Category: Eminem

The whole movie’s success is mainly due to Eminem’s great charisma and ability to act, but some other actors like Mekhi Pfifer have shown great talent too.

Eminem plays the character of Jimmy Smith Jr (Bunny Rabbit) who works at the Detroit stamping plant.He lives in a trailor park with his mom (Kim Basinger) , her abusive boyfriend Greg and his half sister Lily after being dumped by his
girfriend.

The movie shows the harsh conditions of living of Jimmy and the fun he has with his friends and co workers.Moreover, it shows the hard struggle of a white MC to be recognized at the rap battles that take place once a week. He first gets boed on stage because he is so much impressed. The words just don’t come out of his mouth.

The first scene of 8 Mile, in the restroom clearly shows B.Rabbit’s weakness, his stagefright.

When B. Rabbit shows up on stage, his facial expression is an expression of fear, he is so much impressed in front of the crowd, despite the support of his friends.Papa Doc has won one battle, but he has not won the war at all…B.Rabbit will shut him down at the end of the movie by exposing some private details of his life (like the fact that he went to the private school Cranbrook) in the last rap battle.This is a well known principle of the rap battles. You have to diss your enemy and to reach your goal you are allowed to use any detail of his privacy to make him look ridiculous in front of the whole crowd.Winning a rap battle is like winning a battle in real life, it has a real meaning for an M.C. Eminem pointed it out in an interview about 8 Mile.

8 Mile exposes the life of Stephanie(Bunny Rabbit’s mom played by Kim Basinger) who is always drunk and addicted to bingo (like Debbie Mathers).Her life is a succession of dramas, she risks to get evicted from her trailer because she’s late in paying her rent.Her son Jimmy fights Greg and manages to get rid of him as he begins to become violent towards Stephanie.

Her boyfriend is constantly drunk and violent.Lily, Jimmy’s half sister lives in a constant atmosphere of insecurity and violence.Jimmy is the only person who really takes care of her.

The relationship Jimmy has with his mom is complex. His mom’s behavior bothers him a lot, he sometimes feels ashamed in front of his friends, but inside of him he still got a lot of tenderness for her.

Two friends are trying to push Jimmy in two different directions:

-David Porter “The Future” played by Mekhi Pfifer, who wants him to face lyrical battles and to get recognition at the local scene.
-“Wink” rather believes in connections to important people.

8 Mile is moving, it refers to real life in Detroit, even if the movies is semi autobiographical.

In one scene (which is also my favorite), we can see Rabbit in his trailer home sitting on his chair, looking for some inspiration. You can see how he uses each space of the paper sheet, writing on each space, each corner, on the left, on the right of his page, until the page gets filled.

While writing and smiling in direction of his half sister, the melody of “Lose Yourself” is popping into his head. The words “Lose Yourself” and “If you only had one shot” resound in his head like an echo while Rabbit is writing his rhymes on each corner of his paper sheet. You can see a genius at work.

The relationship between Bunny Rabbit and Future symbolizes the friendship between Eminem and his best friend Proof in real life.

Alex (played by Brittany Murphy) plays Jimmy’s love interest. Alex and Rabbit’s characters have something in common: they both want to reach their goals, but in different directions with a main difference: Rabbit never loses his integrity, but Alex is ready to cheat on him in order to reach her goal.

The context of 8 Mile might be different from Eminem’s life story, but musically we find Eminem’s style in the rap battles as well as in the songs he composes in the movie.

An excellent and authentic movie, the lyrical battles are worth seeing.

From all his albums, the Marshall Mathers Lp has raised the most controversy. Eminem’s rhymes have shocked a lot of people . Among them, the GLAAD (Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation who have spoken against his lyrics. Eminem has also been protested against by the same association. The whole controversy can be summarized in three points (in the Glaad’s point of view):

-the inserability of Eminem’s music and his violent lyrics
-the refusal of Eminem, Interscope Records and Universal Music to take personal responsability for the lyrical content of the Marshall Mathers LP
-the Grammy nominations: on the 21st of February 2001, they protested against his nomination in L.A.

The big problem is always the misinterpretation of Eminem’s lyrics. The GLAAD in particular took exerpts of his lyrics to make a real monster of Mr Mathers. If he really was that homophobic, why would he have performed “Stan” with Elton John?

I am an adult woman who enjoys very much tracks like “Kill You”. I don’t feel insulted nor humiliated by those lyrics.Why? Simply because I know Eminem is joking during the whole song.He adds “I’m just playing ladies, you know I love you” at the end of his song.Why did the Glaad and other conservative people just ignore this sentence?

To me, Eminem’s lyrics are not more dangerous than watching “Scary Movie” or playing some violent game on the playstation.
Slim Shady is a fiction…Slim Shady is mean ,violent in his words, but he is NOT Marshall Mathers.

Like he expresses it himself, Eminem’s music is his therapy.”Kill You” helped him to work out his problems with his mom as well as the song “Kim” helped him to express his problems with his ex wife Kim. Moreover, the song “Kim” is a deep expression of (unhappy ) love.

Among the provocative songs, you can count “The Real Slim Shady” where Eminem disses people like Christina Aguilera for her personal comments about Kim and the content of Eminem’s lyrics.In this fake pop music world, Eminem has the honesty to show when he doesn’t like somebody.
“The Real Slim Shady” has also shocked a lot of people because of its sexual content. A Colorado radio station has been condammned to pay 7000 $ for playing the uncensored version of “The Real Slim Shady”. Mtv also censors words like “clitoris” in that song as if it wasn’t a part of the human body.

“The Way I Am” expresses Eminem’s pressures on the way to the top.

In his song “Who knew”, Eminem points out that he is not the one to be held responsible for some teenagers’ crazy behavior. It’s the parents’ responsability to take care of their kids.And for the parents who are really worried about the “Marshall Mathers Lp” lyrical content, clean versions do exist. Why not buy them?

Eminem is all about Freedom of Speech. People shouldn’t deny him the right to say what he wants, even if they strongly disagree with him.

The First Amendment of the American Constitution allows the Freedom of Speech to any citizen. Marshall Mathers has the right to use it, and even to be politically incorrect.

I have written a biography on Eminem which has not been published yet. My manuscript is currently in Paul Rosenberg’s hands and I am asking for Eminem’s permission to publish this book.
I would like to share the synopsis of “The Real Story Of Eminem” with you.

SYNOPSIS

CHAPTER 1:EMINEM A.K.A MARSHALL MATHERS A.K.A SLIM SHADY

The first chapter describes Eminem’s childhood,the harsh circumstances he went through,constantly moving from Kansas City to Detroit.

The fact that he was constantly switching schools made it difficult for him to build up true frienships. His only close friend was his uncle Ronnie.
When he finally moved to Detroit in a predominantly black neighborhood with his mom, he was constantly bullied at school.

Chapter 1 also explains how much Eminem suffered from his mom’s illness. Debbie Mathers suffered from Munchhausen’s syndrom.In this kind of desease,the mother makes her child believe that he is sick when he is not,just to get some attention and in order to prove she’ a caring mother. This kind of desease can even lead to the child’s death.

Debbie Mathers can be considered the first person responsible of Eminem’s drug addiction.She put him on Ritalin with no reason, which is a medication for hyperactive kids.

Eminem’s love hate relationship towards his wife has always been complicated d has finally lead to their divorce in 2001. He is a devoted father to his daughter Hailie Jade who is the most important person in his life.

CHAPTER 2 : MARSHALL’S WAY TO THE TOP

Chapter 2 is about Marshall’s rapid assumption from the bottom to stardom. It clearly shows his struggle to succeed.
During his rapid way to the top, Marshall Mathers has been facing financial and personal difficulties.
The start of his career put a lot of pressure on him.

CHAPTER 3: THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL RAPPER

Chapter 3 exposes the mind of a brilliant artist and lyricist and also tries to do away with the stereotypes attached to Eminem.
Its offers an analysis of his lyrics and of his sense of humor.
People who know Eminem talk about him.

CHAPTER 4: THE DIRTY DOZEN: EMINEM’S GROUP

D 12 is Eminem’s group. The D12 album shows a perfect reflection of the ghetto life in Detroit.
It has a thug life. It shows the harsh daily reality ofthe Detroit ghetto, that is a dark place where murder is law and where black people are constantly discriminated against.

CHAPTER 5 : 8 MILE, EMINEM’S MOVIE

8 Mile is a semi-autobiographical movie. 8 Mile refers to 8 Mile Road in Detroit , which is the border between the black neighborhood (7 Mile Road) and the white neighborhood (9 Mile Road). This border is also psychological: it represents the border between two different cultures.

But it represents even much more: it is also the border between our current situation and the place where we want to be,our dreams and our goals in life.
The message contained in “8 Mile” is very positive: if you believe in your dreams and if you work hard enough at it,you will manage to succeed.

CHAPTER 6: HISTORY OF RAP

If you want to understand Eminem, you must understand where his roots are. He is a white man who totally integrated hip hop culture. His struggle to be recognised as a white M.C. in a black audience has been far from easy. A brief examination of the rules of rap game can make people understand Eminem’s behavior as a hip hop artist. Many negative critics come from a total misunderstanding of rap culture.

BOO YAA! That’s the sound of a shotgun. Like a sneak attack, the Boo Yaa Tribe is back for the kill with a bangin’ new album, West Koasta Nostra. So let’s go down to the outfit’s Santa Monica offices and catch up.

Ever meet a small Samoan? The Boo Yaa tribesmen are 6-foot, 300-to-500-pound, tatted-up, braided-down, white-T-shirted, sagging-khakied, Chucks-shod, street-talking dawgs. Growing up, these seven sons of the Reverend Tauilima Devoux learned by ear to handle the instruments their dad bought them. He preached; they played. But growing up in the eight-ball city of Carson, the brothers exchanged the house of worship for the harbor streets: They got jumped into the O.G. Piru West gang and became Damus (Swahili for Bloods), known in order of age as Godfather, Murder One, Youngman, Kobra, Ganxsta Ridd, Monsta O, and the baby of the family, 500-pound Gawtti.

During the ’80s N.W.A era, gangbanging and doing time became a way of life for the brothers. Ganxsta Ridd, who had always written dirty poems to beats, decided he’d turn to rap. The Tribe put their money together, hooked up with DJ/producer Tony G., and in 1987 self-released the 12-inch single “One Time,” which drew A&R attention at Island Records.

In 1988, as the Boo Yaas were about to get signed, Youngman (Robert, the youngest to attend Folsom) was shot to death by rival gangsters, their uncle was smoked by a Shermed-out homeboy with an AK-47 as he watered his grass, and their grief-stricken grandmother followed. Three deaths in one month — but the Tribe kept their focus, inked with Island, and in 1990 busted out with New Funky Nation.

The day before the Boo Yaas were to board the bus for the 1992 Lollapalooza tour, says brother Gawtti, he was “caught slippin’” as he took out the trash in front of his house, and was shot at close range six times with a .45; doctors said he survived only because of his size. Once again the group turned to the music, and on the tour played the style they call “ghetto metal,” a mix of rap and rock they’d come up with before Ice-T’s Body Count went that way. Kobra and Ridd say that all the main acts, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, were coming down to the second stage to check them out. The Tribe got offers to perform with the headliners, but they weren’t into “alternative” acts; they just wanted to bang backstage.

Between then and now, great stage shows haven’t helped the Boo Yaa Tribe in the studio: A number of small labels have seemed unable to get beyond the image and let the brothers’ rapping, singing, playing and dancing shine. “They let the intimidation overshadow the talent,” says Kobra. So the Tribe invested in a new label, Sarinjay Records; G-funk producer Battlecat (Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg) marinated Boo Yaa’s sounds in the studio; and 11 bumping tracks resulted.

One cut, “911,” was produced by Eminem; according to Kobra, he “saw the struggle, the blood in the eyes of the Boo Yaa Tribe.” The number is a warning call: “Hip-hop is in a state of 911,” rap Eminem and Cypress Hill’s B-Real to the sound of gunfire (à la Tupac’s “Against All Odds”). A regular gangsta gumbo, West Koasta Nostra also ended up including Mack 10 (on the flamed-up single and DVD video “Bang On”), WC, Kurupt, Crooked I, Knoc-Turn’al, Kokane, Short Khop, Eastwood and Gail Gotti.

No set-trippin’ here; do the ghetto math: red + blue = green. “We’re tired of pointing guns at each other, when we could go make this money,” says Ganxsta Ridd.

You’ll feel a family’s pain on this album, but just listen to the funky last cut, “Beautiful Thang” (a remake of Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing”), featuring Baby-Down; it will take you back to old school, when times were simpler. With the brothers playing live bass, keyboards and drums, Ganxsta Ridd sings: “Boo Yaa Tribe till I die/In a all-burgundy Bentley/It’s a beautiful music flowin’/Three-part harmony blowin’/And you can tell that they’re churchgoin’.”

“Tupac put impact in our life, now we’re trying to hit an artery; Boo Yaa goes straight into your heart,” says Ganxsta Ridd. “I’ve been telling my little homies in the hood, it’s all about divide and conquer. They put labels to divide. Fuck that, music is music.” Brother Kobra jumps in: “Chaos brings order. Boo Yaa’s been through every fuckin’ chapter, and it was the music that saved us.”

Source becomes an origin of controversy

Every month across America, more than 400,000 people go to newsstands or their mailboxes for copies of a magazine called The Source. What they find in its pages is a lively update on the fast-moving, often combative culture of hip-hop. And lately they are finding something else: Along with the expected rapper profiles, topical essays and album reviews comes coverage of a feud — the one The Source has engaged in with some of the biggest names in the multibillion-dollar rap trade.

So as players and hangers-on gathered in Miami this week for the Source Hip-Hop Music Awards, the ceremony found itself competing with subplots for the attention of hip-hop consumers.

Launched by The Source in 1998, the awards show takes place on Monday at Miami Arena and will be taped for broadcast next month on BET. Whether the candidates for, say, album of the year generate as much buzz as the magazine’s de facto enemies list — the latter led by rap star Eminem — is anybody’s guess.

“From where we sit, it is clear that our culture is being destroyed, and The Source is the only media outlet that will step up and try to save it,” says a letter to readers in the latest issue. It’s written by Source Enterprises CEO David Mays and his second-in-command, Raymond Scott — also known as rapper Benzino. “We aren’t afraid to speak the truth, and expose the fake, plotting, scheming, selfish people in the industry.”

But some observers wonder whether the magazine is not engaged in some diversionary scheming of its own. The baiting of Eminem, a past winner of Source Awards and former recipient of favorable coverage, started shortly before the release of a new album by Scott under his rap alias of Benzino. Scott mocked Eminem as “the rap Hitler, the culture-stealer” in a song called “Die Another Day,” while his magazine weighed in with stories questioning Eminem’s legitimacy in a genre with roots in urban black poverty. Scott and The Source have argued that Eminem’s success and critical acclaim — no rapper has sold more records in the past decade — are due to his skin color.

Critics fear that Benzino is using his position as a journalist to further his rap ambitions — picking a fight in The Source’s pages to generate interest for his album and in the process endangering the magazine’s reputation as a fair, trustworthy voice on hip-hop. Benzino’s “Redemption” reached stores in January and has garnered a Source Award nomination: single of the year by a male solo artist for “Rock the Party.”

Eminem, a male solo artist, received no nominations despite critical raves and box-office success for “8 Mile,” the soundtrack and movie that starred the rapper and spawned the hit single “Lose Yourself.”

The Source flatly denies that its impartiality has been skewed by the magazine’s relationship with Scott. “Benzino and The Source are not interchangeable,” wrote Source.com editor Gotti Bonanno in an online editorial. “The Source has always made it a point to keep Benzino’s music career and the magazine business from interfering with each other.”

The Source declined a request to make Mays, Scott or any editorial staffer available for a discussion of these issues. But some observers say the magazine’s behavior over the years contradicts its claim of editorial separation.

In 1994, Mays wrote an article about Scott’s rap band at the time, The Almighty RSO, and ran it over the objections of his colleagues. Eight staffers resigned in protest.

The magazine more than survived that scrape. Its circulation only grew as the parent company expanded into Web publishing, compilation albums, a youth foundation and the awards show.

Benzino and the Source owners have proven to be big racists. How can they accuse Eminem of stealing a culture in which he grew up? Eminem embraced black culture, his roots are hip hop. He grew up in the black hood of Detroit.
He didn’t choose his skin color and he is conscious to be white and to do music owned by black people. Eminem has struggled very hard to be recognised as a white M.C. among a mainly black audience, he’s brilliant in rhyming and doing his music. The fact that he’s so successful causes a lot envy in the world of hip hop.

Marshall Mathers is the first to be conscious about racial discrimnation, he knows that he probably would have sold less records if he was black.He has proven to be a non racist person, his best friends, like Proof from the D12 group are Blacks.

To me, Benzino is a gangsta wannabe who wants to make easy money off Eminem’s back. He is not even famous, he is jealous of his rival’s success.
In my opinion, the Source has lost its credibilty by making racist statements against Mr Mathers.

Critics should focus their interest on the artist’s talent or work, but not on his skin color…

This album ,which was released in 1999, relates real life dramas along with fictional murdering and rape fantasies. Eminem talks about drugs, alcohol and violence. It also refers to a period where Eminem was facing a lot of financial and personal problems.

The Slim Shady LP gives birth to Eminem’s alter ego who is a mad character, a psychopath killer. Slim Shady also represents our hidden thoughts, each person’s dark side.

“Brain Damage is a mixture of autobiographical facts (it’s the story of Marshall Mathers getting bullied by D’Angelo Bailey at school) and fictional facts (like his retaliation). The discerning listener will understands easily that the killing and murdering fantasies are not serious.

“Bonnie and Clyde 97” is a fantasy about killing Kim. Some sensitive people may be shocked by the lyrics of Bonnie and Clyde, but they should try to understand the context in which it was written: Kim had dumped Marshall and she tried to separate him from Hailie. This song is a retaliation and Hailie whose voice is used in the track, is his accomplice.

If you have ever experienced financial and personal difficulties, you will probably be able to relate to “If I had” and to “Rock Bottom”. “Rock Bottom” is a song that moves me deeply and reminds me of a very dark period of my life.
“Rock Bottom” is themost realistic song of the whole album… It was written the night Eminem attempted suicide. He addresses to people who have comfortable lives and who don’t realize the hard conditions of living of poor people. This dedication is sarcastic. Usually those people who live so comfortably are blind to pain and misery.

When you’ve hit the bottom, you’ve been humbled to the point that you know “we are all going the same way when we die”. You are much more closer to this metaphysical truth. “Guilty conscience” which was co-written with Dr. Dre, envisions the reality of the American society.

As you probably all know, Eminem doesn’t mind offending you.
But if he did: Good! Cuz he still “doesn’t give a f…”!

As Giles Foden espressed it before, ‘Stan’ is a masterpiece of work. Mr Foden says that Stan has the depth of the Shakespeare verses. I totally agree with him on the fact that Stan is great poetry.

As a French citizen, I dare comparing Stan to Rimbaud’s ‘Le Dormeur du Val’. Even if the story is different, the structure of both works is similar. Rimbaud’s poem first pictures a sleeping man, lying down in the grass near a river.

Gradually the reader understands that the young man is a dead soldier: He’s white as a sheet and he’s got two holes on his right side.The pictures drawn in Stan’s story are similar. It’s the story of a fan writing to his favorite singer : he shares pains and sorrows with him, tells him that his girlfriend is pregnant.

Of course, he’s disappointed, because Eminem is late in answering his letters.

Gradually, the listener understands that Stan is sick (“sometimes I cut myself to see how much it bleeds, it’s like adrenaline, the pain is such a sudden rush for me”) and his passion for Eminem becomes more and more obsessional.

The last picture is terrifying : Stan driving his car off the bridge with his pregnant girlfriend inside….

Stan is also a warning for each fan and listener not to misinterpret Eminem’s words and this song really proves Eminem doesn’t want his words to be taken litterally.

For those who still think he’s a violent mysogynist, remember who ties his girlfriend up : it is Stan ,not Eminem. Eminem tells Stan to treat his girfriend better “I really think you and you girlfriend need each other/Or maybe you just need to treat her better”).

He never encourages him to act foolishly (“I’m glad I inspire you,but Stan why are you so mad,try to understand that I want you as a fan. I just don’t want you to do some crazy shit.”)

Who said Eminem is a bad influence?

While the Marshall mathers Lp is known as the most provocative of Eminem’s albums, the Eminem show is getting more personal and also more introspective.
Eminem exposes his life like a show to his public.It’s like a total exposure, something he wants to share with his public.

Some of his songs like “Cleaning Out My Closet”,”Soldier”,”Saying Goodbye To Hollywood”,”Hailie’s song” are personal.Some others like “White America”,”Square Dance” do raise political debates.

Eminem also targets his enemies like Moby in his album.
“Cleaning Out My Closet” is an emotional and moving song. This songs helps Marshall to work out his hatred for his parents. Often misunderstood for the hate he feels towards his own mom, his hatred is justified,though. Debbie emotionaly abused her son, she’s also responsible of his drug addiction: she put him on “ritalin”( which is a medication for hyperactive kids) when he was little.
Woul you forgive your mom if she said she wished you dead? I guess the answer is no.

Moreover,if we take a deeper look at “Cleaning Out My Closet”, we clearly understand that this song has not been written to express selfish views. It has also been written to prevent from children abuse.
This song helps many young people who come from disfunctional families to work out their problems with their parents and to express the rage they feel inside. Hailie’s song is a beautiful hymn of fatherly love and an expression of Eminem’s real side.

According to a new survey, Eminem is “more truthful” than President George W. Bush. How is that possible? Simply because the youth is fed up with empty political speeches. Eminem clearly shows the hypocrisy of politicians.The assassination of Dick Cheney in the “Without Me” video is a symbol for freedom of speech.

Eminem fights for the right to say ” something you might not like” (Square Dance”). He doesn’t rap to please people, he speaks his mind.He is an engaged artist.

The “Eminem Show” is excellent. It reveals the mind of a genius, as Eminem expresses it so well in “My Dad’s Gone Crazy”:

My songs can make you cry, take you by surprise at the same time, can make you dry your eyes with the same rhyme/see what you’re seein’ is a genius at work, which to me isn’t work, so it’s easy to misinterpret it at first”

Eminem masters his art.
If you haven’t done it yet,go buy the album!

Last week I was buying some detergent at a local laundromat in rural Nebraska. This is what was occupying my mind: “See, I don’t give a fuck, that’s the problem/ I see a motherfuckin’ cop, I don’t dodge him.” Now, based on my limited experience with law enforcement, I’ve found most cops to be cordial, beneficent protectors of the law. Yet, at that moment, I didn’t just want to fuck tha police, both physically and figuratively; I wanted them lynched, drenched in gasoline, and burnt alive. It’s one thing to get a catchy couplet stuck in teenagers’ heads; it’s another to convert half the nation into murderous psychopaths hell-bent on riot and rape. N.W.A. accomplished the latter.
Continue reading “NWA review”

I have interviewed Backstab the Kingpin (another white rapper from Detroit who has known Eminem and the context of 8 Mile in the early 90’s). He expresses his point of view on 8 Mile, Eminem, and other artists and gives us his perspective.

“Much of what existed in the 90’s is now gone……In the early 90’s (post L.A. Riots; during the peak of West Coast rap’s success) there was still great tension between whites/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.

During that time, guys like Proof use to run St Andrews. He has dred locks and ran with this b-boy dreadlock crew, that whenever a white emcee would step to the cypher he’d get barraged with peckerwood/cracker references. I was there> i saw it first hand. I would get dominated away from cyphers but brute aggression. To the effect that I would choose to rap in a corner alone rather than jump in the cypher. I would hit the infamous “hip-hop shop” where when they passed the mic, theyd pass it right by me….This had nothing to do with skill, cuz these people never gave me a chance to spit. It had everything to do with color.

We played a show at Alvins, a bar near Wayne State University that featured Wall Street (royce 5-9 crew) Eminem anchored by hypeman, bizzare, as well as some other groups. I begged my way on stage that night to perform. When my music started and they annouced my name people started to cheer and clap, but when i took the stage, a whiteboy—backed by a mid 40’s black singer who always remained half in the bag—they began to boo. I mic checked and started my 3 song show. Half way through the first song the women in the audience cheered and started dancing. It was just moments after that a crew of dreds began to boo and yell and throw things at the stage. I had a pocket full of cassettes to hand out to the crowd (no cd burners back then) I knew that it wasnt me or my skill but simply my color. This crew of dreds were hating something fierce. and the sound got lower….as i looked over i noticed all kids of guys standing around the mixer…someone had turned my music down intentionally. I started to get mad. Heres me and only 3 other white spots in the whole bar (eminem, kim & another white couple they were with) I started to middle finger the crowd of haters who were tryin their best to yell louder than my performance. They started to get a bit violent and moving towrd the stage—that’s when I started throwing my cassettes give-a-ways at them like a pitcher throws a fast ball. Needless to say I was escorted offstage in a hurry and rushed out the backdoor by the promoter.. He kept yelling at me “your crazy, you need to get the hell out of here!”. I missed Em’s performance that night but was later told by his manager at the time that he got so drunk he was falling all ove the place and skipping his music. My assumption is that he saw what he was up against and had to put back a few…..

DESCRIBE THE DETROIT STYLE…….
Detroit style (as much as the shady camp hates to admit) is derived from Esham the unholy. A solo rapper known for birthing “acid rap” and talking about sick, twisted, “wicked” things such as the devil, murder, drugs, and degredation. Just about every success story to come out of detroit has a touch of “wicked” to them. Most Detroiters know that Eminems “shock” lyrics are directly influenced by Eshams persona. Mix the raunchy metaphors with typical braggadoccio emceeing and you get a detroit lyrical sound. The beats? They tend to me east coast derived, however some west coast/dirty south type of groups like cheddar boys, street lords, mc breed, and other have also found success. But for the most part, detroit hip-hop is based one wicked metaphorical lyrics backed with east coast driven beats.

BRIDGING BACKSTAB WITH EMINEM………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 majority white crowd or at least half. One thing I did see when Em blew up is the lack of depth in lyrics. I think he single handedly changed the rap game by making it ok to talk about anything that rhymes.

Em refers to such abstract shit as tubby sub buns, post toasties, sulfuric acid and other obscure shit. Now anything is up for grabs when spitting lyrics. Before you only mentioned cool, popular shit, now kids wanna hear raps about how their mom is fucked up…My recognition from hard work. Day in and out doing shows. I’ve done over 75 shows in 2 years. Thats more than most national artists do in that time. I’ve got more hatred from the detroit scene than 90% of the artist from Michigan. It stems from my stance on the powers that be and the upper echelon of the hip-hop artists in Detroit.

I think Eminem has done wonders for hip-hop as wel las white emcees, but I also think he plays a role much larger than he can fill. I am suprised no one has caught up with him and hurt him–quite frankly. since his success, he has not set foot in the city except to film his movie or shoot a video or perform at his only show this summer. This is not his city by any means, but he does bring it a spotlight. I think if he wasn’t so damn popular and sought after the same things that were going on the 90’s would be happening now.

I grew up (in school) in the suburbs so I wasn’t subject to any type of reverse racism during that time. At that time I was siding with the minority becuase 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 th 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 running the streets. Fights, and shooting heard all night. Detroit is not a safe or happy spot. Its a city thats felt years of oppression and contains people who have worked their hands to the bone at factories and auto plants trying to provide a good living for their loved ones. Its a materialistic city that thrives on stepping on the next man to better yourself.

I think if i had $5,000 I could turn it into $10,000 in a few short months–by way of hip-hop. I think if I had $100,000 i could make a half million thru hip-hop in little time. I beleive hip-hop success is all about financial backing and money. In my opinion, most of the best lyricists I have ver met are the ones dirt broke with no money to even record music. The day Eminem gave me his slim shady ep I knew he had major talent, and in my opinion since his initial success, I think he’s gotten worse and worse. I think money has wrecked his pureness and style, and to be quite frank, i think he sucks and i dont listen to him or buy his records. I think his choice to come out with “my name is” as his break out song–broke my spirit in liking him. I know this is somehting you will not agree on but I have a different perspective and was able to hear his early music (which i still have alot of)and hes only a shell of the emcee he once was. I think money fucks everybody up. thats why i choose to stay at the bottom , at least i can stay true to my roots.

MY LYRICS I write for me–I try not to be cleaver, to rhyme key words, to have funny punchlines and to not bite others style- I just write for me and hope other people enjoy it too. I can only hope to find some type of national/international success but if it takes me changing or playing some role (which i know Eminem is doing) then i’ll be happy right here being some local fame rapper who never quite made it. I’d like to send you my entire album. Did I mention I know Deangelo baily–? He’s an idiot!

I wasn’t tryin to shit on your hero I’m just giving you my perspective. I have mad respect for Eminem and the day i saw him at the MTV music awards performing for the first time I stood up cheering. heres a guy, local like me, rapping like im tryin to, who made it! It was a great feeling. But like I say after seeing him develop, it kinda depressed me to see what hes become.

Mz corona in 8 mile–was a militant whore who use to talk shit to me for being white back in the day—she may not remember it but she talked mad shit to me one day at a Wayne State hip-hop convention with her girlfirend while i was posting flyers whe gawked at me–so when we both opened for mc Breed last year, i acted like i didnt know her even though she knew very well who i was then cuz I was making more noise than 80% of the city at that time. But I didnt forget how she played me before Em blew up. Now her little part in 8 mile has got her all famous–how fitting.any other questions id be glad to answer–

Backstab the Kingpin