“Without me,” the first single from his upcoming album, “The Eminem Show,” is his most successful debut ever on the mainstream charts. His new record is predicted not only to outsell his last two multiplatinum CDs, but to be the most popular pop or rap album this year. He’ll headline the Anger Management Tour this summer. And further upping the ante, this November the controversial Detroit rapper will star in a semibiographical film, “8 Mile,” with–get this–Kim Basinger as his mother.
Like it or not, this will be the summer, fall and perhaps holiday season of Eminem. So those who wished the impish rapper would disappear like so much noxious vapor after the success of his last two albums, “The Slim Shady LP” and “The Marshall Mathers LP,” may just want to sit the next year out. The video for “Without Me,” which features Em impersonating everyone from Elvis Presley to a dancing Osama bin Laden, is already an MTV staple. And that’s only one of 15 extremely infectious, catchy songs on the new CD.
The album, reviewed in the next issue of NEWSWEEK (though you can sample four audio clips on this page), is even stronger than his last. Produced by mentor-partner Dr. Dre, its sound is crisper and the lyrics are even more attention-grabbing. “Everyone just follow me, ‘cause we need a little controversy,” proclaims Eminem on “Without Me.” He offers up one of his best songs yet, “White America,” a hysterically funny number where he riffs about the main reason he’s sold more records than his African-American peers–the color of his skin (“Let’s do the math, if I was black I wouldn’t have sold half”). He also disses everyone from Dick Cheney’s wife, Lynne, to rap-rockers Limp Bizkit to harmless electronic artist Moby. Mrs. Cheney has refused to respond, citing that it would only help sell more albums.
Eminem hardly needs the help when it comes to record sales: more than 25 million of his albums have been purchased worldwide. Of course, lately there has been one real threat to his retail value: piracy. In the months leading up to its release, “The Eminem Show” was widely bootlegged by hungry fans and shady retailers. Earlier this week, in an unprecedented move, the CD’s release date was bumped up seven days as a defensive measure. There’s also new incentive to buy the CD from retail outlets: the first 2 million copies shipped will include an animated, Eminem-centric cartoon and a DVD featuring some behind-the-scenes footage of the film “8 Mile” and a trailer for the movie.
Jumping from music to movies like Jon Bon Jovi before him, “8 Mile” follows in the footsteps of Neil Diamond’s “The Jazz Singer” and even Mariah Carey’s “Glitter.” It is loosely based on Eminem’s own story–that of working-class kid wedged between white and black culture in Detroit. The title “8 Mile” refers to a dividing line between the city’s two racially segregated areas. But the most surprising thing about the film is that it’s directed by the critically adored Curtis Hanson, who made “L.A. Confidential” and “Wonder Boys,” and that it stars Oscar-winning actress Basinger. (Eminem was romantically linked with her. He denies the compliment.) Hanson’s and Basinger’s involvement gives the picture more credibility than other recent films starring current chart-toppers such as “Crossroads” with Britney Spears and “Queen of the Damned” with Aaliyah. And early reports say Eminem actually pulls off the role. If the movie’s a hit, audiences may see Eminem complete the crossover from controversial pop icon to full-on Hollywood superstar–though it’s hard to imagine him rubbing elbows with Sidney Poitier at next year’s Oscars.
Easier to picture is Eminem on the Anger Management Tour this summer–the rap/rock extravaganza that includes Papa Roach, Xzibit and Ludacris. Eminem will be the biggest act on the two-month tour. The traveling show is one more revenue-generating move that’s sure to keep Eminem in the spotlight–and in the minds of those few record-buying kids that are left. Record execs, faced with a 16 percent drop in music sales last year, are hopeful that blockbuster artists like him can pull the industry out of the worst sales slump in a decade.
Eminem saves the day? Maybe that superhero outfit the skinny rapper wears in his new video isn’t so absurd after all. Watch out Spider-Man–a former rap supervillain may end up voted man of the year.
