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T hisfory of hi-p'liop is r V é'd with figures t ac'cuSed of glorifying violgce and crude sexual beha iour. Latest in the dock‘is MINEM, aka 'Slim bv' 9 once and for tlfifiwfiit me can rap.
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'I DON'T THINK I'M SHOCKING,’ SAYS liminem. ‘I don't think I‘m any more shocking than the world is.‘ For some people. impregnating Spice Girls. robbing convenience stores and murdering former girlfriends would be a full—time concern: for liminem. they‘re just some of the many wide—ranging elements he brings into his lyrics. The latest in hip hop‘s long line of bad guys. liminem‘s foul-mouthed. unhinged persona belies his true status as one of America’s most talented rappers.
With a moniker deriyed from his initials — not. surprisingly. after the chocolate—covered peanut in a crispy shell — Marshall Mathers is liminem. but also Slim Shady. the star of ‘My Name ls‘. the first single from the Slim Slim/y LP. ‘lle‘s not a character. it's an alias.‘ liminem explains. ‘When 1 get mad. then Slim Shady comes out of me. I'm like two different people. but Slim Shady is me.‘ Glad we got that sorted out then.
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Whatever nom de guerre he raps under. opinion on him is split. lie is yiewed on one hand as a musical pioneer. pushing the boundaries of hip hop: but also as a foolish young man who shirks responsibility for his music with a surly shrug of the shoulders. Whateyer your take on him. liminem has paid his dues in hip hop circles: he‘s not a fly—by- night white boy making a cheap buck with the pop exploitation of black music.
‘l’eople are trying to turn me into a noyelty act.‘ he complains. ‘White rappers nowadays . . . it‘s so hard since Vanilla Ice. lle lied and he was a cornball and he had no talent. But if you‘ye got skills. and if you'ye got what it takes. nobody can really say shit to you.‘
After guest slots on a number of quality underground hip hop albums. liminem‘s own record has gone on to sell three million copies worldwide. llis rise to platinum-selling status has been. to say the least. swift. His first commitment to vinyl stemmed from his collaboration with production duo FBT. who produced and released his debut. Infinite in 1996. It didn't sell. and it was followed a year later by ‘The Slim Shady" EP. which sold equally poorly. After he came second at the 1997 Rap Olympics in l.os Angeles. the lil’ found its way into the