Eminem talks to Billboard.com about concerts, new music, acting and more...

Less than a week before the start of his Home and Home tour series with Jay-Z, Eminem is staying tight-lipped about his plans for the stadium shows, which commence Sept. 2-3 at Detroit's Comerica Park before switching to New York's Yankee Stadium on Sept. 13-14.

"I don't want to get into it too much," Eminem tells Billboard.com. "I don't want to give anything away. But...I think it'll be good. He does, however, allow that his song selection "will probably be all over the place" rather than concentrating on "Recovery," his double-platinum latest album that's still sitting atop the Billboard 200. "Hopefully it'll be songs that everyone is familiar with."

Eminem -- who will be performing with a nine-piece band that includes hype man Denaun Porter of D12, DJ Alchemist and "Lose Yourself" co-writer Luis Resto on keyboards -- adds that he "won't even allude to" possible guest appearances at the show, even though rumors have everyone from Rihanna, his duet partner on the current Hot 100 chart No. 1 "Love the Way You Lie." to Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Drake making the scene in some way or another at the shows. Nor would he say if he and Jay-Z are planning to do anything together, although he promises there won't be any kind of battle attitude between them. "Nah, I don't think it'll be anything like a competition," Eminem says. "For the most part me and Jay just want people to come out and have a good time. We want them to enjoy the music."

Eminem is also slated to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12 in Los Angeles and has another concert lined up for the Epicenter Festival on Sept. 25 in Fontana, Calif. Plans for other shows and even a tour, however, remain up in the air. "I'm taking everything as it comes...a step at a time and seeing what the next thing's going to be," Eminem explains. "I haven't really planned too far ahead as far as what I'm going to do next or whatever, so we'll see."

It has been determined, however, that "Recovery's" next single will be "No Love," his Just Blaze-produced collaboration with Lil Wayne. "I did a song with Wayne called 'Drop the World' for his ['Rebirth'] album," Eminem notes, "and we had just agreed to do an even swap, so I wanted him on my album. I kind of waited, and when Just Blaze had finished that beat we jumped on it."

Even though "Recovery" is continuing its dominance with no signs of letting up (it's been No. 1 for seven non-consecutive weeks), Eminem is also looking towards his next recording project. Though he says there are 25-30 tracks he completed in addition to the 17 that made the album, Eminem is also "in the studio probably about five days a week. I'm always working. I don't have any plans as far as when I would put another album out or anything like that. I just make music and always like to write just to stay mentally on my game."

He also says he would "definitely like to get back into" acting eight years after his star turn in "8 Mile," and though producers of the new ABC police drama "Detroit 1-8-7" have made some public overtures towards him, there are no commitments to anything yet.

"As busy as I am with the music and recording albums and things like that, I've kind of taken an obviously long break from" acting, he says. "If there's a role, something that actually hits me that I feel like, 'Yo, I've got to do this, this is crazy,' then I'll do it. But I haven't had any scripts or anything sent my way that feel like that yet."

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Eminem's Recovery: What Is The Secret Of Its Success?

Eminem is dominating the charts like it's 2000 all over again, when his second album, The Marshall Mathers LP, spent eight weeks at the top spot on Billboard's top 200 and went on to sell 9 million copies in the United States alone. His latest LP, Recovery, isn't as big of a blockbuster just yet, but in the current music-industry climate, it's killing.

The album has spent seven non-consecutive weeks at #1, the first hip-hop act to do so since Outkast's double-LP Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in late 2003/ early 2004. A lot of Eminem's chart success can be attributed to a very old-school source: radio hits. His first two singles, "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie," have been staples on top 40 stations since they dropped.

"Radio still makes hits, and hits make artists relevant outside of their core consumer base," Complex Editor in Chief Noah Callahan-Bever told MTV News. "That's why you see that aberration in Em's sales on Recovery vs. Relapse. To a 16-year-old, Eminem was bordering on being their older brother/ sister's favorite artist, but 'Love the Way You Lie' has not only re-excited Em's existing fans — now mostly in their mid-20s to mid-40s — but reintroduced him to new generation of teenagers for whom Relapse didn't register."

New York Times music writer Jon Caramanica for thinks Em's fanbase has also been starved. In a sense, they've been waiting for something worth buying from him. "Eminem has been around for long enough to develop different pockets of fans: total loyalists, casual listeners, people who like only specific songs or sorts of songs," he explained. "That he's continuing to sell week after week is reflective of the fact that all of these groups don't get activated at the same time. There are still people out there who might buy an Eminem album but haven't, and each week, it seems, a few more do."

But can Em's reign at the top continue? "I believe Em has a couple more weeks on top of the charts, even if he gets knocked out of #1 a few times before October 1st," Vibe Editorial Director Datwon Thomas said. "He has two mega-concerts where he's headlining a hometown show with Jay-Z in Detroit and then opening for Jay-Z at Yankee Stadium in New York. The amount of media and fan fervor for these events alone will spur people to grab both artists' albums from their respective catalogs. [And] if Em can build on that momentum and release another smash of a hit from this album, he'll be OK well into the holiday season."

Working his album through Christmas seems like it might be an option, if only because his record label, Aftermath/Interscope, appears committed to going the whole 12 rounds with Recovery. "Nowadays, [labels] push [albums] until the first-week sales and then generally abandon ship," Callahan-Bever said. "With Recovery, it's clear that Interscope knew they had a record with legs and went out of their way to push it. 'Love the Way You Lie' just connects to people in that really special, emotive way that only one or two pop songs a year do, and that is just undeniable."

Will Eminem rule the charts until Christmas? Let us know in the comments!

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Will Anyone Ever Unseat Eminem From The Top Of The Billboard Chart?

As you probably know by now, Eminem's Recovery continues to dominate the Billboard albums chart, having notched the biggest debut in nearly two years, then spent seven of the next nine weeks at #1 (including this week), and sold more than 2.2 million copies to date (which makes it the second-best selling album released this year).

So yeah, it's been a pretty good year for Mr. Mathers. So much so that folks are even starting to talk about Recovery in the same way they spoke about "Inception" or "Avatar," unstoppable blockbusters that grab the public's consciousness and refuse to let go. To wit, earlier this week, Billboard published a story about the album's historical run at #1, pointing out that it's already held the top spot on the Top 200 longer than any album since Taylor Swift's Fearless was on top for 11 non-consecutive weeks in late 2008/early 2008, and has tied the record for most weeks at #1 by a hip hop album (Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which tallied seven weeks atop the chart in late 2003.)

At this point, people are beginning to wonder if anyone can stop Eminem ... because while he faces tough challenges from both Katy Perry and Fantasia—both of whom just released new records on Tuesday—on next week's chart, it's entirely possible he may still hold on to #1. After all, at this point, who's gonna bet against him?

So, we're asking all of you: Just who do you think will unseat Eminem from #1? Can Katy or Fantasia do it? The guys in Linkin Park? Lady Gaga? Or will King Mathers continue to reign forever and ever? Hit the poll and let us know.

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Eminem and Elton John's Grammys Collaboration Is Most Surprising Duet

Eminem's bizarre 2001 Grammy Awards collaboration with Elton John has topped a new list of the Most Surprising Duets in musical history. The odd couple beat Aerosmith and Run DMC, who teamed up for a rap-rock rendition of "Walk This Way" in 1986, and Dusty Springfield's 1987 chart smash with the Pet Shop Boys ("What Have I Done to Deserve This") on Entertainment Weekly's new list.

Also making the top 10: Bing Crosby and David Bowie's "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy Christmas" collaboration, Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue's "Where the Wild Roses Go" and the KLF's "Justified & Ancient" duet with country queen Tammy Wynette.

Eminem is going to perform at 2010 MTV Video Music Awards along with Kanye West, Drake, Florence and the Machine, Justin Bieber, B.o.B, Usher and Paramore.

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Eminem's Recovery Goes Over 2x Platinum

Eminem's new "Recovery" album has continued to be the number one selling album, with a total of over 2,100,000 (1 million is a platinum status) copies sold in the United States alone already. "Recovery" is the first album since Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed A Dream" to claim six straight weeks at the number one spot, with eight consecutive weeks of selling at least 100,000 copies.

In related news, Eminem also has the number one spot on the Digital Songs chart, as his "Love The Way You Lie" (featuring Rihanna) moved up a spot with another 254,000 copies sold.

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Eminem Talks Retirement, 'Rapping At 50'

After more than a decade in the business, Eminem remains a hip-hop heavyweight, one who can still sell records as if it were the pre-Internet era. So it's hard to imagine what the music scene would be like if he wasn't around. Aside from remembering his "8 Mile" co-star Brittany Murphy in Vibe's 15th-anniversary "Juice" issue, Em also opens up about his inevitable retirement from the rap game.

"Honestly, I don't know how much longer I have in this game," the 37-year-old MC told Vibe. "I'm always going to love hip-hop. But how much longer am I going to still do it? I couldn't give you an answer. But the day that this is not better than the last will probably be the day I stop."

Despite his love for the game, the Detroit native said that even if he were to continue to get in the studio, he doubts he would release the music as a middle-aged MC. "I do love it so much. But even if I was rapping at 50, I don't know if I would put it out. I know it always makes me feel better to lay things to tape, and — 'lay the tape.' See, I'm old school," he said.

In the August/September issue, Em also proves he can be his own worst critic, calling some of his previous material "mediocre." But he said that it's the fans who will ultimately decide his hip-hop fate.

"The fans might say the sh-- is garbage. You don't how long people are going to want you around ... Realistically, if I don't rap, what the f--- am I going to do? It's too late to just be unfamous right now at this point," he admitted.

Slim Shady is probably right about it being too late for him to fade into obscurity, but by the looks of things he probably has no reason to worry about losing his fanbase. His latest effort, Recovery, is smashing the competition and it sits atop next week's Billboard albums chart with sales of 133,000 pushing it past the 2.1 million mark in just eight weeks.

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Eminem Ends Issues With Mariah Carey

Eminem recently spoke on his past issues with singer Mariah Carey and why, despite mentioning her on his last album, she no longer will be a target of his. Em says at this point he no longer has anything to say about her.

"You know what? I got to be honest. I really don't want to talk about her anymore only just because it's kind of like the last thing I said about her was on 'Cold Wind Blows.' I made the comment, ['Take a look at Mariah next time I inspire you to write a song.'], I don't want to keep beating a dead horse. I'm not even going to comment about it. I'm done with that whole situation. I said what I had to say. I'm done."

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Eminem's 'Love The Way You Lie' Warns Of The Cycle Of Abuse

In Eminem's controversial new video "Love the Way You Lie," love and violence intertwine seamlessly. One moment, a couple sleeps in each other's arms, the next, they're violently fighting, tossing bed sheets. Later, they kiss passionately, pressed up against the same wall the man has just punctured with his fist. All the while, Rihanna croons the chorus which includes the line, "That's all right because I like the way it hurts." But is it really all right?

Less than 24 hours after MTV debuted the video for Eminem's chart-topping single about the evolution of his relationship with his ex-wife, Kim, many are wondering: Does "Love the Way You Lie" glamorize domestic violence?

"The most important thing the video is doing is raising the topic of dating violence among young people," Stephanie Nilva, executive director of sexual assault and trauma resource center Day One, told MTV News.

An expert in relationship violence and domestic abuse prevention, Nilva praised the clip for accurately depicting a pattern typical of abusive relationships. The video stars actors Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox as a couple involved in a relationship that starts out passionately and lovingly but quickly devolves into a violent affair.

Nilva said the video is especially potent because of Eminem's and Rihanna's personal histories with violence or abuse. "Eminem's history is ...as someone who sings a lot about violence," she said. "And Rihanna's experience [is] as someone who was abused by Chris Brown."

That history, she added, is what will make people look at the video and see "that the message is not 'Don't you want a relationship like mine?' The message is a warning sign."

During the four-minute span of "Love the Way You Lie," Rihanna alternately sneers in the frame and seems to physically diminish before finally crumbling to the ground in front of the burning house that serves as her backdrop throughout. The images may be melodramatic but symbolically, they are accurate, according to Nilva. "Someone who is victimized in a relationship does become smaller, does lose their power and their strength."

"I think we tried as hard as we could to not glorify the violence, to try and explain that this was a relationship that is by no means ideal and a relationship that probably should have ended a lot sooner than it did," Monaghan told MTV News recently. "The concept of 'Love the Way You Lie' was essentially a look at the relationship that Eminem was in with his wife, Kim, so I kind of felt like I was playing Eminem a little bit, and Megan Fox was kind of playing Kim.

"It's the story of them getting to know each other, and it's the story of their tumultuous relationship, and it was the story of the breakdown of their relationship," he continued. "Ultimately, what I think he's trying to say in the song ... is that he should have walked away a little bit quicker than he did and not let it get as messy as it did."

To learn more about how you can prevent or get help for dating abuse and domestic violence, visit DayOneNY.org. If you are involved in an abusive relationship and would like help you can also call 1-800-214-4150. Love should not hurt.

Do you think the "Love the Way You Lie" video conveys its anti-abuse message? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

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Eminem and dre on cover of vibe magazine

Eminem was asked some questions like-
THE BEST EMINEM DISS TRACK ACCORDING TO EM:

What was the best thing someone said about you? Was there ever a hot Eminem diss?
Um, no. [Laughs.] Nah, I’m kidding. Shit, there was a couple of lines Everlast said like, “You ain’t running up on me with no empty gun.” I know that there is a lot of shit that I would have said about me.

ON BRITTANY MURPHY’S PASSING:

What were your thoughts when you heard that your 8 Mile co-star Brittany Murphy had passed?
It was crazy. It’s crazy. It’s crazy because at one point we were very close and she was a really good person. It’s crazy when you see things not just with her but just all these things that are happening in Hollywood with people in music, with people in acting .

Grab your copy of vibe aug sept edition in newsstands on august 16th.

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