Rihanna says She Wants To Work With Eminem Again

Rihanna has sparked speculation that Eminem will feature on her forthcoming sixth studio album, after she revealed she would like to work with the rapper again.

RiRi featured on Em's 2010 hit 'Love The Way You Lie,' which topped the charts in several countries. Now, the songstress has revealed that she would like to recreate the magic with the MC again and described him as a "genius."

Rihanna told Rosebud magazine: "We've already been talking about it," before saying that she "would love to" work with Em again who is "one of the most clever poets right now

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Skylar Grey thinks Eminem is "inspiring and intimidating"

Skylar Grey – who penned the rapper's duet with Rihanna, 'Love the Way You Lie', as well as 'I Need A Doctor' for Dr. Dre – enjoys working with the 'Real Slim Shady' hitmaker because of his "rare" talent.

She said: "Eminem makes fun of me. But he's a rare breed of an artist that doesn’t come along every day, so being able to be in a room with him and see his creativity at work was both inspiring and intimidating."

Skylar also revealed that 'Love the Way You Lie' was inspired by the vicious cycle" of her relationships with "assholes".

She explained to NME magazine: "It wasn't necessarily about literal violence in a relationship, but that vicious cycle of somebody who keeps you on your toes because they're kind of an asshole. I do tend to fall for assholes because they keep me on my toes and I don't get bored. That's what I wrote it about."

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Eminem a good boss and inspiration for slaughterhouse

Bad meets evil went gold and its success definitely inspires Slaughterhouse.For hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, chemistry is key — not just among the group, but with label CEO Eminem as well. So while Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Joe Budden are busy working on their Shady debut, they are also getting to know Marshall on a personal level.

"He's kinda walking eggshells around us creatively. He's telling us basically, 'Do exactly what y'all did last time. We're just gonna do it on a bigger level. Y'all don't need me to make records; y'all can do that,' " Royce said backstage at Rock the Bells of Slim Shady's involvement. "It's more of a bonding thing. They all play basketball at the studio, and it's just them getting to know him better and making his comfort level high with them, because he met them when we signed the deal."

"He's a great person, and I think that's one of the things that makes me most excited about the project," Joe Budden remarked. "Being with him, you just totally forget that he's one of the dopest rappers and he's so successful. He's a great person, and he's still a humungous fan of the culture and very much in tune with what's happening."

Joell echoed a similar sentiment: "He really is a fan too, though. He's a fan of Slaughterhouse. When he comes in and listens to songs, it's not to critique them; it's to listen."

Eminem"the perfect boss"for Slaughterhouse.

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Bad Meets Evil Success Inspires Slaughterhouse

All for one and one for all. Last week, Royce Da 5'9"hoisted his first gold plaque for his and Eminem's Bad Meets Evil EP Hell: The Sequel, and his Slaughterhouse bandmates couldn't be happier for the Detroit spitter.

"It feels great to actually be accomplishing things," Royce told MTV News backstage at Rock the Bells. "Five years ago, I was in jail, so this is phenomenal for me, and I feel like it's starting the machine and it's starting the Shady Records movement, because this is a good springboard to get the Slaughterhouse project off the ground, and we wanna make being lyrical cool again. We want the kids to look at lyricism and feel like that's cool."

In January, it was announced that Eminem had signed the quartet — comprised of Royce, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Joe Budden — to his Shady Records label. While the foursome have been working on their Shady debut, Em and Royce revived their Bad Meets Evil group and dropped Hell: The Sequel in June.

Now, three months later, the project has moved more than 500,000 copies, making it Royce's first gold record. For the rest of Slaughterhouse, Nickel Nine's success provides inspiration.

"I was actually there when [Eminem's manager] Paul [Rosenberg] came in with the plaque, and that's an ill moment in history, because it's more than full-circle in my eyes; it's like full-circle and then some," Crooked I said. "I proceeded to get drunk off a bottle of Moët entirely to myself."

Joell Ortiz is happy things are looking up for his partner and jokingly contemplated hitting him up for a loan. "I'm gonna ask Royce to let me hold something. Things are looking really bright for him right now," he said, laughing.

"To have him on our team is only gonna make us better," Crooked said of Royce, "And to have somebody like Em willing to put the spotlight on his longtime homeboy, that speaks volumes, and I think a lot of people can learn from that."

Source:-MTV

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Eminem's new music video is Tricky

Em and Grey — who appeared on HBO's "Entourage" last season as the love interest of lead character Chase (portrayed by Adrian Grenier) — play a pair of star-crossed lovers, which relates to the lyrics of the Jim Jonsin-produced song.
Everyone seems to have their own take on Eminem's new "Space Bound" video, in which the Detroit MC commits suicide after finding out that his girlfriend is cheating on him.
Jim Jonson[producer of space bound]said-Things happen in movies all the time. People kill themselves, people get killed, they kill other people.The video itself, it's tricky to figure out what's going on in certain scenes," he said. "It's going to take them a moment to figure out why he did it. It's not exactly spelled out, like, 'I killed myself because this girl drove me to it or she's cheating on me or she's texting some other dude,' or whatever it might be. So you're still guessing a little bit."
Sasha grey said about the video-"You can read into it a few different ways, but I imagine one character is actually him, and the other is his subconscious," Grey said. I don't know if it necessarily has a thorough message, but I think it shows that even the strongest of love meets destruction at some point.

What you think about the video...?

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Eminem Takes His Own Life In 'Space Bound' Video

Just when we thought Eminem had fully escaped his demons following the release of his multiplatinum 2010 album Recovery, Marshall Mathers takes his own life with a single gunshot to the head in his new "Space Bound" video, which is now available on iTunes.

The video is a gut-wrenching look into another of Eminem's tumultuous relationships, much like the one exhibited in the video for "Love the Way You Lie" — this time with deadly results.

Filmed in Los Angeles in February, the Joseph Kahn-directed clip starts with our leading man walking down a foggy road in the middle of the night. Obviously perturbed, a sullen Em marches on, hands in his pockets, until a passing car picks him up. In the driver's seat is the Detroit rapper's love interest, played by former porn star Sasha Grey. Things clearly aren't all peaches and cream.

Eminem jumps in the front passenger seat, with a pensive look on his face, while another, more cynical version of Em rides in the back. The differences between the two Shadys are apparent. The front-seat version is calm, with his eyes darting back and forth between his girlfriend and the gun that sits in the glove compartment. The other Em is riled up, hurling insults at Grey, though she is unaware of his presence.

As the couple pulls up to a pit stop, Grey exits the vehicle first with a gun in her back pocket, while Em follows her. They enter a diner, Grey first and the rapper a few steps behind. Here, the director splits the screen and the two Eminems go their separate ways, one to the counter and the other to the booth where his girlfriend sits, texting on her cell phone.

Eminem grows suspicious of the texts and checks his girl's phone after she gets up to go to the bathroom. The rapper apparently finds what he has long suspected: His woman is cheating.

Throughout the video, Eminem follows Grey like a lost puppy. It's when they check into a motel room that the drama unfolds. Closing the door behind him, Eminem begins to attack his girlfriend before realizing that she wasn't even there in the first place. Left at the end of his rope, Eminem pulls out the gun, puts it to his chin and fires a single shot through his own head. Blood splatters, and Shady falls to the floor.

Simultaneously, the alternate Eminem, who is still seated at the counter, is struck by the bullet as well, falling back off of his bar stool before the clip rewinds back to the beginning of the 4:30 video, where we once again see our leading man walking down that foggy road in the middle of the night.

Check out Sasha Grey on the set of Eminem's "Space Bound" video in Santa Clarita, California

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Eminem, Royce Da 5'9" Debut Tops Billboard Chart

Eminem just scored another #1 album. Almost a year to the day after his comeback smash Recovery crashed the charts with more than 741,000 in sales, the Detroit rapper's collaborative EP with pal Royce Da 5'9" as Bad Meets Evil, Hell: The Sequel, will hit the top of the charts as well, though it didn't post anywhere near the gaudy numbers of Slim Shady's solo effort.

The album moved a modest 171,000 copies in its first week, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.
For the first time, Mr. Porter has earned an executive-producer credit on Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" 's Bad Meets Evil EP. While the distinction was a definite goal for Mr. Porter, he remains humble about it, choosing to let his work speak for itself. In fact, he's worked on many albums and sometimes didn't receive the credit that he's earned, and he's OK with that.

On the song"The kiss" Eminem dissed Lady Gaga-Tell Lady Gaga she can quit her job at the post office / She's still a male lady."
In a recent interview with FUSEtv, Eminem explained her reference was used as a joke which just stirred up. He thinks she’s undeniable as an artist and bears no hatred.

And Bruno Mars Lights The Sky On Bad Meets Evil’s New Track "Lighters".The track has a radio vibe so it’ll most likely be used to push units.

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Eminem n Bieber Dominate Billboard Music Awards

veteran Eminem (who was not in Las Vegas for the show) nabbed Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Rap Artist, Top Rap Song and Top Rap Album for his smash comeback, Recovery.

Six artists were just behind with three wins each, including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Usher, Mumford & Sons and Cruz. Though Bieber and Gomez have kept their relationship under wraps for months, the "Baby" singer kissed and hugged Gomez before taking the stage to accept an award.

The show featured a number of performances, two of which included surprise appearances from a lip-synching Britney Spears. The pop diva literally popped up out of the floor to join Rihanna for "S&M," writhing on a stripper pole while brandishing a pair of diamond handcuffs. The two finished things off with a pillow fight and a kiss. She also topped off a performance of Minaj's "Super Bass" with a bit of her own "Till the World Ends."

Weezy teamed up with Blige for the remix of "Someone to Love Me (Naked)." Green wore a sparkly outer-space outfit while playing piano and singing a medley of his hits ("Crazy," "Bright Lights Bigger City" and "Forget You"); he levitated over the stage and pounded the keys of his silver piano while hanging upside down at one point.

But perhaps the biggest moment of the night was when Beyoncé was presented with the prestigious Billboard Millennium Award, which was preceded by a video honoring her with testimonials from First Lady Michelle Obama, Bono, Lady Gaga, Bey's parents and sister Solange, Stevie Wonder, The-Dream and Barbra Streisand.

She accepted the award after an eye-popping performance of her new single, "Run the World (Girls)," which was highlighted by a breathtaking digital background featuring a shifting array of effects that produced a legion of virtual backup dancers and CGI-like movie effects.

Out of breath from her performance, Beyoncé thanked her mother and father for teaching her about hard work, as well as former Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, past DC members and, in a break with their usual low-key nature, husband Jay-Z.

"I'd also like to thank my best friend, and I don't want to put you on the spot because I know they're probably putting a camera in your face right now, but I love me some Jay-Z," she said with a smile.

A number of artists also took home two awards apiece, including Katy Perry, Shakira and Train.

Source:-Mtv

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Eminem Says He Has Acting Gigs 'In The Works'

If Eminem is going to leave the studio for an acting gig, it better be a winner. When Eminem appeared on MTV's "RapFix Live", the elusive Detroit rapper revealed that there are film roles he is currently considering. In the "Pass the Mic" portion of the show, Havoc of Mobb Deep asked the Shady Records founder, "When's your next movie?"

"There are some things in the [works], a couple of scripts," Eminem answered. "I guess it's more so of just waiting now to see how they come together. Obviously it's gotta be something that I feel is dope enough to make me want to say, 'OK, let me put the mic down for a second and go do this movie.' There are some things that are in the works. I guess we'll just see how they come together."

According to Em, rapping and acting have some things in common. "I think Ice Cube said this one time, that if you can rap and you can perform to the camera for singing and things like that in videos, it should be a fairly natural transition," Em said. "I know that everybody can't do it, it's not for everybody. But I did hear him say a lot of times it should be easy because they kind of coincide. You're used to doing that."

Since getting raves for his portrayal of Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith in "8 Mile," a movie loosely based on his own life, Em's acting résumé has been rather limited. He's only made cameos in HBO's "Entourage" and the film "Funny People" since. It appears that besides the fact that he's been focusing on his music, Em's respect for the acting craft is part of the reason he hasn't completely jumped into Hollywood.

"Making that transition I felt like, 'Oh, this might be fairly easy,' and it wasn't," Em said. "It's a whole different thing because you may be used to performing to the camera and you may be used to doing certain things in videos and things like that, but it's a whole different ballgame when the music is off and you have lines that you need to say. Remembering the lines and trying to be natural and what am I going to do when I say this line, it's different. It takes a minute to get used to."

Source:-MTV

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Eminem, Royce Da 5'9" Explain Dr. Dre's EP Absence

With no production credits from the good doctor on the upcoming Bad Meets Evil EP, rap fans have been wondering whether Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" forgot about Dre. Not exactly. During Wednesday's (May 18) "RapFix Live," Slim Shady explained Dre's absence on their upcoming joint project, titled Hell: The Sequel.

"I think Dre is, like, really cracking down on getting Detox finished, so I think he's more so focused on that," Em says of the producer who discovered him. Still, it wasn't like Eminem or Royce reached out to the Doc either. "I really didn't say anything to Dre till kinda like the last minute. We didn't really say anything to anybody about what was going on because we weren't sure what was going to happen with it," Slim explained to Sway. "It wasn't like I said, 'Yo, Dre, can we get a beat for this project that we're workin' on?' Because it wasn't really necessarily a project yet."

Hell: The Sequel does feature production work from Mobb Deep's Havoc, Sid Roams, Bangladesh, Denaun Porter, DJ Khalil and Supa Dups, who produced the project's first single, "Fast Lane." Still, there was no real science to selecting the beatmakers who'll appear on the EP, which is dropping June 14. "We didn't reach out to any producers, because we were just cuttin' random," Royce said. "And we didn't actually know that we were workin' on a project."

Eminem elaborated on how the duo went about securing music for the record. "It was more so that we were getting beat CDs from the label — from Shady and some of the A&Rs there were sending us beat CDs from various producers — and we would hear beats like, 'That one's crazy.'

Source:MTV

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MTV News Exclusive: 'Bad Meets Evil,' The Preview

Well what do we have here. Royce Da 5' 9", MTV News' Sway and none other than Slim Shady, Eminem. This coming Monday RapFix Live will unveil a very special announcement for all you Shady fans. It's one you definitely don't want to miss.

Bad Meets Evil ... Happy Friday 13th.

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Nick Cannon to Punchline Magazine: “I forgive Eminem”

Nick Cannon returns to his roots tomorrow night, as his first-ever stand-up comedy special, Mr. Showbiz, premieres on Showtime at 9 pm EST. Most people today know the 30-year-old star from his work on Nickelodeon, in movies and on the radio– and yes, most recently, as the husband of Mariah Carey– and now, father to her newborn twins.

And in his special, Cannon thankfully doesn’t shy away from talking about any of it. He’s open, honest and funny about the life he leads. There’s no excuses and no apologies. He even addresses the public feud he had with Eminem a few years ago when the rapper released a song wherein he claims he dated Carey and ultimately calls her a “whore.”

During a recent chat with Nick about Mr. Showbiz, we got on the subject of Eminem. We wanted to know if things were still tense between the two celebs. “At this point, it’s like I don’t really take it seriously anymore, Cannon tells Punchline Magazine. “If that dude ever did have any ill will towards me or my wife, it’s like, you know, I forgive him, I love him for it. I’m supposed to love my enemies, so I can’t even be worried about that. I can’t be mad at dude no more.”

Source:-Punchline Magazine

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Yelawolf Enlists Eminem For Production On His Shady Records Debut

Yelawolf is working closely with Eminem on his upcoming Shady Records debut, Radioactive. The Alabama spitter recently revealed he put in studio time with Marshall after recording the album during a two-week period at Marley Marl’s Las Vegas studio.

After laying down the LP, Yela played the work-in-progress for Em. “He was just excited man, which made me even more excited about it,” he told ImFlashy.com. “So we set up some time to work for Marshall to get in and do some production on it and do some arrangements, of course, for music. Kind of to coach the album. I get besides myself thinking really thinking of having him to really go to for advice on how to structure records and just whatever possible. Just using the genius. He’s psyched.”

The MC, who will release Radioactive through Shady, Ghet-O-Vision and Interscope Records, also discussed the commonalities between him and Em. “There’s a real mutual respect as far as being MC’s and as songwriters, and he sees where I want to be,” he continued. “He knows where I want to go, and he’s just there to help me get to that point. Shady’s like my first real opportunity to let the world hear my music.”

With his recent retail mixtape Trunk Muzik 0-60 focusing on his Alabama roots, Yela explained that this album will broaden the scope.

“Radioactive exemplifies my inspirations, rather than just putting out music that’s just regional and more influenced with what’s going on in my corner,” he said. “It’s more influenced with what’s going on in the world. It’s patriotic, in a sense. I’m really taking on America’s problems and issues, good and bad, on some records, and bringing in influences from early childhood to now and not just sticking to one formula but actually bringing in features and to just broaden the sound. Concepts I’ve been waiting to put out for years. I’m excited, man. They’re going to be really surprised when they hear the music.”

Source:-Hiphopdx

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How Sway & King Tech's "This Or That" Introduced Eminem, Tech N9ne & Crooked I

In June of 1999 Interscope Records released Sway & King Tech's This Or That album, featuring DJ Revolution. The cover art to the project featured a hologram of the trio evolving from B-Boy garb to a mockery of the last days of the so-called "shiny suit era." The contents of the compilation also were about evolution, with inclusions such as Main Source's "Looking At The Front Door" and DJ Cash Money & Marvelous Marv's "Ugly People Be Quiet" as well as new music '90s underground Hip Hop luminaries such as Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples and Canibus.

Although the work would be the only major label effort for the iconic Wake Up Show pair of Sway & Tech, it can be looked at 11 years later as strongly responsible for delivering three of 2011 Hip Hop's biggest stars to the masses. This Or That marked a pivotal career point for Eminem, who is greatly to thank for Interscope's '00s reign as he ascended from backpacker-to-top-selling superstar in that very same 1999 year.

Read the full interview http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1696/title.how-sway-king-techs-this-or-that-introduced-eminem-tech-n9ne-crooked-i

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Nicki Minaj Says Eminem’s Homophobic Slur in Her Rap Upset Her

Here’s what Nicki had to say:

“You know, if I’m being honest, I didn’t like [him using it]. I spoke to everyone I knew about it. I spoke to my hairdresser, who’s one of my closest friends. I sat him down and said, “Terrence, what do you think about this? How does this make you feel?” And we had a long, long talk. And he said he didn’t feel like Eminem was talking about a gay person. He felt like it was a word being used to describe a straight man, and he didn’t take offense to it. It’s Eminem — I felt like we were creating a movie. And in the same way, I feel like if you were to watch your favorite actor or actress say “faggot” or say “nigger” in a movie, you don’t hate them because it’s like they’re playing a role. “Roman’s Revenge” was more like a theatrical piece. I was a character and [Eminem] was a character. This was Slim Shady and Roman. Of course, when it comes to creativity, there’s such a thin line between creativity and something being offensive. But one thing I knew for sure was that my gay fan base knows about how I feel about them, and I’ve embraced them from the beginning — since my mix-tape days. [Reaching out to gay fans wasn't something I did] once I came into pop culture just to try and get some extra fans. So I felt like the positive would outweigh the negative, and we just kept moving with that”

What you think about this?

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Royce Da 5'9" Talks Eminem's OCD, "Delusional" Canibus, And Writing For Dr. Dre's Detox

“And then he made two diss records about me,” explained Royce of his doubts to DX last Thursday (May 5th). “Don’t believe nothin’ Canibus says, man. That dude, he’s delusional.”
The currently untitled Premier track will appear on Royce’s forthcoming new solo effort, Success is Certain, having already received the seal of approval from a powerful consigliore.

“[Eminem] loved that beat that Preem just sent me,” Royce revealed. “I played it for him yesterday.”

But will 5’9” satisfy the cravings of Hip Hop heads worldwide by having Slim Shady fill in the still open third verse to that loved Preemo beat?

“Em is like – he’s in the studio right now messing with the mixes [for the Bad Meets Evil EP],” replied Royce. “Like, he’ll come in everyday and find something wrong with a mix. So he’s in OCD mode right now. I won’t be able to get him to rap for at least another month. And I gotta finish my album and turn it in. So, probably not for this album, maybe sometime in the future.”
And why an EP and not an LP?

“Because we didn’t start with any kind of a plan,” replied Royce. “Normally, if you gonna do an LP where Em is involved, you start with a plan and then you go in and you do records. This didn’t come together like that; it just happened naturally. We just started cuttin’ songs, just to be working with each other again, with no intent in mind. We didn’t even know we were gonna do that many songs, so at around five or six songs, we lookin’ like, ‘Yo, man, we got these records, I think we should do something with ‘em.’ That’s when we decided, ‘You know what? We can just do this as Bad Meets Evil and just make it an EP.’”

Read full news here

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Dr. Dre And Eminem's 'Die Hard' Premieres On 'Fight Camp'

Dr. Dre and Eminem used the hype behind Saturday night's (May 7) Manny Pacquiao vs. "Sugar" Shane Mosley title fight, one of the year's most anticipated boxing matches, to their advantage. Dre premiered "Die Hard," the latest single from his forthcoming Detox album, on Friday night's finale of Showtime's "Fight Camp 360°: Pacquiao vs. Mosley."

"Die Hard" started playing as the episode came to its conclusion, and it matched up with the four-episode documentary-style show's look into the boxers' preparations for their welterweight title fight. Over the track's sturdy drums and pulsing synth, Dre drops lines that reveal he is keenly aware of the expectations facing his now years-delayed third solo album.

"It's on, blood pressure racing, I calculate my next step, which is to accept my expectations/ Are sort of too high to meet, my reputation's in jep, yep, face it, the fans, they been upset yet patient/ I love them for that," Dr. Dre raps on Detox's third single.

Eminem appears on the song's chorus, half-rapping and half-singing, "I sit into the wee hours of the night, then we don't stop until the sunlight/ We just keep going 'cause the die-hard won't go down without a fight."

Check the snippet of the song on Rapradar

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Royce Da 5'9' Says Recording With Eminem 'Pushed' Him

When it comes to SoundScan, it's no secret that Eminem is a juggernaut. His 2010 album, Recovery, is fast approaching 4 million copies sold and earlier this week, his sophomore album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was certified diamond.

But according to Royce da 5'9," when he and Slim Shady began recording their upcoming Bad Meets Evil EP, the only thing on their minds was creating raw hip-hop.

"Me and Em, when we started hangin' again — he don't go anywhere — so we were hangin' at the studio," Royce recalls. "And we just started making records, just making 'em because we were both in the lab and we had free time."

The casual recording led to some serious heat, Royce said. So much heat, in fact, that Shady Records decided to release an EP rather than let the songs fall by the wayside.

Nickel Nine and Em first teamed up to form Bad Meets Evil more than a decade ago, releasing the songs "Nothin' to Do," "Scary Movies" and "I'm King" on Game Recordings in 1999. The pair had a falling out, but eventually reconciled. In January, it was announced that Eminem had signed Royce's rap quartet, Slaughterhouse, to his Shady Records label. And earlier this week, the duo revealed plans to release an a-yet-untitled Bad Meets Evil EP in June.

The reunion forced the already well-regarded Royce to step his game up lyrically.

"To me, [Eminem is] one of the greatest rappers ever. So if you're standing in there with him and watching him create, you can only spit on a certain level in order to even keep up," Royce said. "With me, I feel like it's good for me because I get pushed. It brings more out of me."

In the end, the veteran lyricist insisted that, with Bad Meets Evil, there's no pressure to make hits. "We went in and did actually 11 records, two of 'em leaked, so we're gonna use the other nine and that was it," he explained. "We didn't go do 15 records and try to pick the best. We didn't make it an Eminem album so Eminem is under the same pressure of selling what he normally sells. We're not really thinking about that.

"We just wanted to do a raw hip-hop record that's put out on a bigger stage," Royce added. "I think that's what hip-hop is missing."

Source:-Mtv

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Rihanna, Eminem, Justin Bieber Lead Billboard Music Award Finalists

It was strictly A-list names at the top of the list when the lead finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards were announced Wednesday (April 13).

In the lead among all nominees was Rihanna, a finalist in 18 categories, who was followed by fellow multiple-award finalists Eminem, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber.

Among the categories Rihanna is up for awards in are: Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Female Artist, Top R&B Artist and Top Dance/Electronic Artist, while her smash collaboration with Eminem, "Love the Way You Lie," racked up notices in six song categories. Right behind her was Slim Shady, a finalist in 16 categories, including Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Artist, Top Male Artist and Top Rap Artist.

Lady Gaga was next with nods in 12 categories, including Top Dance/Electronic Album, which included three of her releases, The Fame, The Fame Monster and The Remix

Mars and Bieber had 11 nominations each and will face each other in the Top New Artist and Top Male Artist categories. The other contenders in Top New Artist include Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and Taio Cruz.

The Top Artist category will pit Bieber against, Eminem, Gaga, Rihanna and Taylor Swift, while the Top Rap Album category will be a showdown between Drake, Eminem, Minaj, Lil Wayne and Kanye West. The Top Alternative Artist race will feature Muse facing the Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Linkin Park and Mumford & Sons.

The event honors artists who have appeared on the Billboard charts during the period of February 28, 2010, through March 1, 2011. Winners are also determined by album, single and digital sales, touring, streaming and social interactions on MySpace, Facebook and other popular online destinations for music.

Winners will be announced at the Billboard Music Awards on May 22 at 5 p.m. PT. Among the announced performers are Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Cruz, Lady Antebellum, the Black Eyed Peas and Keith Urban.

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Jim Jonsin Keeps Busy With 'American Idol,' Wiz Khalifa, Eminem

Jim Jonsin says he's in bed by midnight, but considering his schedule, we have a tough time believing him. One of the Grammy-winning producer and music executive's latest gigs is mentoring contestants on the current, 10th season of "American Idol." The Brooklyn native's job duties include cutting full cover songs within a week's time that are then sold on iTunes.


"I'm into artist development, so I like taking an artist brand new and working with them and teaching them new things and watching them grow," Jonsin told Mixtape Daily. "They're having to grow at lightning speed. With the music producers injected into this now, now they're really at hard knocks, right? Not only do you have to build this performance, but now you have to record a song. And record an amazing song that's gotta go on iTunes for sale and it reflects you and you being an artist."

Looking at his production discography, it's clear Jonsin's career is nothing short of amazing itself. The former engineer for Slip-N-Slide Records has gone on to produce tracks for artists including T.I., Kelly Rowland, Usher and Lil Wayne, winning a Grammy for 2008's "Lollipop."

Some new jacks have benefited from Jonsin's studio touch too. Wiz Khalifa's "On My Level" from his just-released debut, Rolling Papers, is a Jonsin creation. "He's got that Snoop Dogg vibe with his own twist, Jay-Z kinda," Jonsin said. "Working with Wiz, it was good. He's kind of a traditional hip-hop artist, which I love most, mixed with this edgy skater-punk spirit. He definitely blends with my character: I like that."

Jonsin also speaks highly of B.o.B. The ATL rapper/singer/songwriter's B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray was released on Jonsin's Rebel Rock label in conjunction with Atlantic Records and Grand Hustle Records. B.o.B and Jonsin have started working on the gold-selling album's follow-up.

"His last album kind of reflects who he is, but he's growing into something new," Jonsin said. "I'm waiting for what he brings us back when we go back in the studio — he's got some ideas — to kind of see the direction he's going in. We're letting him lead that.

He's really talented. The guy produces, writes, he does a lot of his own stuff. I think his album will reflect that. I think this album will have a lot of his own work on it. We're waiting on him to give us the direction.

"I think there'll be less features on this album, more him singing and rapping. Definitely less features: He wants to showcase himself more, put out more of his own ideas."

Another artist Jonsin is working with — Roc Nation's J. Cole — surely has plenty of ideas, even if he has yet to release an album. "He's that traditional hip-hop. I'm trying to give it a little Jim Jonsin, a little crossover, a little rock," Jonsin said. "Some of the stuff we did was more traditional hip-hop with just a little edge to it, some rock in it. So I think we're going to stick to that and see what happens."

Jonsin's schedule is also booked with working with 50 Cent for the first time and with Eminem on his latest Shady Records signee's forthcoming album. "That's going to be fun," Jonsin said. "We're working for Yelawolf's project. It's all about Yela. We're going to actually produce together. I get to work with Eminem producing records."

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Ludacris teams with Slaughterhouse

Ludacris and Slaughterhouse are boosting up to release a new collaboration for the upcoming Fast Five movie.

Ludacris and the Shady Records signees trade verses on “Furiously Dangerous,” the lead single from the soundtrack to the fifth installment in The Fast and the Furious series. The explosive track, created especially for the film, also features singer Claret Jai. The Latin and hip-hop-influenced soundtrack speeds into stores on May 3 and includes a remix to Don Omar’s “How We Roll” with Busta Rhymes, Reek da Villian, and J-doe.

In addition to lending his rap skills, Luda reprises his role in the racing flick, in theaters April 29. “That movie is amazing. I guarantee you, if not No. 1, it will be top three movies of this year,”

Source:-Rap-up.com

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Yelawolf Recalls Meeting Eminem For The First Time

When Yelawolf first met his new boss, Eminem, the meeting couldn't have been more casual.

"He said, 'What's up? I'm Marshall,' " Yelawolf recalled to MTV News on Thursday's (March 10) "RapFix Live."

The meeting obviously went well: Yela is the latest recruit to Em's Shady Records empire, along with Slaughterhouse (Joe Budden, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz and Royce Da 5'9".)

Yela and Em talked in Detroit after producer Jim Jonsin and Eminem's manager urged the rapper to listen to the upstart's music. They shared similarities in their upbringing, and the partnership paid off immediately when the Grammy-winning superstar bestowed the young lyricist with advice, according to Yela.

"I'm a drinker; I drink a lot," he explained. "My management was concerned about some advice he could give me about slowing down so I don't get caught up in that life. He told me if it gets to the point where you need a drink before you go onstage, like you require that to function, is when you need to check yourself. And honestly, that's where I was at that point. And I've changed. I don't drink before I perform anymore."

The Alabama rapper will stick knock back a beer, but he's given up overdoing it before shows. Now, he says, he's enjoying himself more and his confidence has grown.

And that courage helped when he first played Eminem his debut album.

"I'm super excited about the music and fully confident that it's jamming," he said. "I was a little nervous, but after we broke the ice and really chopped it up, he seemed excited about it. So that makes me twice as excited now."

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Eminem Overtakes Lady Gaga As Facebook's Most 'Liked' Living Artist

By his own admission, Eminem "doesn't know how to work a computer," but that hasn't stopped him from overtaking Lady Gaga as the most "liked" living artist on Facebook.

Earlier this week, Em eclipsed Gaga to claim the title of Facebook's most-liked, as he currently counts more than 28,975,000 fans to LG's 28,926,000, according to Billboard. Eminem is currently averaging more than 500,000 Facebook "likes" a day, and could soon surpass none other than Michael Jackson to become the site's overall most-liked artist, according to Famecount, a site that tallies the "top social network stars worldwide." The late King of Pop currently has more than 29,183,000 Facebook fans, giving him a slight edge over the hard-charging Em.

Of course, when it comes to overall social influence, Eminem still trails both Gaga and Justin Bieber in total YouTube views — though he recently became the third artist to crack the 1-billion-view mark — and when it comes to total Twitter followers, his 3 million are barely enough to crack Famecount's top 20 musicians: Gaga is #1, followed by the likes of Bieber, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Rihanna and, uh, Jessica Simpson.

Then again, all signs seem to point to Eminem's social media profile only increasing. He shows up in Dr. Dre's much-anticipated "I Need a Doctor" video, which premiered on Thursday, and just last week, he grabbed headlines when on-set photos from his upcoming "Space Bound" video — featuring porn star Sasha Grey — began making the rounds ... and just in case you were wondering, Grey has more than 110,000 Twitter followers of her own.

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Eminem Shoots 'Space Bound' Video With Porn Star Sasha Grey

Eminem is no Vincent Chase, but the rapper — sans entourage, save for a security team — recently shot a video for "Space Bound" that co-stars porn actress-turned-thespian Sasha Grey. The latest clip for a track from the Detroit MC's Grammy-winning comeback album, Recovery, was directed by Joseph Kahn and was shot over three days in Los Angeles.

Em and Grey — who appeared on HBO's "Entourage" last season as the love interest of lead character Chase (portrayed by Adrian Grenier) — play a pair of star-crossed lovers, which relates to the lyrics of the Jim Jonsin-produced song.

"We touch, I feel a rush," Em raps on the track. "We clutch, it isn't much/ But it's enough to make me wonder what's in store for us/ It's lust/ It's torturous/ You must be a sorceress/ 'Cause you just did the impossible/ Gained my trust/ Don't play games, it'll be dangerous/ If you f--- me over/ 'Cause if I get burnt/ I'ma show ya what it's like to hurt/ 'Cause I've been treated like dirt before ya/ And love is 'evol,' spell it backwards, I'll show ya."

Jonsin, who also has produced songs by Beyoncé, Lil Wayne and others, said his collaboration with Eminem was unlike any of the Detroit MC's previous tracks.

"We touched on something that I haven't done anything like that before," Jonsin told MTV News last year. "It's unique in a way for myself. It's a place I've been wanting to go, and I'm so happy he allowed it to go down. He played a huge part in the record. Without him on it, it's not the same. I don't wanna give up too much about what it is and what direction."

The video is the fourth overall clip from Recovery, following "Not Afraid," "Love the Way You Lie" and "No Love."

As of press time, no date has been set for the premiere of "Space Bound."

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Bonnaroo 2011 Headlined By Eminem, Lil Wayne, Arcade Fire

On Tuesday (February 15), organizers announced the lineup for the 2011 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, set for June 9-12 in Manchester, Tennessee. And, boy, it's going to be interesting to hear the purists' take on this year's bill.

Unlike earlier, decidedly crunchy editions of the fest, the 2011 lineup is topped by two of the hugest hip-hop acts in the business — Eminem and Lil Wayne — along with newly crowned Grammy champs Arcade Fire and the Black Keys. Other acts on the bill include Mumford & Sons, the Strokes, the Decemberists, Florence and the Machine, Big Boi, Wiz Khalifa and Robyn.

Of course, there are still some nods to Bonnaroo's roots: Fest vets Widespread Panic return once again, as do My Morning Jacket and the String Cheese Incident. Also doing their part for the traditionalists out there are reunited legends Buffalo Springfield (in their only festival performance), Robert Plant and the Band of Joy, and Dr. John and the Original Meters, who will perform their 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo, from which the festival took its name.

Tickets for Bonnaroo 2011 go on sale Saturday, February 19 at 12 p.m. ET through the festival's official website.

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Eminem scores 1 billion YouTube hits

The rapper, who has over 28 official clips on the video staring website, will reach the digital milestone later today, Fame Count reports.

The 'Not Afraid' star becomes the third artist to achieve a billion online views, after Justin Bieber and Lady GaGa achieved the landmark just days apart from each other last year.

The website also ranks Eminem as the third most popular social media artist after becoming the second-most 'liked' artist on Facebook, behind GaGa.

Eminem recently denied being angry at receiving two of the ten Grammy Awards for which he was nominated.

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Eminem once again shut out of top Grammys

Eminem won best rap album and best rap solo performance at Sunday's Grammys, but missed out on album of the year.

"I think Eminem is pretty happy with how everything else went in 2010, but it's pretty shocking that he didn't win," says James Montgomery, MTV News senior writer. "The Grammys are notoriously weird in selecting winners. But Eminem will ultimately be OK."
"His loss doesn't take away from the success he's had with Recovery," says Devin Lazerine, editor in chief of Rap-Up.com. "The 10 nominations alone is a major victory after his personal and professional bumps in the road."

The trophies that the Detroit rapper did win Sunday bring his career total to 13. Still, the most prestigious awards keep slipping away. He was up for album of the year in 2001 with The Marshall Mathers LP, but lost to Steely Dan's Two Against Nature, and again in 2003 when The Eminem Show lost to Norah Jones' Come Away with Me.

His Without Me also lost that year to Jones' Don't Know Why for record of the year. In 2004, his Lose Yourself lost song of the year to Luther Vandross'Dance With My Father and record to Coldplay's Clocks.

Eminem continued a recent trend among artists with the night's most nominations. Since 2005, Beyoncé— who last year won six out of a possible 10 trophies, including song of the year — is the only top nominee to win more than half the awards for which he or she was competing. John Legend, who won three of eight in 2006, including best new artist, is the only other one to win a major category.

The experts say Eminem's defeat doesn't necessarily reflect a best-album bias against hip-hop, despite losses in recent years by Kanye West and Lil Wayne: Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won in 1999 and Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won in 2004. Both say strong cases could be made for this year's other album nominees.

"At this point, saying that (the Grammys aren't) recognizing hip-hop, both as an art form and as a commercial force, is a ship that has sort of passed," Montgomery says.

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