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Strength in
Numbers Interview
By ROBERT HILBURN, Times Pop Music Critic Date: 6/14/2001
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Eminem declined to talk about the
legal issues in his life, citing the advice of his
attorneys. Despite the confrontational image, Eminem (whose
real name is Marshall Mathers III) was thoughtful and polite
as he was joined by D12 colleague Proof (Deshaun Holton) in
talking about the tensions of the last year.
Question:
How did you come out of the last year? Did the success give
you strength, or did the controversy leave you drained?
Eminem:
You feel a little bit of both. It's not like you are going
to get all "yeas." You know you are going to get some
"nays." But it was like the parents were all freaking out,
"This music is going to. . . ." But then the kids were
going, "Mom, Dad, relax. I'm just listening to the music.
I'm not killing everybody."
Question:
Did you really think you might go to jail?
Eminem:
You can ask these guys [D12], I was walking around [saying],
"I'm going to jail, I'm going to jail." It's been stressful
. . . , something that has been hanging over my head for a
long time. There's still another case, but it was like a
real burden was lifted when the first [probation order] came
down. That's one thing you learn from something like this .
. . , the value of friends. It's something we tell each
other every day. . . . No matter where this road takes us or
whatever, we're friends before anything.
Question:
Let's talk about the language in your music. Were you
surprised by the GLAAD criticism?
Eminem:
I don't want to get into another argument with them, but you
can't take a line out of my song and put it in the paper out
of context. It's not fair. You have to listen to the album
as a whole. One of the things I'm saying in "Marshall
Mathers" is, "Look, I'm a product of what you made me." Many
rappers have done that. Ice Cube, for one. In the song
"Criminal," I spell it out when I say, "Half the [expletive]
I say I make it up to make you mad."
Proof:
We're just looking at the world. We're not inventing
anything.
Question:
But do you ever worry that they may be right--that the music
may encourage people to pick on kids who are different?
Eminem:
I've said many times that I know what it's like to get
picked on and bullied because you're new and you're
different and you act different. I think most people
understood what I was doing in the music.
Question:
What's the story behind the D12 album? Do you worry at all
about overexposure after all the success of last year?
Eminem:
There was like a personal agreement we made when we first
got together years ago in Detroit--if any of us made it,
we'd bring the others along and do something together.
Everyone thought Proof would be the one to make it. He was
the always the host at the Hip-Hop Shop, where we all hung
out in Detroit. He later had deals on the table with Tommy
Boy and other labels when, out of the blue, Dr. Dre heard my
stuff and I became the one.
Question:
Proof, did you have any worry that Eminem would get so
caught up with his own career that he'd forget about you
guys?
Proof:
Never, nothing's changed between us. We still go to Burger
King and Taco Bells and wear Nikes. I knew we'd make an
album together. The whole idea of D12 was to bring the
freshest, best MCs in Detroit together in one group, a
supergroup thing.
Eminem:
Besides, I'm not the first guy in hip-hop to bring his boys
along. Anybody with a good heart is going to do that. Nelly
is putting all his boys on a record. When you dream to be a
rap superstar and you finally do become one, it's like you
owe that to your buddies.
Question:
What was it like working as part of D12 instead of doing a
solo album?
Eminem:
It was fun. I love doing the music, sitting around in the
studio, especially with these guys, because it takes a lot
of the burden off me. I no longer have to sit there and
write the whole song. Sometimes I just write a hook, and
then they finish. On some tracks, I was just the producer.
Question:
Are you surprised that your music appeals to such a wide age
group? Did you ever think kids 8 and 10 would be listening
to the stuff?
Eminem:
That has always stumped me, but it's odd how you hear about
people always [complaining] and you see parents on TV say,
"My son listens to that music, and it's horrible. "Well, I
meet parents all the time that don't seem to have a problem
with it. They'll come up to me with their 6-year-old who
wants an autograph.
Question:
Do you have a target audience in mind when you write
something? Do you picture a 10-year-old or 20-year-old, or
do you just write for yourself?
Eminem:
We just want to make the music dope. If we like it, we know
there's a lot of other people out there that'll like it.
That's the only thing we go by.
Question:
What about the movie? Is it going to be a comedy or a
serious film?
Eminem:
It's a serious film, pretty emotional, but it's only based
loosely on my life. I don't play Marshall in the movie. I
play somebody different, but still a white rapper trying to
come up and do rap music.
Question:
Did you think you had a chance to win the best album Grammy
that went to Steely Dan?
Eminem:
Do I think I should have won [in the prestigious best album
category]? Maybe. But I didn't think I would win. There's no
way they could have given it to me too. But I didn't get
into this rap game to win trophies. I do it to please myself
and my fans, and make a better life for Hailie [his
5-year-old daughter].
Question:
Looking ahead, what did you learn from the confrontations in
Detroit about your own conduct?
Eminem:
Well, I'm not supposed to go there. . . .
Question:
Proof, how would you answer that question? What do you think
you've learned in the last year or so?
Proof:
There was a time when the only thing we knew was to react to
things the same way we did as kids. If someone attacks you,
you attack back. But we know now that we have to show more
control. You can't just go around like you're 15 forever.
There are consequences, and you don't want to throw away
everything you've worked so hard for. |
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