Raps, in Blue

By David E. Thigpen

Some people only see that I'm white," gripes Detroit rapper Eminem. But what comes out of his mouth is getting more attention than the color of his skin. Not since the heyday of N.W.A. has hip-hop served up a feast of violence and fantasy as fiendishly witty as Eminem's The Slim Shady LP. On a song titled '97 Bonnie & Clyde, a ripping satire of Will Smith's treacly Just the Two of Us, Eminem raps about pushing his troublesome spouse off a pier while their daughter looks on. "There goes mama splashing in the water/ No more fighting with dada/ No more restraining order." Edgy stuff, even by rap standards.

Just a few weeks into its release, Slim Shady is well on its way to selling 1 million copies, but not everyone is laughing. Billboard magazine, in an unusual editorial, blamed the rapper for "exploiting the world's misery." Perhaps, but at 26 Eminem (whose real name is Marshall Mathers) has his own burdens to carry. As the first rapper on superproducer Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records, Eminem's success is vital to the future of the label. And as a white rapper, with the discredited image of Vanilla Ice still looming in the background, he very much needs to score points in the credibility column. So forging beyond the familiar drive-bys of gangsta realism, Eminem mixes comedy and mayhem into jarring scenarios that are made-to-order for jaded young record buyers. There's one catch: next time around fans will expect something even more outrageous, or Eminem will be yesterday's news.

--By David E. Thigpen