The Red and Black

Issue date: 6/15/00 Section: Variety

There's a fine line between real life and real psycho. But there's a fine line between real psycho and real record sales, too.

Little ol' Marshall Mathers (a.k.a. Eminem, a.k.a. Slim Shady) from Detroit and his newest album has inspired a controversial fire that has spread into the realm of debate over free speech.

The topic of Eminem's verbal venom has taken up residence on the Internet, inspiring chat room conversations galore.

Some artists have come to Mathers' defense. Rapper Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliot, who teamed up with Eminem on last year's 'Busa Rhymes' said in an interview with MTV, 'maybe it's just because I'm in control of myself, but none of his lyrics make me go out and do anything.'

But how angry is Eminem about all the talk? Especially when a scandal can help sell records. The 'Cop Killer' scandal over Ice-T's Body Count record helped the West Coast star -- until the controversial song turned up in the popular media, the album sales were poor. After a police boycott, the sales numbers took off.

Amidst all the controversy surrounding his lyrics, Eminem has had no problems selling albums. 'The Marshall Mathers LP' broke numerous records for sales, selling more albums in its first week than almost any other artist.

Summertime is a time for new music, not just Eminem. Here's a quick round-up of a few new releases and what you can expect in stores for the next couple of months.

'The History Of Rock' Kid Rock Grade: D

Kid Rock is so diverse. Think about it -- he plays the guitar, spins the turntables, raps and sings. He mixes Johnny Cash and Grandmaster Flash.

It's too bad he's also a self-proclaimed homophobic, a sexist, a druggie and alcoholic. And whoever said mixing Cash and Flash was a good idea?

I'm not the only one who thinks this is a bad idea, Kid Rock chimed in on 'Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp' by saying 'The million dollar talent/and the 10-cent brain.'

'The History of Rock' is not a new release and probably won't be considered a follow-up to the seven times platinum 'Devil Without a Cause.' It's made up of all old material.

The problem is, whatever success Kid Rock has found, was because he hit stride with 'Devil.' Before that, he was struggling to find a way to successfully produce the sounds he was looking for. These early recordings are like bloopers or out takes. They suck.

'The Marshall Mathers LP' Eminem Grade: A

This album is a car accident. Not sonically, but concerning what Slim Shady says on the record. It can be traumatic, but for some reason you can't peel yourself away from it.

There are two things undeniable about 'The Marshall Mathers LP': 1) Eminem is an incredibly gifted rapper and 2) it is certifiably disturbing.

The effect of his music is in the combination of Eminem's lyrics and the speed at which he delivers them. Check out lines like: 'Back when Mark Wahlberg was Marky Mark/This is how we used make the party start/We used to mix in/with Bacardi Dark/and when it/kicks in/you can hardly walk' on 'Drug Ballad.'

And why is this album disturbing? May I point to the insinuated raping of his mother? Or the actual sounds of his wife dying on 'Kim?' Or how about the sound of a suicidal fan taking both his life as well as his wife's?

Everyone gets a slice from Eminem's soundbite sword on this album. Ricky Martin, the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, Brittany Spears, Vanilla Ice, Puff Daddy, Insane Clown Posse, Christina Aguilera, his mom and his wife -- to name a few.

Before Eminem steps into his all-too-familiar homophobia land, he'll please tons of boy band haters with an L.F.O. take off that starts 'New Kids on the Block suck a lot of d@%$/Boy- Girl groups make me sick É .'

Understand that while what Eminem is saying obviously is wrong -- he has given us a fair forewarning. As Zack de la Rocha said, 'There's a thin line between entertainment and war.'

But Slim Shady also is an artist expressing himself. He tells us time and time again that he's 'probably got a few screws up in my head loose.' He warned you, so listen at your own risk.

ALREADY OUT:

¥ Lucy Pearl 'Lucy Pearl'

¥ Nashville Pussy 'High as Hell'

¥ Pearl Jam 'Binaural'

¥ Bon Jovi 'Crush'

¥ Uncle Kracker 'Double Wide'

¥ Busta Rhymes 'Anarchy'

¥ Deftones 'White Pony'

¥ Ruff Ryders 'Ryde Or Die Vol. II'

¥ Casutic Resin 'The Birth After'

¥ Sonic Youth 'nyc ghosts & flowers'

¥ Papa Roach 'Infest'

COMING IN JULY:

¥ 'Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'

¥ Canibus '2000 B.C.'

¥ Ani DiFranco 'Swing Set,' an ep of remixes and 3 unreleased tracks

¥ Everclear 'Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1/Learning How to Smile'

¥ The Chieftains '3 & 4'

¥ De La Soul 'Art Official Intelligence'

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