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April 29, 2003 - Eminem hosted Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit Action Network on Saturday (April 26) at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Also on hand were Rev. Run of Run-DMC and Nas. Check out pictures from GettyImages and WireImage.

April 28, 2003 - HipHopDX.com spoke with Interscope National Field Director Kevin Black who said Eminem was his hardest career challenge. "Because at first, when people heard him they knew he was dope but it was kinda like a reverse sell because there are stereotypes," he explained. "He was one of the first white guys that came out rappin’ that was that cold-blooded. And when I say the first white guy, I know there’s been Vanilla Ice, I know it’s been a couple more guys, but to sell a white guy in a predominately black industry, it was kinda hard at first." Read more, including audio clips, here.

April 26, 2003 - Us Weekly reports that since rekindling their relationship late last year, Eminem and ex-wife Kim have been inseparable, according to sources close to the pair. Still, Slim's mother Debbie Mathers says, "They still yell and scream at each other." Eminem tell-all author J.R. Watkins added, "I understand that the new Jaguar [Kim] is driving is supposed to be an engagement present."

April 22, 2003 - The New York Post reports Eminem has his soft side, for soft skin anyways. Liz Smith says, "The rapper-actor's favorite relaxation is a weekly facial at some posh spot in New York or Los Angeles, or wherever he may be. Marshall Mathers suffered from acne as a teen and thinks facials help fade the faint scars."

April 20, 2003 - Launch.com reports Eminem, Run-DMC's Reverend Run, and Doug E. Fresh are set to appear at the Hip-Hop Summit to be held April 26 at Detroit's Cobo Arena. Method Man, Redman, Cam'ron & The Diplomats, Keith Murray and Capone-N-Noreaga will also speak at the gathering. Read more.

April 18, 2003 - Craig David refuted reports that he was planning to launch a film career. He told the Glasgow Evening Times, "Making three-minute promo videos lets me act and it's great fun, but that will do me for now. I've seen those stars assume they can go straight into acting and I can't help thinking they would have been better sticking to the day job. The only recent exception I can think of is Eminem, who was brilliant in 'Eight Mile'." Read more.

April 17, 2003 - Eminem chatted with Blender about his dream gig in the 'Superman' video, that seems him not only romp with a naked Gina Lynn, but also features Slim entangled with nearly 100 models wearing lingerie. "There have been some perks," he admits. "And lying in the middle of them was sensational. It must be every man's dream, and I loved every minute I was there."

April 17, 2003 - Jim Farber of the New York Daily News profiled a new invasion of white rappers that is coming upon us, including work from Stagga Lee, Poverty, K-Mo, DF Dub and the first white female rapper, Sarai. Poverty admits Eminem's success has made it harder for caucasian rhymers. "If you're white and you rap, people see you as just another Emimen, no matter what you do," he says. The Source's music editor Jerry Barrow agrees: "Eminem has set the record so high in terms of sales and skills, it's unfortunate for any of these other guys." Read more.

April 15, 2003 - In the National Enquirer's April 1 edition, a story was published in a section called ‘The Hookup’ stating Eminem's mother Debbie Mathers was worried about her son's drinking. WENN reports this angered Slim so much, when Debbie went to his mansion to drop off a mobile phone, she claims he screamed at her, "This is why I never talk to you! Take your fu**ing pager and get off my porch! If you ever come back on this property again, I'll have you arrested!" Debbie adds, "Then he threw the pager in my face. This breaks my heart. He won't talk to me. I don't even have his phone number. I did not call the Hookup asking for an article to be printed. I have never been paid for any interview about him. He has given me such a bad rap and I just want people to know I'm not a bad person. He says I'm a total bitch that he had a hard life that he had to live in closets and the house was always a mess. This is not true. He has all these record people around him telling him, 'Do songs about hating your mother' because it sells CDs. It's a money machine. This has got to stop. If he's drinking, maybe this will be a wake-up call to him. I just pray that someday he will get over it, whatever it is. I'm a mother - I love my son." Debbie's interview with Celebrity Justice was likely the source of the Enquirer article.

April 15, 2003 - 50 Cent stopped by MTV's Total Request Live on Monday to hype his new DVD and premiere his new video for '21 Questions'. 50 denied he was dating Destiny's Child star Beyonce Knowles and shared his thoughts on the Ja Rule beef, and the latest diss track he and Eminem made for the Murder Inc. crew. Read on for a transcript.

April 13, 2003 - A London-based music publisher has filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against Dr. Dre and Eminem for allegedly sampling a song sans permission. Minder Music Ltd. claims a 1980 tune called 'Backstrokin' is the backbone for Dre's 1999 hit 'Let's Get High,' according to a report in Billboard. The company is seeking more than $3.5 million in damages against the hip-hopsters, accusing them of unfairly profiting from its song by ripping it for Dre's biggest single off his 1999 multiplatinum release, '2001'. Read more.

April 13, 2003 - Tim Kashner laughed when Chris Parker of Orlando Weekly suggested that he's effectively used his personal life for lyrical grist, having peppered his albums with enough self-referential deconstructions of his small-scale stardom to make him an indie-rock Slim Shady. "I think it's great what [Eminem] writes about. I can't believe someone is being that self-analytical in Top 40 pop music. Most people don't even recognize it. There's so much more going on with him," Kashner suggests. "[U2 singer] Bono tried to do it, and he just failed miserably. Nobody really understood it, because it seemed too much like he was trying to be, 'Oh look at my silly character, aren't I silly? I'm a silly rock star.' But he seemed way too engrossed in himself." Read more.

April 12, 2003 - World Wide Connected has the Hot97 (ie. edited) version of 'Hail Mary', the Eminem and 50 Cent diss track aimed at Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, and Murder Inc. Download and listen to it here.

April 12, 2003 - Celebrity Justice spoke with Eric Harter's grandmother Marie about Eric's tough custody battle with Kim Mathers, who is back with Eminem, who is raising Whitney with their daughter Hailie. Marie explained, "So everyday I would call. ‘Kim I really want to see Whitney. Why can't we see the baby? What's going on? Why can't we see the baby?’ She started saying, 'Just take me to court if you want to see her. Take me to court.'" Trouble is, Eric can't go to court because he has felony warrants and is on the run from the law. Read more.

April 12, 2003 - Star magazine quotes Mariah Carey dismissing her relationship with Eminem. "I spoke to him on the phone on a regular basis, but it was not a relationship," Carey insisted. "I find it pretty surprising that he would misrepresent something like that." Mariah added, "I have never had a one-night stand in my life or had a fling with someone that I didn't really know."

April 9, 2003 - FoxNews.com reports that when Eminem won the Juno award on Sunday for Best International Album, the rapper sent in a tape in case he won saying, "I'm sorry I can't be here. I'm in the studio, picking my [expletive, expletive]." The innocent Canadians who were broadcasting the show didn't bother to preview the tape, so it ran live on air.

April 8, 2003 - AllHipHop.com reports Eminem and sanitation engineer DeAngelo Bailey, 32, of Warren could not come to a settlement after mediation and proposals to settle his case for defamation over the 1999's track 'Brain Damage' from the 'Slim Shady LP' case were rejected. Em is now scheduled to appear in a Macomb County, Michigan court next month to defend himself against the allegation, where Bailey is seeking $1 million in damages. Read more.

April 8, 2003 - Radio 93.1 has posted an Indiana Jones/RadioNow exclusive remix of Eminem's 'Without Me' and the already mixed Elvis vs. JXL hit 'A Little Less Conversation'. Check it out here.

April 8, 2003 - Jam'n 94.5 goofed on several Eminem fans for an April Fools prank that had at least a couple fans believing 'Beninem' -- an Eminem look-alike, was really him, even after meeting him up-close. Check out photos from the prank here.

April 7, 2003 - Playlouder.com reports Jay-Z has spoken out over the Eminem/Ja Rule beef, suggesting Ja might have bitten off more than he can chew. "Ja's being real stupid on this one," he said. "He was OK, he had his spot, you know? This will bury him. No one's ever beat Em in no battle, and he's gonna kick that ass hard." Read more.

April 7, 2003 - Newsday writer Genetta M. Adams opined, "Who'd a thought we'd ever live in a time when the Dixie Chicks are more reviled than Eminem? . . . Eminem - who a few years ago could have easily beat Saddam Hussein for the title of most dangerous threat to America, is as beloved as those candies with which he shares a name. With all this love raining down on the rapper, how can Em possibly maintain his street cred?"

April 5, 2003 - The Sun reports Eminem is set to team up with Oliver Cheatham, who at 55 is the oldest man to ever top the UK charts. "Eminem saw me playing and said he would like to work with me," Cheatham said. "So we’re going to get together and work on some things as soon as his latest tour is finished."

April 5, 2003 - Neil Sean of Sky News reports Eminem is deciding on which luxury hotel to reside in while in London, and has come up with a shocking list of demands. Slim wants a hotel with a helipad to fly directly to his UK shows, at least 15 rooms with two to be used as a gym, and another to be a relaxation room, which would include a skin treatment area. "He likes all the skin treatments and wears moisturiser all the time," a source said. "He knows that women love his looks and he intends to keep them that way." Read more.

April 4, 2003 - Star magazine reports Eminem is a regular at Ole Hendriksen, a famed Danish facialist on the Sunset Strip where the rapper comes in for a clean, scrubbed face. When he arrives at the establishment for his beauty treatment, he walks through the front door with his entourage instead of slipping in the back like some guys do.

April 3, 2003 - MTV News reports that on 'A Warrior's Words', the new mixtape by Murder Inc.'s Black Child, Ja Rule responds to Eminem's warning of "Ja, you'll get it too" from the Benzino diss track 'Go to Sleep'. "Put your mics down, put your guns up," Rule says before rapping his freestyle verse. "What kind of world is this when a snitch gets praise?," Ja asks, talking about 50 Cent. He later calls out Marshall Mathers, saying, "I'm huntin' ya, blondie, with the sawed gauge/ You heard Joe Crack, I'll make ground beef out [of] your baby ... / Em, you know you fear me/ 'Cause I'm clearly the rap game's Jimmy Hoffa." Read more.

April 1, 2003 - Those close to Eminem say that the rapper is unfazed by the current wave of attention and constant speculation regarding his career. "He's a really good, hardworking guy," Luis Resto, who co-wrote 'Lose Yourself' with Em and Jeff Bass, tells the Detroit News. "His concerns are for his daughter and his brother. He's growing in every way, and he's going to trust his gut. I've never seen him shift to suit anybody." Read more.

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