Fans High on Eminem's 1st Sober Show

(NEWSER) - Eminem’s new album, Relapse, is as crude as you might expect, but his unflinching examination of his drug addiction has floored some critics. Overall, people love it or hate it.

• "The power of Relapse comes from Em aiming his beat-downs at his truest target, himself," Rob Sheffield writes in Rolling Stone. It's "a more painful, honest and vital record than anyone could have expected at this late date."
• "For anyone who carried a glimmer of hope that this talented if perverse MC had a great album in him," Greg Kot writes in the Chicago Tribune, "Relapse is a wake-up call."

Pair to perform at ballpark in September

(NEWSER) - Native New Yorker Jay-Z gets the honor of playing the first concert at the new Yankee Stadium, but he'll be sharing the stage with fellow rapper Eminem, the AP reports. The show is scheduled for Sept. 13, but that won't be their first concert together—on Sept. 2, the two will appear at Comerica Park in Detroit, Eminem's hometown. More»

New album pushes Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown to no. 2

(AP) - Eminem's new album Relapse has sold more copies in its first week of release than any other album this year. The Detroit rapper's first album in nearly five years sold 608,000 copies and is his fifth straight No. 1 album. His last disc, 2004's Encore, sold 711,000 in its first four days and went on to sell 5.1 million copies. More»

Rapper talks about how he's never been in a better place

(NEWSER) - Where has Eminem been since his last album hit the shelves in 2004? At first, mostly drowning in a sea of depression and prescription drugs, the rapper says in an interview with the Guardian. But for a year now he's been clean and focused on getting back to his roots—which means drawing inspiration from serial killer films. More»

She's 'a male lady,' has a you-know-what, Em raps

(NEWSER) - Eminem, famous for dissing other celebrities via song, has some words for Lady Gaga in new tune "A Kiss." He takes aim at the Gaga-is-a-hermaphrodite rumors with the line, "Tell Lady Gaga she can quit her job at the post office / She's still a male lady," then goes on to note he "wouldn't f*** her with her d***." The song is from Hell: The Sequel, an EP Eminem made with rapper Royce da 5'9" as rap duo Bad Meets Evil, PopEater reports. More»