It turns out Eminem's show has an encore � fans just had to wait two and a half years for it, rather than the typical couple of minutes.
The rapper otherwise known as Slim Shady will release Encore, the follow-up to 2002's smash The Eminem Show, on November 16. Details on the release, such as the first single or collaborators, have not yet been revealed, but Em's spokesperson said the album will feature all new material.
Along with his own album, Eminem recently recorded a verse for a remix of the country's #1 song, "Lean Back" (see "Eminem, Mase Pitch In To Make 'Lean Back' Even Hotter").
Em last hit record stores in April with D12 World, the second album from his hometown crew, which has produced a couple of hits in "My Band" and "How Come."
D12 earned three Video Music Award nominations but left Sunday's ceremony empty-handed (see "Outkast, Jay-Z Win Big At Vmas; Usher, No Doubt Land Multiple Moonmen"). Eminem was not present with the rest of the group, who attended wearing Detroit Pistons garb.
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June 7th, 2004
Eminem Rallies Hip-Hop Fans To Vote, Hopes to Regain His Own Voting Status
05.25.2004 3:33 PM EDT
If you're confused about voter eligibility and registration, you are not alone.
On Saturday Eminem gave the keynote address at the Detroit Hip-Hop Summit, with hopes of encouraging young people of the hip-hop generation to register to vote. In doing so, Eminem told the media and audience of 4,000 that he'd had his right to vote taken away, presumably referencing a felony conviction in 2001 in which he was given two years' probation (see "Eminem Gets Two Years' Probation In Weapons Case").
However, the star should be eligible and need only to register.
In several states, convicted felons are denied the right to vote. But according to the longstanding election laws of Michigan, the state in which Eminem resides, a convicted felon has only a temporary suspension of the privilege to vote while they are incarcerated. Those under probation do not lose the privilege, according to a spokesperson for Michigan's Bureau of Elections.
Eminem was not sentenced to any jail time and was only given probation in that case and another in 2001, concurrently, for an incident involving a person working with the Insane Clown Posse (see "Eminem Gets Probation For Pulling Gun At ICP Run-In"). Thus, Eminem, who previously had not been registered to vote, should never have had his right suspended or revoked.
A spokesperson for the rapper said Eminem and his camp had always been under the impression that convicted felons were denied the right to vote. The rep said Eminem's attorneys were looking into the matter and that if it turns out the rapper is eligible, he probably will register.
The intricacies of Eminem's voting status underscores the murkiness of voting laws for convicted felons in America, ironically a touchstone for Russell Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, organizers of the weekend's Detroit Hip-Hop Summit.
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June 5th, 2004
Eminem's new album is set to be released late this year!! MTV named Eminem to be the most anticipated album of 2004!! Eminem has been kept busy recently with many projects along wit his own like his group D12, whose album "D12 World" was released April 27th.
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December 25th, 2003
CALLIN ALL EMINEM FANS!!
THIS IS YOUR ONE SHOT...
ONE OPPORTUNITY...
TO HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD...
WILL YOU CAPTURE IT...
OR JUST LET IT SLIP?
A book is being made to thank Eminem from all his fans. But the author needs some help. Please visit the link below for more information!!
Responses/Questions:
[email protected] (Lori)
or [email protected] (Stephanie)
[email protected] (Tani-Author)
Send us your COMPLETE INFO as you want it to appear
(FULL Name, Age, Gender, City/State/Country - Quotes are optional)
ALL NAMES WILL BE PRINTED...SELECT QUOTES WILL BE CHOSEN
PLEASE help us get the word out about this project
Remember, we need 200,000 fans, so EVERY name Mathers!!!
Send this AOL link to EVERY Eminem fan you know!
(Click/drag heart icon into new email) Or post this link on your homepage:
http://hometown.aol.com/shadylady8d12/
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December 25th, 2003
Happy 8th birthday Hailie Jade (Eminem's daughter). We wish the best for Eminem and his little girl.
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December 22nd, 2003
A Manhattan federal judge who last week blocked The Source from releasing an early and controversial recording by Eminem has now allowed the magazine to go forward with limited excerpts.
Last week Judge Gerald E. Lynch, in U.S. Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, issued a temporary injunction against the hip-hop magazine (see "Judge Halts Distribution Of Eminem's Controversial Freestyle"), which wanted to include a CD copy of an old Eminem freestyle with its February issue, which hits stands January 12.
On Monday (December 22) Lynch authorized The Source to release up to 20 seconds of the recording, according to a spokesperson for the magazine, saying it fell within the magazine's right to fair use for the purpose of criticism. Eminem's lawyers, in papers filed December 15, had argued The Source's desire to distribute the recording amounted to copyright infringement.
Last month The Source unveiled the recording, in which the rapper can be heard making offensive comments about black women (see "The Source Digs Up Tape Of Eminem Using Racial Slurs"). The tape was apparently procured from three people who made the recording with him.
The Source issued a statement on Monday evening heralding the judge's decision as a victory, though the magazine has yet to decide which 20-second segment of the nearly six-minute freestyle it will use. A spokesperson for Eminem had no comment. Meanwhile, someone got a hold of three unreleased Eminem studio tracks and attempted to sell them on the online auction site eBay last week. An eBay spokesperson confirmed that the listing was made but said the company immediately took it down as per the request of Eminem's record label, Interscope, and its own company policy. Interscope and the Recording Industry Association of America participate in eBay's Verified Rights Owner program, and they work together to remove illegal listings and investigate the identities of the illegal sellers. The auction site will continue to remove the listing should it come up again, the spokesperson said.
December 22nd, 2003
Someone alert The Source. Eminem has a secret side of him that many of his fans would be surprised to see: sketch artist. Eminem's uncle, Todd Nelson, is putting up for auction a number of pencil drawings and sketches (and lyrics) the rapper apparently created between the ages of 16 and 19. The items are being sold through a Chicago auction house in the spring. ...
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October 17th, 2003
Eminem turns 31 TODAY!! His birthday is October 17th, 1972. So I'd like to wish him a VERY happy 31st birthday to him from all his true fans. We love you Marshall Mathers, keep doin wat u do best and keep lovin ya daughter the way u do... u AWESOME!! Best wishes on ya b-day Em!
~Love all ur fans
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September 27th, 2003
Earlier this year we heard Eminem rhyme over one of Tupac's beats. Now the deceased hip-hop rebel is rapping over one of Slim Shady's tracks.
Eminem recently completed production of "Running (Dying to Live)," the first single from the
upcoming "Tupac: Resurrection" soundtrack. In addition to the verse from Pac, the record includes a Notorious B.I.G. rhyme for the first verse.
"Check it, I grew up a f---in' screw-up," Biggie says on the song. Later he raps about wanting to be the "the black Frank White," a nickname he adopted, and continues his assault.
"Run from the police/ Picture that n---a/ I'm too fat," he barks. "I f--- around and catch a asthma attack."
Em constructed the beat with hammering piano chords, violins and bass. The King of Detroit also sampled blues-rocker Edgar Winters' "Dying to Live" for the chorus: "Why am I fighting to live, if I 'm just living to fight?/ Why am I trying to see, when there ain't nothing in sight?/ Why am I trying to give, when no one gives me a try?/ Why am I dying to live, if I'm just living to die?"
Tupac rounds the record off with his militant street-soldier poetry. "A couple of movies now the whole world trying to screw me," he says. "Even the cops tried to sue me/ So what can I do, but stay true sippin' 22s of brew�/ Misery is all I see, that's my mind state ..."
"Running (Dying to Live)" isn't the only record Eminem produced for the "Tupac: Resurrection" soundtrack, according to an Interscope Records spokesperson, who would only add that the soundtrack will also include songs from Pac that tell a chronological story of his life and career.
The "Tupac: Resurrection" soundtrack comes out on November 4 and features four new Tupac songs in all as well as a slew of his greatest hits. The film that inspired the soundtrack hits theaters on November 14 (see " 'Tupac: Resurrection' To Be Previewed At Sundance").
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September 17th, 2003
Eminem's mom isn't the only grandma with a bone to pick with the star rapper.
A 70-year-old Los Angeles woman is suing Eminem and producer Dr. Dre for unlawfully sampling music by her late husband on the hit "Guilty Conscience" from Em's 1999 disc, The Slim Shady LP.
In a lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court and published on The Smoking Gun, Harlene Stein says "Guilty Conscience" features snippets from a 24-second piece called "Pigs Go Home" that her husband Ronald wrote for the score of the 1970 film "Getting Straight," which starred Elliott Gould and Candice Bergen. The sections Eminem and Dre used compose the background instrumental for the rap song.
Stein's complaint also names Eminem's music publishing companies, Eight Mile Style Music, Ain't Nuthin' Goin' on But F---in', Ensign Music Corporation, WB Music Corporation, Famous Music Corporation, Colgems-EMI Music Publishing Inc., and Interscope Records as co-defendants.
The liner notes for The Slim Shady LP state that "Guilty Conscience" features an "interpolation" of "Go Home Pigs," but Stein is never credited as the song's composer, nor was his wife ever paid royalties for use of the song. Stein died in 1988 and his wife inherited his estate.
The suit does not specify damages, which Stein's attorneys are calculating, but they could amount to well over $3 million. Stein is asking for 5 percent of the retail list price of 90 percent of the 4.6 million copies of The Slim Shady LP sold in America and 2.5 percent of the retail price of 90 percent of the copies of the album sold abroad. In addition, she wants substantial payments from sheet-music sales and publishing royalties, as well as punitive damages.
Finally, Stein asks that Interscope not distribute records with the sample of "Pigs Go Home" and that all existing copies be pulled from shelves.
A spokesperson for Interscope Records declined comment
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September 16th, 2003
Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott and Beyonc� are among the artists up for multiple awards at this year's 31st annual American Music Awards, which will be broadcast live on November 16 from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Other artists with a pair of nominations include R. Kelly, Kid Rock, Luther Vandross, Norah Jones, Eminem, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw and Toby Keith. The event will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
The main awards are divided into four music genres, Pop/Rock, Soul/Rhythm & Blues, Country and Rap, with categories in each for Favorite Male Artist; Favorite Female Artist; Favorite Band, Duo or Group; and Favorite Album. Single awards are presented in Adult Contemporary, Latin Music and Alternative Music categories.
Nominees were compiled from data supplied by SoundScan and the trade publication Radio & Records. Winners will be decided by 20,000 people who have been sent ballots by National Family Opinion Inc.
The nominees:
Pop/Rock
Favorite Male Artist: Clay Aiken, Kid Rock, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake
Favorite Female Artist: Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez
Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Fleetwood Mac, Matchbox Twenty, 3 Doors Down
Favorite Album: Evanescence's Fallen, Norah Jones' Come Away With Me, Kid Rock's Cocky, Justin Timberlake's Justified
Soul/Rhythm & Blues
Favorite Male Artist: Ginuwine, Jaheim, R. Kelly, Luther Vandross
Favorite Female Artist: Aaliyah, Ashanti, Beyonc�
Favorite Band, Duo or Group: B2K, Dru Hill, Isley Brothers
Favorite Album: Ashanti's Chapter II, Beyonc�'s Dangerously in Love, R. Kelly's Chocolate Factory, Luther Vandross' Dance With My Father
Rap
Favorite Male Artist: Eminem, 50 Cent, Nelly, Sean Paul
Favorite Female Artist: Missy Elliott, Eve, Lil' Kim
Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Black Eyed Peas, Bone Crusher, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz
Favorite Album: Missy Elliott's Under Construction, 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin', Sean Paul's Dutty Rock, "8 Mile" soundtrack
Adult Contemporary
Favorite Artist: Cher, Celine Dion, Norah Jones
Alternative Music
Favorite Artist: Coldplay, Linkin Park, Metallica
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September 2, 2003
Eminem family home for sale
Rap star's childhood abode on block after failed Web auction
By Marisa Schultz / The Detroit News
WARREN -- Eminem's childhood home is up for sale again.
Owners Sebastian Lucido, a Utica attorney, and Roland Fraschetti, a Macomb County commissioner, are asking $250,000 for the modest home on Timken Avenue.
The pair tried to sell it online on eBay last year, but they couldn't make a deal when bidding became uncontrollable and unreliable, Lucido said.
After no luck with a second company that aggressively screens prospective buyers, the owners have now turned to a real estate company in Troy, Keller Williams Realty, to sell the home.
Though there have been no solid offers yet, representatives from MTV and VH1 have been researching the home for potential shows on celebrities' childhood homes and for contests to give away a home to fans.
"This is part of regional music history," Lucido said. "Eminem is arguably the most significant cultural contribution that Detroit has made to the world music scene since the advent of Motown. We believe there is a lot of interest in this home, because there is a lot of interest in Eminem."
Ideally, the home should be turned in to a historical landmark, perhaps a small-scale version of Graceland, listing agent Russ Marrone said.
But the city of Warren has no interest in buying the home and turning it into an attraction, Deputy Mayor Mike Greiner said.
Lucido and Fraschetti bought the home last year for $45,000 from Eminem's uncle, Todd Nelson. The three-bedroom, two-bath house on the 8400 block of Timken measures 1,300 square feet and was appraised at $91,000.
It was built in 1940 and has been in Eminem's family for at least 50 years.
The eBay auction for the home garnered national attention. Hundreds of bidders signed on, and bids topped $10 million.
Owners had to hire around-the-clock security guards for $8,000 to keep the house safe from scores of visitors to Timken.
Many of the bids were bogus, so owners of the house hired a company for $3,000 to weed out phony offers. But the stringent background check process scared potential customers away, Lucido said.
The home is currently being rented out to one person.
You can reach Marisa Schultz at (586) 468-2905 or [email protected].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~28th August, 2003
Em, Obie & Jermaine Rumors
According to some present...Eminem and protege Obie Trice were slated to appear on BET's 106 & Park when the staff of the show was confronted with a problem. Jermaine Dupri was also supposed to be on the same show. Needless to say the BET crew scrambled to split the two factions and keep the peace. They were all aware of the problem and Em and Obie decided to just stay in there car instead of opting bother with a possible issue.
Seems like the security concerns Em has are very real. Word has it that Em and Obie were rollin with a fleet of S.U.V.'s, while J.D. was accompanied by a pair of gargantuan body guards that "shadowed" him.
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August 31st, 2003
Eminem's Dad Desperate for Reunion
Eminem's father is begging the controversial rapper to get in contact with him - because he's tired of having his son missing from his life.
Marshall Mathers II walked out on Eminem's mother Debbie Mathers- Briggs when the hip-hop star was just two years old, but his father is now desperate for another chance.
He says, "Until we meet, there will always be something missing in my life. I just want to sit down with him and say that so many things have gone on in our lives, let's just pick a starting point and go from there."
Mathers makes his plea through upcoming British documentary The Read Slim Shady, in which he also describes how he tried to contact Eminem through the media.
The 51-year-old steel worker wrote in an open letter to the rapper in 2001, saying, "You think I dumped you and your mother and never came looking for you.
"You're convinced I'm a drunk who never answered any of your letters. Well, I want you to read this and realize you've been fed lies all your life."
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August 30th, 2003
Eminem won best video from a film at the 2003 VMA's, August 28th, for "Lose Yourself". Eminem was nominated for 5 awards, including Best Male video, Best rap video, viewers choice award, and video of the year. But unfortunately, he could oly snag one. But pictures from the show are now added to a special album called 'Eminem 2003 VMA pictures' next to the 'Eminem pictures' album.
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Eminem and his side group, D12, made an unsurprising but still crowd-pleasing guest appearance during Shady Records labelmate 50 Cent's set at the Rock the Mic tour stop Thursday night (August 21) in suburban Detroit.
Eminem--sporting a white Nike Michael Jordan baseball cap and matching tank top--joined the New York rapper and his crew late in 50 Cent's set, performing "Patiently Waiting" and "Love Me" for a near capacity crowd at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Independence Township, Michigan. Eminem, who owns Shady Records, has made a habit of joining 50 Cent at major shows and has shared the stage at all of 50 Cent's Michigan performances.
During the set 50 Cent also continued his feud with rapper Ja Rule by noting that "I don't see any Ja Rule fans here tonight" and by taking a swipe at Rule-sponsored singer Ashanti, making fun of her latest video ("Is it me, or is Ashanti's new video Janet Jackson's old video?") and of her guest appearances on others' records ("That b-tch needs to learn some new words").
The Rock The Mic tour, which also features Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Chingy and others, wraps up Saturday (August 23) at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.Eminem is currently recording a new album with D12. No title or release date have yet been revealed.
In related news, Eminem's mom, Debbie Mathers, has reportedly been offered her own reality series on MTV. According to the British magazine called, Now, MTV originally tried to get Eminem himself to star in his own show, but quickly set their sights on his mother, when he declined the offer.If the show does become a reality, it would reveal the inner workings of Mather's relationship with her estranged son.
In the meantime, fans can check out Eminem's newly-launched clothing line called Shady Ltd.
He has been nominated for a MTV Video Music Award in the category of Viewers Choice for the song "Lose Yourself."
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August 20th, 2003
Eminem takes a 'Ride with Funkmaster Flex' on Spike TV
By Cary Darling
Knight Ridder Newspapers
If the wheels ever come flying off Eminem's speeding career, it's not likely he could make a living in the car industry, even if he does hail from the Motor City. In the opening segment of Spike TV's latest weekly celebration of boys and their toys, "Ride with Funkmaster Flex" (debuting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday), the real Slim Shady shows he's no real shadetree mechanic.
Sitting in his sprawling GMC Yukon (bigger than most countries in the UN), with hip-hop DJ and auto enthusiast Funkmaster Flex, he has only one response to questions about the Epcot's worth of tech in his truck. The booming Alpine stereo system? "I don't really know how to work it." The Nintendo Game Cube? "I don't really know how to work it." The elaborate video set-up with 24-inch HDTV monitors and 13-inch flipdown monitors? "Can't get the TV working."
Yeah, whatever, Em. When you're such a rap hero and big-screen player, maybe it's too much trouble to actually get your instruction-manual groove on.
But it's just one of the enjoyable pieces of disposable trivia on "Ride with Funkmaster Flex," which is like MTV's "Cribs" with exhaust fumes. First off, the whole concept is brilliant marketing. What better way to appeal to American men maxed out on Maxim and malt liquor than a show that combines mountain-size SUVs, fast cars, fast women (Lil' Kim makes an appearance this week, burning rubber in a beautiful vintage Chevelle), and music stars? Viewers get a glimpse of how some of their favorite stars zoom around town -- and it's NOT on the bus -- before some of them inevitably crash into a wall of fallen celebrity, misspent fortunes and bankruptcy.
There's even an element of the ever-popular makeover craze, though, with this audience, it's more like "Beer Eye for the Straight Guy:" Washington Redskins wide receiver Laveranues Coles gets his Cadillac EXT outfitted with new wheels. In between, Flex -- who hosts his own third annual Celebrity Car Show this weekend in New Jersey -- offers segments on Monster Truck master Bob Chandler, a recycling yard (new-age speak for junkyard), and the "radical dancers" (those cars bumpin' up and down on hydraulics) at a low-rider car show.
"Ride with Funkmaster Flex" is hardly groundbreaking TV -- it's basically Speed Channel for the hip-hop generation -- but it's mildly entertaining, a nice break during channel surfing between MTV and ESPN2. And it's always reaffirming to know that even the biggest stars, like so many people who can't program their VCRs, are baffled by much of what they own. But they sure look cool.
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August 9th, 2003
Eminem Wants DeAngelo Bailey Lawsuit Dropped
The Detroit News reports that Eminem will appear before a Michigan judge later this month. He's expected to ask for the dismissal of a lawsuit against him filed by a former school-mate, DeAngelo Bailey who is seeking $1 million over the song. Eminem's dismissal request contends that the song is accurate, and that Bailey threatened and intimidated him in grade school.
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July 29th, 2003
Eminem is taking on yet another alter ego.
The rapper � Slim Shady on album, Rabbit on film � will voice an as-yet-unnamed puppet for the third season of "Crank Yankers," the Comedy Central hit centered on prank phone calls.
Eminem, who is such a fan of the show that he parodied it with one of his acceptance speeches at the MTV Movie Awards (see "MTV Movie Awards: Gollum, Yoda Steal Show; Sloppy Jackasses Rock Red Carpet"), had his manager approach the show about a guest spot, according to a spokesperson for Comedy Central.
"Crank Yankers" creators Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla and Daniel Kellison happily obliged and have since shot a couple of calls featuring the rapper, who has used prank calls on mixtapes in the past. Details about the skits and when they will air is being kept under wraps.
The second half of the second season is scheduled to begin September 16, with the third season immediately following.
Along with Kimmel and Carolla, several other comedians voice puppets living in the twisted town of Yankerville, including Kevin Nealon, Wanda Sykes, Sarah Silverman, David Alan Grier and Tracy Morgan.
A puppet version of the Wu-Tang Clan performed "In Da Hood" on the first episode of the show last summer. "Crank Yankers" marks Eminem's first acting gig since "8 Mile," as the rapper has kept busy producing Shady Records acts Obie Trice and D12 (see "Eminem Losing Himself In The Studio With 50 Cent, D12"), and developing his fashion line (see "You Got A Problem With Eminem Dropping His Sweatpants?").
Eminem also produced and recorded vocals for a collaboration with B-Real and the Boo Yaa Tribe for the latter's upcoming album (see "Eminem Joins The Tribe On New Boo Yaa Record").
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July 28th, 2003
Eminem is at the center of a lawsuit filed last week accusing his management and licensing representatives of fraud and breach of contract.
Santa Monica, California, videogame maker Conspiracy Entertainment claims the rapper reneged on a contract he signed in February to release "Mix TV Presents: Eminem," a game for PCs and PlayStation involving a collection of his videos.
Conspiracy believes Eminem's representatives pulled out of the agreement to work with a bigger company and is asking for $5 million in damages.
Cousins Entertainment and Bravado International are named as defendants in the lawsuit, not Eminem.
In fact, Conspiracy president Sirus Ahmadi suggested that he believed the rapper did not know about the breach in the deal. "We hope everyone can arrive at a quick resolution now that Eminem is fully aware of the problem," he said in a statement.
Neither Cousins nor Bravado responded to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Eminem also did not respond.
"Mix TV Presents: Eminem" was to feature six different types of puzzles for users to unscramble while watching four of Eminem's videos. The company was supposedly developing other games with the rapper as well.
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July 14th, 2003
DETROIT � It was labeled a "weekend of concerts," but the turnout was more like that of a super-sized convention. About 100,000 people from all over the country proved this past weekend that despite not having a new album drop in over a year, Slim Shady truly is a modern-day hip-hop messiah.
"Eminem's God!" screamed a man from Lansing, Michigan, Saturday night. He was just one of the fans who had traveled to Detroit's Ford Field from just about everywhere imaginable to see Em perform in only the second show he's played this year. His third and last scheduled Stateside concert took place at the same venue Sunday. With the biggest rap show on earth taking on more of a rock show feel, a sea of hands stayed swaying up and down in the air with people yelling and cheering for Em and opening acts 50 Cent and Missy Elliott.
When the curtain opened to show the same carnival set Slim used on the Anger Management Tour last summer (see "Eminem King Of The Carnival At Anger Management Tour Launch"), two video screens that hung high above the right and left sides of the stage read "A few weeks ago." Pre-filmed footage of a phone conversation between the evening's star and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick then aired with his Honor calling Europe, where Em was touring. Kilpatrick asked his city's most popular figure to come play a show in Rock City.
Em obliged, but first, he said, he had business to attend to. Footage of Em going out on his balcony and imitating the Michael Jackson baby-dangling incident (see "Eminem Dangles His 'Baby' Jacko-Style, Gives Nauseated Fan His 'M' ") played, but then the screen cut off due to electrical difficulties. After five minutes of standing in the dark, fans applauded as the video finally came back up.
On the screen, Em and D12 member Proof were greeted by a liquor-swigging chauffer (it turned out to be Kid Rock), who drove them up to the stage. That's when the accordions from "Square Dance" began wheezing.
Like a small elite group of his peers, Em's live command of the mic is normally flawless. Although this show was no exception, his microphone gave him problems, and on a few songs you could barely hear Em's vocals due to feedback and other issues � not that the crowd seemed to notice. The problems didn't plague the Sunday show.
On Saturday, the livelier of the two shows, there were virtually no lulls in either screams or vigorous body movements from the fans. D12 joined the fray for several songs including "Fight Music" and "Purple Pills," where psychedelic purple and yellow lights were cast on the arena. The video screens showing the performance also displayed a distorted fisheye look, making the group's heads seem much larger than their bodies.
"How many people out there have had beef with their mothers?" Em asked the crowd out of the blue.
Proof then instructed everyone to yell "F--- you, Debbie!" as the music for "Cleaning Out My Closet" started up. It literally looked like everyone � from 40-year-old men wearing dress shirts to little kids rocking basketball jerseys � were living vicariously through Em as they vehemently flooded the stadium singing the chorus.
Slim Shady then spotlighted the next act to come from his Shady label, Obie Trice, with "Drips" and "S--- Hits the Fan." That led to 50 Cent coming onstage again, joining the duo for "I Just Wanna Love You."
50 and Em then rocked Rock City with "Patiently Waiting." Later, Em rode atop a Hummer that was sitting out in the crowd back to the middle of the audience, rhyming the words to "Lose Yourself" with a giant sign that read "8 Mile Road" hanging down from the rafters, inches from his head. After a ride back to the stage to perform cuts such as "Sing for the Moment" and "Without Me," Slim Shady closed the curtain on the Eminem Show with the grand finale, "Rap Game." The crowd seemed just as amped and ready to party as when they first walked in the arena and when 50 Cent and G-Unit along with D12 came back out to perform their posse cut.
As on his Rock the Mic Tour outings, 50 started his show off with an actor imitating Frank Sinatra and singing "New York, New York." 50 only had about 7 feet from his skyscraper set to the edge of the stage as opposed to the 18 feet he has on the Rock the Mic Tour. This led to him having to make some split-second adjustments in the air when he finally made his entrance. Unfortunately, not calculating the distance correctly led to him taking a spill on the floor.
It didn't matter, though, as he immediately won the crowd over with the potent one-two musical punch of "What Up Gangsta" and "Wanksta." Next, 50 continued taking blows at Ja Rule's career with a snippet of "I Smell Pu---" followed by "Backdown." Even people who came just to see Em and were not familiar with 50 or Ja followed the rap He-Man's order to put their middle fingers in the air. And with tens of thousands of single digits raised, 50 voiced his disdain, "F---Murder Inc."
But even with the resounding approval 50 got on both nights during the "Work It" remix and "Magic Stick," there was no doubt that the weekend belonged to Slim Shady.
"Eminem is number one to me," 50 proclaimed Sunday night. "He gave me my shot."
Missy Elliott was definitely in the giving mood as she opened both shows with songs such as "She's a Bitch" and "Get Ur Freak On." Besides throwing freshly autographed sports jerseys and sneakers into the crowd, Elliott also gave of herself � literally � as she ran out on the floor and even into the bleachers to get love to fans.
"I ran all the way around this muthaf---a," Missy huffed playfully before she brought out Monica out on both nights to perform "So Gone." "Somebody better say something, holla!" she said.
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