| For Eminem, his potentially controversial and undoubtedly
offensive songs will strike a chord with a multitude of hip-hop loyalists who
believe they have little to lose and everything to gain. "I'm not alone
in feeling the way I feel," he says. "I believe that a lot of people
can relate to my sh*t--whether white, black, it doesn't matter. Everybody has
been through some sh*t, whether it's drastic or not so drastic. Everybody gets
to the point of 'I don't give a f**k.'" Those words are more than just
a slogan for the Detroit resident. "I Just Don't Give A f**k" and "Brain
Damage" are the two songs comprising Eminem's initial single from The Slim
Shady LP. Each tune is sure to paralyze meek listeners with their relentless lyrical
assault. Produced primarily by long-time collaborators FBT Productions, the Slim
Shady LP also features beatwork from Aftermath CEO Dr. Dre. The N.W.A. alum handled
beats for "My Name Is" (the second single), "Guilty Conscience"
and "Role Model." Dr. Dre was so impressed after hearing Eminem
freestyling on a Los Angeles radio station that he put out a manhunt for the Michigan
rhymer. Shortly thereafter, Dre signed Eminem to his Aftermath imprint and the
two began working together. Thoroughly impressed with Eminem's previously released
independent Slim Shady EP, Dre said they would include many of the EP's tracks
on the album. "It was an honor to hear the words out of Dre's mouth
that he liked my sh*t," Eminem says. "Growing up, I was one of the biggest
fans of N.W.A, from putting on the sunglasses and looking in the mirror and lipsinking
to wanting to be Dr. Dre, to be Ice Cube. This is the biggest hip-hop producer
ever." But like many other rappers, Eminem's rise to stardom was far
from easy. After being born in Kansas City and traveling back and forth between
KC and the Detroit metropolitan area, Eminem and his mother moved into the Eastside
of Detroit when he was 12. Switching schools every two to three months made it
difficult to make friends, graduate and to stay out of trouble. Rap, however,
became Eminem's solace. Battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what
was otherwise a painful existence. Although he would later drop out of school
and land several minimum-wage-paying, full-time jobs, his musical focus remained
constant. Eminem released his debut album, Infinite, in 1996. Desperate
to be embraced by the Motor City's hip-hop scene, Eminem rapped in such a manner
that he was accused of sounding like Nas and AZ. "Infinite was me trying
to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic
and present myself," he recalls. "It was a growing stage. I felt like
Infinite was like a demo that just got pressed up." After being thoroughly
disappointed and hurt by the response Infinite received, Eminem began working
on what would later become the Slim Shady EP -- a project he made for himself.
Featuring several scathing lines about local music industry personalities as well
as devious rants about life in general, the set quickly caught the ear of hip-hop's
difficult-to-please underground. "I had nothing to lose, but something
to gain," Eminem says of that point in his life. "If I made an album
for me and it was to my satisfaction, then I succeeded. If I didn't, then my producers
were going to give up on the whole rap thing we were doing. I made some sh*t that
I wanted to hear. The Slim Shady EP, I lashed out on everybody who talked sh*t
about me." By presenting himself as himself, Eminem and his career
took off. Soon after giving the Rap Coalition's Wendy Day a copy of the Infinite
album at a chance meeting, she helped the aspiring lyrical gymnast secure a spot
at the Coalition’s 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, where he won second
place in the freestyle competition. During the trip, Eminem and his manager, Paul
Rosenberg, gave a few people from Interscope Records his demo and he made his
major radio debut on the world famous Wake Up Show with Sway and Tech. Realizing
that this was the opportunity of his lifetime, Eminem delivered a furious medley
of lyrics that wowed his hosts and radio audience alike. "I felt like
it's my time to shine," Eminem says of that performance. "I have to
rip this. At that time, I felt that it was a life or death situation." Eminem
would soon record the underground classic "5 Star Generals." This record
helped establish him in Japan, New York and Los Angeles. It also helped him earn
a spot on the inaugural Lyricist Lounge tour, which took him to stages from Philadelphia
to Los Angeles. Set to take the hip-hop world by storm with his unique lyrical
approach and punishing production, Eminem and his The Slim Shady LP are sure to
have listeners captivated. "I do say things that I think will shock
people," he says. "But I don't do things to shock people. I'm not trying
to be the next Tupac, but I don't know how long I'm going to be on this planet.
So while I'm here, I might as well make the most of it." | 
