November 2004

Kiwis don't like Encore - Posted by Denz on Saturday, November 20 2004

Eminem's new Encore is # 1 in the US, but a major New Zealand retail chain is refusing to display the album. CD and DVD Store, with outlets across New Zealand, has an anti-Encore poster campaign running in shop windows. "They will only sell copies to customers who request it, and even then, the retailer will donate more than $4 from each album sold to a women's refuge charity and a suicide prevention organization, because they 'help the victims that suffer from Eminem's world view,' according to the company's Managing Director Roger Harper," says Stuff, going on: "A Universal Music New Zealand representative, who expects the album to be #1 in that country as well, responded, 'In the same way we respect Eminem's right to free speech, we respect the CD and DVD Store's right to take the position they have'." Eminem is, "known for his sexually explicit, violent, and homophobic lyrics yet that has not stopped him from becoming one of the biggest names in world music," says stuff. New Zealand banned all sales of the Rockstar video game Manhunt.

MTV Show Changed - Posted by Denz on Friday, November 19 2004

Eminem was forced to make last-minute alterations to his performance at last night's (18NOV04) MTV Europe Music Awards after organisers banned his planned Michael Jackson parody. The rapper had reportedly arranged to don a Jackson wig and false nose for his live rendition of hit Just Lose It, in which he mocks the Thriller star's relationship with children. However, after witnessing Eminem rehearsing the top-secret act yesterday morning, MTV executives ordered him to drop the Jackson jibes, insisting they would cause too much offence. A source tells Britain's THE SUN newspaper, "Bosses stepped in when it became clear he was going overboard. "He wanted to rub Jackson's nose in his child molestation charges in front of a TV audience of millions. But MTV were not happy. They asked Eminem to scale things back and not humiliate Jackson. "Eminem eventually agreed." Despite MTV's warning, the STAN star managed to succeed in bringing out 40 children with him onstage. Eminem's rap collective D12 won the Best Hip-Hop award at the star-studded Rome ceremony.

Secret gig - Posted by Denz on Friday, November 19 2004

Rapper Eminem is to play an intimate gig in London on Saturday, following a show on the River Thames on Friday. The US star will play just two songs at a night showcasing his label Shady Records at the Islington Academy. Eminem will also perform on the HMS Belfast, which is docked on the River Thames, where he will record two songs for BBC's Top of the Pops. He arrived in the UK on Friday following his appearance at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Rome. The performance on HMS Belfast will start at 6pm on Friday. Other rap acts who may appear at the Islington gig include Stat Quo, Proof, DJ Green Lantern, Swift and Obie Trice. Piracy threat Eminem's latest album soared to the top of the US chart after just three days on sale in record shops. Encore is now a chart-topper on both sides of the Atlantic following its debut at number one in the UK. The fourth album from the rap star was on sale for two days before it outsold all of its rivals. The album was released early in an effort to combat both physical and online piracy. Controversial Eminem's album includes the track Mosh, which is a tirade against US President Bush and the presence of US troops in Iraq. The rapper was criticised earlier this year after a performance on BBC One's Top of the Pops in April led 12 viewers to complain he was "lewd" and "offensive". The complaints about the star grabbing his crotch were upheld by the BBC. "The performer had been asked to tone his act down after rehearsal but ignored this request during the live broadcast," a BBC statement read. "Although his gestures were part of the rap culture, they had gone beyond what is expected."

Quitting Rap - Posted by Denz on Wednesday, November 17 2004

Eminem is threatening to quit rap if violence between his friends and peers doesn't stop. The rapper admits he was "disgusted" by violence that marred the Vibe Music Awards on Monday night (15NOV04) and worries that silly rivalries between hip-hop stars will spiral out of control. Eminem, who has been warring with Ja Rule for the past 18 months after the New Yorker named his rival's daughter Hallie in a song, is calling for a blanket truce - before a star is killed. He says, "I lose a lot of sleep thinking about just stuff like that - trying to maintain certain amount of fame and wanting to be able to have a label and be able to create a whole food chain but also, at the same time, wanting to be a father. "If there ever comes a day that I would have to pick one or the other I already know what it would be... I would walk away from all of this if I had to... for my little girl."

Multi-Mill Deal - Posted by Denz on Tuesday, November 16 2004

Eminem has just signed a multi-million dollar publishing deal with EMI for his recent release, Encore. Slim usually signs separate publishing deals for each album and opted for EMI for his fourth effort. The agreement provides EMI with the international rights to the album.

Eminem shot to tha top - Posted by Denz on Monday, November 15 2004

Eminem has shot straight in at number one in the UK album chart with his new album "Encore", despite Eminem’s album only being released on Friday. The two-day sales total of 122,459 copies of the rapper’s album was enough to beat the full-week tally of 115,341 to beat Britney Spears' "Greatest Hits — My Prerogative," to the top of the album chart, the Official UK Charts Company stated. Britney Spears' "Greatest Hits — My Prerogative", also came straight in to the album chart at No. 2. U2’s Vertigo knocked last week's top tune, Just Lose It by Eminem, down to third place, the Official UK Charts Company says.

SIGNED by EMINEM: Encore LTD - Posted by Denz on Wednesday, November 10 2004

We have now hooked up and are offering a very special Encore deal to celebrate the release. For more information on getting your hands on a signed copy of the Encore Ltd Collectors CD, check the main page.

Fifth UK No.1 - Posted by Denz on Sunday, November 7 2004

Eminem has scored his fifth British number one single after his "Just Lose It" shot to the top of the charts in its first week on release, the Official UK Charts Company says. The track is taken from Eminem's fourth album "Encore", due for release next week, and is one of seven new entries in this week's British top ten. Destiny's Child entered at number two with "Lose My Breath", with Britney Spears new at third place with "My Prerogative". Also fresh in was American singer Christina Aguilera at number four with "Car Wash", while American R&B crooner Usher's "Confessions Part II/My Boo" debuted at number five. Dance DJ Michael Gray was another new entry at number seven with "The Weekend" as R&B singer Jamelia entered the charts at nine with "DJ/Stop". Last week's number one, rapper Ja Rule's "Wonderful", fell to sixth place. Swedish DJ Eric Prydz slid to number eight from two with "Call On Me", while American rapper Khia dropped to 10th place from number five with "My Neck My Back (Lick It)". An easy-listening debut from pop-opera singers Il Divo topped the album charts, with the quartet's self-titled album pushing Robbie Williams's "Greatest Hits" down to second place.

Early "Encore" - Posted by Denz on Thursday, November 4 2004

And for his encore, Eminem's record company has moved up the release date of his latest record, Encore, due to what they are calling "rabid" demand. The rapper's latest offering will now be available Nov. 12. The studio set, his fourth for Interscope, had been slated to drop Nov. 16. If you think you've heard this one before, it's because you have. A similar scenario played out two years ago right before The Eminem Show was to be released. The drop date for that album was bumped up twice over cries of pent-up demand and Internet piracy concerns. That disc went on to sell 9.2 million copies in the U.S. and more than 19 million copies worldwide. "This is something we have been anticipating," Steve Berman, Interscope Geffen A&M head of sales and marketing, said in a statement Wednesday. "Once we had all of our pieces together we started a discussion as to whether Encore should come early," he continued. "We knew there would be a tremendous demand for this album--we were ready, we just had to press the button on the date." If Interscope executives have learned anything, it's that they had better be ready to roll out the release early if they hope to capture big first-week sales. Interscope is just one of many labels that now frequently push up their high-profile fourth-quarter releases. Indeed, hours after Eminem's annoucement, Geffen Records announced it was moving up Snoop Dogg's new album, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, one week, to Nov. 16, and Sony Music pushed up the date of Destiny's Child's new disc, Destiny Fulfilled, one day, to Nov. 15. Cynical types would be forgiven if they think this may just be a marketing ploy, but some music industry experts maintain Internet downloading of entire records is a problem that can seriously cut into first-week sales numbers. However, the notion that illegal downloading is killing the music industry has been proven false this year by increased record sales across the board. In September, the LA Weekly noted that, according to SoundScan data, 252 million records have been sold in 2004 compared with 235 million units moved during the same period of 2003; an increase of 6.35 percent. A quick Morpheus search Wednesday evening didn't turn up any results for new Eminem tracks, except for the two singles he's already released, "Just Lose It" and "Mosh." Regardless, Interscope is pressing ahead with the earlier release date on what is sure to be a huge seller this fall and into 2005.

Lip-synching - Posted by Denz on Wednesday, November 3 2004

Looks like today's pop acts rarely take the "live" in saturday Night Live seriously. Just one week after Ashlee Simpson lip-synched on the show, Eminem was found guilty of the same offense, reports The New York Post. "He was singing 'Mosh' and you could tell he was lip-synching," said a source. "The track was just a bit ahead of his lips and he put the mike down at one point but the track kept going." Eminem's rep said he was merely trying to "duplicate the sound on his album. He had a vocal track on for double vocal effect on the first song, to make it more powerful. Lots of hip-hop artists do that. Tupac Shakur did it."