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The Shadiest, Launch.com 1999 |
By Todd Davis
In the world of hip-hop music, white rappers don't really
seem to cut it.
3rd Bass, the Beastie Boys and Everlast of House Of Pain
fame have done it, even though the latter two have gone on
to pursue other formats of music. But remember Vanilla Ice,
Marky Mark, Lord Scotch, Jesse James, Chilly Tee, Blood Of
Abraham? Where are they now?
However, with the new millennium quickly approaching, things
are beginning to change.
There is a whole new crop of MCs, all white, all looking to
change the face of rap music. Check the lineup. The biracial
underground favorite Company Flow is led by rapper El
Producto. Wu-Tang Clan protégé Remedy is of Jewish lineage.
RA The Rugged Man was recently signed to Priority Records,
and a long-overdue 3rd Bass reunion record is in the works.
With Detroit's Eminem, the controversial protégé of Dr. Dre,
leading this pack of new musical hopefuls, rap music had
just better start bracing itself. It's about to be on.
"My sh-t goes against the grain of the typical sh-t you hear
nowadays," explains the rapper, whose real name is Marshall
Mathers. "Something that someone else won't say, I'll say.
So, if people buy this album, don't think that there's
something that I won't say. I'm gonna say whatever it is I'm
feeling."
Eminem isn't concerned about people becoming offended by
some of the wild things he says in his songs. He's just
being honest.
"A lot of the sh-t I say is from the heart," Eminem
explains, "but some of it is just like vulgar humor. It's
just sick comedy. Anybody with half a brain is gonna be able
to figure out when I'm serious and when I'm joking."
Some may have taken the scenes in Eminem's "My Name Is"
video as a joke. But there's some truth to the clip's
portrayal of a channel-surfing trailer-park couple that
excitedly watches Eminem on TV, as that couple represents a
portion of the audience the rapper hopes to attract.
"I think that lower-class America is really gonna feel it,
'cause it's some sh-t that I went through," says Eminem,
explaining how those who've experienced hardship will relate
to his music. "A lot of it is really sh-t that I went
through, and a lot is sh-t that other people went
through...I'm not the only one who's been through a lot."
As for the cynics and critics who constantly question his
rhyming ability solely because of his race, Eminem bluntly
suggests, "Eat a d--k."
He does admit that the taunting used to bother him. "But
something just clicked in my head," he begins. "I think it
was built up from everybody always testing me, or just
hearing sh-t [people said] behind my back. I got tired of
people telling me that because I was white I should go into
rock 'n' roll or something. I just got fed-up, like, 'F--k
you! How can someone tell me that I can't do a music that I
have f--king supported since I was eight or nine years old?
I f--king helped make everyone else rich by buying their sh-t,
and now you're telling me I can't do what I love? I grew up
on this sh-t. That's f--king bananas.'"
As one of the most animated rappers next to Busta Rhymes,
Eminem's squeaky voice, elaborate concepts and outrageous
caricatures in the "My Name Is" video suggest that he's
interested in taking on the silver screen.
"I want to be up in that spotlight and be at that
forefront," Eminem says, "so I can get a chance to speak my
mind. I want my chance to tell my sh-t. I feel like the
bigger I am, whether it be through movie, TV, or whatever,
the more of a chance I get to speak."
He may talk a big game, but with all of the hype surrounding
the release of his first project, is Eminem somewhat taken
aback by the immense response?
"I don't know if it's fair to say I'm surprised," he says
unashamedly. But still, he isn't quick to take things for
granted, realizing a big ego doesn't automatically mean big
record sales.
Landing an opportunity of a lifetime to work with producer
Dr. Dre was more of a surprise to Eminem. Eminem is
currently aiding the good Dr. in finishing up his
long-awaited sophomore solo album, Chronic 2000 (Still
Smokin'), spending anywhere from two to five days a week in
the studio preparing for a summer 1999 release. Recent
releases from Dr. Dre may not have made much of an impact on
the music scene, but Eminem feels the founding member of
N.W.A. is still at the top of his game.
"Personally, I don't really feel like nobody could f--k with
Dre beatwise," Eminem offers. "I had other offers on the
table--I won't say which ones--but the Dre one seemed the
most realest. He was the most serious about it. It was like
he wanted to get in [the studio] and knock sh-t out." The
self-proclaimed "studioholic" says he recorded four songs
with Dr. Dre during their first recording session.
The excitement of having "I Just Don't Give A F--k" and "My
Name Is," the first two songs released from The Slim Shady
LP, achieve top 10 rap positions has kept Eminem focused on
his gift of gab.
"I don't know what's gonna happen," Eminem says of what's in
store for him. "I really can't say. It really depends on
where this rap sh-t takes me. I'm gonna go wherever this rap
takes me, even if it takes me to the grave." |
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