Benzino belongs to those kind of people. He doesn't mind spitting on somebody who was once called a « creme-de-la-creme MC » by his magazine « The Source » in 1998 , when Eminem was an unsigned hype. The fact that Eminem is Caucasian didn't seem to bother anybody among the Source owners at this time.

In 2002, Benzino decides to attack Eminem in order to advance his career as a rapper. Benzino is not even gifted for rap, but he put his ambitions so high that he decided to battle the best battle M.C. Benzino is so ambitious and so full of himself that he is not even afraid to look ridiculous in front of the whole world. Have you ever watched his video « Rock The Party » ? I have, and it was one of the most annoying moments in my entire life. Is that what he wants to oppose to Eminem ? A boring video and annoying songs with whack lyrics ? For a second, while listening to Ray Benzino, I even granted Ja Rule some talent…because Benzino is really talentless !

Benzino, né Ray Scott, constantly targetted Eminem for his skin color, calling his friends and D12 members « House Niggas », calling his rap « The Rap Hitler ». Benzino went so far talking about killing Marshall and raping and murdering Hailie (who got her revenge in the « Doe Ray Me » song , though.) Ray Scott's arguments against Eminem are, most of the time , personal. He dares calling Eminem's rap « The Rap Hitler », him being « The Rap Malcolm ». If we analyze Benzino's statements deeper, they are very close to facism. Attacking somebody for his skin color can be viewed as racism, no matter what color you are. Being Black doesn't allow you to make racist statements, simply because there is no truth in racism. Benzino's reference to Malcolm X is well choosen, though. Even if Malcolm X fought against the injustice black people were facing in the USA, he is also known for his racial judgements against white people. I could understand his hatred of Eminem if he didn't attack his daughter. His personal attack against the talented M.C is a strategical mistake that makes him look childish in front of the public. But Benzino can try to raise his voice as loud as he wants, he's been killed lyrically in the song « Nail In the Coffin ». The best line is certainly the last one :

« Oh, and for those that don't know, don't get it twisted yo, The Source has a white owner''

What ? The Source has a white owner ? Yeah, and his name is Dave Mays. A sentence that should have shut Benzino down.

What appears to be the most pathetic in this story is « The Source »'s position. « The Source » stated that “the views of Benzino the artist do not necessarily reflect the views of Source Magazine.” Depite their statement, the Source totally supported Benzino in his beliefs and points of view. They totally agreed on the fact "Eminem was bad for hip hop culture. " By acting in such an unprofessionnal way, the magazine lost its credibility.

Now they are trying to stunt publicity on a ten years old tape where Eminem was freestyling racist remarks about black women out of rage, because he just had broken up with his black girlfriend. We all know that Eminem expresses his feelings of the moment so often , like he did it in « The Way I Am » when he felt exceeded. We should also take into account that black rappers have also said demeaning sentences against black women or women in general. I could give a great amount of examples, but I'm going to quote Ice cube in « a Bitch is a Bitch » from NWA's album « Straight Outta Compton » :

« Yo, you can tell a girl that's out for the money (How?) She look good and the bitch walk funny She ain't no dummy, she's rather kunivin' Yo bitch, fuck when I'm drivin' (yup) See a young nigga that's strivin' You're thru' without a BMW That's why a bitch is a bitch I guess, or even P.M.S. Here, test the girl that's kinda snobby (alright) And I bet you, Dissin' niggaz is her hobby And after she finished the test Grade her ?? a B I-T-C-H And watch her get mad Cause she know it's true (she know it) But a nigga like me, I say: "Fuck you" Do like Ice Cube, slam her ass in a diss (word) Cause a bitch is a bitch »

Who will believe that a man who hung out with Blacks his whole life, who lived on the black side of Detroit and whose label Shady Records is composed by a black majority, is a racist ? It is laughable. Dr Dre, Eminem's producer, is a black man, also. Russell Simmons who organized the hip hop Summit in detroit on June the 4th 2003 (Eminem took part to this event), took Eminem's defence :

"These lyrics are disgusting, but the oneness of hip-hop culture has transformed many young people in trailer parks around the country away from their parents' old mindset of white supremacy. We believe Eminem's apology is sincere and forthright. He continues not only to be an icon of hip-hop, but also has evolved into a good soldier who gives back money, time and energy to the community, encouraging this generation of youth to reach their highest aspirations. "We, therefore, must be careful as to how the race card is played to divide people rather than to encourage unity in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality for all."

Rather than the « culture stealer » Benzino wants Eminem to be, Eminem has been an enrichment for the hip hop community. He has united the poor black and white underclasses. The talented (white) M.C has opened hip hop to a larger audience, which is a good thing. Benzino has proven to be an old fashioned closed minded person with racist beliefs. Mr Scott and his so called « bible of hip hop » have lost their credibility in the world of hip hop.

Step by step, Benzino is digging his own grave…

To quote Benjamin Chavis, Russell Simmons partner : « Hip-hop culture transcends race. »

A pretty clear example of unprofessionalism and bad journalism

Ain't this obvious ? The Source is manipulating people's minds against Eminem. Kim Osorio seems to belong to one of the worst category of journalists : the kind of journalists who are ready to misrepresent the truth for the only purpose to serve her magazine's interests. Frankly, I despise those kind of persons. They are not doing their job correctly and it's a shame. In her place, I'd rather lose my job at The Source magazine than losing my integrity.

The question is not to know if you like Eminem or not, but it is rather about telling the truth and not trying to trash the talented rapper by any means just to get some publicity. MC Chaos Kid had demented some allegations Kim Osorio made in her article about Eminem's former tape. Chaos Kid who was a friend of Eminem and a member of Bassmint Productions recently wrote a letter to Mrs Osorio in order to put things clear. He was the co- writer of the lyrics the group wrote from 1988 to 1993. In fact, it is so easy to make look anybody like a bad person if you take his or her statements out of context, that's the easiest way to cheat with reality and to bring some confusion in people's minds. And that is exactly what Kim Osorio does. People need to realize that Eminem's tape goes back to a period of high racial tensions between black and white communities in Detroit.

Eminem's former friend clarifies the background of the tape, which makes it appear in a different light. Those freestyles, called « suckering rhymes », were supposed to be as stupid as possible, as their name explains it. White MC's used to be rejected and booed on stage. These sarcastic freestyles are used as a revenge, but not meant to be taken literally. They appear to be a protest against white racism from the black community. People also should keep in mind that Marshall was the person to experience racism from the black community and that he never retaliated. He recalls the time he was dating Kim and how it was dangerous to go to Kim's part of the town, because of the racial segregation :

« Detroit is really segregated and to get to Kim's part of town, I would have to walk through all-black neighborhoods. I would always get my ass beat; I even got shot at once. But Kim would usually meet me halfway. Or sometimes we would walk down the railroad tracks- nobody would fuck with us there… »

Matter of fact : Marshall never spoke against Blacks nor allowed himself to use demeaning words towards Blacks in real life.

"It's just not a term I choose to fuck with, because I do Black music. I always show that respect." (Eminem about the N word)

Chaos Kid knows as well as many Eminem lovers, that Eminem acts on stage, that he often plays a character and that his ill character doesn't correspond to Marshall Mathers in reality. When Chaos Kid says that Marshall always expressed against racism, I totally believe him. Eminem strongly believes that hip hop is the key to stop racism. Bassmint productions may have been composed of white MC's only, but Marshall's closest friend, (who is black) Deshaun Holton aka Proof used to hang out with him since he was 13 and they both used to live in the same street in Detroit. It is a proven fact that Eminem used to live in the black hood of Detroit, a fact that is confirmed by Chaos Kid. And if Eminem was such a racist, would he have joined his friend Proof's group D12 with Kon Artis ? A real racist wouldn't have belonged to any group created by Blacks, nor would he have attended to the hip hop shop to battle black people with his freestyles. The Source's arguments are invalid and they perfectly know it, that's why they have no other choice than misrepresenting the truth in so many ways. Chaos Kid also confirms that Bassmint Productions were created by Manix alias Mike Ruby (another former friend who used to rap with Eminem).

Eminem fired back at The Source in the Green Latern mixtape, Invasion part III and made Dave Mays and Benzino look ridiculous in this newest freestyle :

« 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' »

Dave Mays, who is well known for his hypocrisy, stated about Eminem :

« He's certainly a legitimate artist. He's skillful and talented. We're not trying to censor him. We're just doing investigative journalism. »

What ? They are doing investigative journalism ? With wrong elements and lies that don't match into the puzzle ? A good and professional journalist is supposed to investigate the truth and not to spread any info just to start some controversy. I even doubt that the release of Eminem's former tape is legitimate. It wasn't aimed at a public audience. The « suckering rhymes » were supposed to be sarcastic freestyles shared by friends chilling together.

So now that things have been put clear by Chaos Kid will The Source correct the mistakes and lies that have been told to people about Marshall Mathers or will they keep on digging their own grave ? Step by step, they have shown their unprofessionalism in order to serve Benzino's interests. In fact, The Source owes Eminem an apology for defaming him and misinterpreting facts about him. It is high time they slowed down and realized they are wrong.

I'm addressing not only to Eminem fans, but also to true hip hop lovers in general not to accept to be manipulated by The Source and to systematically boycott the magazine. To all the people who feel like me, you are welcome to join the anti Benzino board I own with a fellow fan from Michigan to protest against The Source :

http://mrplanet.proboards7.com/index.cgi Your comments, disses and ideas against the magazine and its owners will be very welcome.

Kim Osorio's article

There's something in the way of things. At the end of The Roots' Phrenology, poet Amiri Baraka warned of an influential force that no one would name. Hip-Hop is being driven by something but isn't driven by anything. No, it's not just Eminem. That would be giving him too much credit. But he is a symptom of it. A symptom of our reluctance to take control of what we created instead of being idle participants. That "something" in the way is a jarring emptiness and lack of focus. Turbulence. But in the pages that follow, The Source takes the controls and allows our artists, politicians and readers to finally confront the forces of racism, sexism and denial that are slowly killing our culture.

The Source uncovers the startling truth about Marshall Mathers and the racist comments that have Hip-Hop patiently waiting for answers Words by Kim Osorio

Let's do the math. If Eminem were Black, he would have sold half-or a lot less than half. His story, that of a skilled lyricist born and raised in Detroit, fully immersed in Hip-Hop culture and struggling through lyrical battles until he finally triumphs at the top, has been hyped up as if it were something really special. But in truth, it's really just the same story as many Black rappers'. If you think about it, it could have easily been his boy Proof, a member of D12 known in his community to be an equally skilled MC. But it wasn't. Today, Marshall Mathers III, a White MC born in St. Joseph, Missouri, is rap's biggest success story. Without a doubt, he is a very skilled rapper-maybe one of the best. After all, his independent work garnered critical acclaim and earned Em a spot in the coveted Unsigned Hype column in this magazine before he was ever signed. In his seven-year career, Eminem has released three major-label albums, sold over 20-million records worldwide, started his own Hip-Hop label, and has been called a genius by Rolling Stone. But his race has earned him privileges. He marched into the MTV Video Music Awards with over 100 clones of himself, something no Black rapper would have been allowed to do. Arguably, there is a desire on the part of top executives at major media outlets and corporations like MTV, which has had, at best, a shaky history of dealing with Black music, to see a White person in Hip-Hop slide into the top spot. But because Hip-Hop represents the oppressed communities and speaks for the victims of the embedded racist structure that is still prevalent in this country, there is a risk when these tendencies go unchecked. It is, in fact, the duty of these corporations who are involved in Hip-Hop to be sensitive to these issues. And now, the harsh reality is that the people that have laid down the foundation, along with the younger generation for whom it was created, are being forced out of the one thing they have that truly gives them a voice. Until recently, Eminem has seemed very careful about his place as a White rapper in a predominantly African American and Latino Hip-Hop culture. And in a November 2002 Vibe article, he had this to say about using the word "nigger": "It's not my place to say it. There's some things that I just don't do." But on an old recording (produced by White beatmakers he no longer works with), which was given to The Source in October of last year, Eminem opposes dating Black women "'cause I don't like that nigger shit." On another song he calls Black people "moon crickets," "spear chuckers" and "porch monkeys." To put it in perspective, remember this is a White rapper with the ability to influence millions of minds who is saying these things to other White people behind closed doors. To date, few Hip-Hop players have called Marshall Mathers out on these racist comments, probably because he holds so much power in the game, but there is a growing chorus of dissent among Black leaders outside of the music industry. And many of the people near his beloved 8 Mile, people with whom he collaborated during his rise to superstardom, aren't afraid to speak on it. Understanding Marshall Mathers's past-his life before the Black community accepted him- explains how a rapper of his caliber could have something like the racist recording hidden in his closet. See, during his high school days, he was going back and forth across 8 Mile.

THE D 8 Mile is a major roadway in Detroit that divides the suburbs from the city. If you go toward 7 Mile, you find the 'hood, complete with Coney Island restaurants and oversized liquor stores. That side is predominantly Black. The city of Detroit, as a whole, is actually 83 percent Black, with the third highest number of Blacks of any city in the United States. On the other side of 8 Mile, going north toward 9 Mile, is considered the suburbs. That area is mostly made up of White people. Historically, Detroit has been a breeding ground for talent, specifically Black talent. The birthplace of Motown Records, Detroit has seen the rise of Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5, among many others. But where Hip-Hop is concerned, there's a long line of artists whose names have somehow been written out of history. Few have actually achieved mainstream or national recognition, aside from Eminem and Kid Rock. The first rap artist from Detroit to sign a major recording deal was late-'80s pioneer Awesome Dre. Then came Esham, who sold hundreds of thousands of records independently. Both were hardcore rappers and are cited as pioneers of Detroit Hip-Hop. Eventually, gangsta groups, such as Detroit's Most Wanted and Rap Mafia, became local legends like their predecessors. Their stories are the ones that are rarely told. But when Hip-Hop began to reflect its more conscious artists in the early '90s, Detroit lyricists such as Proof started emerging. Soon thereafter, clothing entrepreneur Maurice Malone founded the Hip-Hop Shop, a clothing store where local artists showcased their lyrical skills. Eminem was a part of that circuit. The VH1 specials, articles, MTV shows and especially the film 8 Mile would have you believe that Eminem grew up in one of Detroit's Black neighborhoods. But, actually, Marshall Mathers went to Lincoln High School, a predominantly White school in the Detroit suburb of Warren, Michigan, dubbed War-n-tucky for its reputation as a hotbed of racism. He moved to Warren in his early teens. From 1988 when Em was 16 until around 1993 when he was 21, Eminem formed a rap collective known as Bassmint Productions. The all-White crew consisted of Eminem (M&M) himself, another MC, Chaos Kid, and a pair of brothers, DJ Buttafingaz and Manix, who did production. Together, they performed at local shows and recorded hundreds of tapes. In 1991, Manix's friend Shortcut, a White Hip-Hop dancer who frequented the clubs back then, met Champtown while dancing for Rob Base in Canada, and Shortcut introduced him to Bassmint Productions. Champtown is an African American rapper and entrepreneur who started rhyming when he was 9. He was raised in the streets of Detroit and was a reputable Hip-Hop head in the community. He had been down with Esham in his earlier years and later started his own label, Straight Jacket Records. He introduced Eminem to his side of 8 Mile. This man, however, has been left out of Eminem's story, and there is much more to it than people know. Bassmint Productions' two MCs had different styles. "Eminem was a battle rapper, very heroic, very egotistical, while Chaos Kid was very conscious, a Poor Righteous Teachers, Public Enemy, KRS-One type of guy," says Champtown. "[T]hey definitely clashed on the creativity side. They both had skills as far as delivery goes, but their subject matter was different. If they are on a record and one is rapping about himself and what he will do to MCs and then Chaos Kid would rap about how the sun is going to fall and burn us all, it would just be too much of a difference, [so] eventually they decided to go their own separate ways." Chaos Kid, who is currently promoting a community-focused organization Idle Kids, no longer speaks to Champ-town, but agrees he and Eminem were too different to remain in a group together. "For a while, I did influence him … but I was about Public Enemy and he was Naughty By Nature," Chaos Kid explains.

And here is Chaos Kid's letter to Kim Osorio . She denied that she ever received this letter that has become public:

" I don't know where to begin... to sum it up, this article is partly good, but the longer I think about it, it's mostly bad. You were concerned as to whether or not I feel you're article to be unbiased. Well, thank you for not portraying ME in a bad light but as far as maintaining an unbiased stance, you certainly failed. As a matter of fact, 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. I am presenting a solution to this problem. This is Chaos Kid's letter to the Source editor:

I will write a 'letter to the editor' which you will agree to print in the next issue of The Source which will present the most vital facts surrounding the issue of these tapes. I will do this as to give you an opportunity to present the WHOLE truth of the story BEFORE I go to other, larger publications and media sources, some of which, are bound to print the WHOLE truth. If you agree to print my 'letter to the editor' and I am satisfied with the way you print it (in other words, unedited) then I agree NOT to go to other publications with the truth. Let's review these facts I'm talking about and I'm sure you will agree that the most vital part of what I said was left out and how this could possibly damage the Source's credibility as being an unbiased, fair and accurate source of information:

1: Most importantly: YOU DID NOT GIVE THE BACKGROUND OF THE TAPE. Here are the facts which I specifically remember telling you REPEATEDLY in the interview as being the MOST IMPORTANT FACTS and REASON WHY I did the interview in the first place: 1) these songs were NOT WRITTEN - They were FREESTYLES. 2) This freestyle is one of the HUNDREDS OF FREESTYLES we did over the years. 3) The NAME of these freestyle sessions we called: SUCKERIN' RHYMES. 4) The WHOLE PURPOSE of Suckerin' Rhymes was to be as goofy/stupid/ignorant/wack as possible - to be a 'sucker M.C.' - hence the title: SUCKERIN' RHYMES. 5) The REASON WHY we did these freestyle sessions was so we could 1: TO HAVE A FUN TIME 2: TO LISTEN TO THE RECORDINGS AFTER WE WERE FINISHED AND LAUGH AT OURSELVES 3: TO WARM UP AND GET READY TO HAVE A REAL RECORDING SESSION WITH SONGS WE ACTUALLY HAD WRITTEN AND INTENDED TO RELEASE TO THE PUBLIC.

As you can see, if you were to present the tapes in THIS LIGHT, THE WAY I INTENDED IT TO BE, people would have a much more accurate and broader perspective by which to judge for themselves the motives and sentiments of Marshall Mathers when he recorded these songs. Here are some other CRUCIAL FACTS you left out:

2) Based on the above information, it is my BEST OPINION THAT 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.

3) Although you did mention that it was a 'joke', without the above information, this does nothing to put things in their proper perspective. Everone knows that someone can tell a racist joke and most likely the reason they're telling it in the first place is because they are racist!! BUT - when you take ALL of the information into consideration - the fact that these were: SUCKERIN' RHYMES AND THE PURPOSE WAS TO REPRESENT WACKNESS and my personal testimony that WE WERE THE VICTIMS OF BEING CALLED RACIST NAMES - '******', ETC.. FOR BEING INVOLVED IN HIP-HOP MUSIC BY IGNORANT-ASS WHITE PEOPLE AROUND US AND THAT THESE RECORDINGS IN MY OPINION WERE REPRESENTING THAT IGNORANT MENTALITY FROM A FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW BUT WAS SARCASTIC - NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY AS THE OPINIONS OF MARSHALL MATHERS, it puts things in a much different perspective. Example: an actor can play a racist character in a movie about, say, the horrors of the Klan, but in real life that does not make him a racist. In fact, the reason WHY he probably did the movie in the first place is because he hated racism and wanted to expose the inhumanity and devastating effects of racist behavior!!

4) As we know however, these songs were freestyles, not written and did not have that kind of serious intention behind them as they were never meant to be heard in the first place. So, based on the above information, it is my BEST CONCLUSION THAT THESE SONGS WERE DONE OUT OF ANGER FROM EXPERIENCING WHITE RACISM AND UNDERSTANDING HOW IRRATIONAL, IGNORANT AND WACK IT IS AND SPEWING SOME OF THE VENOM BACK HE'S HEARD OVER THE YEARS - SOME OF IT DIRECTED AT HIM - ONTO THE MICROPHONE.

Another point I made in my interview which you neglected to report is:

5) In my personal experience with Marshall, during the time these recordings were made, HE NEVER USED THE WORD '******' OR ANY OTHER DEROGATORY NAMES OR MADE ANY DEROGATORY REMARKS ABOUT AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN CASUAL CONVERSATION WITH ME. In fact, we personally had conversations talking about how we hated racism and racists and both had REAL songs denouncing racism!!

Now, regarding some of the other 'facts' you got wrong:

6) Marshall did not move to Warren in his early teens. He lived in the city of Detroit. The Northeast side between 7 and 8 mile which is still predominantly black. He never lived in Warren. He would, however, frequently get kicked out by his crazy mom and would sometimes spend a few nights at a time in Warren between 8 and 9 mile at Manix and Buttafingaz' house. His girlfriend also lived in that area, so I assume he would spend some nights over there as well. However, most of the time his girlfriend would spend the night at HIS house in Detroit where he had his own room. He first went to a Detroit High School where he had some problems so for awhile he went to Lincoln High School between 8 and 9 mile in Warren. He did this by giving the school a false address within the school district. This is where he met Manix and D.J. Buttafingaz who were also attending Lincoln at the time. After awhile Lincoln High School found out that he wasn't a Warren resident however and he had to go back to Detroit schools where he attended once again for a period of time before being kicked out or dropping out (I don't remember which). All the music was recorded in Warren during this time over at Manix and Butta's house but Marshall DID live in Detroit.

7) MARSHALL DID NOT FORM BASSMINT PRODUCTIONS. IT WAS MANIX WHO CAME UP WITH THE NAME AND HE IS THE MAIN FOUNDER.

Going back to the tapes, I think it is important also to mention that THE FIRST VERSE OF 'FOOLISH PRIDE' IS ABOUT RACIAL UNITY!! Neglecting to report this fact is very shameful and again, shows a biased ulterior motive in presenting the story. You are not presenting the whole truth.

9) OK, as I'm looking at the article here, you did mention that they were freestyles, but without giving the history of the SUCKERIN' RHYME, this does nothing to put things in their proper perspective.

10) Some of the 'quotes' you used of mine seem pieced together. If it's not a direct quote from beginning to end, you should make your readers aware of that.

Overall, as I have said, a much better job could have been done. I don't know what kind of internal politics is going on at The Source which is forcing you to present things in this manner. However, as I have said, I will give you the opportunity to correct things. I would like to write a 'letter to the editor' which you will agree to print in the next issue of The Source clearing things up. If you do not agree to print it, I will be forced out of concern for THE TRUTH to go to other mainstream publications. I will also be forced to site as one of my reasons for going to them the irresponsible fashion in which The Source has 'reported' the issue. This is not a threat. This is the inevitable, natural consequence of irresponsible journalism. If you wish to correct the situation, please let me know within the week so I can make a responsible decision regarding my next course of action. "

peAce, anarchy, equality, justice - snAfu aka

Final battle: Eminem vs The Source

And the winner is: Eminem. The last chapter in Benzino and Dave Mays' worthless  hate crusade against Eminem has eventually been written. With a good news for all the people who like Marshall Mathers: the Source has been outrapped by the talented rapper. The Source Magazine  has been ordered to pay $131,388 to cover legal fees incurred in connection with a copyright lawsuit filed last December by Eminem. It seems like those fees are not the Source's only legal problems:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0413041tzell1.html

It had been ruled, two months earlier, that  the Source had violated a Court order that forbid the magazine a complete publication of Eminem's « racist rhymes » . We know from Eminem that those rhymes were written just after a he had broken up with his black girlfriend and from Chaos Kid that they were « suckering rhymes » only aimed at the studio and not for publication in any case.

The Source's owners lost their worthless war against Eminem. By trying to ruin his career, the truth has eventually been exposed and people who have investigated this affair as well as Marshall's life story perfectly know that the talented rapper has never been a racist. Now it's time to cheer up, because justice has triumphed!

Eminem speaks out about his love and fight for acceptance in a culture he was brough in

For some obvious commercial reasons and in order to come out of the shadow through huge publicity stunts, the Source's co-owner and his accomplice, the journalist Kim Osorio, nearly made Marshall look like a member of the KKK. Which is very far from the truth.

Unfortunately some people blindly believed Benzino and Mrs Osorio's statements and still believe them.

Persons who consider Eminem as a racist often do it out of ignorance. Benzino didn't manage to destroy Eminem's career, but he spoiled his reputation out of envy, which is despicable. Because of his unconventional views on many subjects, Eminem has always been a controversial artist. But he didn't deserve to be called a « racist » by anybody. To anybody who is pulling the race card against him, I will tell: « first have a deep look at the facts and then we will talk about it once again. » Uninformed people may think that « Eminem built his wealth on black people's back ». Wrong. Eminem's fight for acceptance in the environment he grew up in was far from easy. Let me first remind you of the harsh context of racial tensions in Detroit in the early 90's, tensions that spoiled relations between the black and white community. Imagine young Marshall growing up across 8 Mile on the black side of the neighborhood. His mom couldn't afford the rent on the white side. Imagine a white kid growing up in a black environment that was first hostile towards him. Being bullied at school and jumped belonged to his every day life. Before he had to fight for his acceptance within hip hop culture, Marshall had to fight to stay alive and to find his place in a black environment. His second fight was to be respected as a white rapper in a major black audience, which is -believe me- far from easy. Marshall had some white friends like Mike Ruby who shared the same passion for hip hop. Marshall and his friends used to come to Mike's basement to make their music. Mike Ruby is the founder of Bassmint productions. To fully situate the context of Marshall's controversial tapes, let's add that Bassmint was a group made of pissed off and frustrated amateur white rappers who happened to express the frustration and rejection they experienced from the black community in their « suckering rhymes ». Those amateurish and controversial rhymes Benzino offensively used as a bad weapon against Eminem have never been written down and have never been intended to be published.

It is more than obvious that Marshall's association with other white rappers (whom Marshall mostly met across 9 Mile when he was kicked out of his mom's home) was a huge mistake.

To prove his skills and his ability to rap, Marshall had to battle black emcees. Like his long term friend Proof. Even his friend Proof was like ‘white emcees don't know how to rhyme', an event that Eminem recalls in his recent « Yellow Brick Road » song:

« He looked at me like I'm out my mind shook his head like white boys dont know how to rhyme I spit out a line and rhymed birthday with first place And we both had the same rhymes that sound alike We was on the same shit that Big Daddy Kane shit with compound syllables sound combined From that day we was down to ride somehow we knew we'd meet again somewhere down the line… »

Thinking you know everything about Marshall's fight for acceptance in hip hop culture? You really have no idea…

Marshall's fight for acceptance inside of the black community was real and sometimes painful. Although the Beastie Boys had opened some doors to the white rappers, many « black power » militants made white aspiring rappers feel like they could never be part of the game.

Marshall recalls a group (that he admired for their rapping skills) called « X Clan » that refered to white rappers as « polar bears » who had no idea about rhyming. Many other militant rappers made white rappers feel there was no place for them in this musical genre created by Blacks.

Marshall loved the music, the culture and he clearly wanted to be part of it.

Very few people knew about it, but Marshall used to be laughed at for wearing some black symbols. He and some of his other friends wore an African medallion and went to the mall:

« Me and a couple of other white friends. And we would go to the mall. »

Marshall dressed like a black man, I'd say like a rapper.

It seems like he had to justify the way he dressed to some black friends who had no comprehension for his clothing style:

« I'd be trying to explain to my black friends who didn't really feel like I should be wearing it, like ‘Look, I love this culture, I'm down with this.' But you're a kid, you're not really sure of anything, you haven't really experienced life yet, so you don't really know how to explain yourself to the fullest. You're trying to find your own identity and you're stuck in that whole thing of, who am I as a person? Walking through the suburbs and getting called the N-word, and walking through Detroit I'm getting jumped for being white.. And going through that identity crisis of « Am I not really meant to touch the mike? Is that really not meant for me? » (Eminem)

Don't underestimate Marshall's fight for recognition. As a young man, he often felt like being part of nowhere, being rejected in the white suburbs as a white man with black looks and facing physical violence downtown from Blacks for being white. Besides his fight for acceptance within the black community, Marshall's dream to become a rapper began with a hard fight, constantly proving his level of skills.

Many people misinterpret Marshall's way to the success and his place as a white rapper in the black community. Eminem came from nothing. He owes his success to his own determination and struggles. Of course, he had the chance to be signed by the notorious and dope Dr Dre. But before Dr Dre crossed his road, the story begins with the hip hop battles at the Shelter. Don't forget that Eminem fought to become full part of a culture and music that is his second love-just after Hailie Jade.