news archives

July 31, 2003 - The Sun reports Eminem has spoken out for the first time about his painful divorce from Kim. "Divorce is the hardest thing I’ve ever worked through. Not that I’m bitter or anything like that," he said. "I’m a better person because I went through it but it was hard at first. I’ve known this chick all my life – she’s the first true girlfriend that I ever had. You grow up with this person, then they want to leave you. At first you don’t know what to do." Don't expect the rapper to marry again. he says, "No more marriage. I don’t ever want to experience that again." Read more.

July 31, 2003 - Anonymous writes "Web Ent.'s newest hip hop sensation King Gordy is on the road right now promotiong his new album 'The Entity'. 'The Entity' combines the production talents of Eminem, the Bass Brothers, Luis Resto and Mark the 45 King to create a unique album heralding the arrival of a new talent in rap music. According to multiplatinum rap star, Eminem "This is going to be one of the bigest street records of the year, don't underestimate it." For more info, tracklist & audio, click here."

July 27, 2003 - The New York Post reports Eminem is such a huge fan of Comedy Central's crank-calling puppet show, 'Crank Yankers,' he called up and requested a guest appearance. The producers were so flattered they gave Eminem his own puppet - and Slim proceeded to make crank calls to unsuspecting folks all over the U.S. "It's hilarious," a spy told the Post.

July 27, 2003 - Smokey Robinson, 63, tells Scripps Howard News Service he wants to branch out musically, and he'll consider jazz, contemporary and gospel music, and he "wouldn't rule out" a hip-hop/rap collaboration. "Eminem has always intrigued me," Robinson says. "I've always admired the guy because he's talented and creative with his wordplay. I'm sure that the two of us would raise a few eyebrows. But it just might work because it's such a departure from what everyone would expect from either of us." Read more.

July 27, 2003 - Joshunda Sanders of the San Francisco Chronicle weighed in on the U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action by noting that race "unfortunately still matters." Sanders says, "If you disagree, look no farther than Eminem, hip-hop's poster boy for diversity. He may speak about what's on the minds of disgruntled teenagers everywhere. He may inspire young white teenagers to rap, and he may work really hard to cultivate his talent, but Eminem is underwhelming as a rapper. In fact, he hasn't made a single song that's a poetic standout. And yet, Nobel Prize poet laureate Seamus Heaney has likened Eminem to Bob Dylan and John Lennon. Rolling Stone deemed him 'The Voice of America.' You bet your baggy jeans race still matters -- the proof is in the praise." Read more.

July 25, 2003 - Eminem has received 5 nominations for this year's Video Music Awards. Check out all the nominations here.

July 25, 2003 - Conspiracy Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Eminem, claiming the rapper backed out of a deal to feature in a videogame manufactured by the company. Conspiracy alleges that Em's management company is guilty of fraud and breach of contract over the proposed game licensing deal. They feel Eminem reneged on his deal in order to negotiate a contract with a different company and are seeking $5 million in damages. Read more.

July 25, 2003 - Eminem's former bodyguard Byron Williams is again speaking out on Slim Shady, saying the rapper has hired six former CIA men to protect him from gangland assassination attempts after his bitter feud with Ja Rule. "I was with Eminem when we bought his first bullet vest," Williams said. "He wouldn’t be caught dead without it. Slim is frightened, his people are frightened. He is running against big league guys. When hardcore gangsters say they’re gonna do something, they do it. And right now, they’re saying they want to kill Eminem." Read more.

July 21, 2003 - Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press profiled Eminem's long time manager Paul Rosenberg, who went from a struggling rookie lawyer six years ago to one of the most powerful players in the entertainment business. "I had a lot to prove," Rosenberg admitts. "There were sharks swimming in the water all over the place trying to take over, because people had started to realize he was going to be something special.." Read more.

July 21, 2003 - Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press reviewed Eminem's Ford Field gig on Saturday and Sunday before a combined sold-out crowd of 95,000. After Missy Elliott and 50 Cent opened, McCollum said, "I've seen Eminem onstage many times since the mid-'90s, going back to his humble Detroit club days, and this easily topped them all. The delivery was tight, the performance confident, the production first-class." And on Sunday, he says Slim was even better. Read more.

July 17, 2003 - jayo writes "BallerStatus.net reports When the slimmest shady in the rap industry, Eminem, chooses to joins the Boo Yaa TRIBE on their new album West Kosta Nostra, its no wonder eyebrows are being raised in anticipation of their collaborative song titled '911' due to be released October 7th. For more info, click here."

July 14, 2003 - MTV News reports Eminem is one of the most selective rappers in the business when it comes to collaborations, so his appearance on the long forgotten Boo Yaa Tribe's new record is certainly a statement. "It's all about mutual respect," explained the Godfather, one of six Samoan brothers who make up the group. "He sees the struggle we go through and he wants to give back. A lot of people want to pay him big money to do this, but he feels us. His whole concept is that he only wants to fu** with real people." Read more.

July 14, 2003 - 50 Cent tells Nekesa Mumbi Moody of the Associated Press that when his album debuted to record-breaking sales earlier this year, the rapper joked that mentor Eminem - rap's reigning sales king - was getting a little worried about his own status. "He told me, Be easy money, you're up on my heels,' " said a laughing 50 Cent. "I've got his mojo right now." Read more.

July 14, 2003 - Obie Trice was interviewed on 1Xtra with Rodney P & Skitz on Monday. Obie talked about how he hooked up with Eminem on Shady Records, the hard work he put in on his debut album, workin' with Dr. Dre, and they then played the Ja Rule diss track Obie joined Slim and Dre on before continuing the interview. Listen to the interview here.

July 11, 2003 - The Daily Star reports that Eminem wants to be taken seriously as a singer, say sources, and he'll be swapping his gangster lyrics for soppy ballads. "He wants to be taken seriously as a singer and as an actor," an insider revealed, claiming the rapper is set to remake vintage songs from the '50s and '60s. "From 'Moon River' to 'Puff the Magic Dragon', Eminem is reworking the classics to his style. If you thought he was shocking before, wait until this album comes out." Read more.

July 9, 2003 - The Associated Press reports that Eminem has bought a 29-room, 15,000-square-foot mansion last owned by former Kmart Corp. chairman Chuck Conaway for $4.8 million. The home is located on six acres near Rochester Hills in northeast Oakland County, nearly 20 miles from Detroit. Read more.

July 9, 2003 - The Daily Star reports that Eminem wants to be taken seriously as a singer, say sources, and he'll be swapping his gangster lyrics for soppy ballads. "He wants to be taken seriously as a singer and as an actor," an insider revealed, claiming the rapper is set to remake vintage songs from the '50s and '60s. "From 'Moon River' to 'Puff the Magic Dragon', Eminem is reworking the classics to his style. If you thought he was shocking before, wait until this album comes out." Read more.

July 7, 2003 - WENN reports that Swedish songsmith Bjorn Uvaeus, the man behind Abba, admits to being a big fan of Eminem. "I think Eminem is an excellent example of something that's 100 percent original, that is really itself," Uvaeus said. "There's not a lot of that around. I would love to see him in concert." However, he conceded that they have little in common, adding, "Our lyrics are very different I guess I didn't have quite the same relationship with my mother."

July 7, 2003 - Billboard.com spoke with songwriter Luis Resto, who talked about working with Eminem on his new album, and records for his Shady Records acts D12 and Obie Trice. "[He] and I work together every day," Resto said. "A lot of the time we're writing for all three projects. You go in and you're jamming, doing music, and it gets spread here and there. Some stuff goes to Em, some to Obie and some to other artists. We sit down and write and we parcel it out. Marshall takes home CDs and he listens to them, some things intrigue him, some things not as much -- you just keep backlogging the ideas and see what comes of it." Read more.

July 6, 2003 - Neil Sean of Sky News reports that Eminem made efforts to catch up with Harry Potter author JK Rowling while on tour in the UK. "He reads all the books to his daughter before bedtime," a source revealed. He wanted to get the latest book from Rowling autographed, but he was unable to arrange a meeting. Eminem was able sent her a note of thanks though for creating "such a great read." Read more.

July 6, 2003 - Eminem's ex-wife Kimberly Mathers appeared in 40th District court in St. Clair Shores, Michigan on Tuesday (July 1), where she pleaded innocent to a drug charge and two driving violations. Mathers is accused of possession of up to 25 grams of cocaine, driving with a suspended license and unsafe driving near a stopped emergency vehicle. Check out pictures from GettyImages and Yahoo.

July 6, 2003 - Eminem's ex-wife Kim Mathers pleaded innocent in a Michigan courtroom today to cocaine possession charges stemming from a June 10th arrest. Mathers was arrested and charged with cocaine possession in 2001, but was not convicted. If convicted of the new charge, Mathers could face up to five years in prison. Read more.

July 6, 2003 - Eminem is on the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone, though he isn't interviewed, only analyzed by Kelefa Sanneh. "For years now, Eminem has been predicting not just his own downfall but his own obsolescence, a byproduct of popularity," Sanneh writes. "On 'Without Me,' he imitated an imagination-deprived record executive: 'Hey! Here's a concept that works/Twenty million other white rappers emerge.' But the imitators never showed up. Eminem is bigger than Kurt Cobain ever was, so you would think he'd be just as influential, but he has yet to attract an army of sound-alikes, the way Cobain did. (The answer may have something to do with the fact that hip-hop is harder to master than grunge.) There is no movement, no trend; there's just him, bigger and more isolated than ever." Read more.

July 6, 2003 - Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Obie Trice have teamed up on 'Bodyguard', a diss track aimed at Ja Rule. Listen to it at Trickology.com.

July 6, 2003 - The Mirror reports Eminem was furious when a dozy receptionist interrupted a call between the rapper and his ex-wife Kim at the Landmark Hotel in London. Slim demanded that his management and entourage leave the hotel at 4am on the last day of their stay during his sold-out Anger Management Tour. "Em had steam coming out of his ears," a spy revealed. "He was absolutely livid that his chance of improving things with Kim could have been jeopardized. She knows he's no angel, but he's really been making an effort recently. So he told staff in no uncertain terms that he was not happy with what had happened. He was adamant that they were going to leave right that minute, even though it was 4am. The poor receptionist looked like she was going to cry but she really should have checked before putting the call through to him. Em is trying to make things work with Kim and that was a major setback because she thought he was messing about with groupies, which wasn't the case. In fact, while his entourage were out clubbing, he was tucked up in bed being a good boy." Eventually he was calmed down and agreed not to leave. Read more.

July 6, 2003 - The Sun reports that after Eminem's stay at London’s Landmark Hotel while on tour in the country with 50 Cent, the rapper gave boxes of chocolate to his favorite staff.

July 2, 2003 - Eminem's ex-wife Kim Mathers pleaded innocent in a Michigan courtroom today to cocaine possession charges stemming from a June 10th arrest. Mathers was arrested and charged with cocaine possession in 2001, but was not convicted. If convicted of the new charge, Mathers could face up to five years in prison. Read more.

July 2, 2003 - After the break-up of Hear'Say, Suzanne Shaw has aquired some lofty goals for her solo career. Currently working on a production of Summer Holiday in High Wycombe, the singer told The Mirror, "I'd like to work with Eminem - it worked for Dido - but I don't know how to meet him. I don't think he's a Summer Holiday fan."

July 1, 2003 - Eminem spoofed Michael Jackson as he dangled a toy baby from a hotel balcony. Spokespeople for the rapper say it was all an obvious joke. Watch Eminem pull the stunt in a video clip at KTLA.com.

July 1, 2003 - Ananova.com reports that one of the world's foremost poets has praised Eminem. Seamus Heaney, 64, says the rapper has "sent a voltage around a generation." He added, "He has done this not just through his subversive attitude but also his verbal energy." Read more.

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