Month: August 2005

Rating: 2 stars and a half
I am usually very enthusiastic about Detroit talents. Woo Child’s work, however, has disappointed me a little bit.
You probably all know that I like it raw. Woo Child’s voice sounds a little bit too soft to my taste. Also, the instrumentation is rather weak and gives a monotonous impression. According to most of his tracks, Woo Child is supposed to be an offensive fire spitter, but the impression he gives through his music is quite opposite. His voice is a constant whining sound accompanied with a very monotonous instrumentation and beats.
The skit « Hotel » – an R Kelly remix- is annoying too. I just hate the R’n’B sound that goes with this track..
The real good tracks on the CD are Running and If Walls could talk as far as I am concerned.
Globally, the album is average. It includes collaborations with Detroit rapper Fatal Phenom and other artists such as Asylum 7,
Technically it could be improved for a large part. Woo Child tries to put some efforts in his Breathe freestyle, but most of his performances are average.
This review might sound a little bit pessimistic. Woo Child offers a free dowload of his album. Dear readers, you might like it. Give the album a chance and check it out here.

Yes, Detroit Free Press is right about it : we do. I have posted health recovery wishes on my personal website in my name and in the name of all the loyal fans around the world.
Fans are standing firmly by Eminem
News of rehab has them concerned
August 20, 2005
BY BRIAN McCOLLUM and PATRICIA ANSTETT
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
Eminem fans in the Detroit area and around the world expressed concern and get-well wishes for the artist Friday, following his admission to a drug rehabilitation center this week.
A day after revelations about Eminem’s dependency on sleep medication, compounded by a lengthy bout with insomnia that led to the cancellation of a European tour, fans from Birmingham, Mich., to Birmingham, England, said they hoped for the best — and were relieved the news wasn’t worse.
Word that Eminem had sought medical help for a sleep medication addiction was the latest development in a life saga whose dramatic arc often seems pulled from the pages of a gripping novel, a big factor behind the intense interest in the rapper born Marshall Mathers III.
Many Eminem devotees have said they feel a unique bond with the artist because of the deeply personal nature of his lyrics.
Tracey Sexton is a 33-year-old fan in Elwood, Ind. Four years ago, she was ambivalent about Eminem, a celebrity she knew little about. But after being introduced to his albums by her son Jason Staton, now 13, she found herself drawn deeply into Eminem’s world, where she found parallels to her own life.
That’s why this week’s developments felt like startling news about a family member, she said Friday.
“I’ve been down that road of addiction — alcohol, for me,” she said. “Eminem’s music has had such a connection for me, on such a personal basis. I knew something drastic must have happened for him to have canceled a tour. I’m just relieved that he caught this before it was too late, and not letting it linger on.”
In Farmington Hills, 10-year-old Dakota Lucas was disappointed Friday that he couldn’t make it to a community get-well tribute staged that morning by radio station Channel 955 (WKQI-FM, 95.5).
Dakota was introduced a couple of years ago to Eminem’s music — some of it, at least — by his mom, Melanie Lucas.
“I was a little bit shocked that Eminem was in the hospital,” Dakota said. “I was like, ‘Wow, I wonder what’s wrong?’ I know he’s under a lot of stress. I would say to him, ‘You’re one of my favorite singers. I just hope you get well really soon.’ ”
At the Channel 955 event in Warren, about 1,200 well-wishers showed up to fill three door-size cards with get-well messages, said morning personality Spike.
“The fan outpouring has been as large as you’d expect his hometown crowd to be,” he said. “People were willing to share their stories of overcoming their own hardships and seem willing to accept whatever career adjustments are necessary for Eminem to recover.”
Sources told the Free Press that Eminem admitted himself early in the week to Brighton Hospital, a well-regarded rehab center, and had been taking large doses of Ambien after a difficult struggle with sleep while touring the United States in July.
Thousands of people for the last 50 years have sought help for substance abuse at Brighton Hospital’s sprawling wooded campus in Livingston County. But it’s no country club, say patients who have attended the program.
One of the oldest programs of its kind in the United States, the 63-bed hospital uses the 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous approach to substance abuse rehabilitation. It offers live-in care at its main Brighton facility and off-campus treatment through several community centers.
Citing federal privacy laws, the hospital has declined to say whether Eminem is or was a patient there, or whether he is participating in outpatient programs.
But reports that Eminem was at the Brighton center “caused us a great deal of concern about patient care and security,” said Lou Martin, spokesman with the St. John Health System, the hospital’s corporate owner. A car driving a patient to be admitted Friday drove away when its driver saw a Detroit TV crew there, he said.
Metro-area singer Stewart Francke was hospitalized last September at the Brighton center for two weeks for addiction to painkillers he took after cancer treatment.
“It wasn’t like a spa or a New-Agey kind of place,” he said. “It’s definitely not a country club. It’s tough, make no mistake about it. They don’t let you make excuses for your behavior. Of all the places” Eminem “could have picked, he went to a down-to-earth, bare-bones place near his home.”
Brighton Hospital allows patients to continue treatment from home, though spokesman Martin declined to say how soon patients, in general, might be released from the hospital.
The Sanofi-Aventis Group, which manufactures Ambien, offered only a brief response to the reports of Eminem’s addiction problem.
“When used appropriately, Ambien is a safe and effective treatment for insomnia,” said spokeswoman Melissa Feltmann.
Contact BRIAN McCOLLUM at 313-223-4450 or mccollum@freepress.com. Contact PATRICIA ANSTETT at 313-222-5021 or anstett@freepress.com.

Two days after Eminem abruptly canceled his European tour, citing exhaustion and unspecified “other medical issues,” his spokesperson revealed that the rapper has been hospitalized for a sleep-medication dependency.
According to a Reuters report, the 32-year-old MC’s label issued a statement confirming that he has been hospitalized and is receiving treatment.
“Marshall Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem, is in the hospital under doctors’ care,” Interscope Records said in the statement. “He’s being treated for dependency on sleep medication.” The label would not give any additional information about where he was being treated or how long he is expected to be hospitalized.
On Tuesday, Interscope announced that the 10-date European leg of the Anger Management 3 Tour — which was slated to run from a September 1 show in Hamburg, Germany, to the September 17 closer near Dublin, Ireland — had been called off (see “Eminem Cancels European Tour Due To Exhaustion”).
Those dates are not going to be rescheduled, though 50 Cent announced on Wednesday that he would continue with his own headlining shows in Europe with a different routing and the addition of Akon to the bill.

When I woke up yesterday, August the 17th, my day started very well. I was in a very good mood. While having my breakfast, I was enjoying Proof’s Searching For Jerry Garcia. Everything seemed ok and nothing prepared me to have a bad day.
When I opened my mailbox, I was amazed at the numerous google alerts talking about the cancellation of the European Tour. As a freelance music journalist, I always verify my sources. I went to Eminem’s official site where the info was confirmed too.
On the official website of the Stade de France, they has also cancelled the show.
There was no way to escape from the sad reality: Eminem had cancelled his European Tour.
On the fan forums I visit on a regular basis, feelings of disappointment, sadness and anger where overwhelming people.
The day before, a French fan who had been to the Detroit show had posted about Eminem’s latest performance. He said that it was weak and that Em did not participate to the show the way he should have done it. I was really surprised, because having seen Marshall at the Paris Bercy show, he was so amazing. I had also seen him performing at many live shows on TV. I always felt his complicity with the public and the way he was performing was fantastic…and now this guy telling me that Marshall did a bad show…in Detroit. Doing a weak show in his hometown sounded so weird to my ears, considering how good the Detroit Eminem shows usually are. The American press seemed to confirm what this fan said.
He said that he had spent all the money for nothing. I argued that the weakness of the show might have been due to Eminem’s fatigue.
I was right about it. However, I never imagined that it was that serious.
After the news of the cancellation, some fans reacted really badly because the show wasn’t expected to be rescheduled. They said that Marshall despised his European fans. Some also wished that his illness to be very serious, « because he doesn’t give a fuck about us fans, he is all about the money ». O my God, angry fans, who on earth allows you to talk like that?
Some of you argue that Marshall « owes » you a tour and that he gets paid like a king for doing his numerous shows.
First, Marshall doesn’t owe you anything. If he cancels the tour, he has some serious medical reasons to do so. Marshall has always been very giving towards his public and if he can’t come, it is not his fault. So stop insulting him for cancelling his show.
Second, I agree. Yes, Marshall Mathers gets paid like a king. He also works like a slave to get paid so much. Do you realize that even kings can show signs of fatigue?
Being an artist is a tiresome job. Eminem never took a break since 1999 and I even saw him performing on one of my videos while suffering from pneumonia. Eminem is a workaholic who really loves his job.
Thanks to his amazing talent and to his numerous fans, Eminem has reached a superstar status. He is so much a superstar in many people’s mind that they don’t even consider him as a human being.
My first reaction when I saw the news of the cancellation of our tour was immense sadness and a feeling of frustration. But I never felt angry against Marshall. Why should I hate him for being in bad health condition? I’d rather pray for him to recover health!
Don’t be that selfish and wish him to be performing despite all. You don’t want Em to die out of exhaustion while performing on stage, do you?
Don’t be that heartless. Marshall Mathers is no robot. He has his weaknesses like all of you.
There will be no show in September 2005. That’s sad, frustrating, I agree. As the huge fan I am, I expected the show with impatience. However, after feelings of disappointment and sadness, I accept what I cannot change. Above all, I wish Eminem to recover health and to take good care of himself.
Before being the amazing artist he is, he is a daddy. Hailie needs him more than we do. Try to think about it before hating on him for nothing.

Superstar rapper Eminem has been hit with a lawsuit by his aunt and uncle in an unusual claim filed in Macomb County Court, a lawyer confirmed with AllHipHop.com.
Jack and Betti Schmitt claim that they sold their Missouri home because the Detroit rapper wanted to maintain family ties. The lawsuit says that Eminem built the Schmitt’s a home and promised to pay them $100,000 per year.
The lawsuit further states that the rapper refuses to put the title in the Schmitt’s name and that he has fallen short on his promise to pay them the $100,000.
The couple is seeking at least $25,000, as the Macomb County Circuit Court handles all civil cases involving at least that amount.
They are represented by Kevin Green, an attorney in Shelby Township, Michigan. Green confirmed the lawsuit with AllHipHop.com, but declined further comment.
The rapper recently cancelled his European leg of the “Anger Management 3” tour due to exhaustion and other related medical issues.
Interscope confirmed the rapper was being treated for various medical ailments, but none were specifically named.
Representatives for Eminem did not have comments as of press time.

If you had the chance to listen to Mu’s mixtape « The Flood », I am pretty sure his talent didn’t leave you indifferent.
True to Detroit, always speaking his mind, ready to spit fire and to shoot at his enemies, Mu’s rapping skills are amazing.
No wonder Mu is so good at doing his thing, he started rapping when he was only 8
Mu and his brother Omar were members of a group, SOA. They used to perform together at the Detroit talent show. The group split when Mu was 17 and he focused on a solo career.
Mu soon gained lots of respect on the local scene. People called used to call him « Lush Legend ». Mu has opened shows for artists such as De La Soul, Redman & Method Man. He has also toured with his fellow D12 artists.
Mu’s dedication to Detroit is obvious:
“I love it here. I just love being here. It’s raw and real, like me. I love the hustle here.”
For a Detroit scene lover like me, Mu’s words totally make sense to me. Mu’s musical style is real, ass-whooping, fire-spitting, raw. His raps are the kind of raps I really dig.
Never afraid to speak his mind, Mu comes up with an offensive and incisive Detroit style.
The man with the headphones who raps on Eminem’s Toy soldiers video is actually Mu. The convincing Detroit rapper has also collaborated with Proof on the track « Broken » from his « I Miss The Hip Hop Shop » mixtape. Thanks to the same track, he won a Detroit Award for his performance.
Mu has been featured on several hip hop magazines like The Source, XXL, Vinyl Analysis.
The gifted rapper is currently working on his debut album. This album will feature many interesting collaborations like Dina Rae, DJ Muggs, Young Zee and Detroit DJ House Shoes.
Mu is known as a Detroit Rap Battle Champion, as the excellent lyricist he actually is.
His greatest accomplishment? Let’s bet that our Detroit soldier is a perfectionist who is used to challenging himself:
« Greatest accomplishment? I’m proud of the love I get from people, and of the songs I’ve created and worked on; but I am still trying to get to the point of my greatest accomplishment, and the future looks very promising. »
More info about Mu can be found here.

Rap star Eminem has cancelled a tour of Europe due to exhaustion, his record company has announced.
The musician was due to begin the 10-date tour in Germany next month, winding up in Ireland on 17 September.
“Eminem is currently being treated for exhaustion, complicated by other medical issues,” a statement from his record company Interscope said.
No further details about the singer’s condition have been issued, while the shows are unlikely to be rescheduled.
Eminem’s publicist Dennis Dennehy said there would be further news about the rapper’s condition at a later date, adding that it was unclear when the decision to pull the European tour was taken.
Dismissed
Eminem – real name Marshall Mathers III – recently completed a tour with rappers 50 Cent and Lil Jon in his home town of Detroit.
In July, he dismissed reports that he was retiring from the music business, saying that he was taking a break to produce other artists.
“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,” he told MTV at the time.
“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'”.
Reports about his retirement came about after Proof, his bandmate from D-12, told a Detroit newspaper that the rap star would call it a day after the final gig of his European tour in September.
His manager said there was “no official decision” about Eminem’s future, but added that his last album Encore was “certainly the cap on this part of his career”.

Mariah Carey has slammed Eminem for playing her personal answer-phone messages on his current tour.
The sexy diva – who was romantically linked to the rap star in 2001 – was left furious when she discovered Eminem plays a recording of her phone messages at his ‘Anger Management’ concerts.
After a clip of her hit song ‘We Belong Together’ is played, Mariah can be heard saying: “I heard you were getting back with your ex-wife. Why won’t you see me? Why won’t you call me? You’re not calling me.”
The rapper then pretends to vomit before launching into his song ‘Puke’. Mariah’s manager, Benny Medina, told America’s New York Post newspaper: “While we appreciate Eminem as an artist, lately his work has seemed tasteless and unnecessarily mean-spirited. The public seems to agree – just look at his declining record and concert ticket sales.”
A friend of the stunning singer claims the phone message isn’t really Mariah’s voice, but an actress impersonating her.
Mariah has always denied dating Eminem, but he recently claimed reports of his steamy affair with Mariah after she was dumped by her boyfriend Luis Miguel for the second time were in fact true.
He confessed in 2002: “There is truth to the story. Now I respect her as a singer but on a personal level I’m not really feeling it.”
Making no attempt to hide the reason why their romance was doomed to fail, Eminem said: “I just don’t like her as a person. I learned a lesson from it – don’t believe the hype. She doesn’t really have it all together.”
The bad boy star pours his heart out about the unlikely pairing in two tracks – ‘Superman’ and ‘When the Music Stops’ – on his album ‘The Eminem Show.’
On ‘Superman’ he rants: “Bitch, if you died wouldn’t buy you life/ What you tryin’ to be my new wife? What you Mariah?”
While in ‘When the Music Stops’ he says he would rather get hooked on drugs than rekindle his romance with the pop superstar.
Copyright 2005 BANG Media International

Rating: four stars
You are fond of Detroit sounds? You like it raw and gangsta related? Then you will probably fully appreciate Trick Trick and Marco Polo’s duo.
Trick Trick, the CEO of Wonderboy Entertainment and his fellow emcee Marco Polo are no strangers to the streets of Detroit. Definitely gangsta, the track « That’s Gangsta » describes the realness of life between streets and studio.
Introducing the rhythmic track in a slow manner that symbolizes their slow and hidden approach, acting the way outlaws usually do, the dynamic armed duo show you the laws of the street. Hustling, guns, alcohol and drugs are part of the game.
Violins, keyboard sounds, drums will make you feel the heavy atmosphere. Trick Trick and Marco Polo have already conquered the streets of Detroit. You won’t be able to ignore both men, because they « grow everywhere they go ».
Used to weed and Hennessey mixtures, pimping and hoes, our heroes will take time to tell you about their gangsta style.
Trick Trick and Marco Polo has been on top at the « King Of The Mic battle » for several weeks on Detroit hip hop dot com.
Don’t miss this fantastic song that it all about the streets of Detroit. Trick Trick’s raw voice gives a particular note to the track.
That’s Gangsta has been made 2 weeks before Eminem’s radio release of Welcome To Detroit City. It has been produced by Trick Trick at Regnant Records/ Wonderboy Entertainment. The song will be featured on Marco Polo’s upcoming album to be released in 2005.

Detroit’s embattled mayor has been endorsed in his re-election bid by rap superstar Eminem.
At a hometown concert before 42,000-plus Friday at the city’s Comerica Park, Eminem gave an on stage shout out to Kwame Kilpatrick, who he said was attending the show.
The rapper urged the crowd to make some noise for the mayor, y’all, the…hip-hop mayor! Noting the blend of cheers and boos that greeted his request, Eminem acknowledged a little bit of mixed reaction from the crowd.
Kilpatrick has been embroiled in several controversies during his term in office and is facing stiff competition for the November election from former Detroit deputy mayor Freeman Hendricks.
Eminem and Kilpatrick have had a good relationship in the past, and the rapper recently performed at a fundraiser for Detroit’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display at the mayor’s request.