Eminem, Press Releases Home Page

Eminem skyrocketed to fame with the hit song, "The Real Slim Shady," with the refrain, "Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?" Poking fun at the song, the judge said, "Mr. Mathers. Now is the time for you to please stand up." Eminem was ordered to pay more than $2,300 in fines and court fees. The judge also ordered Eminem - whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III - to perform community service, telling him to submit his idea for community service within 21 days. The requirement was it has to be something creative that would be "impactful to young people," the judge said.
 

Radio station fined for airing Eminem
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado Springs radio station is facing a $7,000 fine for repeatedly airing an edited but still racy version of rap singer Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady." KKMG-FM officials said Tuesday the station has not paid the fine and is considering what to do. They have 30 days to respond to the Federal Communications Commission complaint. KKMG operations manager Bobby Irwin said the edited version was not indecent but the station quit broadcasting it after getting the FCC's notice June 1. A Madison, Wis., radio station paid a $7,000 fine earlier this year after it played the unedited version of the song.

Judge denies Eminem's mom's request
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) - A judge has denied a request by Eminem's mother to collect more money for settling a pair of lawsuits against the rap superstar. Debbie R. Mathers-Briggs tried to change attorneys and protest efforts forcing her into a settlement of $25,000 in her claims against her son, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III. "It's clearly a settlement," Macomb County Circuit Judge Mark S. Switalski ruled on Monday. "If someone feels remorse subsequent to it, that doesn't change that it is a settlement, established in writing by agents of the parties." The judge ruled that Mathers-Briggs, who initially sued for $12 million, had abandoned her legal standing to jockey for more money. Her new lawyer said the $25,000 settlement is invalid.

Eminem contesting child support
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) - Eminem says $142,480 a year is too much child support for his 5-year-old daughter. His estranged wife says it's not enough. The dispute is the first significant bump in a divorce that was sailing rather smoothly for the Grammy-winning rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III. A support recommendation filed by the Macomb County Friend of the Court about two weeks ago suggests Eminem should pay $2,740 a week in child support to Kimberly Mathers. The couple agreed in March to share joint custody of their daughter, Hailie Jade. The recommendation also calls for the 28-year-old rapper to pay $156 a week toward health insurance and assume 90% of any expected child care costs. Kimberly Mathers, who is unemployed, says she wants more money. Court records suggest Eminem, of Clinton Township, may have a gross income of $2.7 million per year. Neither side has suggested a specific dollar amount, Eminem attorney Harvey Hauer said.

The attorneys had planned to have a hearing Thursday before Probate Judge Antonio Viviano, but they delayed it to June 7. Judges rarely fail to follow the Friend of the Court recommendations, but attorneys on both sides can review them and request modifications. Eminem and his wife, who were married in June 1999, legally separated last August, two months after Eminem was charged with using a gun to pistol whip a man he said he saw kissing his wife outside a Warren nightclub. The couple reconciled, but Kimberly Mathers filed for divorce in March, saying the marriage had broken down. Eminem pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon in Warren and received two years probation. He faces sentencing June 5 in Oakland County after pleading no contest to carrying a concealed weapon, a felony, and brandishing a weapon, a misdemeanor. Those charges are from a fight that occurred eight hours after the Warren incident.

Groups protest Eminem Australian tour
MELBOURNE (Billboard) - Rumors that Eminem might tour Australia in August have seen family groups, women's associations and some of the gay and lesbian lobby up in arms. They're calling for the Australian Government to deny the controversial rapper an entry visa - or at the very least, insist anyone under 18 be denied admittance to his shows. Bill Muehlenberg, national secretary of the Australian Family Association, argues that the government has banned other foreigners whose visits would offend racial and religious groups. "Given that being sexist, misogynist, racist - everything - applies to Eminem, I would imagine there are a few groups who would be offended by him coming here," Muehlenberg said. The Family Association has suggested parents not give their children money to buy tickets for his shows, if Eminem does in fact dodge immigration red tape.

"We deplore any homophobic sentiment that encourages hate and violence," the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby said in a statement. The Immigration Department refused to commit itself, saying that visa applications were considered on a case-by-case basis. A number of promoters are bidding for Eminem to come to the region after a July 27 appearance at the Fuji Festival in Japan.

Eminem poses naked in Cosmo
LONDON (AP) - Bad-boy rap star Eminem is revealing - almost - all by posing naked for the issue of the women's magazine Cosmopolitan. The 28-year-old rapper will appear as a fold-out centerfold in the British edition of the magazine, naked and clutching a tactfully positioned stick of dynamite, a Cosmo spokeswoman said Wednesday. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, appears alongside 16 British celebrities - including Olympic gold medal-winning rowers James Cracknell and Tim Foster. Cosmopolitan, which sells more than 450,000 copies a month, is Britain's most popular women's magazine. The June issue goes on sale May 17.

Eminem pleads no contest in court
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) - Grammy-winning rapper Eminem pleaded no contest Monday to weapons charges stemming from an argument with associates of a rival Detroit rap group. Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Denise Langford Morris said she was not now considering jail time, but said that could change after she reviews the case. The 28-year-old pleaded no contest to carrying a concealed weapon - a five-year felony - and to a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm in public in the June 3 argument in Royal Oak. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but it is treated as a guilty plea for sentencing purposes. Eminem will be sentenced on June 5. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, pleaded guilty on April 10 to a weapons charge in Macomb County Circuit Court and received two years probation. In return, prosecutors dropped an assault charge stemming from a June 4 incident in which he was accused of pistol-whipping a man seen kissing his wife, Kim Mathers, outside a nightclub. Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Bilkovic has said he wouldn't push for jail time if Eminem pleaded guilty during Monday's pretrial hearing.

Eminem gets 2 years' probation
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) - Rap star Eminem was sentenced to two years' probation Tuesday for carrying a concealed weapon. The charge carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison, although Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga said earlier that he would seek no more than six months "because he has no record and there was no serious injury." As part of his probation, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Antonio Viviano ordered the Grammy winner to undergo counseling and submit to drug testing. He will be allowed to travel within the continental United States for work. "In this case, the weapon was not loaded and there was no direct danger to human life," Viviano said, agreeing to accept a pre-sentencing report that recommended the rapper receive zero to three months in jail. At the advice of his attorneys, Eminem made no statement in court. He stood silent between his attorneys in a dark suit and tie.

Eminem was charged following a June 4 confrontation outside a Warren nightclub. Police say Eminem struck a man he says he saw kissing his estranged wife, Kim. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, pleaded guilty to the charge in February as part of an agreement with prosecutors who dropped a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in return. Eminem could have changed his mind after hearing what sentence he would receive. The rapper, also known as "Slim Shady," is no stranger to the legal world. Eminem also faces charges in Oakland County that he illegally possessed and brandished a concealed weapon during a confrontation with Douglas Dail of Insane Clown Posse, a Detroit-based rap group, in nearby Royal Oak.

Eminem offends Daytona mayor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Eminem is no longer welcome in Daytona Beach. The rapper offended Daytona Beach's mayor with his profanity Friday during a concert filmed at the annual Black College Reunion for Black Entertainment Television. "He would definitely not be welcome back to perform," said Mayor Bud Asher. "Evidently this guy is a renegade and he does whatever he wants." Eminem was part of a lineup of rappers and R&B musicians, including Snoop Dog, Missy Elliot and Nelly, scheduled to perform at the annual weekend gathering in this beach town. The performances will air next month on BET. The mayor said he had an agreement with BET officials that profanity and lewd behavior would not be allowed at the concert, which was held at a city-owned band shell on the beach. BET officials said that after they asked Eminem to tone down his language he had agreed to perform one of his songs a second time without profanity. "We just wanted to make sure the mayor's fears were assuaged," said Robert Santwer, a BET spokesman. "We just wanted him to know it won't happen again."

Eminem, wife reach divorce deal
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) - Rap superstar Eminem has reached a divorce agreement with his wife that gives them joint custody of their 5-year-old daughter. The couple worked out a temporary divorce agreement last week that also gives Eminem their $450,000 home, the rapper's lawyer said. His wife, Kim Mathers, would receive $475,000 in cash to purchase a house. The couple agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their daughter, Hailie Jade. Mathers and Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, married in June 1999. Kim Mathers filed for divorce on March 1, following a reported two-month attempt at reconciliation. Harvey Hauer, Eminem's attorney, said the proceedings were "not contentious at all." "It was easily arrived at because each person was concerned with the family and concerned with the well-being of their daughter," Hauer said. Eminem pleaded guilty last month to carrying a concealed weapon, a charge that stemmed from a fight last summer outside a Macomb County bar. He is scheduled for an April 10 sentencing

Eminem's wife sues for divorce
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Rap superstar Eminem's on-again, off-again marriage is off again. Two months after the couple reportedly reconciled for the sake of their daughter, Kim Mathers filed for divorce Thursday in Macomb County Circuit Court. "This is a marriage that apparently just isn't going to work," said her attorney, Robert Feldstein. "Luckily, the parties seem to be communicating well with respect to their daughter and hopefully that communication and cooperation is going to be ongoing for the best interest of the child." Mathers and Eminem - whose real name is Marshall Mathers III - married in June 1999, in St. Joseph, Mo. They have a 5-year-old daughter, Hailie Jade. Eminem - who took home three awards at last week's Grammys - filed for divorce last August after a run-in with Warren, Mich., police and a suicide attempt by his wife. The rapper faces sentencing on April 10 after pleading guilty last month to a weapons charge from a fight outside a Warren nightspot in June.

Eminem dispute dominates Grammys
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Revere or revile him, rage-rapper Eminem reigned as the man of the moment at Wednesday's Grammys. Little of the attention before the show involved his bid for album of the year and three other nominations in the rap categories. Instead, critics and supporters clashed over lyrics about knifing homosexuals, and raping and torturing women found on his "The Marshall Mathers LP." They also disagreed about whether the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences should have recognized his work. "The reason you're upset is because he has evoked a reaction, and that reaction is part of the reason that art is what it is," Recording Academy President Michael Greene said. Eminem's obscenity-filled music attracted about 100 protesters Wednesday outside the Staples Center, site of the awards show. Shortly before the awards show began, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the National Organization for Women held a Rally Against Hate on the street outside.

Robin Tyler, a gay activist who has led protests against conservative radio host Laura Schlessinger, said: "We are not saying that Eminem does not have a right to say and sing what he wants. What we are saying is that to elevate it to great art and to award neo-Nazi lyrics set to music is a disgrace." During Tyler's speech, a busload of Eminem fans dressed in the rapper's trademark black ball cap and white T-shirt drove by, hooting and taunting the demonstrators. Eminem's lyrics also provided fodder for Grammy host Jon Stewart. "I don't know what all the controversy is about, quite frankly," the comedian said. "I've met Eminem. I met him backstage, and he's really gay. He's the gayest guy you'd ever meet." The outrage over his lyrics seemed to have little sway over voters. Eminem picked up three awards - for rap album, rap solo performance and rap performance by a duo or group for his work with Dr. Dre.

Singer Pat Boone supports Eminem
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Foul-mouthed rapper Eminem has his share of detractors but musician Pat Boone is offering some support. The veteran singer-songwriter may not like the content of Eminem's music, but he said that he respects freedom of expression. "I don't agree with his lyrics, their content or tone. I'm totally opposed to violence, racism and homophobia, but I vigorously feel that we must respect an individual's right to speak his mind, especially when it comes to all forms of art," Boone said Friday in a statement. Other artists have come under fire for either supporting Eminem or, in the case of Elton John, performing with him at Wednesday's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. John has been criticized by many people in the gay and lesbian community for his decision

Rapper DMX hit with new charge
CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (AP) - Less than a day after reporting to prison to begin a 15-day sentence for a traffic violation, rap artist DMX was hit with a new charge of contempt of court. The rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was arraigned Tuesday before Town Justice Thomas Kolbert. After pleading innocent, he was ordered to return to court for further proceedings March 14. Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark said the new misdemeanor charge was lodged because Simmons missed the court-imposed Feb. 9 deadline to surrender to begin serving his sentence for driving without a license. If found guilty, Simmons could face a sentence ranging from unconditional discharge to a year in jail. The Grammy-nominated rapper was arrested on Route 33 in this Buffalo suburb March 29, about three hours after performing a concert in Buffalo. He pleaded guilty in May to driving without license, marijuana possession and two parking tickets. It was his fifth unlicensed driving citation since September 1998.

Rapper DMX to surrender on charges
CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (AP) - DMX plans to surrender to authorities and begin a 15-day jail sentence as early as next week, his publicist said. The rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was sentenced last May for driving without a license. A warrant was issued last week for his arrest after he failed to meet the court-ordered deadline to begin his jail term. Simmons was pulled over in suburban Buffalo last March, about three hours after performing a concert. His attorneys say the rapper has been in California fulfilling a previous commitment to work on promotional material for a movie. DMX is nominated for two Grammys - best rap album for "And Then There Was X," and best rap solo performance for his single "Party Up." His spokesman said he won't attend the awards show next week in Los Angeles

Some befuddled by John, Eminem duet
NEW YORK (AP) - Some people are still scratching their heads over Elton John's decision to sing a duet with Eminem at next week's Grammys. But the rapper, who has included anti-gay rhymes in his songs, thinks he understands why the gay superstar is a supporter. "I think that Elton John, I think he gets it. Because the kids...they are taking my music for what it's worth, you know what I mean? They're taking it with a grain of salt," Eminem said backstage during a concert last month. The show, which will be broadcast on iN DEMAND on pay-per-view on Saturday, will air parts of the interview. John said he's a big fan of Eminem and does not believe his lyrics, which include references to gays as "fags" and violent imagery, are hateful. The Grammys will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on CBS on Feb. 21.

Protesters picket Eminem concert
MANCHESTER, England (AP) - About 100 protesters gathered Thursday outside a concert by Eminem, shouting for the American rap star to "stop the bigotry, stop the hate." Eminem's arrival in Britain was a hot topic on television news programs and talk shows because of violent lyrics about homosexuals and women on his Grammy-nominated album "The Marshall Mathers LP." Gay rights activists and women's groups expressed their displeasure with the 28-year-old rapper's songs by demonstrating outside the sold-out Manchester Arena, the site of his first of three British shows. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, arrived in Manchester on Thursday aboard a private jet from Paris. An armored van drove him from the airport, and security was tight outside the arena.

Eminem won two Grammys last year and received four nominations this year, including one for album of the year. In Eminem's lyrics, he refers to "fags," fantasizes about raping his own mother and jokes about domestic violence. He even has written songs about killing his wife, with whom he has had a troubled relationship.