50 Cent

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975),[1] better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame following the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre. 50 Cent achieved multi-platinum success with both albums, selling over twenty-one million records worldwide.[2]

Born in South Jamaica, Queens in New York, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s' crack epidemic.[3] After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot nine times in 2000. After releasing his mixtape Guess Who's Back? in 2002, 50 Cent was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre—who produced his first major commercial successes—he became one of the highest selling rap artists in the world. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo. 50 Cent has engaged in numerous feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, The Game, and Fat Joe.

50 Cent has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2005 and the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006.

Life and music career

Early life
50 Cent, born Curtis James Jackson III, grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City. He grew up without a father, and was raised by his mother Sabrina Jackson, who gave birth to him at the age of fifteen. Sabrina, a cocaine dealer, raised Jackson until the age of eight, when she was murdered. Twenty-three at the time, she became unconscious after someone drugged her drink. She was then left for dead after the gas in her apartment was turned on and the windows shut closed.[4][5] After her death, Jackson moved into his grandparents house with his eight aunts and uncles.[1][6][7] He recalls, "My grandmother told me, 'Your mother's not coming home. She's not gonna come back to pick you up. You're gonna stay with us now.' That's when I started adjusting to the streets a little bit."[8] Jackson grew up with his younger cousin, Michael Francis, who earned the nickname "25 Cent" for being his younger counterpart. Francis raps under the stage name "Two Five".[9]

50 Cent's mug shot on August 23, 1994.Jackson began boxing around the age of eleven. At fourteen, a neighbor opened a boxing gym for local kids. "When I wasn’t killing time in school, I was sparring in the gym or selling crack on the strip", he recalled.[10] In the mid 1980s, he competed in the Junior Olympics as an amateur boxer. He recounts, "I was competitive in the ring and hip-hop is competitive too... I think rappers condition themselves like boxers, so they all kind of feel like they're the champ."[11] At the age of twelve, Jackson began dealing narcotics when his grandparents thought he was at after-school programs.[12] He also took guns and drug money to school. In the tenth grade, he was caught by metal detectors at Andrew Jackson High School. He later stated, "I was embarrassed that I got arrested like that... After I got arrested I stopped hiding it. I was telling my grandmother [openly], 'I sell drugs.'"[8]

On June 29, 1994, Jackson was arrested for helping to sell four vials of cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested again three weeks later when police searched his home and found heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine, and a starter gun. He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison, but managed to serve six months in a shock incarceration boot camp, where he earned his GED. Jackson said that he did not use cocaine himself, he only sold it.[1][13][14] He adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as a metaphor for "change".[15] The name was derived from Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as "50 Cent". Jackson chose the name "because it says everything I want it to say. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means."[16]

Early career
50 Cent started rapping in a friend's basement where he used turntables to record over instrumentals.[17] In 1996, a friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was organizing his label Jam Master Jay Records. It was the first time he entered a studio. Jay taught him how to count bars, write choruses, structure songs, and make a record.[18][19] 50 Cent's first official appearance was on a song titled "React" with the group Onyx on their 1998 album Shut 'Em Down. He credited Jam Master Jay as an influence who helped him improve his ability to write hooks.[11] He produced 50 Cent's first album, however it was never released.[4] In 1999, after leaving Jam Master Jay, the platinum-selling producers Trackmasters took notice of 50 Cent and signed him to Columbia Records. They sent him to a studio in Upstate New York, where he produced thirty-six songs in two weeks.[5] Eighteen were included on his unofficially released album, Power of the Dollar in 2000.[20] He also started the now-defunct company with former G-Unit member Bang 'Em Smurf called Hollow Point Entertainment.[21][22]

"How to Rob"

50 Cent's first underground single in which he comically describes robbing celebrity musicians.

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50 Cent's popularity started to increase after the successful but controversial underground single, "How to Rob", which he wrote in half an hour while in a car on the way to a studio.[15][23] The track comically explains how he would rob many famous artists. He explained the reasoning behind song's content as, "There’s a hundred artists on that label, you gotta separate yourself from that group and make yourself relevant."[15] Rappers Jay-Z, Big Pun, DMX, and the Wu-Tang Clan replied to the song[23] and Nas, who received the track positively, invited 50 Cent to travel on a promotional tour for his Nastradamus album.[7] The song was intended to be released with "Thug Love" featuring Destiny's Child, but two days before he was scheduled to film the "Thug Love" music video, 50 Cent was shot and confined to a hospital due to his injuries.[24]

Shooting
On May 24, 2000, 50 Cent was attacked by a gunman outside his grandmother's former home in South Jamaica, Queens. He went into a friend's car, but was asked to return to the house to get jewelry. His son was in the house while his grandmother was in the front yard.[5] On returning to the back seat of the car, another car pulled up nearby. An assailant then walked up to 50 Cent's left side with a 9mm handgun and fired nine shots at close range. He was shot nine times—in the hand (a round hit his right thumb and came out of his pinky), arm, hip, both legs, chest, and left cheek.[4][8][25] The face wound resulted in a swollen tongue, the loss of a wisdom tooth, and a small slur in his voice.[7][8][26] His friend also sustained a gunshot wound to the hand. They were driven to the hospital where he spent thirteen days in recovery. The alleged shooter was killed three weeks later.[27]

50 Cent recalled the incident saying, "It happens so fast that you don't even get a chance to shoot back... I was scared the whole time... I was looking in the rear-view mirror like, 'Oh shit, somebody shot me in the face! It burns, burns, burns.'"[8] In his memoir, From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens, he wrote, "After I got shot nine times at close range and didn't die, I started to think that I must have a purpose in life... How much more damage could that shell have done? Give me an inch in this direction or that one, and I'm gone."[1] He used a walker for the first six weeks and recovered after five months. When he left the hospital, he stayed in the Poconos with his then-girlfriend and son. His physical workout regimen helped him attain his muscular physique.[4][8][28]

While in the hospital, 50 Cent signed a publishing deal with Columbia Records. However, he was dropped from the label and "blacklisted" in the recording industry after it was discovered he was shot. Unable to find a studio to work with in the U.S, he traveled to Canada.[29][30] Along with his business partner Sha Money XL, he recorded over thirty songs for mixtapes, with the purpose of building a reputation. 50 Cent's popularity rose, and in early 2001, he released material independently on the mixtape, Guess Who's Back?. Beginning to attract interest, and now backed by G-Unit, 50 Cent continued to make songs. They released the mixtape, 50 Cent Is the Future, revisiting material by Jay-Z and Raphael Saadiq.[20]

Rise to fame
"In da Club"

The breakthrough single from Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
"Window Shopper"

"Window Shopper".

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In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of 50 Cent's Guess Who's Back? CD. He received the CD through 50 Cent's attorney, who was working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg.[24] Impressed with the album, Eminem invited 50 Cent to fly to Los Angeles, where he was introduced to Dr. Dre.[4][18][24] After signing a one million U.S. dollar record deal,[18] 50 Cent released the mixtape, No Mercy, No Fear. It featured one new track, "Wanksta", which was put on Eminem's 8 Mile soundtrack.[20] He was also signed to Chris Lighty's Violator Management and Sha Money XL's Money Management Group.

On February 6, 2003, 50 Cent's commercial debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin' was released. All Music Guide described it as "probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade."[31] Rolling Stone noted the album for its "dark synth grooves, buzzy keyboards and a persistently funky bounce" with 50 Cent complementing the production in "an unflappable, laid-back flow."[32] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 872,000 copies in the first four days.[33] The lead single, "In da Club", which The Source noted for its "blaring horns, funky organs, guitar riffs and sparse hand claps"[34] broke a Billboard record as the 'most listened-to' song in radio history within a week.[35]

In Bangkok, Thailand, February 26, 2006Interscope then granted 50 Cent his own label, G-Unit Records in 2003.[36] He signed Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck as the established members of G-Unit. The Game was later signed under a joint venture with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. On March 3, 2005, 50 Cent's second commercial album, The Massacre was released. The album sold 1.14 million copies in the first four days (the highest in an abbreviated sales cycle)[33] and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 for six weeks.[37] He became the first solo artist to have three singles on the Billboard top five in the same week with "Candy Shop", "Disco Inferno", and "How We Do".[38] Rolling Stone noted that "50's secret weapon is his singing voice - the deceptively amateur-sounding tenor croon that he deploys on almost every chorus."[39]

After the departure of The Game, 50 Cent signed singer Olivia and rap veterans Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records. Spider Loc, M.O.P., and Young Hot Rod later joined the label.[40][41] 50 Cent expressed interest in working with rappers outside of G-Unit, such as Lil' Scrappy of BME, LL Cool J from Def Jam, Mase from Bad Boy, and Freeway of Roc-A-Fella, some of whom he recorded with.[42] In September 2007, he released his third album Curtis, which was inspired by his life before Get Rich or Die Tryin'.[43] It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 691,000 units in the first week.[44]

Personal life
On October 13, 1997, 50 Cent's then-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins gave birth to a son, Marquise Jackson.[3][45] The birth of his son changed his outlook on life, "when my son came into my life, my priorities changed, because I wanted to have the relationship with him, that I didn’t have with my father."[46] He credited his son for inspiring his career and being "motivation to go in a different direction."[47] 50 Cent has a tattoo of "Marquise" with an axe on his right bicep. "The axe is 'cause I'm a warrior. I don't want him to be one, though,"[30] he explains. He also has "50", "Southside", and "Cold World" inscribed on his back because "I'm a product of that environment. It's on my back, though, so it's all behind me."[30] 50 Cent dated actress Vivica A. Fox in 2003. After a few months, he announced their split up on the The Howard Stern Show when pictures from a photo shoot they did together ended up on the cover of Today's Black Woman magazine without his knowledge.[48][49]

Promotional poster for Curtis.50 Cent expressed support for President George W. Bush in 2005 after rapper Kanye West criticized him for the slow response in assisting the victims of Hurricane Katrina.[50] If his felony convictions did not prevent him from voting, he claimed that he would have voted for Bush.[51] He later stated that Bush "has less compassion than the average human. By all means, I don’t aspire to be like George Bush."[52] In 2007, 50 Cent was recognized for his wealth by Forbes, placing him second behind Jay-Z in the rap industry.[53] He resides in Farmington, Connecticut, in the former mansion of ex-boxer Mike Tyson.[54] He put the mansion for sale at US$18.5 million to move closer to his son who lives in Long Island with his ex-girlfriend.[55] On October 12, 2007, the Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut declared it "50 Cent Curtis Jackson Day." He was honored with a key to the city and an official proclamation.[56]

Business ventures
50 Cent has established himself in a wide variety of fields outside of his rapping career. In November 2003, he signed a five year deal with Reebok to distribute a G-Unit Sneakers line as part of his G-Unit Clothing Company[57][58]. He provided the voice-over as the protagonist in the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof, which was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable. He worked with glacéau to create and market a grape flavored Vitamin Water drink called Formula 50. In 2007, Coca-Cola purchased glaceau for US$4.1 billion. 50 Cent, who owns a stake in the company, was estimated by Forbes to have earned $100 million after taxes.[59] He also launched a condom line and plans to donate a part of the proceeds to HIV awareness.[60]

Vitamin Water billboard ad on the Book-Cadillac Hotel.In 2005, 50 Cent made a cameo appearance on The Simpsons episode "Pranksta Rap", in which he makes light of his legal troubles. The same year, he starred alongside Terrence Howard in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He also starred in the 2006 film Home of the Brave as a soldier returning home from the Iraq War, traumatized after killing an Iraqi woman.[61] 50 Cent is working on a role as a fighter in an Angola State Prison in The Dance alongside Nicholas Cage, and is set to star opposite Robert De Niro in 2008's Righteous Kill, a movie regarding a police death.[62] He also started a production company called G-Unit Films.[63] On August 21, 2007, 50 Cent announced plans to launch a dietary supplement company in conjunction with his movie The Dance.[64][65]

Shortly before appearing in Get Rich or Die Tryin', 50 Cent released a memoir about his life and how he became successful titled From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens. On January 4, 2007, he launched his G-Unit Books imprint at the Time Warner Building in New York.[66] He also co-wrote The Ski Mask Way, a novel about a small-time drug dealer who attempts to rob his employers, which is to be turned into a film before 2008.[60] 50 Cent said he was reading The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene and worked with the author on a book titled The 50th Law, an urban take on The 48 Laws of Power.[60][67]

Controversy

Murder Inc.

An anti-50 Cent billboard in Tribeca, New York.Before signing with Interscope, 50 Cent engaged in a well-publicized dispute with rapper Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. Records. The rappers engaged in numerous mixtape "disses". 50 Cent claimed the feud began in 1999 after Ja Rule spotted him with a man who robbed him of his jewelry.[48] However, Ja Rule claimed the conflict stemmed from a video shoot in Queens because 50 Cent did not like seeing him "getting so much love" from the neighborhood.[68] In March 2000, while at The Hit Factory studio in New York, 50 Cent had an altercation with associates of Murder Inc. Records. He was treated for three stitches after receiving a stab wound.[48][69] Rapper Black Child claimed responsibility for the stabbing, saying he acted in self-defense because he thought someone was reaching for a gun.[70]

An affidavit by an IRS agent suggested that the label had ties to Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a New York drug lord who was suspected of being involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay and the shooting of 50 Cent. An excerpt of the affidavit read:

The investigation has uncovered a conspiracy involving McGriff and others to murder a rap artist who has released songs containing lyrics regarding McGriff's criminal activities. The rap artist was shot in 2000, survived and thereafter refused to cooperate with law enforcement regarding the shooting. Messages transmitted over the Murder Inc. pager indicate that McGriff is involved in an ongoing plot to kill this rap artist, and that he communicates with Murder Inc. employees concerning the target.[29]

New York rappers
Before releasing The Massacre, 50 Cent recorded a song, "Piggy Bank", which was leaked before the album's release. The song "disses" rappers including Fat Joe, Nas, and Jadakiss.[71] Fat Joe responded with a song, "My Fo, Fo", accusing 50 Cent of taking steroids, hiding in his home, and being jealous of The Game. Jadakiss also responded with a song, "Checkmate", and said that 50 Cent was trying to "create a buzz for his new album".[72] The music video for "Piggy Bank" portrays animated caricatures of Jadakiss (as a Ninja turtle), Fat Joe (as an overweight boxer who receives a knockout), Nas (as a kid chasing a "milkshake" truck in a Superman costume), and The Game (as Mr. Potato Head).[73]

"Piggy Bank"

A track in which he takes aim at numerous rappers.

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50 Cent spoke negatively about Bad Boy Entertainment mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs and recorded a song, "Hip-Hop", revealing the reasons behind his negative feelings: primarily, a contract dispute over Ma$e. In the song, he implied that Diddy knew about The Notorious B.I.G.'s murder and threatened to expose him through former associates.[74] The feud was resolved, with both rappers appearing on MTV's TRL and Sucker Free, respectively, stating that there were no longer problems.[75]

On February 1, 2007, Cam'ron and 50 Cent had a live argument on The Angie Martinez Show on Hot 97 radio. 50 Cent commented that Koch Entertainment was a "graveyard", meaning major record labels would not work with their artists.[76] Cam'ron then ridiculed the record sales of G-Unit members Lloyd Banks and Mobb Deep by stating that Jim Jones outsold their albums despite being signed to an independent label and that his group, The Diplomats, had a distribution deal from several labels.[76] Both rappers released "diss" songs with accompanying videos on YouTube. 50 Cent suggested in "Funeral Music" that Cam'ron is no longer able to lead The Diplomats and that Jim Jones should take his place. Cam'ron responded with "Curtis" and "Curtis Pt. II", in which he makes fun of 50 Cent's appearance, calling him "a gorilla, with rabbit teeth".[77] 50 Cent responded by releasing "Hold On" with Young Buck.[78]

The Game
Main article: G-Unit vs. The Game feud
In early 2005, 50 Cent began a feud with The Game, whom he was close to before releasing his debut album The Documentary. After its release, 50 Cent felt The Game was disloyal for saying he did not want to participate in G-Unit's feuds with other rappers and even wanting to work with artists they were feuding with. He also claimed that he wrote six songs on the album and was not receiving proper credit for his work, which The Game denied.[79]

50 Cent later dismissed The Game from G-Unit on Hot 97 radio. After the announcement, The Game, who was a guest earlier in the evening, attempted to enter the building with his entourage. After being denied entry, one of his associates was shot in the leg during a confrontation with a group of men leaving the building.[80][81] When the situation escalated, both rappers held a press conference to announce their reconciliation.[82] Fans had mixed feelings as to whether the rappers created a publicity stunt to boost the sales of the albums they had just released.[83] Nevertheless, even after the situation deflated,[84] The Game's street credibility was criticized by G-Unit. The group denounced The Game and announced that they will not feature on his albums. During a performance at Summer Jam, The Game launched a boycott of G-Unit called "G-Unot".[85]

After the Summer Jam performance, The Game released a track, "300 Bars and Runnin'", which addresses 50 Cent and G-Unit.[86] He continued his attacks with a DVD titled Stop Snitchin, Stop Lyin'. After numerous songs aimed at G-Unit, 50 Cent responded to The Game's rebuttals on mixtapes. One track, "Not Rich, Still Lyin'", imitates The Game, attacks his credibility, and mentions his feud with his brother, Big Fase 100.[87]

The Game also released mixtape covers parodying the rap group. After he displayed pictures of G-Unit dressed up as the Village People, 50 Cent posted a cover of The Game's head on the body of a male stripper.[88] Although he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, The Game left the label and signed with Geffen Records to terminate his contractual obligations with G-Unit.[89]

Lawsuit
On July 21, 2007, 50 Cent filed a US$1 million lawsuit against advertising company Traffix Inc. of Pearl River, New York for using his image in a promotion which he says threatens his safety. He learned about the internet ad after one of his staff members saw it on a MySpace page. According to court documents, the ad features a cartoon image of the rapper and the message: "shoot the rapper and you will win $5000 or five ring tones guaranteed." Though the ad did not use his name, the image allegedly intended to resemble him, suggesting he endorsed the ad. The lawsuit calls it a "vile, tasteless and despicable" use of 50 Cent's image that "quite literally calls for violence against him". The lawsuit also seeks for unspecified punitive damages and a permanent injunction against the use of his image without permission.[90][91]
Wikipedia - 50 cent

Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli (born Talib Kweli Greene in Brooklyn, New York City on October 3, 1975) is an American MC from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip hop. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker"; his middle name in Swahili means "true". Kweli first gained recognition through Black Star, a collaboration with fellow MC Mos Def.

Biography

Early Life
Kweli grew up in a highly educated and literate household. His mother is an English professor and his father a sociology professor. As a youth, he was drawn to Afrocentric rappers, such as De La Soul and other members of the Native Tongues Posse, and soon began recording with rapper Mos Def, whom he had met in high school. Talib Kweli was a student at Cheshire Academy, a boarding school in Connecticut.[citation needed] He later studied experimental theater at New York University (NYU).

Career
Kweli made his professional debut in 1997, with an appearance on "DOOM," an album by Cincinnati, Ohio group, MOOD (Main Flow, Donte, Jahson). In Cincinnati, Kweli also met DJ Hi-Tek and the two collaborated on a few well received underground recordings as Reflection Eternal. Shortly afterwards, upon returning to New York, he reconnected with Mos Def and formed Black Star. Kweli brought along Hi-Tek to produce their first and only album, 1998's Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star. The album, released amidst a late '90s renaissance of conscious, afrocentric hip hop, was immediately hailed by critics and achieved modest mainstream success. When Kweli and Mos Def parted ways shortly thereafter, Kweli and Hi-Tek continued their Reflection Eternal partnership on the 2000 album Train of Thought. The album, released, as Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star had been, on Rawkus Records, was likewise met with critical acclaim, but modest sales.

Following Train of Thought, Kweli and Hi-Tek split as well, and Kweli used his first truly solo debut to attempt a move toward a more mainstream sound. 2002's Quality, accomplished this goal to some extent, featuring production by a host of different producers, including Just Blaze, DJ Quik and Kanye West. The album continued his critical success and received some mainstream attention thanks to the West-produced single "Get By."

In 2004, he released his second solo album and final Rawkus release, The Beautiful Struggle. The album featured much more commercial production, and although Kweli's lyrics retained their socio-political content, he affected a somewhat harder persona. The album failed to cross over into the mainstream and suffered a critical backlash. Still, Kweli's stature continued to grow, particularly fueled by a line from Jay-Z's 2003 record, The Black Album: "If skills sold, truth be told/I'd probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli."

For his newest release Kweli formed his own record label, Blacksmith Records and has recently signed acclaimed rapper Jean Grae and the group Strong Arm Steady. He also signed a new distribution deal with with Warner Bros. Records for Blacksmith. His latest solo album is called Eardrum and was released on Aug 21, 2007. It debuted at on the Billboard 200, but fell to #20 in it's second week. The first single was Listen!!!.

Other / Related Activities
In 2004, Talib Kweli, along with Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels, supported the Beastie Boys on their "Challah At Your Boy World Tour," participated in a photo shoot by the renown fashion/celebrity photographer Ben Fink Shaprio, and appeared in a few Dilated Peoples songs, including a live remix later featured on the video game NBA Street Vol. 2.

Kweli has used television appearances extensively to increase visibility, notably on MTV's Wild 'N Out, and several performances on Chappelle's Show with long-time collaborator Mos Def; these performances were a product of host Chappelle's friendship with Kweli. Chappelle in turn participated in a number of skits on Kweli's albums "Train of Thought" and "Quality"- impersonating several people including Nelson Mandela. Kweli also had a guest spot on West's widely successful debut album The College Dropout on the track "Get 'Em High". West has produced some of Kweli's songs, including his biggest commercial hit "Get By". Kweli can be seen in a commercial for the NCAA's Big Ten Conference, rapping about the league's basketball teams. He also provided the voice of the protagonist in the graffiti-themed video game Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, released in 2006.

Talib and fellow rapper artist Mos Def purchased Nkiru, which is Brooklyn's oldest black-owned bookstore, and converted it into the Nkiru Center for Education and Culture.

Current and Future activities
Kweli confirmed in a recent interview with VIBE magazine that the title of his next album will be "Prisoner of Conscious", simply because he feels that he has been labeled a conscious rapper.

Kweli is also about to embark on a national Australian tour in October 2007 visiting all capital cities for the first time ever.

Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek have both said they intend to record a follow-up to the Reflection Eternal album.

Recently Talib has joined MTV's hit show MADE and filmed an episode in the small town of Arlington, Massachusetts. He was the coach of Colin Colt, a young man who wanted to be made into a rap star.

Personal
Kweli has two children: an older son, Amani Fela, who attends Medgar Evers Prepatory School and a younger daughter, Diani Eshe. The mother of his two children, Darcel Turner is the author of two books, Dana Dances on Paper and Lathered Layers. His younger brother, Jamal Greene, graduated from Yale Law School and is currently serving as a law clerk on the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice John Paul Stevens. Kweli has supported the Black August Benefit Concert since its inception, and performs at the show consistently every year.
Wikipedia - Talib Kweli

Cam'ron

Cameron Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known as Cam'ron, is American rapper from Harlem in New York City. Cam'ron is the founder of the hip-hop group The Diplomats, commonly known as Dipset.

Biography
Cameron Giles was born in Harlem, New York in 145th Street Lenox Avenue. He began his musical career in the mid 1990s, rapping alongside Big L, Mase and his cousin Bloodshed in a group called Children Of The Corn. The group dissolved after Bloodshed's death in a car accident in 1997 and Big L's death in 1999. However, Giles continued to rap, and he eventually was introduced to Notorious B.I.G. by Mase,who was so impressed with his skills that Biggie introduced him to his manager, Lance "Un" Rivera.

Early Career
Cam'ron signed to Rivera's Untertainment label distributed by Epic/Sony, releasing his first solo album, Confessions Of Fire, in July 1998. The album featured songs like "357" and "Horse And Carriage," featuring Mase. Untertainment folded in 1999, and Cam'ron was absorbed into Epic Records (his distribution label). Cam'ron achieved notoriety for his 2001 release from Sony Records under Tommy Mottola. Reportedly using unconventional methods such as physically assaulting and threatening numerous Sony Records employees, Cam'ron sought an end to his contract for his second album released in 2000, entitled S.D.E. (short for Sports, Drugs, and Entertainment). It featured songs such as "Let Me Know" and "What Means the World to You," which featured an all-star line-up of Southern rappers such as U.G.K., Trina, and Ludacris, in addition to Cam'ron's Dipset protege, Juelz Santana.

With Roc-A-Fella
With his release from Sony Records, Cam'ron moved on to sign with his childhood friend Damon Dash in 2001, who had already been managing him and Roc-A-Fella Records. In 2002, he released his third and most successful album, Come Home With Me, along with the biggest hits of his career, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma," both featuring Juelz Santana. Cam'ron catapulted to a Platinum album. He went on to star in the Damon Dash produced film, Paid In Full in 2002. Cam'ron then teamed up with his fellow Diplomats: Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zeeky to release the Diplomats' debut, Diplomatic Immunity, in 2003 which was quickly certified platinum by the RIAA. A year latter the Diplomats released there second album Diplomatic Immunity 2 it was released on November 23, 2004. Although not as successful as The Diplomats first album as a group, it still was boosted to Gold status. Cam'ron's fourth album, Purple Haze, was released on December 7, 2004 on Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella Records. It reached gold status. In December 2004, Cam'ron requested his release from Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella Records, feeling his projects weren't receiving the attention they deserved.

Later Music Projects
As of April 28, 2005, Cam'ron joined the Warner Music Group under the Asylum Records imprint. Cam'ron began work on what would be his first project for Asylum, shooting a direct to video movie titled Killa Season. The film would mark both Cam'ron's screenwriting and directorial debuts, as well as his return to acting. Killa season was released on DVD April 25, 2006 after a special two-day theatrical release. Cam'ron's fifth studio album, also titled Killa Season was released on May 16, 2006. Selling 114,000 units his first week and debuting at #2 on the charts, Killa Season failed to have the same staying power as his previous releases, making it the lowest selling album of his career despite still reaching Gold status. as of November 1, 2007 Cam'ron officaley stated that he was released from Asylum Records

On November 7, 2007, Cam'ron released a mixtape called Public Enemy # 1 and now is looking for a new record label to release his sixth studio album.

Shooting
Cam'ron was leaving a popular nightclub after performing earlier Saturday at Howard University and stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Kenyon and Warder streets in Northwest D.C. Shortly after midnight, a passenger of a nearby car threatened Cam'ron to "give up" his 2006 Lamborghini. Cam'ron resisted and the gunman then shot him. Cam'ron was struck at least once as he was holding the steering wheel, but he was able to drive himself around going the wrong way on streets and flashing his lights, trying to get a police officer's attention because he didn't know where he was or how to get to the hospital, until a fan finally drove him to Howard University Hospital for treatment. He caught a plane back home the next day. The gunman and passenger sped off and crashed into a parked car and a home and then fled the scene. D.C. Metro Police also recovered a cell phone from the scene of the crash, which they are trying to use to trace the suspects. On April 22, 2007 he was interviewed on CBS-TV's "60 Minutes" about this, he stated that he does not know who shot him. He also stated that he would "not help the police" try to locate the shooter saying he is "not a snitch" and trying to help the police would probably hurt his record sales. However, according to The Smoking Gun, he has come across police before regarding 15 African American males attacking him at a basketball court in Harlem, New York. Cam'ron did not give a description of any of the 15 black males involved in the altercation.

Stop Snitching
Cam'ron was featured on the April 22, 2007 edition of news show 60 Minutes, and was interviewed by Anderson Cooper about the "Stop Snitching" campaign. When asked if he would tell the police if a serial killer was living next to him, Giles replied "I would probably move," but he wouldn't inform the police. Cam'ron was a victim of a shooting that revealed no leads or clues because he refused to give police information about the suspect claiming it would hurt his business and violate his "code of ethics."[9] However, Cam'ron has come across the police in the past.[10] Although, in the standard police report, Cam'ron did not give a description of any one of the fifteen black males that he was involved with in the physical altercation.[11]

Controversy

Mase
In 2004, Cam'ron came into headlines after a dispute with his former friend Mase. After returning to the music industry after a five year religious hiatus, Mase conducted an interview on the New York City radio station Hot 97 where he described his falling out with Cam'ron and the current status of their relationship. Mase claimed that confusion over $50,000 he asked to receive for an appearance in the "Horse and Carriage" music video caused the demise of their relationship. This fueled a heated on-air debate between Cam'ron's right-hand man Jim Jones and Mase. Jim Jones declared that Mase was "fabricating" in the autobiography he wrote in 2001. Also, Jim Jones was upset that Mase used people's real names in his book, thereby exposing them. Furthermore, Jones said "you wasn't giving us no money, so we went out and got money" when Jim Jones (rapper) and Cam'ron went on tour with Mase, and that now they don't need Ma$e anymore because they are the "Sizzurp boys, quarter billion, ya ain't heard?", in reference to The Diplomats Purple Sizzurp liquor business. Jim Jones went on to reveal that Mase actually left Harlem not because he was answering a higher calling to become a reverend, but because he was scared out of town by the murder of his two friends, Pop Lotti and Baby Mane. Jones claimed Mase was "ran up out of Harlem" because there was "money on him," meaning someone had put a bounty on Mase's head. Jones goes on to tell Mase that "you need to be nervous to be in Harlem still, cause I'm here" and threatens that Mase better "have them boys with the badges on them" (police) with him when he next encounters him, because "I Jim Jones will do it to you, [Mase] Duke." Jim Jones informs the audience that he never liked Mase, as he crudely refers to him as "Betha," Mase's last name.

Jay-Z
In 2006, Cam'ron released a diss track called "You Gotta Love It", in which Cam accused Jay-Z of stealing Roc-A-Fella records, Rocawear clothing, and Kanye West from Damon Dash. In addition to this, he claims he saw someone put a Roc-A-Fella hand sign up before he was shot. He also ridicules Jay-Z for wearing chancletas with jeans and laughs at him for stabbing Lance "Un" Riverra because he was in love with female rapper Charli Baltimore. Released simultaneously with "You Gotta Love It" was a second track, "Swagger Jacker." In this track created originally by DJ DAT of the Bronx, Cam'ron outlines numerous instances where Jay-Z has performed lyrics originally recorded by a bevy of other rappers, most notably Notorious B.I.G. In 2006, Cam'ron held a press conference to discuss his possible jail term and addressed the Jay-Z beef. Since he was convicted on a weapons possession in 2002, he needed permission to leave the state, which he failed to do. Cam stated that he always gets permission, however his trip to D.C. was a last minute decision. When asked about the reason behind the whole Jay-Z beef, he said the final straw was the Jay-Z "I Declare War" concert in which Jay-Z ultimately declared peace not war. The concert was seen by most as a positive step towards stopping the violence in hip-hop. However, Cam'ron went on to accuse Jay-Z of attempting to find Jim Jones's Catholic school pictures and footage of Cam and Jones getting robbed. It is said that Jay-Z responded to Cam'ron, although he never mentions his name, in the remix of the Rick Ross' song "Hustlin", which also features Young Jeezy. In the "Hustlin" remix, Jay-Z refers to his style of dress on island resorts as well as mentioning the circumstances in which Cam'ron was injured in the car jacking. Cam'ron responded with a verse from an unofficial remix of Yung Joc's "It's Goin' Down".

Lil Cease and Junior Mafia
In 1998, Cam'ron and Jim Jones were involved in an altercation with associates of Brooklyn emcee Lil' Cease, cousin of Notorious BIG, and members of his crew at the Rucker Basketball Park in Harlem, NY. This was documented on a TNT televised basketball game. In 2005, Lil' Cease later released the video footage of the altercation, narrating and naming the people he knows in the video. This video was also named in XXL magazine as one of the twenty best street DVDs in the October issue. Although there is no visual indication that either Jim Jones or Cam'ron were the actual people in the video, due to amateur videotaping.

50 Cent
On February 1, 2007, Cam'ron and 50 Cent were involved in a heated argument on Hot 97, due to the remarks that 50 Cent had made about Koch Records referring to it as an "artist graveyard" due to the fact that many artists sign there after being released from major company record deals. Cam'ron responded by insulting the recent record sales of G-unit member Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent's friends Mobb Deep, and by stating how Jim Jones was selling really well on Koch Records and how The Diplomats had a distribution deal from several labels at the same time. Soon after 50 Cent released "Funeral Music",The song references Cam'ron's deal with Koch as being indicative of Cam's rap career ending.[12] Cam'ron has since recorded a response called "Curtis" which aired on Hot 97 on Friday the 9th. In the song, Cam states that 50 snitched on him to his parole officer. Cam'ron discredits the name 50 Cent borrowed by Curtis Jackson in reference to the original 50 Cent Kelvin Martin. He also makes fun of his appearance and teeth calling him "A gorilla with rabbit teeth" and "Bugs Monkey". The video was released on February 15th. Cam'ron has made a follow up record video dissing 50 Cent entitled CURTIS Part II.

On the May 17, 2007 edition of 106 & Park, 50 Cent appeared as a guest. When asked about his beef with cam he stated "I haven't heard anything from Cam'ron since he got punched in the eye, I haven't heard one word!" afterwards he says "Has anyone seen Tru Life?" he scoffed. "We should ask him about Cam'ron." A day later Cam'ron fired back on video camera with the following statement: "It's 7:40, May 17th. I just got a 2 way talking about Curtis is talking about I don't come outside. We in my vacation home because it's gonna be a real fucking hot summer for everybody," the rapper threatened. "Probation is officially over. Curtis you wanna get involved? Holla at me, I'm right here."[13]

On August,2007 50 Cent leaked a new diss track aimed at Cam'ron, Fat Joe, and Czar Entertainment. The name of the track is called "We On Some Shit," and features Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. Cam'ron responded by makin fun of him on his 6 minute intro to his mixtape Public Enemy #1 by sayin that he needs the police just to walk the New York streets and how he named his album Curtis.

Jim Jones
Rumors have begun to spread that fellow Dipset member Jim Jones has been in many rifts and disagreements with Cam'ron.[14] On May 7, 2007, Jones was to appear on the "Funkmaster Flex radio show", but due to unknown reasons Jones was a no show which bloggers and listeners began to wonder if this statement of a possible break up within the group was indeed true[15] However, Radio-Personality Miss Info caught up with Jones and interviewed him in which he describe the situation with him and Cam'ron. He said:

“ "Me and Cam'ron haven't spoken to each other in a year...I kept quiet out of loyalty, I felt like if we can't be friends then at least we can do business together," Jones explained to Miss Info. "But now I can't be next to you...I'm through with being in hot water because of you...We still the Diplomats. We worked too hard to achieve our own success and now we're gonna do something new."[16] ”

On the September 12, 2007 edition of Rap City, rapper 50 Cent was the special host in which he stated that he may have a new signee for his G-Unit label. At this point, Jones appeared on the scene. He then began to talk about his possibly new record deal in which he stated that he was offered a lot of money to join the label. But, this situation was no further discussed in which 50 cut him off quickly. [17]. After the interview many people began to think Jim Jones was going to sign with G-unit however Jim Jones has denied going to the label. Many loyal Cam'ron and dipset fans have began to ridicule Jim Jones for being with 50 Cent on Rap City.Even Hell Rell has attacked Jim Jones and G-Unit on a radio interview."[18]

When Cam'ron was available for an interview with Miss Info he talked about his relationship with Jim Jones He Said:

“ "I still haven’t spoken to Jim. But Jim ran with me for over 10 yrs, he worked hard, and I wish him the best of luck. Everybody thinks I’m mad at Jim. Why am I mad? I told people for years that Jimmy was gonna be a star. So its better on my resume…I wish him the best. The only thing is, him being with 50, I can’t really run with that. Hang out with who you want to hang out…but me, I can’t really do nothing like that."[19]
Wikipedia - Cam'ron

Eminem

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known by his stage names Eminem and Slim Shady, is an Oscar[2] and multiple Grammy Award winning rapper, record producer, and actor from Detroit, Michigan. Having sold over seventy million albums worldwide,[3] Eminem is one of the highest-selling musicians of the early 2000s thus, making him one of the highest-selling rap artists of all time.[3] Eminem was discovered by rapper and producer Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre later signed Eminem to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment.

Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney has praised Mathers for his "verbal energy" and for arousing popular interest in poetry and lyrics.[4] Eminem is infamous for the controversy surrounding many of his lyrics. With the success of his highly acclaimed album,[5] The Marshall Mathers LP and its subsequent nomination for four Grammy awards including Album of the Year,[6] critics such as GLAAD denounced his lyrics as homophobic and misogynist, while others claimed that it promoted violence. [7] In 2002, he starred in the semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile.

Biography

Early life
Eminem was born in St. Joseph, Missouri to Deborah (née Nelson) and Marshall Bruce Mathers II, of Scottish, German, and English descent.[8] Shortly after his birth, his father walked out, leaving Debbie and Marshall alone. Until he was 12, he and his mother moved to and from between St. Joseph and Warren, Michigan, a Detroit suburb, where he met D12 rapper Proof.[9] He was reportedly interested in hip hop from a young age. Because he was small for his age and he was one of the few whites that lived in an African American neighboorhood he was reportedly picked on. Mathers decided that even though he was too small to fight back he would instead retaliate with words. Learning how to "battle" his foes with rap music gave him an outlet for his anger.[10] Mathers began performing as early as 13 in a group called Bassmint Productions where they produced an EP called Steppin' onto the Scene. In 1995, he recorded his first official tape, Fuckin’ Backstabber/Soul Intent. In 1996, he released an independent underground album named Infinite. Eminem recalls: "Obviously, I was young and influenced by other artists, and I got a lot of feedback saying that I sounded like Nas and AZ. Infinite was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself. It was a growing stage. I felt like Infinite was like a demo that just got pressed up."[11][12] Mathers followed Infinite with The Slim Shady EP, which saw his lyrics take a decidedly darker turn, in songs like "No One's Iller" and "Murder Murder", the latter of which he talks about having to commit crimes to feed his daughter.

After this album he received much attention and mixed reviews in the hip-hop underground scene, due to his distinctive style and the fact that he was white in a predominantly black genre.

Mathers had done a notable amount of rapping with fellow Detroit MC Royce da 5'9" early in his career. They referred to themselves as Bad Meets Evil, with Eminem playing 'The Bad' and Royce playing 'The Evil'. Royce da 5'9" and Eminem were once considered to be two of the greatest underground MCs in Detroit and were noted for their lyrical ability.

In 1997, when Eminem was still rising to fame, he started a long feud against the already famous Insane Clown Posse. The feud originated in 1997 at Saint Andrew's Hall, where Eminem was handing out flyers for a party promoting his Slim Shady EP. The flyer listed appearances by a number of Detroit rappers, including ICP. Violent J, a member of ICP, was not too happy about being listed without his knowledge and he told Eminem that he wasn't going to play at his party. Eminem, taking his rejection as an insult, began insulting ICP, telling people, for example, that he threw them out of a club in Detroit. The club incident was confirmed, although ICP denied the event in their song Nuttin' But a Bitch Thang:

"You ain't never chased us out of no club bitch... only club you ever chased anybody out of was a gay bar bitch".

The rivalry between these rappers has not slowed down, as of recently.

Perhaps the most notable event that arose out of this feuding was that Eminem was arrested when, on June 3, 2000, during an altercation at a car audio store in Royal Oak, Michigan, with Douglas Dail, the ICP manager, he pulled out an unloaded gun and kept it pointed at the ground[13]. The following day, in Warren, Michigan, he allegedly saw his then wife, Kim, kiss the bouncer John Guerrera in the parking lot of the Hot Rock Café and assaulted him with his gun[13]. He was given two years probation for both the episodes[14]. The skit The Kiss on The Eminem Show is based around the latter incident[15].

Rise to fame
After being signed to Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records, Eminem released The Slim Shady LP, which went on to be one of the most popular albums of 1999, going triple platinum by the end of the year.[16] With the album's popularity came controversy surrounding many of the album's lyrics. In "'97 Bonnie and Clyde", he describes a trip with his infant daughter, disposing of the body of his wife. Another song, "Guilty Conscience", ends with his encouraging a man to murder his wife and her lover. "Guilty Conscience" also marked the beginning of the powerful friendship and musical bond that Dr. Dre and Eminem would share. The two label-mates would later collaborate on a line of hit songs, including "Forgot About Dre" and "What's the Difference" from Dr. Dre's album 2001, "Bitch Please II" from the Marshall Mathers LP, "Say What You Say" from The Eminem Show and "Encore/Curtains Down" from Encore.

The Marshall Mathers LP was released in May 2000, and quickly sold two million copies. It was Eminem's fastest selling album to date.[17] The first single released from the album, "The Real Slim Shady", was a success and created some buzz by insulting celebrities and making dubious claims about them; he implies, among other things, that Christina Aguilera performed oral sex on Fred Durst (of Limp Bizkit) and Carson Daly (of MTV's Total Request Live).[18] In his second single, "The Way I Am", he reveals to his fans the pressures from his record company to top "My Name Is" and sell more records. Although Eminem had parodied shock rocker Marilyn Manson in the video "My Name Is", the artists are now on good terms. They have performed a remix of the song "The Way I Am" together in concert.[19] In the third single, "Stan" (which samples Dido's "Thank You"), Eminem attempts to deal with his new-found fame, taking on the perspective of a deranged fan who kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend, mirroring "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" on The Slim Shady LP. It was named as the third greatest rap song of all time in a list compiled by Q Magazine,[20] and came 10th in a similar survey conducted by Top40-Charts.com.[21] The song has since become highly acclaimed and was ranked 290th in Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time".[22]

Mathers' third major album, The Eminem Show, was released in summer 2002 and proved to be another hit for the rapper reaching number one on the charts and selling well over 1 million copies in its first week of release.[16] It featured the single "Without Me", an apparent sequel to "The Real Slim Shady", in which he makes derogatory comments about boy bands, Limp Bizkit, Moby, and Lynne Cheney, among others. The album reflected on the impact of his rise to fame, his relationship with his wife and daughter, and his status in the hip-hop community. He also addresses the charges he faced over assaulting a bouncer he saw kissing his wife in 2000. While there is clear anger present on several tracks, this album was considerably less inflammatory than the previous, and as such did not face any protests of misogyny and homophobia that had plagued The Marshall Mathers LP.

The year 2004 saw the release of Mathers' fourth major album, Encore. The album was another chart-topper for the rapper, driven by the single "Just Lose It", notable for being disrespectful towards Michael Jackson.[23] Despite the comedic theme of the lead single, Encore also had its fair share of serious subject matter, including the anti-war track "Mosh". By the end of 2005 Mathers released the single, "When I'm Gone", recorded for the greatest-hits set Curtain Call: The Hits.

Eminem often said that one of his most influential rappers in his career was Tupac Shakur, during an interview for the Tupac: Resurrection documentary.[24]

Drug use
Mathers is no stranger to drugs and alcohol, as suggested by a large number of his songs, including "Drug Ballad", "These Drugs" (with D12) and "Under the Influence". The song "I'm Shady" (The Slim Shady LP, 1999) includes the explanatory line: "Well, I do take pills (ecstasy, acid, or prescription drugs), don't do speed / don't do crack, don't do coke / I do smoke weed / don't do smack / I do do 'shrooms, do drink beer / I just wanna make a few things clear."

Other tracks, such as "Just Don't Give a Fuck", suggest cocaine use. However, with a sentence of two years of probation taking effect in 2001, during which he was subject to mandatory regular drug testing, his recreational drug use was put to an end. This is supported with references to his drug use in his music all but disappearing after 2001, and comments by late band-mate Proof, who stated that Mathers "sobered up".[25] However, he did turn to Zolpidem sleeping pills for relief of sleeping troubles and eventually went to rehab to recover from the addiction. In summer 2005, Mathers embarked on his first U.S. concert run in three years, the Anger Management 3 Tour, featuring Lil' Jon, 50 Cent and G-Unit, D12, Obie Trice, The Alchemist, and others. In August 2005, Mathers canceled the European leg of the tour and subsequently announced that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment for a "dependency on sleep medication".[26]

Eminem in D12
Main article: D12
In 2001, Mathers brought his rap group, D12, to the popular music scene. In 2001, D12 released their hit debut album Devil's Night (album).

The first single released off of the album was "Purple Pills" (radio named "Purple Hills"), an ode to recreational drug use (although this was preceded in the UK by a song called "Shit on You", which was included on the special edition version of the album). The version of the song released on the radio and music television was heavily rewritten to remove many of the song's obscene lyrics, and renamed "Purple Hills". While the first single was a hit, the album's second single, "Fight Music", was not as successful, in part due to its timing in relation to the 9/11 attacks.

After their debut, D12 took a three-year break from the studio, later regrouping to release their second (and possibly last[27]) album, D12 World, in 2004, which featured the popular hit single release "My Band". The other members of D12 have also appeared as guests on all of Mathers' albums since The Marshall Mathers LP.

On April 11, 2006, Proof was killed by a gunshot wound to the head at approximately 4:30am EDT (08:30 UTC) at the CCC Club on 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan after fatally shooting U.S. military veteran Keith Bender, Jr.

Proof was buried on April 20, 2006 in The Fellowship Chapel, Detroit to a full house of 2,000 with thousands mourning outside. Mathers and Obie Trice both read eulogies at the service.

An excerpt:

“ I'm sure everybody who has ever met him, even just once, can testify to the fact that he illuminated a room when he walked in it. I believe that Proof loved people and people loved him. He was a magnet. He lured you in. You wanted to learn about him, follow his swagger. Without Proof, there would be no Eminem, no Slim Shady, and no D12. ”

Recent events

2005
In 2005, some industry insiders speculated that Mathers was considering ending his rapping career after six years and several multi-platinum albums. Speculation began in early 2005 about a double-disc album to be released late that year, rumored to be titled The Funeral. [28] The album manifested itself under the name Curtain Call: The Hits, and was released on December 6, 2005 under Aftermath Entertainment. In July 2005, the Detroit Free Press broke news of a potential final bow for Mathers as a solo performer, quoting members of his inside circle who said that he will begin to fully embrace the role of producer and label executive. The Free Press, Mathers' hometown paper, wrote that the aptly titled Encore album would now stand as his final solo album.[29]

Mathers announced via MTV News that he does not plan on retiring soon: "When I say I'm taking a break, I'm taking a break from my music to go in the studio and produce my other artists and put their albums out. That's called taking a break for me. When I know my next move, I'll tell everyone my next move. Not some reporter who writes a story about 'This is Eminem's last album.' I never said Encore was my last album. I never said anything yet. I don't know what I'm doing yet. Nothing is definite, you know what I'm sayin'? Nothing is written in stone"[30] At "Anger Management" in Madison Square Garden and Atlanta's HiFi Buys Amphitheater, he openly announced that he is not retiring and indicates this is all just gossip by saying the moon exploding is a more credible rumor. However, many still speculate that he will be retiring and the announcement at Madison Square Garden was only a ploy to distract the fans. Adding to the already feverish rumors from fans, Mathers released a track on Curtain Call: The Hits entitled "When I'm Gone". The lyrics feature the topic of Slim Shady's destructive power over Marshall Mathers' life, and talks of laying his alter ego to rest, one line featuring the lyrics "I turn around, find a gun on the ground, cock it/ Put it to my brain, scream 'Die Shady!' and pop it. *gun fires*"

On December 6, 2005, the day Curtain Call: The Hits was released, Mathers denied that he was retiring on Detroit-based WKQI's "Mojo in the Mornin'" radio show, but implied that he would at least be taking a break as an artist, saying "I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going… This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call,' because this could be the final thing. We don't know."[31]

2006
Eminem had some activity since the release of Curtain Call: The Hits. Eminem also rapped a verse in a live performance of Busta Rhymes' "Touch It" remix at the 2006 BET Music Awards on June 27, 2006.

Eminem and Elton John have met up during 2006 to make a few records together; they originally decided to meet up during the month of April but later decided to meet up at a latter date due to the death of Proof. It is unknown whether a new single will be made between the two for a new Eminem album, but Elton was sure that there would be one on his new hip hop project[32].

On December 5, 2006, Eminem released an album compilation entitled Eminem Presents the Re-Up. It started out as a mixtape but Eminem found that the material was better than expected and released it as a full album. It was meant to help launch new Shady Records artists Stat Quo, Ca$his, and Bobby Creekwater. [33]

Eminem was featured on Akon's single "Smack That" which appeared on Akon's new album Konvicted. He also appears in the video with a new tattoo of his late friend Proof and a green polo. According to Akon, Eminem would cancel his retirement plans to make a new album. He said: "Eminem told me he was getting bored with everything, which is why he took a break. But he's back working on an album and I've got some records ready for him to use on it. We've talked about doing something together for so long, but our schedules made it impossible. It was our chemistry that got him out of retirement."[34] On November 19, "Smack That" topped the Official UK Singles Chart and claimed Eminem his 7th UK Number One Single. In December 2006, it was nominated for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. Producer Swizz Beatz has also said in an interview that he has sent some new tracks to Eminem. [35]

2007
According to 50 Cent, Eminem is recording a new album. He said:

He's got a new album coming. He's not gonna tell people that, but he's making new music. I've heard a few songs, and it's hot. He won't tell nobody he's working on a new album, but I'll tell you: he's working on new music. And once he locks into it, like, 'This is my favorite shit,' it's gonna come out.

When asked if the new material is angry or wacky, Jackson replies, "Both. The whole range. You know, Michael Jordan was supposed to play basketball. Floyd Mayweather was meant to box. And Eminem was meant to rap." [36] Ca$his, another Shady Records labelmate, said this new album is to be titled King Mathers. [37]

However, in August, Eminem's publicist Dennehy said, "There is no Eminem album on any release schedule." [38]

In September, Eminem called into New York radio station Hot 97 during a 50 Cent interview and confirmed he is hard at work on his first studio album in three years. He said, "I'm always working -- I'm always in the studio. It feels good right now, the energy of the label. For a while, I didn't want to go back to the studio ... I went through some personal things. I'm coming out of those personal things [and] it feels good." And though he jokingly said he'd release the new CD "tomorrow", there is no official release date, according to Interscope. [39] Dr. Dre told the Los Angeles Times that he will now devote two months to work on Eminem's new highly-anticipated album, saying "We'll be trying to get his thing done and work on a few things on my own project".[40]

In October, a DJ Whoo Kid untitled track was leaked but there is no information on when it was recorded. [41] It was announced that on November 13 he is going to release a new DVD, Live from New York City[42]; the 2005 Madison Square Garden concert was originally aired on the Showtime network in December 2005. The concert was shown on a few occasions on MTV in Europe. It features D12, Obie Trice and Stat Quo. During an interview, D12 member Bizarre said that Interscope doesn't want D12's third album to be released until after Eminem's next album. [43] He also said that Eminem isn't featured on his new album Blue Cheese & Coney Island because "he's busy doing his thing". [44] 50 cent confirmed that on the new G-Unit album, Shoot to Kill, that will be released in December, there will be a track with Eminem[45]. Lil Wayne stated that he has the craziest song for Eminem on his new album, Tha Carter III, but that he hasn't "sent it over yet". [46]

In November, 50 Cent said Eminem won't tour again because of his daughter. He told MTV One: "I've toured more than him because he has Hailie and he likes to physically be at the house. A lot of people don't know the reason behind him touring less - but Hailie would put boxes in front of the door thinking this would stop him going. He would fly back on a private plane after the show so he could drive her to school in the morning so for him the tour was exhausting." [47]

Ventures

Acting career
Mathers made his Hollywood acting debut with the semi-autobiographical 8 Mile, released in November 2002. He has said the movie is not an account of his life, but a representation of growing up in Detroit. He recorded several new songs for the soundtrack, including "Lose Yourself", which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song; it was not performed at the ceremony, reportedly because ABC wanted him to perform an edited version. Mathers voiced a character in 50 Cent: Bulletproof, who is an aging corrupt police officer that speaks in Ebonics. He has also done some voice acting, both on Crank Yankers and a web cartoon called The Slim Shady Show, which has since been pulled off-line and is instead sold on DVD. Eminem will star in the upcoming film Have Gun — Will Travel in which he will play a bounty hunter called Paladin. He will also be involved in either the soundtrack or scoring.[48] He has also stated a movie production company called “Interscope/Shady/Aftermath Films” with Dr. Dre. The company has worked on 50 Cent's debut movie Get Rich or Die Tryin' and will work on Eminem's next movie Have Gun — Will Travel.

Shady Records
Main article: Shady Records
As Mathers succeeded in multi-platinum record sales, Interscope granted him his own record label. He and his manager Paul Rosenberg created Shady Records in late 2000. He followed this by signing his own Detroit collective D12 and rapper Obie Trice to the label. In 2002, Mathers signed 50 Cent through a joint venture between Shady and Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. In 2003, Mathers and Dr. Dre signed on Atlanta rapper Stat Quo to the Shady/Aftermath roster. DJ Green Lantern, the former DJ for Mathers, was signed to Shady Records until a dispute related to the 50 Cent and Jadakiss feud forced him to depart from the label; he is no longer associated with Mathers. [49] The Alchemist is now officially Mathers' tour DJ. In 2005, Mathers officially signed another Atlanta rapper known as Bobby Creekwater to his label along with west coast rapper Ca$his.

In the Anger Management Tour of 2003 The Alchemist hurt his wrist, preventing him from being the tour's DJ. Clinton Sparks filled in for him, with the rectom playing and his name is mentioned on the album numerous times.

Eminem as a producer
See also: Eminem production discography
Mathers is also active as a producer of rap records. Besides being the executive producer of D12's two albums, Devil's Night and D12 World, he has also executive produced Obie Trice's Cheers and Second Round's on Me as well as 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre. In addition, Mathers has produced and appeared on several songs by other famous rappers, such as Jadakiss' "Welcome To D-Block", Jay-Z's "Renagade" and "Moment of Clarity" Lloyd Banks' "Warrior Part 2", and "Hands Up", Tony Yayo's "Drama Setter", Trick Trick's "Welcome 2 Detroit", and Xzibit's "My Name" and "Don't Approach Me". Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Mathers himself, with co-production from longtime collaborator Jeff Bass. He also split the production with Dr. Dre on Encore. In 2004, Mathers was the Executive Producer of 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Game with 2Pac's mother Afeni Shakur. He produced the UK #1 single "Ghetto Gospel" which featured Elton John. On certain tracks on the album, 2Pac's voice was slowed down and digitally altered to match the beat and make him say things like "2005" and "G-Unit", angering many fans. He has also produced "The Cross" off Nas's album God's Son. On August 15, 2006, Obie Trice released Second Round's on Me. Eminem produced 8 tracks on the album. He was also featured in the song "There They Go".

Controversy

Alleged homophobia
With the enormous popularity of The Marshall Mathers LP, the controversy surrounding him grew even larger, especially when it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Though Mathers had always claimed that his lyrics were not meant to be taken seriously, and that he had nothing against homosexuals or women, the gay rights group GLAAD organized a boycott of the Grammys. Ironically, at the Grammys Eminem performed his hit "Stan", with Elton John singing the chorus. Eminem said he did not know Elton John was gay, but he told Kurt Loder after the awards show that he respected him: "Of course I'd heard of Elton John," Eminem said, "but I didn't know he was gay. I didn't know anything about his personal life. I didn't really care, but being that he was gay and he had my back, I think it made a statement in itself saying that he understood where I was coming from."[50] He had also included it on his Curtain Call: The Hits compilation album. Eminem is known to be featured on a future album release by Elton John.[51]

Violence towards women
The two songs most often cited as examples in The Marshall Mathers LP of Mathers' supposed misogyny were "Kill You", and "Kim." Critics claimed[52][53] the former portrayed extremely violent abuse against women in general and contained a line about him raping his own mother. In the latter, despite his conflicting expressions of love and hate throughout the track, he ends up slitting Kim's throat at the end, accompanied by cries of "Bleed, bitch, bleed!" Several people objected to the graphic description of domestic violence. On the clean version of the CD, the track was removed and replaced with a song almost entirely devoid of profanity called "The Kids."

In 2005, Eminem was a subject of criticism in Bernard Goldberg's book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America, being ranked at #58.[54] Goldberg cited a 2001 column by Bob Herbert of New York Times claiming, "In Eminem's world, all women are whores and he is eager to rape and murder them."[55] The Eminem song "No One's Iller" was also used by Goldberg as an example of misogyny in his music.[56]

Criticism from other artists
Eminem's provocative style has resulted in a number of high-profile feuds erupting between the rapper and some of his music industry peers. In almost all of these disputes Eminem and other have more-or-less made peace. He has used his many connections within the music industry, especially with mixtape DJs, to release many unofficial diss tracks. His partnership with DJ Green Lantern, while it lasted, led to several mixtapes entitled The Invasion. On these mixtapes there were many songs unrelated to the animosity between Eminem and his labelmates and other artists, though the majority of the songs could easily be called diss tracks. The harshest of these was the second, called Conspiracy Theory. It had several songs by Eminem attacking a range of artists, particularly Ja Rule and Benzino, including "Bump Heads," "Doe Ray Me," and a remix of the Tupac (2Pac) song "Hail Mary" (with no contribution from the original artist).

Eminem's "Mosh" marked the end of the long feud between Moby and Eminem; when Moby complimented both the song and Eminem for his politically charged song on his blog. Eminem has not attacked or criticized Moby since.

Chuck D of Public Enemy has shared both positive and negative critique of Eminem having called him the "new" Elvis Presley.:"Eminem is the new Elvis Presley because, number one, he has the respect for black music that Elvis had. I think he's courteous and sympathetic to black music and, unfortunately, he's more sympathetic to black music than many black artists themselves." [57]

In 2003, "Weird Al" Yankovic was denied permission to make a video for "Couch Potato", his parody of Eminem's "Lose Yourself". "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my 'Lose Yourself' parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career."[58] For the Poodle Hat Al TV special, Yankovic raised the question of artistic expression in a false interview with Eminem. As Yankovic has always done for his Al TV specials, he edited the footage of a previous Eminem interview and inserted himself asking questions such that it unmasked Eminem as a hypocrite on the matter of an artist's right to free speech.[59]

Criticism of George W. Bush

Eminem votes in the video "Mosh".On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service admitted it was "looking into" allegations that Mathers had threatened the President of the United States after the unreleased song "We As Americans" leaked onto the Web. The lyrics in question: "Fuck money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents...". The song in question, titled "We As Americans", was being recorded possibly for Encore but wound up on a bonus CD accompanying the album instead.[60] The second use of the word "dead" was backmasked in that version, sounding like head. The word was also used in Immortal Technique's song "Bin Laden", stated near the end. Immortal Technique also attacks the president on the song. His song "White America" from the The Eminem Show album states a long supposed "anti-American" speech:

"sent to lead the march right up to the steps of congress, and piss on the lawns of the White House, to burn the flag and replace it with a parental advisory sticker, to spit liquor in the faces of in this democracy of hypocrisy, fuck you Ms. Cheney, fuck you Tipper Gore, fuck you with the freest of speech this divided states of embarrassment will allow me to have, FUCK YOU!".

"White America" also brought the U.S. Secret Service attention at first, but gave up after seeing a statement from Eminem after the song:

"*laughs* I'm just playing America, you know I love you".

On October 26, 2004, a week before the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, Eminem released the video for his song titled "Mosh" on the internet. The song features a very strong anti-Bush message, with lyrics such as "fuck Bush" and "this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president." The video features Mathers gathering up an army of people (including rapper Lloyd Banks) presented as victims of the Bush administration and leading them to the White House. However, once the army breaks in, it is revealed that they are there to simply register to vote, and the video ends with the words "VOTE Tuesday November 2" on the screen.

After Bush won the election, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading while Bush was giving a speech.

Michael Jackson
On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Eminem's first single off Encore, Michael Jackson called into the Los Angeles-based Steve Harvey radio show to report his displeasure with the video, which parodies Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery, and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984. The lyrics to "Just Lose It" also refer to Jackson's legal troubles, however he does state in his song "...and that's not a stab at Michael/Thats just a metaphor/I'm just psycho...". Many of Jackson's supporters and friends spoke out about the video, including Stevie Wonder, who called the video "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit".[61] and Steve Harvey who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back." [61]

Regarding Jackson's protest, "Weird Al" Yankovic, who parodied the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" on a track titled "Couch Potato" on his 2003 album Poodle Hat, told the Chicago Sun-Times, "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my "Lose Yourself" parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career. So the irony of this situation with Michael is not lost on me".[62]
Wikipedia - Eminem

Dr. Dre

André Romell Young (born February 18, 1965 in Compton, California), better known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, actor and record executive. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records.

He was a founding member of the influential rap group N.W.A., which popularized the use of explicit lyrics in rap detailing the violence of street life (also known as Gangsta rap). He has also produced albums for and overseen the careers of some of the biggest stars in (mostly) rap music, including 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, G-Unit, The Game, Nate Dogg, Busta Rhymes, and Eve. With tens of millions of records he has produced sold worldwide (including over 65 million with Eminem alone[1]), he is widely regarded as one of the most popular and powerful figures in rap music of all time.

Musically, as a producer he is credited as a key figure in the creation and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a style of rap music characterized as synthesizer-based with slow, heavy beats. G-funk dominated the U.S. rap charts in the period of 1992–1996, and is still considered one of the major living styles of hip hop today.

His stage name "Dr. Dre" was derived from his nickname and that of his favorite basketball athlete, Julius "Dr. J" Erving.

Biography

Early years
André Young was born in Compton, California in 1965. His parents divorced soon after he was born; his mother later married the father of future West Coast rapper Warren Griffin III, known as Warren G.

Young started his career as a drug dealer, and it was at a gig at the nightclub Eve After Dark that he connected with its owner, Alonzo Williams. Williams would bring together local talent and form the World Class Wreckin' Cru and Kru-Cut Records in 1984. The World Class Wreckin' Cru would become stars of the electro-hop scene that dominated early-80's West Coast hip hop, and their first hit "Surgery" would prominently feature Dr. Dre on the turntables. It was during this time with Kru-Cut that Young would first work with fellow Wreckin' Cru member (and future creative partner) DJ Yella; singer and girlfriend Michel'le, recording "Turn Off The Lights", which would become a local hit in 1987; and rapper Ice Cube, whose group C.I.A. was signed to Kru-Cut.

In addition to his work with the World Class Wreckin' Cru, Young gained a reputation as a capable mixtape DJ. On one release, "'86 in the Mix", he edited 300 hip hop records into one 60 minute mix. He continued to make and sell mix tapes at a local swap-meet in L.A. until as late as 1989, before finally dropping the practice to fully concentrate on his rap career.

N.W.A. and Ruthless Records
Main article: N.W.A.
Until this point, hip-hop had been considered a relatively benign form of music and free of profanity. N.W.A. however, along with fellow west coast rapper Ice T, debuted with rhymes including profanity and gritty depictions of crime and life on the street. No longer constricted to racially charged political issues pioneered by rap artists such as Public Enemy or Boogie Down Productions, N.W.A shot out with hardcore and realistic perspective of street violence and local black gangster lifestyle. Propelled by the hit "Fuck tha Police", the group's first full album Straight Outta Compton became a major success, selling over 3,000,000 copies despite an almost complete absence of radio-airplay and major concert tours.

As a producer, Young's vocals were limited on the album, but he achieved notoriety in 1991 after assaulting television host Dee Barnes after she aired a segment reporting on the feud between the remaining N.W.A. members and recently departed member Ice Cube. Possibly to compensate for Ice Cube's absence, he began to rap more on the group's second album Efil4zaggin. He also produced tracks for a number of other rap acts on Ruthless Records, including Above the Law, and his friend The D.O.C.'s album No One Can Do It Better. Young frequently used studio musicians for tracks, and his work with N.W.A. was co-produced by DJ Yella. Later, The D.O.C. would say that his album would be the one record that Dr. Dre produced from start to finish without help from any outside contributors (see references for details).

Death Row Records
Despite pioneering N.W.A.'s sound as the group's principal producer, Dr. Dre complained of unfair contracts that left him with little compensation for the group's tremendous profits (lead rapper and principal lyricist Ice Cube had left following the release of Straight Outta Compton due to similar complaints). After a dispute with Wright, Young left the group at the peak of its popularity in 1991 under the advice of friend, and N.W.A. lyricist, The D.O.C. and his bodyguard at the time, Suge Knight. Knight, a notorious strongman and intimidator, was somehow able to have Wright release Young from his contract, and using Dr. Dre as his flagship artist, founded Death Row Records after securing a distribution deal with the fledgling Interscope Records, helmed by future head of Universal Music Jimmy Iovine

While N.W.A. had sold two million records of their breakthrough album Straight Outta Compton, they had been a counter-culture phenomenon, and done so on an independent label (Ruthless Records) without radio airplay or major acceptance from the mainstream record industry. Interscope head Iovine saw promise in Young's music, and saw his new sweet, synthesizer-based sound as a way of palletizing the hard beats of gangsta rap and giving it a more mainstream appeal. "One reason I hadn't been that interested in hip-hop is most hip-hop records sounded cheap, tinny", Iovine said later in a 2006 interview with the Los Angeles Times. "But Dre's music sounded better on my speakers than most rock records. I didn't know hip-hop, but I knew my speakers, and this was fantastic". (See references for details.)

Young released his first solo single "Deep Cover", (also known as "187") in the spring of 1992. This was the beginning of his collaboration with Calvin Broadus, Jr., or Snoop Doggy Dogg (now known as Snoop Dogg), a promising young rapper introduced to him by his step-brother, Warren G (see references for details). In 1992, Young released his debut album The Chronic under Death Row Records. Until this point, rap had been primarily party music (e.g., Def Jam Recordings's The Beastie Boys), or angry and politically charged (e.g. Public Enemy, X-Clan, etc.), and the music had consisted almost entirely of samples and breakbeats. Young ushered in a new style of rap, both in terms of musical style and lyrical content.[2]

Artistically, The Chronic continued to describe gang life much in the same way that Young's former group N.W.A. had, but with more of a focus on women and soft drugs (hence the title of The Chronic, which refers to high-grade marijuana). The beats were slower and mellower, borrowing from late 1970s/early 1980s Funk music by George Clinton and his group Parliament. By mixing these early influences with original live instrumentation, he created a distinctive musical style later to be known as G-funk.

Although the album was initially unheralded, on the strength of singles such as "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang", featuring protege Snoop Doggy Dogg and hits like "Let Me Ride" and "Fuck wit Dre Day (and Everybody's Celebratin')" (Shortened to "Dre Day" for radio and television play), The Chronic became a cultural phenomenon and a multi-platinum seller, and is now widely considered to be one of rap's all-time classic albums.

It soon became virtually impossible to hear mainstream hip-hop that wasn't affected in some way by Young. Hip-hop, which had once been a sample and break-beat centered music rising primarily form New York and other East Coast cities, began to see a shift in attention to the West Coast, where the G-funk style created by Dr. Dre was the most influential. Indeed, were it not for the influence of Dr. Dre, it's possible that the infamous "East Coast/West Coast" feud of the mid-1990s might never have even transpired, as the West would have had no competing style of rap or even many visible artists with which to contrast to New York's.

The following year, Young produced Broadus' debut album Doggystyle, with similar subject matter and musical style. Doggystyle achieved phenomenal success, being the first debut album for an artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard charts. It went on to sell over 5 million copies. Young was also instrumental in the creation of other hit west coast records, including the Death Row act Tha Dogg Pound's album Dogg Food, and influenced his own step-brother Warren G's album Regulate...G Funk Era.

In 1995, just as Death Row Records was signing rapper 2Pac and positioning him as their major star, Young left Death Row Records amidst a contract dispute and growing concerns that label boss Suge Knight was corrupt, financially dishonest and out of control. In an interview with The Source shortly after his departure, Dr. Dre alluded to incidents such as Knight's beating of an engineer as pivotal in his decision to leave. He formed his own boutique label Aftermath Entertainment directly underneath Death Row's distributor, the Jimmy Iovine-helmed Interscope Records. Not long after Young's departure, the fortunes of Death Row took a dramatic turn, following the death of 2Pac and racketeering charges against Knight. Within the next few months, the label's final major star Snoop Doggy Dogg would also leave and Knight would go to prison. The label entered a steady decline, and now makes profits almost entirely off of old works recorded during its heyday.

Aftermath Entertainment
The Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath album, released at the end of the year, featured songs by the newly signed Aftermath artists, and a solo track "Been There, Done That". The track was intended as a symbolic good-bye to gangsta rap, in which Young suggested that he was moving on to another level of music and lifestyle. While initially going gold (500,000 units), the album was considered a critical disappointment by Dre's standards, failing to raise much talk of the label. Today, the compilation album is most notable for the fact that none of the artists introduced on the record went on to successful careers. In 1997, Young produced several tracks on Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album; although the album went platinum, it was met with similarly negative reviews from critics. Rumors began to abound that Aftermath was facing financial difficulties.[3]

The turning point for Aftermath came in 1998, when Jimmy Iovine, the head of Aftermath's parent label Interscope, suggested that Young sign the white Detroit rapper Marshall Mathers, artistically known as Eminem, to Aftermath. Interscope saw promise in Mathers, but feared that the fact he was white would harm his credibility in the overwhelmingly black market of hip hop. It was hoped that pairing him with Young would help establish him as a credible star (since then, Iovine has made similar matches with other Interscope artists, pairing Canadian singer Nelly Furtado with hip-hop producer Timbaland, and former ska-pop No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani with Pharrell Williams). Young produced three songs and provided vocals for two on his controversial album, ("My Name Is", "Guilty Conscience" and "Role Model") in 1999.[4] On these tracks, Eminem's over-the-top "Slim Shady" persona was contrasted with Dre's older, more sober, post-gangsta attitude to rap. On the song "Guilty Conscience", Dre and Eminem give conflicting advice to people faced with moral dilemmas, with Dre urging the song's characters to do the right thing, and Eminem urging them to give in to their darkest impulses. At the end of the track, Eminem begins to protest that Dre's "do right" advice is coming from the same man who had a physical altercation with TV host Dee Barnes in his younger, wilder years (the incident was later resolved out of court). At first, Dre protests that those were older times, but eventually sighs "fuck it" and sides with Eminem's "evil" reaction. Eminem's debut album initially sold over 3 million copies, making it Aftermath's most successful release at the time.

When Dr. Dre released his second solo album, 2001 (sometimes referred to by fans as '"The Chronic 2001"'- The planned title '"The Chronic 2000"' was scrapped after former label Death Row released a compilation disc under the same name) in the fall of 1999, it was an ostentatious return to his gangsta rap and g-funk roots. To prove the point, the first single "Still D.R.E." re-united Young with Death Row collaborator Snoop Dogg, and made renewed references to good marijuana and expensive cars, declaring "[I] still got love for the streets". Once again, the album featured about as much of Dre's voice as the voices of numerous collaborators, including Devin the Dude, Hittman, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Nate Dogg and Eminem. The album was highly successful, charting at number two on the Billboard charts[5] and has since been certified six times platinum, thus reaffirming a recurring theme featured in its lyrics, stating that Dr. Dre was still a force to be reckoned with, despite the lack of major releases in the previous few years.

Eminem's Slim Shady LP was followed by the even more successful and controversial second release, The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000. The album featured angrier vocals from Eminem and took his "Slim Shady" persona to dizzying extremes (in a 2000 Spin magazine article, Eminem credited his improved vocals to Young's coaching). The album eventually went on to sell over 9 million copies in the U.S, and established Eminem as one of the biggest music stars in the world.

In 2000, Dre won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, for his work on "The Marshall Mathers LP" and 2001. The albums followed a new musical direction, characterized by high-pitched piano and string melodies over a deep and rich bassline. The style was also prominent in his following production work for other artists, including hits such as "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" by Eve and Gwen Stefani (whom he would produce again on the Stefani and Eve track "Rich Girl"), "Break Ya Neck" by Busta Rhymes, and "Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige.

By the time Eminem's third album The Eminem Show was released in 2002, Mathers was producing the bulk of his output himself. However, Eminem's association with Dr. Dre remained a large part of Eminem's identity in rap. The Eminem Show sold over 20 million copies worldwide and was an unqualified success.

In 2003, Dr. Dre and Eminem produced the major-label debut Get Rich or Die Tryin' for Queens rapper 50 Cent, featuring the Dre-produced hit single "In da Club", as a joint production between Aftermath, Eminem's boutique label Shady Records and Interscope. On the eve of its release Dre declared it to be one of the best rap albums made in the past ten years, an opinion the record-buying public enthusiastically agreed with. The album went on to sell over 11 million albums worldwide, establishing yet another major rap star under Aftermath and the Interscope umbrella.

In early 2005, Aftermath released rapper The Game's debut album The Documentary in conjunction with Interscope and rapper 50 Cent's boutique label G-Unit Records. Propelled by the lead single "How We Do" produced by Dr.Dre and Mike Elizondo and featuring 50 Cent, the album sold 586,000 copies in its first week and eventually sold over 2 million copies in the U.S., and over 5 million worldwide, establishing yet another superstar under the Aftermath label.

Shortly after, Aftermath/Shady released 50 Cent's second album The Massacre, which fared even better, selling over 1 million records in a short week (the album was rushed out to combat bootlegging). It eventually went on to sell over 5 million copies in the U.S alone, and went on to become the second highest-selling album of 2005 (it was initially declared the highest selling, however, singer Mariah Carey's 2005 release The Emancipation of Mimi continued to chart throughout early 2006 and eventually outstripped it by a small margin).

However, a falling-out between The Game and 50 Cent apparently created a rift at Aftermath. After being kicked out of 50 Cent's G-Unit group on-air during a February 2005 interview on Hot 97 (see references for details), the two parties engaged in what is arguably the biggest modern day feud. For more information please see G-Unit vs. The Game. To date, Dr. Dre has not spoken publicly about this matter, but for whatever reason The Game's second album, released November 14, 2006, and ironically titled Doctor's Advocate, was released on Geffen Records rather than on Dr. Dre's Aftermath label, and does not feature any production from him (in a XXL interview, The Game states that his public attacks and criticisms against Aftermath labelmate 50 Cent went against Dr. Dre's wishes, and is what led to the falling out). On the title track, The Game emotionally apologizes to Dr. Dre for disobeying his word. In a November 2006 interview with the website Allhiphop.com, The Game stated that he recently spoke with Dr.Dre via telephone, and that Dre congratulated him on his new album and wished him the best. He has also vowed that he will work with his mentor Dr. Dre again, although to date there are no quotes available from Dr. Dre himself that confirm either of these claims. Dr. Dre has also appeared in the movies The Wash and Training Day. He later stated that he does not intend to pursue a career in acting, however he did compose the music for Bad Boys 2. A song of his, "Bad Intentions" (featuring Knoc-Turn'Al) and produced by Mahogany, was featured on The Wash soundtrack. Dre also appeared on two other songs "On the Blvd." and "The Wash" along with his co-star Snoop Dogg.

Recent events
Dr. Dre is considered a perfectionist by many who have worked with him, and while some projects he has worked on have come together relatively quickly (ie. 50 Cent's debut album, which was recorded and released within a year of his signing to Shady/Aftermath), he is often notoriously slow releasing announced albums. Among planned but never released albums are a full length reunion with Snoop Dogg titled Breakup to Makeup, an album with fellow former N.W.A member Ice Cube which was to be titled Heltah Skeltah, an N.W.A reunion album, and a joint album with fellow producer Timbaland to be titled Chairmen of the Board. To date, none of these albums have come to fruition (see interviews with Snoop Dogg, the D.O.C., and Dr. Dre with Scratch magazine listed below in references respectively).

Main article: Detox (Dr. Dre album)
Perhaps the best-known of these delayed releases is that of his planned final solo album, Detox, which was first announced around 2000. In 2004, he declared the project cancelled, as he decided to put all his effort into producing the artists on his Aftermath label, including Eminem, 50 Cent, Eve, Stat Quo and Busta Rhymes, and to spread the completed Detox tracks to their albums. However, in November 2004, Dr. Dre and Interscope confirmed that Detox was still in the works and is currently scheduled to be released in the June of 2008. On Eminem's song "Encore", which features Dr. Dre, he says "Aftermath... 2006...and don't worry about that Detox-album...we gon' make Dre do it." Also, in The Game's 2005 song "Higher", Dr. Dre makes a brief appearance to announce, "Look out for Detox". In a video on Bishop Lamont's myspace page, a video with Dr. Dre and Lamont in the interview confirmed that Detox will be released in September of 2007. In an onstage appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 9th, 2007, Dre addressed eager fans by saying "..Detox is coming..".[6]

According to RapDimension, Dr. Dre has stated that although he isn't far from completing his final album 'Detox', the album has been pushed back to an 08 release. Fans have been waiting for 'Detox' for years.[7]

Currently, Dre is working with Raekwon on his album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II. Other albums he has worked on are Young Buck's Buck the World, Bishop Lamont's The Reformation, 50 Cent's Curtis, Chauncey Black's Church Boy, Papoose's The Nacirema Dream and albums for Eve and G.A.G.E.. It is also said that he has produced some tracks on Lil Wayne's new album Tha Carter III. Also Dr. Dre may work with The Game again on his rumored-to-be last album.

In February 2007, it was announced that Dr. Dre would produce "Dark Comedies" and Horror films for New Line-owned company Crucial Films, along with longtime video director Phillip Atwell. Dr. Dre announced "This is a natural switch for me, since I've directed a lot of musicvideos, and I eventually want to get into directing".[8]

He has also stated a movie production company called Interscope/Shady/Aftermath Films with Eminem, The company has worked on 50 Cent's debut movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

Personal wealth
Young has been a regular on Rolling Stone magazine's "Annual 50 Richest Rock Stars" list since its first installment in 2001. In 2001, he earned $51.9 million U.S., including $35 million from the sale of 30% of his share of Aftermath records to parent label Interscope.

In Rolling Stone's 2004 list, it was reported that Young charges a "Friends and Family" rate of $75,000 for artists affiliated with him. On top of the flat fees, he earns an additional 5% production royalty and label profits for Aftermath artists.

For outside work, his rate is considerably higher. Rolling Stone reported that he earned $2 million for his work on the hit Mary J. Blige song "A Family Affair" in 2001, and that he earns roughly $250,000 per track for co-production on songs such as Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl". His personal wealth is estimated by the website panachereport.com to exceed $150 million, making him number 6 on their "Top Ten Richest People in Hip Hop 2006" list. [9]

Music
Musical influences and style
Dr. Dre has said that his primary instrument in the studio is the MPC3000, a drum machine and sampler, and that he uses as many as four or five to produce a single recording. He cites George Clinton, Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield as primary musical influences. Unlike most rap producers, he tries to avoid samples as much as possible, preferring to have studio musicians re-play pieces of music he wants to use, because it allows him more flexibility to change the pieces in rhythm and tempo (see references for details, Scratch Magazine 2004). In 2001, he told Time magazine, "I may hear something I like on an old record that may inspire me, but I'd rather use musicians to re-create the sound or elaborate on it. I can control it better."[10]

When he does sample older records -usually for vocals- he tends to blend the samples with live guitars, bass, synthesizers, and on The Chronic track "Lil' Ghetto Boy", jazz flute, creating a soundscape where it often becomes difficult to tell where the sample ends and the original music begins. Dr. Dre's blend of hard rap beats combined with synthesizers and soul samples is known as "g-funk".

After founding Aftermath Entertainment in 1996, Dr. Dre took on producer Mel-Man as a co-producer, and his music took on a more synthesizer-based sound, using less vocal samples (As he had used on "Lil' Ghetto Boy" and "Let Me Ride" on The Chronic, for example). Mel-Man has not shared co-production credits with Dr. Dre since approximately 2002, but fellow Aftermath producer Focus has credited Mel-Man as a key architect of the signature Aftermath sound - see references for details (Note: In 2003 The Source magazine reported that Mel-Man had left Aftermath, though in 2004, Focus mentioned in an interview with Aftermathmusic that Mel-man had re-joined the label).

In 2000, Dr. Dre began his long collaboration with Los Angeles based bassist, guitarist and keyboardist Mike Elizondo, who has also produced, written and played on records for female singers Poe, Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette. Elizondo's first major collaboration with Dr. Dre was for Eminem's single "The Real Slim Shady", and he went on to co-write Dr. Dre-produced hits such as "A Family Affair" for Mary J.Blige. His first credit as co-producer with Dre was on 50 Cent's "In Da Club". He has since been listed as a co-producer on the bulk of Dr. Dre's releases.

In 2004, Dr. Dre told Scratch magazine that he has been studying piano and music theory formally, and that a major goal is to accumulate enough musical theory to score movies. In the same interview he stated that he has collaborated with famed 60's songwriter Burt Bacharach by sending him hip-hop beats to play over, and hopes to have an in-person collaboration with him in the future (see references). While Dr. Dre tracks remain drum machine-based and synthesizers remain an important part of his sound, in recent years his music has become more orchestral, sparse and featured more classical instruments such as piano and strings, examples being the 2006 song "Imagine", recorded for Snoop Dogg; and "Lost Ones," recorded for Jay-Z.

Work ethic
Dr. Dre has stated that he is a perfectionist, and is known to push the artists he records with to give flawless performances. As he told Scratch magazine in 2004, "You got to come in and go to work, man...you're not going to work harder than me. The harder you work, the harder I'm going to work." In 2006, Dubcnn.com mentioned during an interview with Snoop Dogg that Dre had made new artist Chauncey Black re-record a single bar of vocals 107 times. Snoop replied, "[T]hat's just how he gets down. I went and did a song with the nigga, the nigga made me do each word, word for word, until I got it right" (See references for details).

Dr. Dre has stated that his famous collaborator Eminem is a fellow perfectionist, and attributes his success on Aftemath to his like-minded work ethic. As he told Scratch in the same interview, "[H]e came in, and he works his ass off. Everybody that came in the studio and really put their thing down, and really put it together has been successful with me. Everybody else that I've worked with that's slacking ends up having to go to somewhere else to do their thing" (see references).

A consequence of this perfectionism is that some artists that initially sign deals with Dre's Aftermath label never release albums. In 2001, Aftermath released the soundtrack to the movie "The Wash". featuring a number of Aftermath acts such as Shaunta, Daks, Joe Beast and Toi. To date, none have released full-length albums on Aftermath and have apparently ended their relationships with the label and Dr. Dre. Other noteworthy acts to leave Aftermath without releasing albums include 2001 vocalist Hittman and 1980s rap icon Rakim (see references for details).

Musical allegations
Unlike the majority of hip-hop tracks even to this day, Dr. Dre's tracks have featured a large amount of live instrumentation, and he has often been praised for his musical ability. But since his earliest work in rap, Dr. Dre has produced records with the help of outside musicians, leading to allegations that he does not actually produce a significant portion of the tracks that are credited to his name. To date, only 3 co-producers have shared production credits alongside Young officially- DJ Yella on N.W.A. albums, Mel-Man on Aftermath releases between the label's inception and until approximately 2002, and most recently, Mike Elizondo, a Los Angeles-based bassist.

However, over the years word of other collaborators has surfaced. During his tenure at Death Row Records, it was alleged that Dre's half brother Warren G and Tha Dogg Pound member Daz made many uncredited contributions to songs on his solo album The Chronic and Snoop Doggy Dogg's album Doggystyle (Daz received production credits on Snoop's similar-sounding, albeit less successful album Tha Doggfather after Young left Death Row Records).

It's known that Scott Storch, who has since gone on to become a successful producer in his own right, contributed to Dr. Dre's second album 2001; Storch is credited as a songwriter on several songs and played keyboards on several tracks. In 2006, he told Rolling Stone:

"At the time, I saw Dr. Dre desperately needed something," Storch says. "He needed a fuel injection, and Dre utilized me as the nitrous oxide. He threw me into the mix, and I sort of tapped on a new flavor with my whole piano sound and the strings and orchestration. So I'd be on the keyboards, and Mike [Elizondo] was on the bass guitar, and Dre was on the drum machine".[11]

Current collaborator Mike Elizondo, when speaking about his work with Young, describes their recording process as a collaborative effort involving several musicians. In 2004, he claimed to Songwriter Universe Magazine that he had written the foundations of the hit Eminem song "The Real Slim Shady", stating, "I initially played a bass line on the song, and Dre, Tommy Coster Jr. and I built the track from there. Em [Eminem] then heard the track, and he wrote the rap to it" [12]. This account is essentially confirmed by Eminem in his book "Angry Blonde"- in it, he states that the tune for the song was composed by a studio bassist and keyboardist while Dr.Dre was out of the studio -though he adds that Dre programmed the song's beat after returning (Eminem- "Angry Blonde". 2000, Regan Books, New York NY).

Furthermore, in the September 2003 issue of The Source, a group of disgruntled former associates of Dre complained that they had not received their full due for work on the label. A producer named Neff-U claimed to have produced the songs "Say What you Say" and "My Dad's Gone Crazy" on The Eminem Show, the songs "If I Can't" and "Back Down" on 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin', and the beat featured on Dr. Dre's commercial for Coors Beer (See references for details -Source Magazine, September 2003).

It should be noted that although Young studies piano and musical theory, he is not necessarily an instrumentalist himself. As he joked to Time magazine in 2001, "I bought a trumpet a couple of years ago, and everybody started hiding from me" [13]. In the same article, Time described a recording process in which Dr. Dre operates is more as a conductor than a musician himself-

Every Dre track begins the same way, with Dre behind a drum machine in a room full of trusted musicians. (They carry beepers. When he wants to work, they work.) He'll program a beat, then ask the musicians to play along; when Dre hears something he likes, he isolates the player and tells him how to refine the sound. "My greatest talent," Dre says, "is knowing exactly what I want to hear." [14]

However, the fact that Young does not play instruments on his records may not necessarily diminish his contributions as a record producer. Some of the controversy may stem from a dispute over what the term "producer" means in music. In Hip-hop, the role of producer is often simply given to the person who "creates the beat", be it through the use of a drum machine, keyboards, or even simply choosing samples and looping them. By this definition, allegations that Young was not the "real" producer of some tracks credited to him can have merit. However, the role of producer has generally been understood to mean controlling recording sessions, guiding performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. In this respect, Dr. Dre can be given the credit as the primary and most important producer, even in the face of these allegations.

In interviews, artists that have worked with Dr. Dre generally tend to credit him with bringing an overall artistic vision to projects, helping artists to give their best performances. In a 2006 interview with Allhiphop.com, Snoop Dogg talked about re-writing his lyrics to the single "That's That" after receiving advice from Young, and stating that his input is what made the song a hit. As Dr. Dre told Time Magazine in 2001, "One of the things I like most about producing is recording vocals," he says. "I like instructing people, but I'm also trying to bring out a good performance, so I work with them—encourage them."[15]

Although Snoop Dogg retains working relationships with Warren G and Daz, who are alleged to be uncredited contributors on the hit albums The Chronic and Doggystyle, he states that Dr. Dre is capable of making beats without the help of collaborators, and makes it clear where the credit for the success of his albums is due-

Beatmakers make beats. A lot of niggas make beats. [Dre] produces tracks. So that ain't disrespect what I'm saying. I'm just telling you what's real. I seen him make tracks from scratch. My whole record the nigga made damn near everything from scratch. [For the song] "Ain't No Fun", Daz and Warren G brought him the little [sings melody], that's all they had! Dre took that muthafucka to the next level! Warren G brought in the [sample of] Donny Hathaway [singing], "Little Ghetto Boy, laying in the ghetto streets". Dr. Dre flipped it like "Hold on, gimme that!" Took that muthafucka and made it straight hit!... They made beats, Dre produced that record. Point blank, and I'd say it in they face...I can make a beat, but I can't produce! I can make a beat, but can I tell a nigga what to rap about, can I tell him when to come with the hook? Can you break the beat down? That's what producing is.

It should be noted that Dre's prominent studio collaborators, including Scott Storch, Elizondo, Mark Batson and Dawaun Parker, have shared co-writing, instrumental, and more recently co-production credits on the songs where he is credited as the producer.

It is also widely acknowledged that most of Dr. Dre's raps are written for him by others, though he retains ultimate control over his lyrics and the themes of his songs. As Aftermath Producer Mahogany told Scratch: "It's like a class room in [the booth]. He'll have three writers in there. They'll bring in something, he'll recite it, then he'll say. 'Change this line, change this word,' like he's grading papers." (See references for details.) As seen in the credits for tracks Young has appeared on, there are often multiple people who contribute to his songs (although it should be noted that often in hip-hop many people are officially credited as a writer for a song, even the producer). As a member of N.W.A., The D.O.C. wrote lyrics for him while he stuck with producing (See D.O.C interview in references for details). When Young went to Death Row, Snoop Dogg took on a lot of the writing work for Dr. Dre, although it should be noted that Dre has never openly admitted or denied this. More recently, famed New York rapper Jay-Z ghostwrote lyrics for the 2001 single "Still D.R.E." (He is listed under the songwriting credits as "S. Carter", or Shawn Carter).

Controversies

Ruthless Records
When Dr. Dre started Death Row, he had left Ruthless Records, which was owned by his former N.W.A. group mate Eazy-E and their manager Jerry Heller who had been accused of stealing money from him and the group. As a result, Dr. Dre left, and on his debut album, The Chronic, he insulted them on the tracks "Fuck wit Dre Day" with the assistance of his new protégé Snoop Dogg, "Bitches Ain't Shit", and "Puffin' on Blunts and Drankin' Tanqueray". The next year, Eazy-E responded on his album [[It's on (Dr. Dre) 187 Um Killa]] with the songs "Real Muthaphuckkin G's", "Still a Nigga", and "It's on". The feud grew to embroil most artists on both labels.

Luke Campbell
This feud started when Luke antagonised N.W.A. on one of his videos and as a response Dr. Dre, and his new ally Snoop Dogg, attacked him on the track "Dre Day". Campbell responded with "Cowards in Compton". The video was a parody of Dr. Dre's hit "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang". Snoop Dogg responded on the second verse of his song "Tha Shiznit".

Death Row Records
With all the controversy and madness that surrounded Death Row, Dr. Dre left soon after to start Aftermath Entertainment. However, many artists on the Death Row label felt offended when Dr. Dre left Death Row and released several diss songs. 2Pac felt he had not been fair to them and Snoop Dogg when he had not gone to Snoop Dogg's murder case. This led 2Pac to attack him on "Toss It Up" "Still down for that Death Row sound, searchin for paydays/No longer Dre Day, arrivederci/Blown and forgotten, rotten for plottin Child's Play/Check your sexuality, as fruity as this Alize/Quick to jump ship, punk trick, what a dumb move/Cross Death Row, now who you gon' run to?" (also death sampled dre's beat no diggity on this song), "Fuck Friends" "What's up in 9-6? Fine tricks in drag/Fuck Dre, tell that bitch he can kiss my ass" "Against All Odds" "You living fantasies, nigga I reject your deposit/We shook Dre punk ass, now we out of the closet" and finally on the unreleased track "Fade Me" "Now I ain't dre baby/But won't you Let me ride " . Also, in "To Live and Die in L.A." 2Pac says "California love part mothafuckin' two, without gay ass Dre." However, despite this Dre rapped the lines "pussy you're not pac/i knew him/pac was a real nigga/you're just a fucking insult to him" in his song with Obie Trice and Eminem called "Shit Hits The Fan" on Obie Trice's album Cheers, these comments were aimed at Ja Rule. Daz Dillinger believed Dr. Dre had taken credit for productions he had done so Dillinger attacked Dr. Dre on the track "Don't Try To Play Me Homie". J-Flexx, Dr. Dre's former ghostwriter, who believed that Dr. Dre had cheated him out of his money, assailed him on a parody of Dr. Dre's hit "Been There, Done That", called "Who Been There, Who Done That". Later after 2001 Royce Da 5'9, another one of Dre's ghostwriters also dissed him.

In 2007, Dre struck back at the now defunct Death Row Records one last time. In the company's bankruptcy, Dre felt that the masters of his debut album, The Chronic, should go to him rather than be auctioned off.[16] The case is still pending.
Wikipedia - Dr. Dre