Dre, a founding member of hardcore rap group NWA and mentor of Snoop Dogg. In '97 a sample of Eminem's new, harder sound landed in the hands of Dr. His rap debut came in the little-noticed form of "Infinite," which was void of Eminem's now trademark slurs. Eminem faces up to nine years in prison if convicted on both charges.Įminem, 26, is from Detroit he has short blond hair and an insolent stare. Michigan prosecutors say Eminem was spying on his wife late Sunday night in a Hot Rocks Cafe parking lot in Warren, Mich., and pulled a gun on a bartender after seeing him kiss his wife. "Eminem has not only become the legitimate heir to Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.," gushed Newsweek, "he's arguably the most compelling figure in all of pop music." Fed up with watching boy bands and girl pop posers win over the hearts of consumers, critics welcomed the chance to bond with fans of some tougher sounds.Īnd with a love as true as theirs, it's doubtful critics will show Eminem any less affection even after he was charged Tuesday with carrying a concealed weapon and assault with a deadly weapon.
The aggressively demented album, which features the white rapper weaving rapid-fire tales about rape, faggots, bitches, drug overdoses and throat cuttings, sold 1.7 million copies in just seven days, according to SoundScan, becoming the second-biggest-selling debut week in industry history - and certainly the most successful showing by a rapper ever.Īlso applauding the sales tally for the new record were the nation's music critics, who, for the most part, have been wildly enthusiastic about the rapper's work. Accountants for Interscope Records and rapper Eminem weren't the only ones cheering last week when the star's new album, "The Marshall Mathers LP," debuted at No.