It features a few of Eminem’s tattoos and the reasons why he got each one of them as well as 50Cent’s indecision which finally led to the massive tattoo on his back.

Some of the rappers in the video are:

1. 2pac
2. Dr Dre
3. Eminem
4. Eve
5. 50 Cent

Related:

• Pharrell Removes Tattoos and models for Ice Cream Footwear
• Home Video of Nas Getting Tattooed

1. Rappers Tattoos – Home Video of Nas Getting Tattooed
2. 10 Rappers Tattoos including Lil’Wayne, Plies, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, The Game and Rick Ross
3. Pharrell Removes Tattoos and models for Ice Cream Footwear
4. Rapper 50 Cent Removes Tattoos for Hollywood Acting Career
5. Eminem: One of the Most Controversial Rappers of This Era

This book is ideal for beginners learning to rap, more experienced emcee wanting to learn how to rap better or rap music lovers who want to discover about the hip hop industry and rap artists.

The definitive guide to rapping, in the words of over 100 of the greatest MCs of all time. Also includes the first ever notational system for rap’s “flow”.

Never-before-seen advice and guidance from over 100 of Hip-Hop’s most acclaimed and successful MCs, including Big Daddy Kane, Nelly, Mobb Deep, Clipse, Black Eyed Peas, Twista, David Banner, Public Enemy and many more artists.

And insights from the interviewed artists into the work of Eminem, Jay-Z, Outkast, and many more

Title: How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC
By: Paul Edwards
Foreward by: Kool G Rap

• Book Website
• Book Reviews
• Order the book
• Featured Rap Artists

1. Does Hip Hop Promote Racial Stereotypes?
2. Learn to Rap with The Complete MC
3. I Gotta Feeling: The Black Eyed Peas Will Break All Billboard Records This Year
4. The Grime and Glory of the Hip-Hop Generation
5. Rap Beats And Hip Hop – How To Set Yourself Apart From The Rest Of The Aspiring Rappers And Singers

Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri. His stage name is Eminem (both of his initials put together) and has established himself as one of the most talented, but also one of the most controversial, rappers of this era. Mathers is both a Grammy and Oscar award-winner.

Mathers was raised in Warren, Michigan, and his early years in that city inspired his film, titled 8 Mile. The majority of his childhood was spent moving back and forth between St. Joseph, Missouri and Detroit, Michigan. His father deserted the family when Mathers was 15 months old, which did not help his family’s financial situation. Thus, Mathers and his family were forced to move constantly from home to home and community to community, which conceivably left him finding himself to be an outcast in new neighborhoods and schools.

Mathers had a shaky relationship with his mother, Debbie Mathers. In multiple interviews, he has stated that his mother abused drugs, in addition to accusing her of having Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a disorder in which the sufferer feigns or exaggerates symptoms of illnesses to gain attention, treatment, or sympathy. Though he did not have very affectionate feelings for his mother, he was especially close to his uncle, Ronald Dean “Ronnie” Polkingharn, who would become Mathers’s best friend. It was Polkingharn, who first introduced Mathers to hip hop. In 1991, Polkingharn committed suicide, which would leave Mathers devastated, so much so that he would abandon his musical aspirations for a year.

Upon failing ninth grade for his third time, Mathers would drop out of Lincoln High School at the age of 17, but not before meeting his future ex-wife Kimberly Ann “Kim” Scott and befriending the late rapper Proof, who would become his best friend. In 1995, Kim gave birth to Hailie Jade Scott, Mathers’ first and only child. Hailie is mentioned in several of Mathers’ hit singles, including “Hailie’s Song,” “Mockingbird,” and “When I’m Gone”.

Mathers, began performing at the young age of 13 and would make a name for himself as a young adult in the hip-hop underground, thanks in part to his unique style, lyrical content, as well as being white in a predominantly black genre. With his underground status gaining momentum thanks to countless rap battles and the release of his first independent album, Infinite, Mathers would eventually be discovered by rapper-producer Dr. Dre. With Dr. Dre in his corner as producer, Mathers would release his debut studio album, The Slim Shady LP, in 1999. At the end of the year, the album reached triple platinum status, thanks to hit singles such as, “My Name Is,” “97 Bonnie and Clyde,” and “Guilty Conscience.” Mathers’ album would also win Best Rap Album at the 2000 Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Solo Performance for “My Name Is”.

Mathers would follow up his successful debut, with The Marshall Mathers LP, which would go on to become an even bigger success debuting at the top of U.S. and U.K. album charts and achieving Diamond status (10 million copies sold) in the U.S. and selling 21 million worldwide. The album, which includes hit singles, “The Real Slim Shady,” “The Way I Am”, and “Stan,” would also win Best Rap Album, in addition to Best Rap Solo Performance for “The Real Slim Shady” honors at the 2001 Grammy Awards.

Mather’s next album, The Eminem Show, which includes hit singles, “Without Me,” “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” and “Sing for the Moment,” also topped U.S. and U.K. music charts during its debut release in the summer of 2002, selling about 19 million copies worldwide. The album would be Mather’s second album to be nominated for the coveted Grammy Award, Album of the Year (the other album being The Marshall Mathers LP). While failing to win Album of the Year honors, Mathers would take home Best Rap Album for the third year in a row.

In November 2002, Mathers made his acting debut with the semi-autobiographical 8 Mile, which would open at the top of the box office its opening weekend and go on to gross over $215,300,000 worldwide and another $130,000,000 in US home video sales. Mathers would also release a soundtrack for the film, 8 Mile Soundtrack, which would also debut at the top of U.S. and U.K. album charts. The album’s lead single, “Lose Yourself” would become an instant hit, winning Best Rap Song at the Grammy Awards, as well as an Oscar for Best Song at the 2002 Academy Awards.

In 2004, Mathers would release Encore, an album that would debut at #1 in both the U.S. and U.K. markets and eventually sell over 11 million copies worldwide. The album has produced hit singles including “Just Lose It,” “Like Toy Soldiers,” and “Mosh.” One year later, Mathers would release a greatest hits collection, Curtain Call: The Hits, which would also debut at the top of music charts in both the U.S. and U.K. The album, which also includes new hit singles, “Shake That” and “When I’m Gone,” to date has sold over 6 million units worldwide.

Till this day, Mathers is revered for his unique ability to change his rap pace and style multiple times within a song, while keeping pace with the beat. Furthermore, his ability to write creative lyrics has earned him much praise from both his fans and music critics alike. However, not everyone appreciates his lyrical content. Some critics like GLAAD have denounced many of his lyrics as being homophobic, misogynistic, and too violent. Despite the public outcries, Mathers has won several Grammy awards, an Oscar, and is revered as one of the top rappers in the industry. He has announced that he is taking a break from his solo career, but not retiring. Mathers continues to produce and collaborate with Shady/Aftermath and G-Unit artists.

1. 5 New Rappers From the UK You Didn't Know About
2. Rappers Tattoos: 2pac, Dr Dre, Eminem, Eve and 50Cent
3. Eminem's Relapse Sells 601,893 Copies in First Week
4. Rapper Eugene Tsverov close to a deal with Sony

Either way, the album should be a knocker. I loved Em’s last album, though I’ve never been much of a 50 fan. Nevertheless, this is an album I am looking forward to.

1. Usher's New Album is Very Edgy, Apparently
2. Are You A Twitterer? You'll Like This…
3. Independent Rapper N.k. Unleashes a New Album
4. Shitty Album Covers Exhibit A: Plies "Definition of Real"

The picture is courtesy of Photoshop site, FreakingNews.com and has been done really well.

Just imagine Eminem rapping about helping out old ladies across the road, or rescuing kittens stuck atop a tree. How hilarious..har har!

1. Eminem "Beautiful" Video, Lyrics, and Review
2. Eminem's Relapse Sells 601,893 Copies in First Week
3. Eminem: One of the Most Controversial Rappers of This Era
4. UnderstandRap.com – Possibly the Funniest/Stupidest Thing You'll Read All Day
5. Eminem – Relapse Review

I, of course, missed the Beastie Boys’ songwriting. What was essentially a parody of the party lifestyle became my party anthem.

And then there were other Beastie Boys favorites, namely “Sabotage”:

It was only much later, when I started seeing the Beastie Boys as more than a bunch of fun loving idiots and as a serious rap group that had a tremendous amount of influence on hip hop in general, did I realize their importance to gangsta rap.

Gangsta rap was initally made famous by Ice-T in the early 80s, and Public Enemy and N.W.A. in the late 80s.

But the Beastie Boys, who were originally a punk band (with a female drummer!) had plenty of gangsta roots – in the late 70s, punk was the most badass you could get outside the hood. Their eponymous album License to Ill, has more references to drugs, guns, and mindless sex to be a classified as a veritable gangsta rap album. This, of course, has to do with their punk rock origins.

The Boys have never acknowledged themselves as gangsta rap pioneers. But with songs like “Sabotage” (see above for video), “Car Thief”, (see below), they have all the ingredients of gangsta rappers.

The most crucial thing, of course, is the fact that the Beastie Boys were pretty much the first white rappers/gangsta rappers who got mainstream commercial success. Without the Boys, there might have been no Eminem, no Asher Roth, and I’m pretty sure, no mainstream hip hop.

Beastie Boys, we take a bow.

1. 5 Awesome 80's Rappers
2. 5 Awesome 80s Rap Songs
3. Cool Kids Rap
4. 5 New Rappers From the UK You Didn't Know About
5. Prepare For An Influx of White, College Educated Rappers Post Asher Roth

After giving it three listens last night before bed, I’ve come to one conclusion about Eminem’s Relapse – that its an album of hate.

Hate, as an emotion, is expected of MM. He’s built his entire career on that one single word. The targets, at first, were his mom, then Kim.

In Relapse, though, the target is he himself.

One of the best tracks on the album is “Deja Vu“. Eminem, in usual sardonic style, rubs himself off this time about his drug addiction and his hatred for both being addicted, as well for getting clean. This sort of dichotomy is permeates throughout the album, such as in the track “My Mom [Explicit]” where, instead of firing on his mother, he makes himself the target of ridicule and hate, for becoming, ironically, an exact replica of his mother – passing out, dead stoned in front of his kids.

Another good song on the album is “Beautiful“, on which Eminem, once again, tries to do something of a ballad, quite like “Hailey’s Song”. The results are not as spectacular, but it is one of the better efforts on the album.

You can see here that Relapse was an album he needed to make. Not wanted to. Not compelled to. Eminem’s Relapse is as much about him getting himself out of the serious dirt hole he’d landed into – the rhymes here are more likely to contain “valium” and “NyQuil” than hos and well, blue pills.

There are the usual Eminem staples – “Insane” and “We Made You” have Eminem doing what he’s done for years, namely making Hollywood glitz rap with a trademark sardonic sense of humor. These two songs, though, seem weak here when the general mood of the album is so down and depressive.

As far as rappers go, Eminem’s tracks have always been something of an anomaly. In the early 2000s, when most rappers were at their douchy, money hungry, bling-bling best, parading semi naked girls and fancy cars, Eminem was making songs like “Cleaning Out My Closet” and “Stan“.

Relapse is another in the same tradition. In terms of lyrical matter, it resembles something by the Alice in Chains (Dirt, to be specific) with its usually dark mood and self-depreciative lyrics.

And that’s pretty much the beauty of this album: Eminem, here is battling himself. Not mom, not Kim. Not conservatives and MCs. He’s swung his hate guns on himself, and the result are wholly unexpected, and wholly worthy of merit.

8.5/10

Better Than iTunes – Buy Relapse From Amazon

1. Eminem's Relapse Sells 601,893 Copies in First Week
2. Rumor Mill: 50 and Em to do an Album Together?
3. Eminem "Beautiful" Video, Lyrics, and Review
4. Eminem: One of the Most Controversial Rappers of This Era
5. Psst…Eminem Used to Be an Eagle Scout…Not!

As predicted, Eminem’s Relapse has jumped to the top spot on the Billboard 200 with 601,893 copies sold in the first week itself.

At no. 2 was Green Day’s 8th studio album, 21st Century Breakdown.

I’m pretty sure Relapse will top at least 5 million units. As for no. 2 Green Day, I also predict that they will outsell Eminem’s Relapse – 21st Century Breakdown is destined to be a classic.

I got Relapse and 21st Century Breakdown yesterday itself (late, late – I know). Reviews should be up by tomorrow.

1. Eminem – Relapse Review
2. Jay-Z Sells Fashion Label for $204 million and continues as Chief Creative Officer
3. Rumor Mill: 50 and Em to do an Album Together?
4. A closer look at Jay-Z’s US$150 million Live Nation Deal in 2008
5. White Rappers: Beastie Boys and Gangsta Rap

No, seriously, how many white rappers have you seem come out over the past two years? Buck 65 and all…I guess this cements the process that Eminem started, and that which invariably is a hallmark of American music: what’s started by black folks eventually gets populated by white folks. Just look at the historical development of blues and jazz.

Anyway, here’s an article by NYMag on this subject you might like.

1. A History of White People in Rap
2. White Rappers: Beastie Boys and Gangsta Rap
3. Cool Kids Rap
4. Prepare For An Influx of White, College Educated Rappers Post Asher Roth
5. The Ultimate Book on How to Rap for Hip-Hop MCs

Nowadays, you can’t really help but notice how many white people there are in Rap these days (see our post on White People in Rap). Hey man, I’ve got nothing against white folks doing rap. Many of them are pretty darn good  – heck, Eminem is still my favorite rapper.

But if you’re interested in pursuing this matter further, do check out this article by NYMag on a history of white people in rap.

1. White All Over – Abundance of White People in Rap
2. The History of Rap, According to Cracked.com
3. Prepare For An Influx of White, College Educated Rappers Post Asher Roth
4. Can Rap Be Conservative?
5. Really Smart Insight: Hip-Hop Offers Creative Outlet to Young People