January 2004

Misquoted Source - Posted by Denz on Wednesday, January 28 2004

One of The Source magazine's key voices in its ongoing battle with Eminem claims to have been quoted out of context. Chaos Kid, a Detroit MC who recorded with Eminem early in his career, was interviewed and quoted in the magazine as being party to freestyle recordings in which Eminem delivered contentious racist rhymes. He is demanding that The Source publish his side of the story in full or threatening to talk to other media outlets. The magazine has been engaged in a bitter feud with Eminem which came to a head when owners Dave Mays and Ray Benzino played tapes in which Eminem used racist slurs. Now a letter written by Chaos Kid to Source Editor Kim Osorio has surfaced online in which the rapper disputes the way in which the magazine represented his comments. "I am forced at this point to recognize that there are obviously some ulterior motives/personal hang-ups/political/racial agendas going on behind the scenes at The Source and this is making it impossible for you to present the issue of these tapes in a true light that would give a full spectrum of perspective," it reads. He contends that the freestyle sessions were called 'Suckerin' Rhymes' and were intended to be, in his words, "as "goofy/stupid/ignorant/wack as possible." In a bid to represent Eminem in a more favourable light, Chaos Kid points out that his friend never expressed racist sentiments in his day-to-day life. "In fact, we personally had conversations talking about how we hated racism and racists and both had real songs denouncing racism," he adds. "Marshall Mathers is not a racist. Although the songs were in bad taste, they were not intended to be taken seriously or even heard and do not represent the true sentiments of Eminem." Source Editor Kim Osorio denies any knowledge of the letter.

Mother carjacked - Posted by Denz on Tuesday, January 27 2004

Eminem’s mother has been carjacked by a man brandishing a gun on the road made infamous made by the rap superstar’s debut movie ‘8 Mile’. Debbie Nelson, who’s volatile relationship with Eminem has been the subject of much of his music, is reported to have been jumped at a petrol station on Eight Mile Road. According to reports, Nelson, 49, was attacked as she sat in her Honda Accord at a petrol station on the road in Detroit. Oak Police Lt John McNeilance told launch: "She was approached by a lone male who was armed with a silver handgun. He ordered her to get out of the car, and then grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the car." According to Mrs Nelson, the attacker then got in her car and drove off down Eight Mile Road. A 16-year-old has since been arrested after the vehicle was recovered. He has been charged with carjacking and armed robbery and remains in custody in lieu of a $150,000 bail bond.

Kim escapes jail - Posted by Denz on Friday, January 23 2004

Eminem's ex-wife has escaped a jail term after admitting a charge of cocaine possession, we can confirm. Kim Mathers, who has been consistently linked with the rap superstar despite the pair's marriage ending in divorce in 2001, was yesterday sentenced to two years probation. Mathers, who was married to Eminem for two years, was stopped by police in June last year. Around 25g of the drug were discovered in her car. She has been ordered by a judge in Detroit to take regular drug and alcohol tests following the conviction. Prosecutor David Portuesi, speaking in court, told Mathers she should be prepared to face a test at a moment's notice. He explained: "They are very strict and can come at any time."

Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre All Part Of D12's World - Posted by Denz on Friday, January 23 2004

50 Cent, Eminem and Dr. Dre are all expected to have new albums out by the end of the year. But the next big push for hip-hop's reigning dynasty will be with the dirty boys of D12. The Detroit rap crew, which includes mentor Eminem as one among six, is putting the finishing touches on its second album, D12 World. According to a record-label spokesperson, the album is due in April with an as-yet-undetermined single hitting the streets in March. The rappers Bizarre, Proof, Kon Artis, Kuniva and Swift join Eminem throughout the album. And look for D12 to keep their cameos in the family. While the final list is still waiting to be confirmed, look for 50 Cent to be featured on some of World. 50 Cent has rocketed from relative obscurity to worldwide fame since D12's 2001 debut, Devil's Night. The presence of 50 Cent and Eminem will certainly raise expectations for D12's second effort, as will that of empire patriarch Dr. Dre, who produced a couple of World's tracks. When not taking shots at The Source, Em has also been sharpening his beatmaking skills, and a large chunk of World music will come from his hand. Denine Porter, a.k.a. D12's Kon Artis, shares the bulk of production duties. Porter's no stranger to hits, having rigged the steel-drum beat for 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P." and G-Unit's flashy "Stunt 101" singles.

Eminem Fires Back - Posted by Denz on Tuesday, January 20 2004

The controversial issue of The Source purporting Eminem to be a racist hit newsstands last week, so it's no surprise that the rapper has already fired back at the magazine. In an untitled freestyle on the Green Lantern mixtape The Invasion Part Three: Countdown to Armageddon, Eminem aims to both elaborate on and get past the controversy stirred up by an old song in which he spit offensive lyrics directed at black women. He raps: "Oh, sorry, yo so sorry, whoa/ But that was a long time ago/ When I was a Joe Schmo/ Rapping in Joe Blow's basement/ I apologized for it before, so/ Either accept it or you don't/ And let's move on/ If I ain't shown that I've grown/ You can get the bone." Later, he says, "Word on my daughter, I told ya/ That I love this culture/ Don't let 'em insult ya/ I'mma tell you once more again/ This is the environment I was brought up in." Of course, it wouldn't be an Eminem track if he also didn't get in a few digs as well, and The Source co-owners Dave Mays and Ray Benzino are the butt of many jokes. "I got a riddle/ What's little and talks big/ With midget arms and creamy filling in the middle?/ That will do anything to throw dirt on my name?/ Even if it means walking the whole Mediterranean?/ Isn't it Albanian? Armenian? Iranian? Tasmanian?/ No it's Dave, Raymond and a ho'." Along with the cover story "Eminem: Cleaning Out White America's Closet," the February issue of The Source also includes a CD featuring snippets of two Eminem songs that Benzino claims prove Em's racist tendencies. In addition to the Green Lantern freestyle, Eminem answers back at The Source's charges in rival magazine XXL's March issue. In it, Eminem takes on each of The Source's points of contention, including when the tape was made, his business relationship with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, and his cognizance of being a white star in black music. "The worst part that's gonna come out of this is people are gonna realize that I was like any other stupid kid at 16," he says in the article by Sacha Jenkins. "You do and say dumb sh--. You don't even necessarily mean it. But you do it and you don't think about it. ... That's part of growing up and discovering who you are." The March issue of XXL hits stands February 3. Eminem's spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Eminem In The Source - Posted by Denz on Thursday, January 15 2004

The magazine has a couple of pictures of bassmint productions...an interview with the cat who leaked the tape, as well as a benzino interview, and reactions from different rappers... Styles: "His fucking teeth should have been knocked out--thats my reaction. But all the Black people who are sucking his cock should be ashamed of themselves. If it was a black *****, they would have killed his ass. I can't say something too wrong 'cause he's on my label. If he apologizes, it'll be aight. If not, that's fucked up." Crooked I: "I think this dude is an incredible lyricist, but if you're racist, you get no support. If we support a racist, we cutting our own throat. If he's racist like that, he gotta fall to the side. I want to see him on TV publicly apologize to Black women." Chaos kid (of Bassmint Productions): "This one day, there was this thing that they did. It was called 'The Racist Rap Hour with Bassmint Productions.' And i refused to even get on it. I know it's kind of hard for a Black person to understand why White people that are in rap music would do this, but it was a joke. I didn't feel comfortable about being a part of it, so i didn't rap on it. It was never meant to be released to the public" Benzino (on Eminem): Do you think he's the best White rapper ever? I would have to say yeah, no doubt. But cats like Jo Jo Pellegrino are kinda nice too. I like his lyrics, I'm not gonna front. The guy that leaked the Eminem tape (talking about Eminem): "We come from the same neighborhood and he ain't got no street credibility. He ain't no gangsta or soldier. He was in the basement practicing his skills while the real world was going on outside. He's catching these bullshit cases. Smacking up John Guerra, the one who was kissing his wife, with an unloaded gun. In the song, Eminem's saying that he's 6'2" and that ain't the case. John Guerra is 5'4" or 5'2". What kind of tough guy are you?" The source is sad for dedicating so much time to eminem, just like XXL is so sad for dedicating so much time to anything related to shady/aftermath...Hip Hop magazines are at an all time low right now... As for the bonus disc, it features the 20 seconds of "foolish pride" interwined with the other song (that apparently isn't eminem) ... it features an intro composed of certain eminem lines from, "devils night," "white america," "without me," & "I'm shady," in an attempt to use eminem's lyrics against him...there are also statements from nikki giovanni (poet/activist), malik shabazz (new black panther party), and Bob Law (activist/national radio talk show host) on the CD, regarding Eminem's racist tape...