’t Give A Fuck », part III. About this song, Eminem says :
« I wanted to just spit fire in each verse and have that soft-ass innocent chorus.»
The song is hilarious from the beginning to the end.
Eminem targets his family members who are so eager to get some money out of his brandnew fortune. He makes fun of his own behavior, attacks a lot of pop icons like N’sync, Backstreet, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears his rival Vanilla Ice and finally spits verses about his old enemies , the ICP group in response to their diss track « Slim Anus ». He makes fun of them, calling them two little flaming faggots (« I don’t get fucked in mine like you two little flaming faggots ! »)
Nobody seems to escape to his rage. Boy/girl groups are particularly targetted by Marshall, because he didn’t want to be classified as « pop » because of his blonde dyed hair. He wanted people to make a real difference :
« Now because of this blond mop that’s on top of
this fucked up head that I’ve got I’ve gone pop ? »
I particularly like the way chorus I gently starts in some kind of innocent way ("You see, I’m just Marshall Mathers/ I’m just a regular guy…") followed by a second chorus that is much more offensive and violent ( " ‘Cause I’m just Marshall Mathers/ I’m not a wrestler guy/ I’ll knock you out if you talk about me…")
This song has also been written in reaction of people who started doubting facts about Marshall’s life story.
Eminem jokes about his mom’s behavior, about her 10 Million dollars lawsuit, her drug addiction.
At the same time, Eminem’s siblings from his father’s side Michael and Sarah wanted to get in touch with their famous brother after ignoring him for years.
So many relatives want to make easy money on Eminem’s back.
Eminem adds sarcastically in his song :
« All of a sudden, I got ninety some cousins… »
He also exposes his beef with the XXL magazine that did an unauthorized cover story on him. The song ends in a hilarous way :
« Aah, fuck it, I’ll even buy a couple myself ! »
The « Marshall Mathers » song from the Marshall Mathers LP exposes Eminem speaking his mind, without caring about people’s opinions nor reactions.
The funny way in which he exposes his truths increases the pleasure of the listener who will probably laugh from the beginning to the end. If he’s got a sense of humor, of course !
Jonathan Power has a good piece in today'S IHT.
We have to stop looking at terrorism as if it is the end of the world. It is for the people who die from it. But the rest of us have aduty to ourselves and to the equilibrium of our countries to keep it in perspective.
Eminem’s life story can be read on his skin. He has ten tattoos :
- an Eminem tattoo on his right upper arm that represents his stage name. On his right shoulder Eminem has a Hailie tattoo that is his most recent tattoo. There is a picture of Hailie smiling and « Bonnie and Clyde » is written beneath. It reminds us of the great complicity between father and daughter. The roses are, of course, a symbol of his everlasting love for Hailie.
- on his right arm, you can read Hailie’s name vertically. Eminem got this tattoo to honor his daughter when she was born, in 1995. You can see this tattoo very clearly on the book cover of Martin Huxley’s book (Eminem : « Crossing The Line », St Martin’s Press)
- on his left arm, there is a Slim Shady tattoo that is surrounded by the Ronnie R.I.P tattoo. The « Ronnie RIP tattoo » has been made, of course, as a tribute to his deceased uncle. This tattoo is very artistic : it is related to the ghetto life in Detroit. You can see a huge mushroom along with buildings and the eye of a whore.
- the « D » on his right forearm stands for Marshall’s hometown, Detroit and also for the D12 group, representing « Dirty »
- the 12 on his left forearm represents « Dozen ». If you put both forearms together, in addition you have « D12 ».
- the gothic bracelet on his left wrist has no particular meaning, because Eminem forgot about the original meaning of the bracelet.
- On his right wrist, you can read « Slit Me » (maybe a reference to his suicidal tendencies from the past.)
- « RIP Kim » is located on Marshall’s stomach : the « Rot In Pieces » tatoo is dedicated to Kim. It pictures all the troubles Marshall went through because of Kim, including their arguments. At this time, Marshall had broken up with Kim and he didn’t intend to get back to her. « Rot in Pieces » also represents a grave with Kim’s name. It had something definitive in the meaning, but it is also the expression of a great pain Eminem was unable to swallow.
So if you want to understand the man and his life story, read his tattoos first !
Naomi Klein has quite an interesting account of protests in Miami recently. Some shocking stuff, they are embedding reporters with cops just to cover protests? What is the world coming to?
Meanwhile, independent journalists who dared to do their jobs and film the police violence up close were actively targeted. "She's not with us," one officer told another as they grabbed Ana Nogueira, a correspondent with Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! who was covering a peaceful protest outside the Miami-Dade county jail. When the police established that Nogueira was "not with us" (ie neither an embedded reporter nor undercover cop) she was hauled away and charged.
Those Diebold Memos that I host here on my weblog have been linked to by Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Seems like this story will never make it into the mainstream media -
In a related story California has decided that electronic voting machines must give paper receipts.
Dan Gillmor, as ever, has some great stories. The first being that Bill Gates has denied that he ever entered into talks with Google -
"We've never been in any talks with Google about any acquisition thing in any way, shape or form"
This is after huge media coverage that said Google were going to be bought by Microsoft. Needless to say someone is trying to stir as much interest in Google as possible, I wonder who.
Guys,
Apologies for the lack of posting, I have been busy getting back to Ireland for the Christmas. I shall return to London in the New Year.
Other than that I hope to commence regular posts very soon.
When I'm not posting Isabelle will be -
The « 8 Mile » movie makes us discover and understand the racial tension and the racial split that existed in Detroit. In fact, this appartheit has historical roots in Nothern America. In the 30’s and 40’s, southern Blacks moved to Nothern cities like Detroit. Many white people left the city to build their own communities. The racial tension that existed was so strong in Detroit that you could even find racial flags with sentences like « We want white tenants in our white community. »
The racial contrast was more important in poor communities like Warren where people (Blacks and Whites) had nearly the same income. Most of them were workers from the industry. Even Blacks with a higher level of education used to suffer from racial discrimination from Detroit Corporation that used to practice racial preference in favor of white people.
Backstab the Kingpin, a less known white rapper from Detroit I have interviewed, also talks about racial discrimination from both sides.
Being an aspiring white M.C in a black community was really far from easy :
"There was still great tension between white/blacks in Detroit. At that time rap/hip-hop was black culture and a white b-boy, emcee, or producer was refered to as another Vanilla Ice. "
But the tension that still existed in 1995 slowly disappears. Todd Nelson, who is from the elder generation, stated in a BBC interview that his nephew had become « worst » since he hung out with Blacks, which is, of course, laughable.
According to Backstab, Eminem avoids talking about the racial issues from the black side, because the people he’s collaborating with are Blacks :
"The "8 mile" reminds me of that night at alvins, one thing Em did not do is touch on the reverse racism that I felt back in the mid 90's, I think this is for obvious reason--his friends and labelmates being all black. Another that I thought was funny is that St Andrews which is protrayed in the 8 mile movie as an all black club was actually a mojority white crowd or at least half."
8 Mile makes us discover the underground from Detroit which is specific. To understand the movie well, you must be familiar with US slang. The 313 or Three One Third is a reference to the phone area code. If you live in the 313, you are supposed to be cool. If you live in the 810, you are considered as a sellout.
8 Mile also pictures an industrial city, where people work very hard. It shows dark places, the kind of places you want to escape from as soon as you will improve your financial situation. Detroit cannot be considered as a safe city.
Backstab can certainly relate to this. He used to live in the worst parts of Detroit:
"I grew up (in school) in the suburbs so I wasnt subject to any type of reverse racism during that time. At that time, I was siding with the minority because I have major native american roots and lived in a racist town called Livonia where blacks got pulled over randomly and often. If you are black--you dont drive thru Livonia at night--you will be arrested for one thing or another. This is why I chose a urban college and left for the city at my most influential years (18-25) I have lived in the Cass corridor & Brightmoor. Both neighborhoods known to Detroit as some of its worst parts. run down bruned up buildings, crack and drugs, prostitution and transsexuals runnign the streets. Fights, and shooting heard all night. Detroit is not a safe nor happy spot. It’s a city thatsfelt years of oppression and contains people who have worked their hands to the bone at factories and autro plants trying to provide a good living for their loved ones. It’s a materialistic city that thrives on stepping on the next man to better yourself."
But the most interesting part of 8 Mile is certainly the atmosphere of the lyrical battles . You realize the hard fight of a white MC in a black majority for recognition and to escape to poverty. 8 Mile makes you discover the local rap scene and like it. It is also the story of friendship and solidarity between people from different races who share the same social context.
You cannot resist to sing along with the white M.C: “Now everybody from the 313, put your motherfucking hands in the air and follow me!”
8 Mile has made a star of Rock City (Detroit) that will certainly remain a huge source of inspiration for Eminem.
Eminem has been near to death several times in his life and he owes one of the scariest events that happened in his life to a man named D’Angelo Bailey.
Every Eminem listener knows the words of the song « Brain Damage » from the Slim Shady LP where Eminem relates the event, adding some sarcastic and imaginary verses (like his brain falling out of his head, for instance).
Debbie Mathers expressed about this tragic event on the Sally Jessy Raphael Show : « He was found in the bathroom, in blood, on the floor. Twenty-one doctors in four days gave up on Marshall. »
We know that Debbie tried to sue Roseville Elementary School in 1982 and that Eminem’s school dismissed the lawsuit in 1983.
Eminem was attacked twice by D’Angelo.
« The first time was around Thanksgiving and the second time was around Christmas. Marshall had a slight concussion the first time. The second time he almost wasn’t too lucky. Marshall fell in and out of consciousness. »
The doctors wanted to institutionalize Marshall, but Debbie, for once showing true love to her son, refused the idea. She didn’t want to give up on her son. It is really hard for a mother to cope with such events.
Debbie stated : « It was one of the hardests things for me to ever do. They gave me a choice- if Marshall’s hearing did not come back , his eyesight faded in and out- that I’d have to instutionalize him. »
But Debbie refuse to take this into account : « I refused to do so. He was on seizure medication, he would black out and did not even realize what he was doing at the time.. It took a year for him to bounce back. »
The D’Angelo bully has influenced Eminem’s music for a large part- I mean not only the song « Brain Damage », but if you take a deeper look at Eminem’s videos, there are references to hospitals, to surgery and to mental institutions. In the Real Slim Shady video, you can see a lot of insane persons in an asylum. If we look at the « Without Me » video, Eminem is being operated in a crazy way.The 50 Cent video « In Da Club » pictures Slim Shady operating his mate.
This event has traumatized Marshall for a great part and he needs to exorcize this part of his life.
D’Angelo Bailey, who does not even feel guilty for acting this way in the past, remembers the first time he listened to « Brain Damage » : « Damn, that must have been scared him for life. ». He has admitted the facts he denied later on Court in order to get some easy money « the good old American way » :
« Yeah, we flipped him right on his head at recess. When we didn't see him moving, we took off running. We lied and said he slipped on the ice. He was a wild kid, but back then we thought it was stupid. Hey, you have his phone number? »
You will probably be amused if you get to know that D’angelo’s kids are Eminem fans who enjoy the song « Brain Damage » a lot.
D’Angelo filed several lawsuits against the famous rapper for defamation. He also held Eminem for responsible of the fact he was unable to lauch his career as a rapper.The most recent lawsuit has been dismissed by Judge Servitto a few weeks ago.
Eminem is a fighter who never gives up. Like his grandmother expressed it before, he is very lucky to be alive after all he went through in his life. The talented rapper deserves the deepest admiration for his ability to use even tragic events at his advantage and to increase his artistic creativity.
A lyrical salvo fired by Eminem, seemingly toward rapper and The Source magazine co-founder Benzino, leaked onto the Internet over the weekend.
The song, called "Bully," would appear to be retaliation for Benzino's public unveiling last week of a 15-year-old Eminem freestyle in which the white rapper used offensive lyrics in describing black women (see "The Source Digs Up Tape Of Eminem Using Racial Slurs").
The song, however, is 6 months old, according to Eminem's people, and was never released officially or otherwise. That would put the track's production around the timeline of the last Benzino/Eminem mixtape flare-up when Benzino fired off tracks like "Pull Ya Skirt Up" and Eminem responded with cuts like "The Sauce" and "Nail in the Coffin." Em's spokespeople said the rapper and his camp had nothing to do with the leak.
The lyrics of "Bully" — or at least the parts that were leaked — aren't particularly scathing, and Benzino is never called out by name. Em begins by speaking from the perspective of his target, saying, "It's my right to insist that he acknowledges my existence, but he just displays complete lack of respect." Then he adds, "That's what he says to himself as he uses magazines to trash me/ As he sits with both his feet up at his desk/ Smokes a bag of his weed/ And starts imagining things/ And he just can't see that he's manically depressed."
Over a simple keyboard and drum beat and with Eminem half-singing his lyrics, he continues elsewhere with the lines "And it's destroying him slowly/ 'Cause he does not even know me/ Even though he sees me everywhere he goes/ So he tortures himself/ He has no fortune and wealth/ So he extorts someone else to get his dough."
Meanwhile, Benzino issued a statement on Monday (November 24) calling Russell Simmons' defense of Eminem through his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network "irresponsible." Last week, Simmons' group called Eminem's tape "regrettable" but accepted his "sincere and forthright" apology. Benzino's statement implied that Simmons has a conflict of interest since both he and Eminem report to the same corporate parent, Vivendi Universal. He called Simmons' opinion "not impartial."
Benzino also used the occasion to resign from the board of directors of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.
Kim Mathers
It seems Kim Mathers has been enjoying a little CP time or avoiding inevitable disciplinary action.
Em's ex-wife appeared in two Macomb County courts on bench warrants last week missing two earlier court hearings.
Kim Mathers stood before judges in Macomb County Circuit Court and a Warren district court on charges connected to the two missed dates, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Mathers, 28, posted a cool $50,000 cash bond in Macomb County court and was released. Macomb County Circuit Judge Edward Servitto ordered her to be placed on an electronic tether, which notifies authorities if she leaves her home but doesn't track her whereabouts. He also ordered her to undergo drug and alcohol testing and attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
Lawyer Michael Sinutko didn't say where Mathers had been, but told Servitto that she is under "emotional as well as personal stress" and "is hoping to put this back on the right path."
A pretrial hearing on cocaine possession charges is scheduled for Dec. 18 in Macomb County Circuit Court. Later Tuesday, Mathers appeared in district court in Warren, where she had missed a Nov. 6 arraignment on a separate charge of running a drug house. The charges stem from a Sept. 29 hotel party in the city
http://www.eurweb.com/articles/headlines/11242003/headlines1218511242003.cfm
Eminem and Kim’s twisted relationship has constantly been targetted by the media.
Debbie Mathers took Kim at her home where she grew up as Marshall’s foster sister since she was 12.
« I took her in at 12, which I kick myself every day for », declared Debbie to the Detroit Free Press.
« She does not care about my son at all. She cares about the money. »
Marshall and Kim have known each other when they were teenagers. They have grown up at the same home , which created strong links between each other.
But if they were unable to live without each other, they have also proven not to be able to live with each other either.
The dramas Eminem has been through with Kim in his personal life have been a huge source of inspiration for him.
« Bonnie and Clyde 97 » was a recociliation attempt, as Eminem explains it very well in his book « Angry Blonde » and « Kim » was a deep expression of his unhappy love for Kim. The chorus speaks for itself « So long, bitch you give me so wrong/
I don’t wanna go on/
living in this world without you… »
Kim has often been playing with Marshall’s feelings, leaving him as soon as he was financially down and using their daughter Hailie as a weapon against him.
Despite the frequent arguments Marshall and Kim used to have in their on-and-off relationship, both got married in June 1999.
Their marriage was an unhappy union and Eminem decided to divorce when he caught Kim kissing John Guerra.
Eminem’s decision to divorce lead to a new drama in his life : Kim attempted suicide in front of her mom and of Marshall’s little brother Nate while he was touring for the « Up In Smoke Tour ». She was hospitalized on July the 7 th 2000. Marshall talks about the tragic event in the song « Don’t approach Me » from Xzibit (featuring Eminem) :
« .. everyday I wake up, another drama
It’s a wonder I’m alive, survivin this karma
If I can hold on to my private life for five minutes longer
I might get my wife to let go of this knife and just calm her
Without these cameras in our faces like animals
For your channel 2 action news to follow our ambulence up the avenue
And catch a glimpse of all the suicide attempts
And what we do in private since they won’t let us put up a fence
And you wonder why I carry every gun under the sun
Whether it’s unloaded full or an un-registered one
No bullet, you’re so full of shit
This clip is so full it’ll spit if I don’t pull it
And don’t give me no bullshit I’m not in the mood
I just got in a feud in some parkin lot with a dude
Over kim and she just slit both of her wrists over the shit
Don’t tell me bout the show business shit
I know what this is, bitch »
Eminem doesn’t like the way the media expose his private life, which is understandable. He feels like he can’t hide his privacy for one minute. His life is hidden for no camera and this drama is a real private matter.
From Kim’s point of view, it was very difficult to face with her husband’s new celebrity and to suddenly share him with the whole world, with of course, unpleasant exposures of some intimate details of her private life.
Kim intented to sue Marshall in 2000 for defamation , because she constantly felt humiliated about the « Kim doll » her husband was « beating » on stage, but on August 24th 2000, both reached a settlement about that lawsuit and tried to reconcile, with no success.
The couple even tried to work out their problems and to live together for Hailie’s interest. They even tried to have another child. Despite their efforts of reconstructing their relationship, their divorce was finalized in March 2001.
Marshall’s advocate, Robert Z Feldstein stated : « This is a marriage that appearently just isn’t going to work. Luckily, the parties seem to be communicating well with respect to their daughter and hopefully communication and co-operation is ongoing for the best interest of the child. »
We all know how much Eminem shows concern for Hailie’s interest. His daughter always comes first and his behavior towards her honors him.
In 2002, Kim got pregnant from another man, Eric Hartter, who is the father of her second child, Whitney.
Eminem disliked the fact that she went pregnant six months after their divorce. It was reported in the « World Entertainment News » from April the 30th 2002 that Eminem was « shocked and upset » when he discovered about Kim’s pregnancy. In fact, he was much more worried on the effect this pregnancy might have on Hailie.
All of a sudden, at the period « 8 Mile » was released, Kim broke up with the father of her second child and got back with Marshall, taking little Whitney with her to Marshall’s home in Clinton Township, Michigan.
Since he divorced from her, Eminem couldn’t really forget his ex wife. He still has strong feelings for her despite the fact she cheated on him so often and has proven to be so untrustworthy towards him.
The fact that little Whitney was living at the famous rapper’s home caused a lot of problems to Eminem. He was accused of trying to separate the baby from her dad.
Mary, Whitney’s grandmother complained about the situation. The trouble was, Eric Hartter’s name wasn’t n the birth certificate and since Eminem and Kim were back together, Eric’s family feared for the worst.
But Eminem ’s intentions were not to create any problem. In fact Kim didn’t want the dad of her second child see their kid. When Eric requested to see his daughter on the phone, Kim said : « Just take me to court if you want to see her. Take me to court. »
But she already knew it wasn’t that simple for him, because he already had a lot of trouble with justice, being charged for drug deals and other delicts.
Between 2001 and 2003, Kim has been arrested twice in possession of cocaine. She seems to have serious addiction problem.
Her recent behavior, disappearing without anybody knowing the place
where she was hiding before the police caught her, shows an irresponsible behavior.
Since the time Eminem has been back with Kim, their relation has been the same that it was in the past, always on and off.
Kim has always played on the fact her ex husband still had feelings for her, she’s been manipulating him, but the worst in the whole story is her irresponsible behavior, simply disappearing without caring about her daughter Hailie.
For once, we may not doubt Debbie’s words about Kim, who seems to be a dependant woman and certainly not the best mother in the world. But Hailie’s presence in Eminem’s life remains the most positive thing that went out of their marriage.
Eminem is under fire for denigrating black women. That's the job of black rappers
Helen Kolawole
Monday November 24, 2003
The Guardian
Eminem never uses the word "nigger". But the white rapper, normally so careful to be ultra-respectful to black people, currently stands accused of having written a song in his youth which denigrates black women.
After he'd split up with his African-American girlfriend at the tender age of 16, he wrote poignantly:
Blacks and whites they sometimes mix
but black girls only want your money
cause they're dumb chicks...
Don't date a black girl
if you do it once you won't do it twice
Black girls are dumb,
and white girls are good chicks.
Leading the condemnations of the rapper as a racist are Raymond "Benzino" Scott and Dave Mays, co-owners of influential US hip-hop magazine the Source, with whom Eminem has been involved in a schoolyard spat for the past year. Not only has he stolen black culture, they claim, but he has now been revealed as a racist to boot.
This is rank hypocrisy. Scott and Mays are largely silent when black male rappers go about their daily business of disrespecting black women, both lyrically and visually. They are tight-lipped as white big business lies back and reaps the rewards of multimillion-selling misogyny, titillating white consumers with deliberately brutal images they dare not produce themselves.
Considering that Eminem has said little out of the ordinary in a genre in which, to a considerable degree, black women are subject to daily insults, their indignant stance is confusing. Of course, since he is white and at pains to placate African-Americans, Eminem has had to apologise for his lyrics, saying they were "foolishness" written when he was a "stupid kid". His black contemporaries show no such repentance.
On the front of his new album, the rapper Ludacris - incidentally, the Source's November cover boy - is shown nibbling on an unidentified black female leg protruding from a mound of juicy fried chicken. The video for Fatman Scoop's current top 10 hit depicts him lifting up a black female lap dancer by her hair and putting her in his car.
Indeed, in rap and R'n'B videos it is rare to see a black woman portrayed as anything other than a lap dancer - or what is colloquially known as the "video ho". So awash is MTV Base, the TV music channel dedicated to black music, with denigrating images of black women that it should really relaunch with a jauntier title. Perhaps MTV: Black Bitches, or Butts R Us.
If the Source really cares about the sensibilities of black women, it should prompt a debate about misogyny and sexism in elements of black culture and how they are sustained and promoted by white big business. Instead, we are treated to a personal spat dressed up as an investigation of white inroads into rap. By narrowing the argument down to one individual's stupidity, the focus of the argument is lost in a haze of banal male posturing.
The Source's head-in-the-sand stance reflects a wider black reluctance, both in the US and the UK, to debate the issue. But debate there could be - there have always been alternative voices in rap, and to portray the entire genre as unabashedly misogynistic would be to do it a disservice. It has produced female rappers as diverse as Lil' Kim (a black woman in white female drag, and certainly no challenge to sexist representations) and Lauryn Hill, the standard-bearer of a progressive black female image in rap.
There are also male rappers, such as Mos Def and Common, who resist dick-swinging bravado. But, as the feminist critic bell hooks points out: "Mass media pays little attention to those black men who are opposing phallocentrism, misogyny and sexism... Alternative, progressive black male voices in rap or cinema receive little attention - their voices are not celebrated in patriarchal culture."
The only conclusion to be drawn from the current furore is that misogyny against black women is fine so long as it's kept firmly within the protective bosom of black folk. Take heed, Eminem, we like to keep our dirty business in the family. Stick to dissing your own in future.
· Helen Kolawole is former arts editor of Pride magazine
hkolawole@hotmail.com
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1091934,00.html
Hailie Jade is Eminem and Kim’s daughter.
The little girl is Eminem’s biggest source of inspiration. Since her earlier years, Marshall recorded her voice on his album, the « Slim Shady Lp ». He also dedicated his book « Angry Blonde » to her.
Hailie Jade Scott was born on December the 25 1995 in Detroit. She is the one who gave Eminem the strength and the faith to go to the end. Her birth has been a wake up call for Marshall who really felt devastated after Ronnie’s death and who nearly gave up his dream to be a rapper. Hailie made Eminem conscious of his responsibilities towards his family.
Nothing scared him more than the possibility of being separated from his daughter at the time he was facing Court charges :
“I guess I’ve always been the type of person who, if a brick is thrown my way, I set it up the wrong way and stand on it. Whatever obstacle is thrown my way, I try to use it to my advantage and run with it. It was a dark time for me, I guess, but I can honestly say I probably would be a different person sitting here right now if it wasn’t for my little girl.”
Marshall also wanted to be a good and devoted father to his daughter unlike his own Dad. He expresses it so well in « Cleaning Out My Closet » while touching his « Hailie tattoo » tenderly :
" I look at Hailie and I couldn't picture leavin' her side…"
Eminem’s wounds from the past are deep and still hurt . His Dad left him when he was just a few months old, and he wants things to be different for Hailie. Despite the fact he is a very busy man, most of his spare time belongs to his little lady.
In his difficult love-hate relationship with his ex-wife Kim, Eminem has always put Hailie’s interest first. He also talks about in « Cleaning Out My Closet » :
“even if I hated Kim, I grit my teeth and I'd try, to make it
work with her at least for Hailie's sake, I maybe made some mistakes but i'm only human, but i'm
man enough to face them today, what I did was stupid, no doubt it was dumb, but the smartest
shit I did was take them bullets out of that gun, cause id'a killed 'em, shit I would have shot
Kim and him both, it's my life, i'd like to welcome y'all to the Eminem show...”
Kim has humiliated her husband, giving John Guerra an intimate kiss and Marshall retaliated publicly (as usual). But in reality, he has tried to work out his relationship with Kim and to reunite his family.
During his divorce procedure, he tried to reconcile with his wife, but it just didn’t work out.
He also went back to Kim several times after their divorce. But Kim has proven to be an untrustworthy person. She recently just disappeared (after facing Court charges for cocaine detention) without even caring about what could happen to her daughter and how she could feel, being abandonned this way.
In the meantime, the full custody of Hailie Jade has been granted to Marshall by the Court.
Eminem’s biggest enemies, Benzino and Ja Rule, who know that Hailie is the person that really matters in Marshall’s life, didn’t hesitate to diss the young girl in order to weaken the talented rapper who came out of the lyrical battle stronger than ever, with Hailie’s participation in « Do Ray Me » where she mockingly asks Marshall : « Daddy is Ja Rule taller than me ? »
Her Daddy answers sarcastically : « No honey, you guys are the same size »
His moving song « Hailie’s song » from the Eminem Show summarizes the love Marshall feels for his little daughter who will be 8 years old on Christmas Day. It sounds like an ode to Hailie where his deespest feelings and Eminem’s « real side » is exposed to his public.
Hailie is the greatest Christmas gift Marshall could ever expect. She makes a happy and proud Daddy of him.
Anthony Bozza met Eminem in 1999 when the milky rapper's fame was "still a whiff on the air."
While writing a cover story for Rolling Stone, Bozza shadowed Marshall Mathers III before he won the Grammys and the Oscar and moved from trailer park to gated community.
Eminem must've smelled the pungent odor of his own impending success. While he was still scrubbing pans in Detroit, Mathers changed his stage name to his initials M&M, and then to his current moniker so as not to be sued by the candy makers.
In the years to come, everyone from Lynn Cheney to Maureen Dowd to Frank Rich would be throwing elbows at the bottle blond with the brilliant rhymes and white-trash pedigree. With last year's turn as a down-and-out talent in "8 Mile," Eminem went from reviled target of the Parents Music Resource Center to the darling of the SUV set.
But Bozza began mining the expansive, pop cultural landscape that is Eminem before anyone else even knew there was gold in them thar hills. That early prospecting has won the writer enviable access to the artist for "Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem."
Make no mistake: the author is an ardent fan (Bozza blows Eminem a big wet kiss early on when he dedicates the book to his subject). It's a surprise, then, that his open adoration doesn't lead to the whitewashing of Eminem's woman-hating, gay-bashing lyrics. (Eminem says he's "just kidding, ladies," and Elton John thinks the real Slim Shady's "sweet.")
Nor does the writer sidestep the fact that Eminem's sales and mainstream popularity have as much to do with his race as with his prodigious talent.
Those hoping for the juicy dish of "E! Hollywood Story" should stick to the unauthorized bios of other Michigan natives Diana Ross and Madonna. There are no lingering accounts of Eminem's charges for gun possession, his mother's defamation lawsuit or his ugly battle for custody of his daughter Hailie Jade with Kim, the ex whom he murders in song.
Bozza deserves props for sticking to the critical high road. Still, it's frustrating that he doesn't indulge in the simplest journalistic Q and A about the nasty headline-grabbing episodes that cast Eminem as a jealous thug who pistol-whipped a man outside a Michigan club for kissing Kim.
The author glosses over such tabloid fodder in favor of more cerebral explorations. The result is less a biography of Eminem than a trenchant critique of the mores, music and politics of gender and race in America as it sloughed off the political correctness of the late 20th century and slouched into the "Girls Gone Wild" permissiveness of the 21st.
While consumers of rap have historically been teenage boys, Bozza and those he interviews offer some intriguing insights into Eminem's unlikely popularity with women of all ages. Girls weaned on MTV's "Spring Break" and CNN's coverage of Monica's stained dress aren't bothered by a guy who brings a blow-up doll on stage and leads the audience in a chant of "Kill Kim." Thirty- and fortysomethings who cheered on Anita Hill as she testified against Clarence Thomas want to cuddle the fatherless boy who claims his mommy made him crazy in the Freudian sense because she "had a different boyfriend every day of the week." They forgive his sonic misogyny because he grew up hard and had the good sense to rap about it. "America adopted Eminem like a troubled foster child who could no longer be ignored," Bozza writes.
More than anything else, Bozza makes a compelling case that Eminem is the perfect voice of the post-Sept. 11 generation: jaded but vulnerable, damaged and complicated, desperate to be understood.
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1069497356181300
Nathan Mathers is Debbie’s second son with Fred Samra Jr and Eminem’s half brother. Both brothers have a good and close relationship. Along with Hailie, Nathan belongs to the persons that really matter in Marshall’s life.
Nathan Kane Samra was born on February the 3rd 1986 in Detroit.
Since Nate was a baby, Marshall used to take care of him. Eminem states that he pretty much raised his little brother from the beginning. He even changed his brother’s diapers.
Nate’s life in Detroit has been similar to Marshall’s. He has also been bullied at Roseville Elementary school. Debbie Mathers tried to sue his school for that, but Roseville school returned those facts against her and Nate was placed in a foster family for about one year. Debbie was accused of beating her son. Eminem’s mom probably also abused her second son emotionally. It is well known that she used to isolate him from other kids.
Nate describes her as a crazy person.
While his brother was living with his mom, Marshall always had to be careful when he gave Nathan a call : « When I call him, I bite my tongue. I believe she’s listening on the other extension. I’m sure he’s afraid of my mother and I’m sure he’s doing the same things to him that she did to me. »
Eminem has always shown love and concern for his brother. There is a reference to Nate in « Cleaning Out My Closet » from the Eminem show :
«… and Nathan's growing up so quick, he's gonna
know that your phoney… ». This line appears to be a real warning for Debbie.
Nate takes part to many events in Marshall’s personal and public life. He has shared his dramas and successes. He supported his brother in the most dramatic event since the beginning of his career : his Court case.
He was also present at the Mathers’ home when Kim attempted suicide.
You can see Nate in several of Eminem’s videos: "The Way I Am ", " Without Me " , " Sing for the Moment ".
About Nate, Marshall says : « Yo, my brother is mad cool . He’s the most popular kid in the school. He’s got like 10 girlfriends. He even died his hair blonde and got his ears pierced. He looks just like me ! He came to my concert and the girls were all over him. They didn’t even want to get with me. He was sitting on his girl’s lap and I was like « You go, you little pimp. He is cool and we call him Little Nate Dogg. »
At the 2001 Detroit Music Awards, Marshall asked his little bother to take his awards and even to deliver the « thank you » speech. At the VMA Awards 2003, Marshall thanked his little brother.
Nate also spends time touring with his brother, which is something he enjoys very much.
Nate who follows his brother’s career with very much interest, is also an aspiring rapper.
This is a little freestyle by Nate from Eminem’s mom interview on the BBC. Nate was rapping with Debbie in their car :
« You laughin’ while your bobbin’ in your seat,
You turn around, I’ll bust you in your teeth
You’ll be laughin’ at me,
While the girls will be playing with my meat,
Stop while your ahead,
Take a tylonal and go to bed. »
About his musical talent, Debbie Mathers said :
« I think when Nathan gets out there, he will do far better than Marshall »
But what really matters to Nathan in the end is Eminem’s opinion about his talent as a future rapper :
"I'm more concerned what Eminem's going to think about me more than anybody else."
Nate is still trying to find a record deal. It wouldn’t be surprising if he collaborated with his brother someday.
Nate currently lives with his brother Marshall since his 16 th birthday. Marshall bought sportscars to Nate for his 16th and 17th birthday.
In an interview given to « The Face », Eminem’s little brother was asked how it was like to live with his famous brother.
He replied : « better than living with my mom ».
In another interview given to the webmaster of his official website , Nate also explained that his mom wasn’t a good mom and how much crazy she could act in real life. No doubt he is telling the truth.
Some people are ready to do anything to get some publicity. They would walk on the dead if they had to.
Benzino belongs to those kind of people. He doesn’t mind spitting on somebody who was once called a « creme-de-la-creme MC » by his magazine « The Source » in 1998 , when Eminem was an unsigned hype. The fact that Eminem is Caucasian didn’t seem to bother anybody among the Source owners at this time.
In 2002, Benzino decides to attack Eminem in order to advance his career as a rapper. Benzino is not even gifted for rap, but he put his ambitions so high that he decided to battle the best battle M.C. Benzino is so ambitious and so full of himself that he is not even afraid to look ridiculous in front of the whole world. Have you ever watched his video « Rock The Party » ? I have, and it was one of the most annoying moments in my entire life. Is that what he wants to oppose to Eminem ? A boring video and annoying songs with whack lyrics ?
For a second, while listening to Ray Benzino, I even granted Ja Rule some talent…because Benzino is really talentless !
Benzino, né Ray Scott, constantly targetted Eminem for his skin color, calling his friends and D12 members « House Niggas », calling his rap « The Rap Hitler ». Benzino went so far talking about killing Marshall and raping and murdering Hailie (who got her revenge in the « Doe Ray Me » song , though.) Ray Scott’s arguments against Eminem are, most of the time , personal. He dares calling Eminem’s rap « The Rap Hitler », him being « The Rap Malcolm ». If we analyze Benzino’s statements deeper, they are very close to facism. Attacking somebody for his skin color can be viewed as racism, no matter what color you are. Being Black doesn’t allow you to make racist statements, simply because there is no truth in racism.
Benzino’s reference to Malcolm X is well choosen, though. Even if Malcolm X fought against the injustice black people were facing in the USA, he is also known for his racial judgements against white people.
I could understand his hatred of Eminem if he didn’t attack his daughter. His personal attack against the talented M.C is a strategical mistake that makes him look childish in front of the public.
But Benzino can try to raise his voice as loud as he wants, he’s been killed lyrically in the song « Nail In the Coffin ». The best line is certainly the last one :
« Oh, and for those that don’t know, don’t get it twisted yo,
The Source has a white owner’’
What ? The Source has a white owner ? Yeah, and his name is Dave Mays. A sentence that should have shut Benzino down.
What appears to be the most pathetic in this story is « The Source »'s position. « The Source » stated that “the views of Benzino the artist do not necessarily reflect the views of Source Magazine.” Depite their statement, the Source totally supported Benzino in his beliefs and points of view. They totally agreed on the fact "Eminem was bad for hip hop culture. "
By acting in such an unprofessionnal way, the magazine lost its credibility.
Now they are trying to stunt publicity on a ten years old tape where Eminem was freestyling racist remarks about black women out of rage, because he just had broken up with his black girlfriend. We all know that Eminem expresses his feelings of the moment so often , like he did it in « The Way I Am » when he felt exceeded.
We should also take into account that black rappers have also said demeaning sentences against black women or women in general. I could give a great amount of examples, but I’m going to quote Ice cube in « a Bitch is a Bitch » from NWA’s album « Straight Outta Compton » :
« Yo, you can tell a girl that's out for the money
(How?) She look good and the bitch walk funny
She ain't no dummy, she's rather kunivin'
Yo bitch, fuck when I'm drivin' (yup)
See a young nigga that's strivin'
You're thru' without a BMW
That's why a bitch is a bitch
I guess, or even P.M.S.
Here, test the girl that's kinda snobby (alright)
And I bet you,
Dissin' niggaz is her hobby
And after she finished the test
Grade her ?? a B I-T-C-H
And watch her get mad
Cause she know it's true (she know it)
But a nigga like me, I say: "Fuck you"
Do like Ice Cube, slam her ass in a diss (word)
Cause a bitch is a bitch »
Who will believe that a man who hung out with Blacks his whole life, who lived on the black side of Detroit and whose label Shady Records is composed by a black majority, is a racist ? It is laughable. Dr Dre, Eminem’s producer, is a black man, also.
Russell Simmons who organized the hip hop Summit in detroit on June the 4th 2003 (Eminem took part to this event), took Eminem’s defence :
"These lyrics are disgusting, but the oneness of hip-hop culture has transformed many young people in trailer parks around the country away from their parents' old mindset of white supremacy.
We believe Eminem's apology is sincere and forthright. He continues not only to be an icon of hip-hop, but also has evolved into a good soldier who gives back money, time and energy to the community, encouraging this generation of youth to reach their highest aspirations.
"We, therefore, must be careful as to how the race card is played to divide people rather than to encourage unity in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality for all."
Rather than the « culture stealer » Benzino wants Eminem to be, Eminem has been an enrichment for the hip hop community. He has united the poor black and white underclasses. The talented (white) M.C has opened hip hop to a larger audience, which is a good thing.
Benzino has proven to be an old fashioned closed minded person with racist beliefs. Mr Scott and his so called « bible of hip hop » have lost their credibility in the world of hip hop.
Step by step, Benzino is digging his own grave…
To quote Benjamin Chavis, Russell Simmons partner :
« Hip-hop culture transcends race. »
Influential hip-hop figurehead Russell Simmons has come out in support of Eminem against allegations of racism.
In a statement released yesterday (November 20) Simmons said he believed Eminem's apology to be "sincere."
The owners of The Source magazine, Ray Benzino and Dave Mays, held a press conference this week during which they played early recordings of Eminem delivering racist rhymes.
The hip-hop star was quick to react asking the public to, "take it for the foolishness that it was."
"These lyrics are disgusting, but the oneness of hip-hop culture has transformed many young people in trailer parks around the country away from their parents' old mindset of white supremacy," Simmons said.
"We believe Eminem's apology is sincere and forthright. He continues not only to be an icon of hip-hop, but also has evolved into a good soldier who gives back money, time and energy to the community, encouraging this generation of youth to reach their highest aspirations."
Simmons' partner in the charitable Hip Hop Summit Action Network, Benjamin Chavis, said: "Hip-hop culture transcends race."
"We, therefore, must be careful as to how the race card is played to divide people rather than to encourage unity in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality for all."
Nonetheless, The Source is refusing to back down, Editor Kim Osorio told New York Newsday: "These are racist remarks by someone who has the ability to influence millions of minds."
http://www.dotmusic.com/news/November2003/news31563.asp
Todd Nelson is Debbie’s younger brother and thus Marshall’s uncle.
In the early 80’s, Marshall spent a few years with his uncle in Warren, Michigan, in a little house. The two family home was purchased by Eminem’s great grandmother Bessi Viola Whitacker in 1950 and has been put on sale on eBay in 2002 by Todd. Appearently, his financial situation didn’t allow him to keep the house :
« This is a very emotional thing for me, because this house has been in our family for 50 years. I didn't want to sell it, but I had to because my finances won't allow me to live here any more. »
Todd Nelson has made the DVD “The Man Behind The Mask” that is all about Eminem. The DVD certainly contains interesting stuff and allows you to view places like Eminem’s primary school, the house where he used to stay with his uncle and other significant and interesting places in Detroit where Eminem used to rap.
About his nephew, Todd says:
"It never occurs to me that he's famous. I changed his diapers when he was a kid."
According to Todd, Eminem was very protective towards his mom. When he didn’t like her boyfriend, the man had just to carry his luggage and leave their home.Todd talks about Eminem’s will to become famous and about Kim’s suicide attempt.
Some of his statements are unbelievable. He claims to be the first who has taught Marshall how to rap, what we may, of course, doubt : Eminem’s maternal uncle has never released any rap tape nor done any work related to rap music. Eminem denied his allegations.
He describes Marshall as a sissy, who was afraid to go fishing with him, because “the water was too cold”.
Todd also states Marshall has turned to the worst since he started making bad songs. Those statements sound funny from the mouth of a man who spent 8 years in a Missouri state prison for killing his brother-in-law.
Eminem’s uncle has rather shown a real eagerness to sell his nephew’s privacy to the British tabloïds and to talk about his sexuality which is really none of his business, no matter if those facts are true or not. (*)
(*)http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_811455.html?menu
Eminem’s fame shouldn’t allow him to talk about such private matters.
No doubt that both men’s relationship is bad. Todd stands on Debbie’s side, pretending that she was “real good to the boy”.
About Marshall’s mom, Todd says:
"His mother looked after him so well. He grew up not having to take responsibility for anything because Debbie did it all for him."
But Debbie’s sick behavior is no longer hidden for the public’s eyes. He totally denies that Marshall has had a hard life and denies some facts related in 8 Mile.
Since Eminem became famous, many of his family members turned their back to him and focused their interest on his money. Todd also wants some publicity and tries to find a way to make easy money on Eminem’s back.
Eminem’s sentence summarizes it all: “My family has never been there for me. They expect things because we’re blood.”
At the beginning of his career, Eminem has made two big mistakes that could have had bad consequences for the talented artist.
On June the 3 rd 2000, Eminem had an argument with his rival Douglas Dail from the ICP (Insane Clown Posse) group. He threatened him and brandished a 9 mn semi-automatic gun on his rival Douglas Dail from the ICP (Insane Clown Posse) group.
The same day, Eminem went to Hot Rocks Cafe where he found his wife Kim kissing another man, John Guerra. He went mad and hit John Guerra with an unloaded gun. Eminem was arrested after the police received a 911 call. He was charged with assault and carrying a concealed weapon.
Judge Viviano finally sentenced him to two years of probation under the condition to refrain from all excessive use of alcohol and to submit to a regular drug testing.
Kim expressed about the incident that happened with John Guerra. She sent a letter to the Detroit Free Press :
"My husband came up to Hot Rocks to check up on me. Why is still unknown to me because if I was to cheat on him it wouldn't be in a neighbourhood bar where he knows I am. Had he asked any questions before he flew off the handle, he would have realised that everyone with me were only friends. The fact that he just jumped to conclusions has gotten him and myself in trouble.
"I would also like to state, since my husband has had no problem trying to make me look like an unfaithful wife, that every time I find a picture of him with other women, or read in magazines that he's involved with 'groupies', I don't go and show up where he is making a huge scene and getting our faces put all over the TV and papers. I have always taken his word on things and stood by his side."
Kim has not really proven to stand on Marshall’s side. In the past she had left him each time he was financially down. This drama has lead to the couple’s divorce in 2001.
It is well known that Kim gave a rather intimate kiss to John Guerra that day. Even Guerra admitted it. John Guerra was a married man having two little kids. He only worried about his family when he saw the gun Eminem pointed at him.
This event is related in the skit of the Eminem Show called “The Kiss”:
The Kiss (Skit)
[Eminem:]
I'm gonna kill this bitch
Im'a kill him
I'm going to fucking jail
Cuz im gonna kill this bitch
[Dave:]
Yo man
[Eminem:]
What
[Dave:]
I dont know
I gotta realy really bad feelin about this
[Eminem:]
Man would u shut the fuck up dave you always gotta bad feelin man
Thats her car right there
[Dave:]
Aight let me park
[Eminem:]
Just park
[Dave:]
Im parkin!
[Eminem:]
Turn the car off dogg
[Dave:]
Aight
[Eminem:]
Aight we wait
[Dave:]
We wait for what
[Eminem:]
We wait till she comes out and then im gonna fuckin kill her
[Dave:]
Man you aint gonna kill no one
What the fuck did you bring that for
[Eminem:]
Man shut the fuck up dog
Just shutup, the fuckin clip is empty
[Dave:]
Man dont point that shit at me
[Eminem:]
Its not even loaded bitch, look
[Dave:]
Dude, god i fuckin hate it when you do that shit
[Eminem:]
Yea but its funny as fuck
[Dave:]
Muthafucka im gonna kill you one of these days i swear
[Eminem:]
Gets you everytime
Is that her
[Dave:]
where
[Eminem:]
Right there mothafucka
[Dave:]
Oohh yeah
[Eminem:]
Aight get down get down
[Dave:]
Fuck, what u doing to her
[Eminem:]
Get Down!
[Dave:]
What the fuck you want me to get under the car
[Eminem:]
Yo, who she walkin with
[Dave:]
How the fuck am i suppose to know, you told me to duck down
[Eminem:]
Its the fuckin bouncer
Did she just kiss him
[Dave:]
I dont think so
[Eminem:]
Dogg she just fucken kissed him
[Dave:]
No she didnt
[Eminem:]
Shes kissin him
[Dave:]
No shes not
[Eminem:] Gets out car
[Dave:]
Ohh shit
[Eminem:]
Come on
[Screaming & Running]
Eminem is sitting inside of his car with a friend who advises him not to use his gun and who tries to control his reactions. But in the end, when he sees his wife with another man, he just runs out of the car, ready for some uncontrolable action with bad consequences.
Like anybody of us, Eminem has made mistakes in his life. But those mistakes have made a stronger and a more mature man of him: his maturity is visible in his current statements as well as in his work. Eminem has learnt a lot from his former mistakes that could have sent him directly to jail for five years. He uses the dramas that happen in his life as a creative force that will enable to understand them better and to analyze them.
Benzino at The Source press conference
"I hope people will take it for the foolishness that it was, not for what somebody is trying to make it into today." — Eminem
NEW YORK — Eminem found himself on the defensive Tuesday (November 18) after The Source magazine owners Ray Benzino and Dave Mays held a press conference to play a recording of the MC delivering racial slurs.
On the first of two tracks purportedly recorded in 1993, an audibly young Slim Shady raps, "All the girls I like to bone have big butts/ No they don't, 'cause I don't like that n----- sh--/ I'm just here to make a bigger hit."
The second track featured Eminem rapping about a black girlfriend he broke up with. "Blacks and whites, they sometimes mix/ But black girls only want your money, 'cause they're dumb chicks," he rhymes. Later in the freestyle Em raps, "Never date a black girl, because blacks only want your money/ And that sh-- ain't funny."
The first track was only a few lines long, but the second track went on for several minutes with Em — seemingly rhyming off the top of his head — repeatedly saying he did not like black girls and that they were only out to get money. Both tracks sounded amateurish.
"Don't make this right now a double standard," Benzino said at the press conference. "We gotta treat this the same way you treat Mike Tyson, like you treat Kobe Bryant, like you treat R. Kelly, like you treat O.J. Simpson."
Eminem responded by insisting he isn't racist and explaining that the recording was made when he was young, foolish and angry.
"Ray Benzino, Dave Mays and The Source have had a vendetta against me, Shady Records and our artists for a long time," Eminem said in a statement. "The tape they played today was something I made out of anger, stupidity and frustration when I was a teenager. I'd just broken up with my girlfriend, who was African-American, and I reacted like the angry, stupid kid I was. I hope people will take it for the foolishness that it was, not for what somebody is trying to make it into today."
Eminem, 50 Cent and the rest of the Shady/Aftermath team have had a long-running feud with The Source, fueled by Benzino's accusations that the media operate on a double standard when it comes to the multiplatinum white MC and that an artist of color could never get away with saying some of the things Em says in his music (see "Benzino Ignites Beef By Calling Eminem '2003 Vanilla Ice'").
After their comments, Benzino and Mays refused to entertain questions about the tape and its origins. They did say they plan to include a CD of the Eminem recordings in February's issue, and they promised another press conference concerning Eminem will be held in the future, when they'll answer questions and have civic leaders and members of the hip-hop community on hand.
Wow, Benzino probably thinks he will end the talented rapper's career with this tape? He's laughable.
It proves that Eminem went out with a black woman. A real racist wouldn't date black women at all.
At this time, he was young and angry. We all know that Eminem often expresses his feelings of the moment to let out his rage. He probably had a bad experience with a black woman who actually wanted his money. He shouldn't have generalized this. He has made a mistake and he admits it.
Eminem has proven not to be a racist person and I think Benzino won't convince anybody.
Rap star Eminem's ex-wife, Kim Mathers, was arrested on a bench warrant after she had reportedly been missing for weeks.
Mathers was arraigned at a local court Tuesday afternoon on charges for missing two court dates.
Mathers had failed to appear for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 6 in Warren District Court to face possible charges in connection with a drug raid at a local hotel.
"Is Kimberly Ann Mathers in the courtroom?" Judge John Chmura said before issuing the bench warrants on Nov. 6.
Mathers' attorney said he and her family had not seen or heard from her since Oct. 30.
"Her family and her children are praying for her. We are really concerned," said attorney Michael Smith.
Two bench warrants were out for Mathers since she did not show up for the court dates, according to Local 4.
Mathers, 28, faces charges for a Sept. 29 party held in her Warren hotel room, according to police.
Acting on a report of a disorderly person, Warren officers spotted Mathers talking on a cellular phone outside her room at the Candlewood Suites shortly before 3 a.m., according to the Macomb Daily.
Police told the paper they heard yelling and loud music coming from inside. When she opened the door, officers saw several people inside, as well as several open bottles of alcohol and cigarette rolling papers, according to a police report.
Mathers apparently told police the room was in her name and that people were using marijuana and Ecstasy at the party, the police report states.
Mathers is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on Dec. 18. A judge set her bond Tuesday at $50,000 cash.
Eminem recently expressed that he was afraid of « global fame ». His biographer, Anthony Bozza, confirmed that the rapper was scared of massive commercial success that has made a global superstar of him. Eminem has made it really big.
Marshall wasn’t prepared to such a rapid ascencion. In less than one year, between 1998 and 1999, Eminem has become famous. Working at Gilbert’s Lodge the year before and signing with the famous Dr Dre the year after, is really disconcerting. If you also consider the high level of pressures that were put on Eminem’s shoulders at the beginning of his career and the numerous controversies that surrounded the release of his albums, this is pretty much to bear for one single man.
In an interview given to Brian Mc Collum from the “Detroit Free Press” on June the 30th 2000, Eminem stated:
“ Nobody really understands the pressures put on me, to always be good, to always be on point. There are so many pressures that go with my job right now.”
Along with the pressures that came from his label , other pressures came from people who protested against his music. All of a sudden, the GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) turned Eminem into the symbol for misogyny and homophobia. Eminem’s career debut has been far from uncontroversial. The dramas that happened in his personal life increased the fact that he was in constant ebullition.
In the same interview, Eminem expressed about his dream come true:
“You gotta be careful what you wish for. I always wished and hoped for this. But it’s almost turning into more of a nighmare than a dream.”
After the release of his movie”8 Mile”, Eminem has earned more respectability among people who used to dislike him. The success of his movie has been determinant to increase his fame.
“8 Mile” also helped people to focus an interest on Detroit, who is usually viewed as a dark and annoying industrial city.
Is Eminem really satisfied with his every day life? According to the lyrics of “Say Goodbye To Hollywood”, the answer is clearly no.
It is sometimes difficult to realize for us, who are not famous, how superstars are forced to live and to behave.
Eminem expresses it in “Say Goodbye To Hollywood”:
“I don't wanna quit, but shit, I feel like this is it
For me to have this much appeal like this is sick
This is not a game, this fame, in real life this is sick
Publicity stunt my ass, conceal my fuckin' dick
Fuck the guns, i'm done, i'll never look at gats
If I scrap, i'll scrap like I ain't never whooped some ass
I love my fans
But no one ever puts a grasp on the fact i've sacrificed everything I have
I never dreamt i'd get to the level that i'm at, this is whack
This is more than I ever could of asked
everywhere I go, a hat, a sweater hood, or mask
What about math, how come I wasn't ever good at that
It's like the boy in the bubble, who never could adapt, i'm trapped
If I could go back, I never woulda rapped
I sold my soul to the devil, i'll never get it back
I just wanna leave this game with level head intact
Imagine goin' from bein' a no one to seein',
everything blow up and all you did was just grow
up emceeing
It's fuckin' crazy
Cause all I wanted was to give Hailie the life I never had
But instead I forced us to live alienated, so i'm sayin'...”
Marshall sometimes feels like being trapped. He has to hide and to protect from the papparazzi, the press, from some freaky fans. To summarize it all, he feels like he has no peace. Wherever he goes, he needs to hide his face. He feels like he’s been deprived from the freedom he had when he was underground.
He expresses quite the same in “Sing For the Moment” from the Eminem Show:
”But then these critics crucify you, journalists try to burn you
Fans turn on you, attorneys all want a turn at you
to get they hands on every dime you have...”
He feels like everybody wants something from him. Even worse: some journalists destroy his public image, fans don’t leave him alone, attorneys are ready to take his money, because he constantly gets sued.
I personaly think that Eminem likes the fame and the love he gets from his numerous fans, but sometimes he doesn’t manage to cope with the pressures that surround him and also with some people’s crazy behavior in front of him. He is perfectly conscious of the fact that he is an easy target for the media who don’t like him.
When he feels exceeded, Marshall wants to quit the game, but he also knows that “a normal life is boring/ The superstardom is close to post mortar” and that he has reached the high level of fame he talks about in “Lose Yourself”.
Although he was Eminem’s closest friend, we know very few things about Ronnie. Ronnie Dean Polkingharn was Betty Kresin’s (Eminem’s grandmother) sixth child. He was only two months older than Marshall. Both kids used to spend their whole free time together.
Ronnie had a major influence on his nephew. He intoduced him into hip hop and break dance. It was his first album that inspired Eminem to become the gifted breakdancer he is now. Eminem remembers when his uncle Ronnie bought him the « Breakin’ » album in 1981 :
« When I was 9 years old, my uncle put me on to the Breakin’ soundtrack. The first rap song I ever heard was Ice-T, ’Reckless’. …I was fascinated.”
Marshall and Ronnie used to record rap tapes together. Both kids were separated when Debbie went to Detroit, but each time he returned to St Joseph, Missouri, he spent his whole time with Ronnie.
About Ronnie, Marshall says:
« He was just like my best friend. He was the only family that I had, that I was close to. »
According to Betty Kresin, both kids couldn’t stand being separated for a long time and insisted to see each other after several months of separation.
In 1991, on December the 13 th , a big tragedy happened in Marshall’s life . Debbie called her son that day to tell him the bad news :
’She was crying…she was just kept crying, and I was like, what’s the matter, what’s going on…she was like, Ronnie is dead.”
Eminem was so shocked that he couldn’t attend the funeral. He just isolated himself and kept listening to Ronnie’s tapes.
As you probably know, Eminem upset his grandmother when he wanted to use his dead uncle’s voice for a new release in 2001. She misinterpreted her grandson’s intentions and intented to sue him. She also pretended that her grandson changed for the worse. At this time, granny Betty and her grandson had a serious argument. Betty wanted Marshall to pay for her bills when he became famous.
"The next time I saw him, he asked me how much my bill was. I told him, and he never did a thing for me. He has never offered anything to his mother. Her gutter is falling off her house, and she has only recently got a used washing machine."
She also wanted him to exhume her dead’s son’s corpse in order to investigate on his death.
"They were really good pals", she stated.
And she told Marshall : « Now you're famous, you've got money, and you say you love Ronnie so much with that tattoo on your arm. I want his body exhumed to find out the truth about what happened. »
Suddenly, Betty changed her mind and decided that Marshall wasn’t the bad guy she was talking about and reconciled with her grandson. She completed her book « The Ties That Bind ». This book will certainly and help us to know more details about Ronnie and Marshall’s childhood.
Eminem ‘s intentions were clearly to honor his deceased uncle :
" I loved Ronnie. I've got a Ronnie tattoo on my arm.I wanted to pay tribute to him. Nothing bad, I'll sell records regardless"
The dog tag he wears around his neck comes from him and his tatoo is on his upper left shoulder ("R.I.P Ronnie") is dedicated to his uncle.
It took Eminem a long time to cope with his uncle’s death. He was obsessed with his suicide and also fantasized about killing himself in his lyrics.
In an interview given to “Music 365” on April the 28th 2000, Eminem was asked if he wanted to end his life for good after this dramatic event:
-Music 365 : "Your uncle Ronnie committed suicide. Have your ever felt so low that you wanted to end it all? "
-Eminem: "That's always been something that's been in the back of my mind, but I don't think I have the balls to do it. There was this one time when I really felt like I wanted to do something to change my life, whether it would be doing something I regretted, or with rap or whatever. "
Fortunately and thanks to the inner strength he has cultivated inside of him, Marshall ‘s will to rap was stronger than his suicidal tendencies.
There are many references to Ronnie in Eminem’s songs. In his song « Stan », from the Marshall Mathers LP, Stan says :
“I read about your Uncle Ronnie too I'm sorry
I had a friend kill himself over some bitch who didn't want him...”
Those lines refer to the circumstances of Ronnie’s death. His suicidal girlfriend might be responsible of Ronnie’s death, but it will remain a supposition. Ronnie was known as a sensitive man. He has been kicked out of the US army because he couldn’t stand guns. His death by gunshot was ruled suicide.
Another reference to his uncle can be found in the « Cleaning Out My Closet » song where Eminem screams his pain and anger at his mom :
" Remember when Ronnie died and you said you wished it was me? Well, guess what, I am dead. Dead to you as can be."
His everlasting pain expressed about Ronnie’s disparition can also be found in " My Dad’s Gone Crazy" :
" More pain inside of my brain, in the eyes of a little girl inside of a plane
Aimed at the world trade, standin' on Ronnie's grave,
Screaming at the sky… "
The D12 song « Shit can happen » lets appear another reference to Ronnie.
" One man army, guns can't harm me
Young and army, worse than my Uncle Ronnie
Ever since I got my first gun pulled on me
I can't stop carryin out my dirty laundry
Middle fingers flipped and censorship… "
Marshall used to idealize Ronnie and he always considered him best rapper than him. He didn’t even dare rapping in front of him, because he thought his rap wasn’t good enough compared to Ronnie’s.
Once Ronnie visited him in Detroit and Marshall told Ronnie about his dream to become a rap superstar and his determination to go to the end. But Ronnie had given up rap for good, because he was convinced he would never make it.
Marshall’s best tribute to his beloved uncle is his success as a talented rapper.
LONDON -- When an aging cargo ship from Virginia loaded with toxic waste crawled into Newcastle's harbor in northeast England last week, Peter Brookes, editorial cartoonist for the Times of London, quickly saw an analogy. He drew President Bush (news - web sites)'s face on the bow, with a sign reading "Highly Toxic."
Bush doesn't arrive here until Tuesday evening, but his four-day state visit to Britain already has set off protests and criticism aimed at him and his geo-strategic partner and close friend: Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites).
The trip, planned months ago, was supposed to be a celebration of the Anglo-American alliance following the anticipated triumph of U.S. and British forces in Iraq (news - web sites). Blair's aides had looked forward to what they called a "Baghdad bounce" in the polls that would restore their leader's popularity at home. Bush's aides had relished the chance for the president to present his vision of the war on terrorism on the world stage in the relatively friendly and secure environment of America's closest ally.
But the escalating violence in Iraq -- combined with a series of lingering disputes between the two governments and perceived slights from Washington -- has tarnished the glow. The trip has become an opportunity for antiwar protesters to stage three days of demonstrations. One protest leader, Lindsey German, called Bush "the most unwelcome guest this country has ever received." Critics across the political spectrum here are raising anew questions about Blair's close partnership with a conservative Republican administration.
"Unless Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) arrives and gives himself up personally to the queen, I can't see any upside at all for Blair," said Peter Riddell, author of "Hug Them Close," a new book about American-British relations. "You'd have to go back to the Vietnam War to find a time when a presidential visit would have been so controversial."
Many Britons say Bush is taking advantage of his junior partner by coming here for photo ops with Blair and Queen Elizabeth, his official hostess for the visit, to help launch his reelection campaign. Some Democrats, among them Sidney Blumenthal, a former Clinton White House aide, have chided their counterparts in Blair's left-of-center Labor Party for bestowing political aid and comfort on a Republican president. But analysts warn that the visit could backfire on Bush.
"I think Americans will be surprised to see the extent of the antipathy toward Bush here," said James P. Rubin, a former assistant secretary of state in the Clinton administration who now teaches at the London School of Economics. "When they think of Britain they think Tony Blair, our stalwart ally, and they're probably not aware that in terms of public opinion Britain is not all that different from the rest of Europe."
Britain was America's closest ally before and during the Iraq conflict, thanks largely to Blair's personal commitment. But a large majority of Britons favored winning U.N. approval before launching military action. Although the public rallied behind British troops during the conflict, support for the war -- and for Blair -- has plummeted in the months since, especially among members of the ruling Labor Party.
Bush, labeled "the Toxic Texan" by critics here, has never been a popular figure in Britain. A poll last week for the antiwar Daily Mirror newspaper found that three of four Britons surveyed believed Bush's war on terrorism had made the world a more dangerous place. Things have gotten so bad that commentators noted the high number of compliments Bush paid Blair in a recent interview with British reporters -- Riddell counted 15 during the 40-minute session -- and warned that each one could further damage Blair's political standing.
On Sunday, Bush said he was not worried by the prospect of protests during his visit, the Reuters news agency reported from Washington. "No, not concerned at all," he said. "Glad to be going to a free country where people are allowed to protest."
Beginning with Harry Truman in 1952, Queen Elizabeth has met every one of the 11 U.S. presidents who have served during her reign. But the invitation to Bush is the first formal state visit ever for an American leader. It came about reportedly through the hard work of U.S. Ambassador William S. Farish, a Bush family friend and major Republican Party donor.
Farish has been all but invisible during his three years here, but maintains close ties to the royal family, due in part to a shared interest in horse racing and breeding -- the queen sends mares to Lane's End, his stud farm in Kentucky, and she reportedly has visited there four times. The trip was first broached 18 months ago, officials said, and final plans were cemented in the spring, just after U.S. and British forces rolled through Iraq.
"They probably thought it would be a victory lap," Rubin said.
Already, officials say, the trip has been a planning nightmare. Bush and his wife, Laura, are scheduled to spend the first two nights at Buckingham Palace in the heart of London, and the Secret Service (news - web sites) has demanded that a large area be sealed off to protect the president from potential terrorists and from the 100,000 or so demonstrators expected to protest in the streets. About 250 armed Secret Service agents have been assigned to supplement Scotland Yard's extensive forces. But the queen reportedly vetoed, as too noisy, plans for a Black Hawk helicopter to hover over Buckingham Palace.
Polls indicate that many Britons resent the planned show of force, the potential disruption and the estimated $10 million bill for presidential security. But there is much deeper resentment stemming from the widespread sense that Blair has gotten little but grief from a relationship that, viewed from here, looks increasingly one-sided.
While insisting publicly that relations have never been better, British officials privately keep a laundry list of complaints about the Bush administration, beginning with Iraq itself -- both the run-up to the war and the aftermath. The British had pushed behind the scenes for more time for U.N. weapons inspectors to complete their task before taking military action, but say they were overruled by impatient hawks in the White House and Pentagon (news - web sites).
After the initial fighting ended, they proposed maintaining the Iraqi army, albeit under a different command structure, and pressed for a faster handover to local authorities. Most of all, they have complained that they are seldom consulted, much less heeded, by U.S. officials despite having 10,000 troops on the ground in southern Iraq.
There are other sources of tension, from the ongoing detention without charge or trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, of nine British nationals suspected of terrorism, to Washington's alarm over British involvement in the new European Union (news - web sites) defense project and the Bush administration's effective abandonment of the "road map" diplomatic initiative in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Washington has also viewed critically a British-French-German effort to negotiate an end to Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. Apprised of Europe's carrot-and-stick approach to Iran, Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton mockingly told a recent seminar here, "I don't do carrots."
In all of these areas, British officials complain they have gotten little or no support from Washington. "The feeling is that every time something really matters, Blair has to go and beg personally for it," said Bronwen Maddox, foreign affairs columnist for the Times. "There have been a lot of bruises this year."
Blair, as always, has put the most positive face on the Bush visit, insisting in a recent speech that "this is exactly the right time for him to come."
"The first thing you learn in politics is that those that protest the most or shout the loudest aren't necessarily entirely representative of the whole of opinion," he said in an interview last week. "Most people in this country, I believe, are immensely proud of the American alliance and support it."
The queen and the president have met before, most famously in 1991 during his father's administration when he made her smile by wearing cowboy boots stamped with "God Save the Queen" during her visit to the White House. U.S. and British officials are hoping his quirky charm, combined with his deeply held belief that he is protecting the world from rogue states and terrorism, will somehow capture hearts and minds here.
"The president cannot back down from this fight," said one U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "If you don't address the issue, then the argument goes by default to the other side. And this is still the best European capital, the best environment, to make the case."
Despite rumors and mumblings in the court system that she may soon turn herself in, the ex-wife of rapper Eminem remains a fugitive at large on two distinct drug cases and has lost custody of her daughter to the hip-hop star.
Warrants remain pending for the arrest of Kimberly S. Mathers, 28, of Clinton Township, and an order filed early this week in Macomb County Circuit Court ascribes temporary custody of her 7-year-old daughter to Marshall Bruce Mathers, aka rapper Eminem.
"(Eminem) shall have sole legal and physical custody of the minor child, Hailie ... until she attains the age of 18 or until further order of the court," an order signed by Circuit Judge Antonio P. Viviano states. "Kimberly Scott Mathers' parenting time is suspended as long as she remains a fugitive, or until further order... ."
Mrs. Mathers has been missing since Nov. 1, when a tether placed on her for failing to appear in court on drug charges indicated she had left her restricted area. Judge John Chmura of 37th District Court issued a bench warrant for her arrest the following week.
John Courie, a Macomb County assistant prosecutor handling one of the cases against Mathers, said he has heard from another attorney claiming that she will turn herself in sometime later this month, but no official plans were made and as far as he knows she remains wanted for arrest.
"This new attorney had said he apparently talked to her and it's all set," Courie said. "But her current attorney, or previous one, supposedly knew nothing of it. So who knows?"
Michael J. Smith, an attorney who has been representing Mrs. Mathers in the drug cases, did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment this week.
The Warren drug case stems from a Sept. 29 hotel party raided by Warren police, who found marijuana and the designer drug ecstasy inside. Ms. Mathers did not have any drugs in her possession at the time, but police said she had rented the room and so she is charged with maintaining a drug house, a 2-year misdemeanor.
She also had a pending drug case from St. Clair Shores from earlier in the year, where police stopped the Cadillac Escalade she was driving and found cocaine allegedly belonging to her and another occupant in the vehicle.
She was placed on a tether after missing one or more previous court dates in that case before Macomb County Circuit Judge Edward Servitto. After she went missing again Nov.1, Servitto scheduled a show cause hearing in court the following week and then issued a bench warrant when she didn't attend. Officials haven't located her since, and Smith has said in the past he is concerned about his client.
"Mr. Mathers has no ill will toward her, and he wishes her well and hopes she is doing well," said his divorce attorney, Harvey Hauer, who sought the custody change after she went missing. "But I have no knowledge of her current whereabouts."
Mrs. Mathers shares one child, daughter Hailie, with Eminem and has one other child from another relationship, officials said this week
A HIGHLAND film company has discovered that Eminem, the world’s most famous - and infamous - rapper, is actually a Scot.
The Black Isle firm Move On Up traced hip-hop star Eminem’s ancestors back more than 200 years for a television programme and found he has Scottish blood on both sides of his family.
On his father’s side, the company found a Peter Mathers, from Pennsylvania, who married a Scottish woman.
The singer, who was born in Detroit, is also descended from Ailsa McAllister, an Edinburgh woman born in 1847, on his mother’s side.
The star’s real name, Marshall Mathers III, is his most obvious link to Scotland, as the name originates from the Barclay clan.
The television programme, Eminem’s Celtic Connections, also compares the superstar with Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns.
Maureen White, who directed the programme,
said: "Eminem is truly and definitely Scottish in his genes.
"We managed to get his family tree to him and it is just a case of whether he picks up on it or not."
She added: "We could not get anyone to say a bad word about him. The general response was regardless of what you think of him, the man is a genius.
"He is saying our society is misogynistic, racist and homophobic. Just because a singer sings in the first person it does not mean that those views expressed are his own.
"We are posing the question whether an expression of someone’s creativity is nature or nurture," Ms White said.
"Is it important that Eminem has Scottish genes or is it because he is white trailer-trash, or is it a combination of those factors?
"We make a comparison between Eminem and Burns - and a former professor of English at Cambridge University says they can stand side by side.
"It is like Burns in his day was shunned because he had a child and all of a sudden society decided they didn’t like him any more. Eminem is certainly a man for a’ that."
Don Coutts, the owner of Move On Up, says he is a fan of the controversial star. He added: "He is a very talented guy and I have become a big fan since doing the film.
"His record company know we are making it but I don’t think they wanted to get involved because they tend to like things they can control.
"We interviewed a woman from the Burns Society and she spoke away about Eminem. She didn’t think people in 200 years would be celebrating an Eminem night.
"Personally I think he is a genius. I have all his stuff, and everything he says in interviews is always way out there. He gives you a lot of material to work and play with."
Eminem’s Celtic Connections is presented by Zevi Watmaugh and will be broadcast on BBC2 on 30 November.
The author of the famous book, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus", John Gray, is a fraud.
Man I haven't seen this story anywhere...
The relationship guru who constantly promotes himself as 'Dr. John Gray' and lists a 'Ph.D.' has only one accredited degree, a high school diploma. Neither his BA nor his MA is from an accredited institution of higher education.
...
John Gray’s first wife was the inimitable Barbara DeAngelis, 'Ph.D.' For those of you out of the loop, 'Dr.' DeAngelis is another one of 'America’s leading experts on relationships.' She has written a number of relationship bestsellers including 'Are You the One For Me?' and 'Chicken Soup For the Couple’s Soul,' and she is the producer of the 'Making Love Work' video series. Like her ex-hubby, DeAngelis likes to frequent Oprah, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live. Barbara DeAngelis and Larry King must have a lot to talk about. He has been married eight times, and she has been married five times. John Gray was husband number three for DeAngelis. ...I don’t know the details of John and Barbara's courtship, but perhaps they met while registering for classes at the now-defunct Columbia Pacific University. Because - you guessed it - that is where DeAngelis received her 'Ph.D.' as well.
Gregg Easterbrook has a post about the Atlantic's cover story this month. He seems to make it sound all unreleased and exclusive - but it's not. I got the Atlantic last week, as did every other subscriber, and perhaps wasn't aware of the full implications of the Kerry piece. I preferred O'Rourke's piece on Iraq.
But hey, Gregg is excited about it so it must be important- link will appear when the Atlantic update their site.
Tacitus has coincidentally decided to think about going to Iraq about the same time as me.
Quite a debate going on in his comments section!
"When we get injured, all it says is `one soldier wounded,' " Specialist Acosta said, echoing others at Walter Reed. "Not that a soldier has lost an arm or a leg, or how hard that is."
Early one morning last July, my rifle company boarded a convoy of trucks leaving Nasiriyah, an Iraqi city 180 miles south of Baghdad, bound for Kuwait. After tossing my pack onto a truck, I looked back at members of the Carabinieri, Italy's military police force, who were staying. They were made groggy and disgruntled by the early hour, and about to assume watch over the building we had shared for the past month.
Last Wednesday, I turned on the morning news and saw that that same building had become a charred skeleton. It was all chaos and smoke after a car or truck bomb exploded directly beneath the window where I had once slept. I listened to the grisly numbers: the dead, the missing, the wounded, Iraqis and Italians. But there were no faces, no names. I had no way of knowing who among them I may have known. I could only imagine that everyone I had known there had become a casualty. I was at a remove, trying to resume my life in New York
« Cause sometimes you just feel tired.
You feel weak and when you feel weak you feel like you wanna just give up.
But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength
and just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up
and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse. »
Those words dropped out of the song « Till I collapse » from the Eminem Show are much more than a lesson about how to behave when you’re experiencing bad times, they are a real life philosophy. When you are in a bad mood, when everything seems so dark, you can be tempted to give up your dreams and hopes. Eminem constantly brings us back to the importance of the willpower. It is always so easy not to go to the end when we feel weak or depressed. Most of the people make this choice. But is this choice the right choice ? Certainly not !
It is really uncomfortable to live one’s whole life with broken dreams. Of course, going to the end requires a lot of personal efforts and sacrifices, but you will be rewarded for them . You have something to win. That’s why you need to find that inner strength and motivation Eminem is talking about. Nobody will do this for you, you will have to do it by yourself.
Eminem has shown so many times by his own example that it is worth having faith in yourself and following your dreams.
The sentence « You can do anything you set your mind to, man » summarizes it very well.
Marshall encourages people to follow their dreams the way he did :
« If there's something that you want to do and you work hard enough at it, you'll do it. But you have to know that's what you want to do, whatever it is. If it's riding bikes, if it's painting cars, whatever it is, if you want to do it bad enough and you have your heart set on it and that's your dream,don't give up your fucking dream."
Those words are a real encouragement and teach us not to give up our dream. The answer is inside of you. You have to believe in yourself. There is no specific receipt for each individual, but if you apply to this and if you work hard at it, you will be on your way to the road of success.
Ok I said I would link to some of the articles in this month's Atlantic. Here's talk of the first one.
P.J. O'Rourke does a spectacular job this month - and here is an interview on his piece - which I can't link to yet. His article is absolutely brilliant - c'mon Atlantic let me link to it.
In the song « Fight Music » from D12, Eminem states :
« If I could capture the rage of today's youth and bottle it
Crush the glass from my bare hands and swallow it… »
Eminem understands today’s youth’s problems very well. He stands very close to young people, growing up in a fatherless home with an abusive drug addicted mom. He understands what kids may be going through with irresponsible parents who don’t take time for them and who are physically and verbally abusive towards them. He goes on in the same song:
« I came to save these new generations of babies
from parents who failed to raise 'em cause they're lazy… »
In his song « Sing for the Moment » from the Eminem Show, Eminem travels through the thoughts of a teenager whose anger keeps growing against his stepfather. He is surrounded by violence and retaliates with violence.
"He's a problem child, what bothers him all comes out
When he talks about his fuckin' dad walkin out
Cos he hates him so bad that he blocks him out
But if he ever saw him again, he'd prolly knock him out
His thoughts are whacked, he's mad so he's talkin' back
Talkin black, brainwashed from rock and rap
He sags his pants, 2 rags and a stocking cap
His step-father hit him so he socked him back
And broke his nose, this house is a broken home
There's no control, he just lets his emotions go
Come on... "
Kids like him find their only solace in the music. Eminem is conscious as an entertainer to bring something positive to angry and abused children who go through hopeless situations. He says that he sings for them in particular :
"It's why we sing for these kids that don't have a thing
Except for a dream and a fucking rap magazine..."
Eminem’s own story teaches those kids that you can succeed despite a hard childhood.
President Bush stated several years ago that « Eminem is the biggest threat to kids since polio. » Does he offer any kind of therapy to those kids who will probably be hurt for life? Adults who live in their confortable lives won’t be able to understand easily the rage of ghetto kids who probably experienced more dramas than they will in their entire life. Many adult « kids specialists » are not close enough to them to investigate their minds.
I don’t even think psychiatrists will be able to help them to work out those problems. As far as I am concerned, music is the best way to cure negative emotions that need to escape from our soul. As long as we keep those negative emotions deep inside, we will feel sick and hurt. Being asked for himself if he needed some therapy in an MTV interview by Kurt Loder, Eminem replied :
" No, I don't. I feel like I don't need therapy. I feel like my music is my therapy. Because once I sit down and write, I get everything off my chest. People might think that I walk around mad all day, and I'm not, you know what I'm saying? For the most part I'm happy. I get all my aggression out in the studio. When I leave the studio, I'm like, "Whew."
The same words that cured him will also help thousands of young people to get rid of their rage.
Singing is a good way to express the rage that we feel inside and step by step, we will see it vanish. This actually happened to me.
« Cleaning Out My Closet » is a song that should be taken seriously as a therapy for many mishandled kids. It will certainly help to prevent from children abuse. The video is impressing : it is a travel through different life periods, the scariest vision is Eminem as an adult watching himself as a kid. It’s like watching a science fiction film. The pain is present in the whole video : at home, at church, digging Debbie’s grave. Some people accuse Eminem of being a selfish whining man who is self-obsessed and who only talks about his own problems. Even if his music seems to be self-centred at first sight, it delivers a strong message of hope to many young people. They will realize through his example that they can succeed, no matter what abusive parents did to them. A cured mind will help them to the way of success.
In one of his freestyles from his movie « 8 Mile », Eminem claims :
« Your style is generic/Mine is authentic made... »
Eminem’s rhymes and music are so particular that you could recognize him easily among thousand other rappers. This is not due to his skin color, but to the authenticity and creativity of his rhymes.
In my point of view, Eminem gets a lot of appreciation from people because of his great rhyming ability, but also because the songs he wrote refer to authentic feelings that come out of his chest. It is well known that Eminem spends hours studying words in his dictionnary in order to find new words to rhyme.
When the inspiration comes to him, he needs to write them down, no matter where…That’s how he used to do as a kid :
« I like to throw my ideas just scattered on to paper. When I was busing tables, I’d write ’em on my hands or on receipts. I wrote rhymes on the wall in my old house right above my bed. I did it in pencil but one time when I went to wipe it off, I wiped off the paint. My mom fuckin’ flipped. »
People also appreciate the fact that the talented rapper uses the words to speaking his mind. All the tragic events and emotions he went through are used in a creative way. All kind dramas, emotions and thoughts are canalized in Eminem’s music. Eminem’s rhymes are much more than just a couple of beats and cusswords. He has brought hip hop lyrics to a high level of poetry.
Even if some listeners are less sensitive to Eminem’s high level of skills, Eminem manages to convince them through his originality. He doesn’t rap about big cars and jewels, he raps about himself, he lets true emotions out, he raises real social issues. Eminem sounds convincing, because he keeps it real. He never tries to manipulate his public nor to fake himself. He has the sincerity to expose his own mistakes publicly.
He may be the most wanted rapper on the planet, but he always keeps simple.
His simplicity makes the greatness of the man, because Marshall Mathers is a genuine person in his music as well as in life.
Three major European countries returned to muted economic growth during the summer, underscoring both the momentum of the global recovery and Europe's lagging role within it.
Germany, France and the Netherlands, which together account for more than half the economic activity in the euro zone, on Thursday all reported a modest expansion of gross domestic product in the third quarter, after their economies shrank in the previous quarter. For Germany and the Netherlands, which had been in recession, the numbers were a welcome bill of health.
But the actual gains - 0.2 percent in Germany, 0.4 percent in France, and 0.1 percent in the Netherlands - illustrate that in Europe, the difference between a recession and recovery can be little more than a rounding error.
"Europe remains very sluggish," said Daniel Gros, the director of the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels. "What we will have at the end of this year in growth would not be considered adequate in the U.S."
Indeed, much of Europe's resurgence can be traced to the more robust recovery in the United States and the continued torrid growth in China. Americans are buying French fashion while the Chinese import German machinery.
The growth in demand for European exports, particularly those of Germany, has come despite a rising euro, the damaging effects of which had been widely forecast in Europe.
The euro rose again Thursday, to $1.173 in late trading from $1.164 Wednesday.
One way of understanding how the French really feel about the United States these days is to ask them not about Iraq but about Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When the Austrian-born actor won the governorship of California, some politicians and commentators said that his victory reflected a dangerous American populism.
But many French shared the enthusiasm of Nicolas Sarkozy, France's law-and-order interior minister.
Sarkozy is said to harbor presidential ambitions, but the fact that he is the offspring of Hungarian immigrants and never went to an elite school puts him at a distinct disadvantage.
In a remarkably confessional interview with RTL radio, Sarkozy said of Schwarzenegger: "That someone who is a foreigner in his country, who has an unpronounceable name," can become the governor of the biggest state in the United States, "is not nothing!"
The current French-American rift, born of differences over Iraq but rooted in deeper post-cold-war friction, is more complex than it may appear. Bitter feelings remain strong on both sides of the Atlantic, and there is a sense that something fundamental in the relationship has failed. In many areas, anti-Americanism - of the kind President George W. Bush will encounter in a visit to Britain next week - is at a high pitch.
But a close look at French attitudes toward America suggests that repulsion and disenchantment are at least equaled by attraction, curiosity and outright envy.
Huge swaths of the relationship - in the realms of business, intelligence and even military affairs - still work. Criticism of the Bush administration, given full voice in the media, is offset by a French business ethic that often lauds the United States, and by a strong feeling, particularly among the young, that America remains a land of opportunity.
"When someone says, 'I'm going to work for a big corporation in New York for two years,' well, we all want to live that life," said Martin Coriat, 24, a student at a business school.
It is true that in strategic terms, the countries often seem to have parted ways.
France's unease with the extent of American power has been bubbling since the end of the cold war dissolved the glue of trans-Atlantic relations: a shared threat assessment of Soviet power. No such common threat assessment has existed since then.
Indeed, if Sept. 11, 2001, is now the date of reference for America's security outlook, France and all of Europe tend to look more to 1989 and the end of the cold war. Even as America feels more threatened, Europe and France feel less so. With Iraq, these differences exploded.
"The Americans used the equation 'Iraq equals terrorism' to create a sort of debt of loyalty," argues Stanley Hoffmann, the Harvard historian, in his new book, published in France last month, titled "America, Truly Imperial?" But, he adds, the French government failed to "appreciate how much the context was new."
What also is new is that France, like much of Europe, has relinquished some sovereignty, embracing multinational institutions