The rapper's overnight success was built on a foundation that took years to create.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Eminem in his "My Name Is" video in 1999
Photo: MTV

As the May 19 release ofEminem's long-awaitedRelapsealbum approaches, MTV News is taking a deep dive into our extensive Eminem archives and examining each phase of the MC's storied career. Here we take a look at the first phase, theSlim Shadyera.

He introduced himself with four simple words: "Hi, my name is ..."

And seemingly, it wasn't long after Eminem got through his first verse— filled with tongue-in-cheek humor, over-the-top threats and too many "Wait, did he really just say that?" lines to keep count— his "Slim Shady" alter-ego was a household name and a superstar was born. "My Name Is," Eminem's first single from his 1999 debut album,The Slim Shady LP,took the rap sensation, a skinny white kid from a trailer park in the Midwest, to the forefront of not only the hip-hop community, but pop culture at large.

The song was the first rap record to top MTV's "Total Request Live" countdown. He premiered the clip for "My Name Is" on "TRL" alongside Mark Wahlberg— who was on the show promoting his latest movie— in a memorable moment of low-brow comedy and awkward tension. "We'll just all stand together like a happy, fun bunch," Em quipped of himself, host Carson Daly and a surly seeming Wahlberg. The joke was in reference to Em's single, where at one point he puts down the white rappers that came before him— including Wahlberg, who earlier in his career rapped under the name Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

But Eminem's overnight success, as is usually the case, was built on a foundation that took years to create.

	Eminem: Slim Shady Era (1998-2000)

He released his first-ever album,Infinite,in 1996, and another independent collection,The Slim Shady EP,a year later. Both projects showcase a raw Marshall Mathers, still working to discover his voice. OnInfinite,in particular, only traces of his distinctive lyrical cadence and flow are evident; at times Shady sounded more like a Nas or Jay-Z. OnThe Slim Shady EP,however, the young MC began to find his footing. The EP included songs like "Just the Two of Us," one of the first songs he made about his tumultuous relationship with hison-again, off-again wife Kimthat later would form the basis for " '97 Bonnie and Clyde," as well as "Just Don't Give a F---," both of which were included on his major-label debut.

Success and accolades came fast for Eminem following the release ofThe Slim Shady LP.He won the Best Rap Album Grammy for the project. He also gained notoriety for pushing acceptable boundaries and soon found himself the target of activist groups that claimed his lyrics were hateful, filled with misogynist and homophobic barbs.

Everything was happening so fast for the Detroit native. During his first-ever MTV interview, at the now-defunct New York nightclub Tramps, Eminem discussed his entry into the music business. His defiance foreshadowed what was to come.

"I don't care if you like me or not," Em said. "You ain't gotta like me, I'm not asking you to like me, I ain't begging anybody to like my stuff. I'm gonna do what I do. I'm gonna do the music I love and that I grew up on. Nobody is gonna tell me I can't do that music. "

As a white rapper, Eminem fought furiously to overcome the the handicap his lack of melanin gave him in the hip-hop world. He took part in rap battles in Detroit that his friend and D12 group memberProof, who was killed in 2006,introduced him to. His pre-Slim Shady LPwork helped Eminem land inThe Source's "Unsigned Hype" column, where he joined well-known names like Notorious B.I.G. and Common as alumni of the column that, at the time, all but guaranteed professional success. And he had the backing ofDr. Dre, who signed the MCto his Aftermath imprint after Eminem placed second at the now-defunct 1997 Rap Olympics.

Still, nothing could prepare Eminem for the roller coaster he was about to get on.

During a returnvisit to his hometown with MTV News' Kurt Loder, Eminem attempted to show a grounded look at his upbringing. Maybe the hype surrounding the kid with the bleach-blond locks and dirty mouth was hitting everyone else but him at that point. But when a car blasting one of Eminem's songs pulled up alongside Em and Kurt, who were in a vehicle with tinted windows concealing them, reality set in. Slim Shady was about to pop ...

• Eminem: The Return

• Eminem: Slim Shady Era (1998-2000)

• Eminem

Gabe Saporta says 'Gossip Girl' star fit the song because she's a 'perfect girl with the bad streak.'
By Eric Ditzian

Leighton Meester and Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta on the set of their music video for "Good Girl Gone Bad"
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK—Cobra Starshipfrontman Gabe Saporta was hunched over the craps table, a wad of cash in his sweaty hand, while Leighton Meester of "Gossip Girl" hovered above him on perilously high heels. Around them, the smoky nightclub pulsated in full party mode, as pretty people jammed to the music and guzzled bottles of beer.

Multiple felonies were being committed all at once— but no worries! We were on the set of the music video for the song"Good Girls Go Bad,"and everyone was having a grand time.

The concept of the video is that Meester runs an underground speakeasy, complete with shelves of booze, gambling tables and a dance floor. The band is in charge of the above-ground deli that acts as a front operation to hide the debauchery within. To gain access to the illegal club, patrons must order the correct sandwich and proceed down a staircase.

"And if you don't look good, I'm not gonna let you in!" Saporta told MTV News during some downtime on the set, tucked into the Lower East Side.

The infectiously dancey "Good Girls" was produced by"American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, and Saporta was initially put off by the fact that the busy producer only had two hours to spend with the band in the studio. Saporta says he gave her a "stinky beat" and popped off a list of foul-mouthed song titles.

"She didn't even flinch!" said an impressed Saporta. "She's a New York girl." Together, they dropped the song's hook in no time, and 15 minutes later the entire track was done. "It's, like, the best song on our album," he said of the upcoming August release,Hot Mess.

By the time Cobra and DioGuardi recorded the song, the band had already decided to collaborate with Meester. "I had heard that Leighton was working on a record and I really, really, really wanted to do a song with her, because I'm a big superfan of hers," Saporta said. He recalled thinking, "['Good Girls'] would be perfect for Leighton because it's already kind of her character in 'Gossip Girl,' like the perfect girl with the bad streak."

They'd been working together on another track, but Saporta quickly sent her the new song, and Meester took an immediate liking to it. "I thought, 'I need to get on that!' " she told MTV News. "It totally is my sound too. Really fun to dance to it. Very edgy and cool."

Meester and Saporta wrote some verses together and returned to the studio to record the song. "It was so awkward for me, because on one hand, I have the idea of how the song should go in my head," Saporta said. "But on the other hand, I'm like, 'I don't want to tell her what to do, because I love her and that's scary.' "

Before shooting on the video ramped up again, Saporta wondered where his band would go now that they're on the brink of breaking into the big time. "When you're the underdog, you get to do whatever you want," he said. "How do we still have the same fun we used to have without pi--ing people off?"

• Leighton Meester Boards The Cobra Starship

• Cobra Starship

MC scoffs at notion that he's advising Eminem.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Tim Kash

50 Cent and MTV News' Tim Kash
Photo: MTV News

Eminem's long-awaitedRelapseLP is coming out on May 19— one week from today— and we've got loads of Slim Shady material coming over the next couple of weeks. Who better to kick off our Eminem blitz than his biggest protégé, 50 Cent?

The excitement for Eminem's return is building fast as the May 19 release date forRelapsedraws nearer. 50 Cent, for one, thinks that as more music becomes available to the public, the expectations, along with the anticipation, will also ramp up.

"It's great! I think you should expect it to go up," Fif explained. "I felt like those [single] choices ... personally, I think that the first single['We Made You'],was one of his better records, lyrically. Obviously, he felt the same way. [But] he's got some records on this album that are way better, to me, 'cause there was so much material."

In addition to "We Made You," the rapper has put out "Crack a Bottle," featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, as well as the dark, twisted"3 A.M."

On Tuesday (May 12), Eminem is set to release yet another song, "Beautiful," that will debut on iTunes. The track is the only one Em produced himself on the album, according to arecent interview he did withVibe.Dr. Dre handled the bulk of the production onRelapse.

With Eminem back in the spotlight after a long hiatus— he's also prepping for hisperformance at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards— 50 scoffed at the notion that, as the more outgoing of the two, their mentor roles have reversed.

"Absolutely not," he said. "I don't advise him. When people see him as my mentor, that's the people who have been paying attention. The people who tuned in after he's been on hiatus, they just see 50 Cent. But a lot of times, the creative decisions before I present music to the public, I'll use him as a soundboard. And say, 'What do you think? Are you sure this is right?' 'Cause I don't have a lot of people I trust as much as Em, because he's already accomplished so much as an actual artist."

50 is set to release his long-awaited albumBefore I Self-Destructfollowing the release ofRelapse.

Plus: Drake says his rhymes are 'more intimate' than mentor Lil Wayne's, inMixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Jayson Rodriguez

Cam'ron
Photo: Asylum

The 1515 Boys (that's us, in case you didn't know— shout-out to El and B. Dot, though) want to thank everyone for the success ofMixtape Daily's first week. We hadLady Gaga,Drake, the sexyNicki Minajand a bunch of other cats you need to be up on. You have been telling us for a while you wanted more, and last week, y'all showed up and we put up numbers. With that said, let's keep doing it. We'll be the suppliers, you log on, and we'll stay one big happy family.

Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables

Independent Album:Crime Pays

Starring: Cam'ron

Records We Can't Stop Playing: "Got It for Cheap," "Silky" and "Get It in Ohio"

Essential Info: One thing Cam'ron said he doesn't know how to do is fall back. Killa told us that even before his three-year hiatus— during which he spent a significant amount of time taking care of his mother who had three strokes— he contemplated retiring from rap.

"It was a time when I was thinking about that, before my moms got sick," Cam admitted. "I was like, 'All right, I got everybody off the ground. I kinda been doing this for a while. Let me fall back and maybe look into some other things.' "

Cam said he couldn't stop coming up with lines. "During that time period, I'd be somewhere eating, thinking of some rhymes. Or I'd be in my living room, thinking of some rhymes. I can't stop even if I wanted to stop," he explained. "It doesn't matter where I'm at— if I'm somewhere sitting still for more than an hour, rhymes start popping in my head. ... It's just kinda instilled in me."

Cam drops his long-overdueCrime Payson Tuesday, and when he spoke with us, he came on the humble. Homie is genuinely glad to be back.

"I'm just privileged to still be around," he said. "You got people that come in, one album, two albums, and they're gone. A lot of people couldn't take the break I took and come back into the game and people be checking for them. People would be like, 'F--- him.' That's the one thing I did realize taking this break, how much love I got. When you constantly working, working, you don't really get to appreciate the fans and people loving your stuff. Places I went to where I didn't even know people listen to rap, there were [fans] that would be like, 'Please come back.' "

Skitzo and AraabMuzik did the majority of the beats, and Killa rocked most of the records with no guest rappers. Everyone talks about the reunion of Cam and the Dipset, but can we get some Killa over Just Blaze and Kanye beats again?

Mixtape:So Far Gone

Starring: Drake

Records We Can't Stop Playing: "Successful" (featuring Trey Songz and Lil Wayne), "Ignant Sh--" (featuring Lil Wayne), "A Night Off" (featuring Lloyd) and "Say What's Real"

Essential Info: We mentioned this same mixtape early this year when we were only going once a week. Now that we're daily, it gives us a little more freedom to properly trumpet the sounds of Drake. Young Drizzy continues to show us that in just a few weeks, your buzz can go from 20 mph to off-the-charts. (Well, it feels like a short time, but this is Drake's third mixtape since 2007.)So Far Gonenot only has him doing sold-out shows across the world, but it also throws his name in the hat for Rookie of the Year and, possibly, Mixtape of the Year.

The Toronto native came with a two-pronged attack of singing and rapping, with guest spots from a few homies, including Omarion, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne and Bun B. The former "Degrassi: The Next Generation" actor also hasn't given up on seeing his name on the cover ofTV Guideor even your local movie-theater marquee.

"I like to give things to people, so whether it be a movie or I have a TV show that me and one of my best friends [fellow 'Degrassi' actor] Mazin Elsadig did," he said. "We write. It's comedy comparable to, like, Judd Apatow and Michael Cera, but with black people in it. So, I mean, there's all kinds of forms of self-expression, and it carries over, obviously, into music. My music is really personal. It's really based on honesty, so it's not much acting involved. And you know Wayne is a character when he performs, when he spits, he's animated. With me, with rapping, it's more intimate, it's more organic and more personal. My music, I think there's more acting on the business side of it than the music side of it."

Other Heat This Week

»DJ Woogie and Gucci Mane -Gucci the Great
»Raekwon the Chef and DJ Absolute -Blood on the Chef's Apron

• Mixtape Daily Video: Lloyd Banks, Ace Hood&More

Plus: Lo gets a job, Audrina breaks up with Justin Bobby, and Lauren has to fire Stephanie.
By Jim Cantiello

Stacie the Bartender and Spencer Pratt
Photo: MTV

The theme of Monday night's "Hills" was employment! Characters worked! Characters were about to be fired! And characters visited other characters at their place of employment to call them home-wreckers!

And we wonder why the economy is exploding.

First up, the Jan Brady of "The Hills": Lo. The also-ran scored a new job with "The Big Cheese," a.k.a. Smashbox Cosmetics. And wouldn't you know it? Lauren's employer, People's Revolution, is working on a photo shoot for Smashbox. And wouldn't you know it again? LC was chosen to be the stylist at that shoot, and it's her first time being the sole stylist! Funny how those things work out in life, right?!

But— conflict!— Lauren had to run to the store and left Stephanie at People's Rev to take care of packing all the clothes for the photo shoot. Anyone with half a brain and a TiVo Season Pass to "The Hills" (which we know Lauren Conrad has) knows that this is about as good an idea as making "Police Academy: Mission to Moscow."

We now interrupt this recap with a pop quiz. Would you ever trust somebody with your job who:

A) Announces that she is going to "stop stressing about work to go on a manhunt"?
B) Has to remind herself to work by pointing to her brain and saying "work, work, work, work, work"?
C) Gets distracted by wind?
D) Admits they're scared of the boss because she wants the workplace to be "all, like, professional"?

LC answered the quiz with her actions, folks, and her choice was: E) All of the above.

Obviously, Stephanie effed up the menial task. She was too busy gabbing with her new honey, the multi-named Robert/Roberto, or grooving to her ringtone. But when LC called Stephanie to correct the problem, Steph was on her lunch break with her beau. Meh. Forget Robert/Roberto. From now on, I will call him Roberto Benigni.

Spoiler alert: Word gets back to Kelly Cutrone, and she's as mad as you'd expect her to be. When finding out that Steph stepped out for lunch, Cutrone sniffed, "I haven't had a lunch break in five years!" (Kelly's a smart reality-TV character. She knows that if she stopped to eat, there's a good chance that she'd be too busy chewing food to chew scenery for the cameras.) The Scary Stepmother on "The Hills" basically told Lauren that she has to fire Steph by the end of the week. Although at People's Revolution, the elimination process is a little intense. "Just do it quick. Think guillotine. Clean." Sheesh, when MTV News fires interns, we just ask them to not steal any Post-Its on their way out.

Stephanie's not the only one taking personal calls at work. In the middle of a promo concert of a band called the Script (oh, the irony!), Audrina picked up her phone and talked to Justin, the ex she's been weaning herself off of. Anyone else notice that all the dialogue around Justin makes it sound like Audrina's a drug addict? In the opening scene, Lauren got all intervention on us. "I'm proud of you. It's been awhile. I mean, like, are you happier now?" Out of context, it sounds like Audrina should open every episode by saying, "My name is Audrina, and I'm a Justin-holic." Somebody get that girl a sobriety chip!

In any case, Audrina the Addict falls off the wagon and has an awkward dinner with Justin. But don't call Dr. Drew from "Celebrity Rehab" just yet, because Audrina's only there to break up with him for good. "I can't do this anymore. Don't call me, don't text me, it's over." But Audrina's guillotine-style breakup was no match for Justin Bobby, who acted like a chicken with his head cut off. "What about you spending the night in Brody's room? If I spent the night in Lauren's room like you did with Brody, you would freak out!" And then Audrina called him a liar (which, um, Audrina, we all saw you spend the night with Brody, so you might want to rethink that comeback), and then she ran off to talk to Stephanie's headband, who is awfully suspicious of Audrina's "we broke up" proclamations.

"If you go back to Justin like you always do," Stephanie's headband started, but Audrina swore she's in a new place: "I look at him and see all the bad things he's done. Karma's a betch." I don't know that I'd categorize hooking up with a dude behind Justin Bobby's back as "karma." Perhaps you meant to say, "Payback's a betch"? Regardless, I'm just happy you said a complete thought without using the word "seriously." Baby steps! Golf clap.

And finally, in Speidi Land, Stacie the Bartender aimed her promiscuous texts toward Heidi and asked the star to stop by the Dime to have yet another showdown. Third time's a charm for the fightin' ladies, because this time Stacie and Heidi delivered the producers' talking points succinctly and efficiently.

Heidi: "I think you're a home-wrecker. I think you're rude. I think you're a slut."
Stacie: "You're crazy. I feel bad for you. Your boyfriends a di--, and good luck!"

Later, Spencer flipped when Heidi told him that "she took care of that," meaning the Stacie situation. And just as I was about to write a Mafia joke, Spencer beat me to it. "OK, Tony Soprano." I gotta give him props. Spencer would make a killer writer on "Detox." Heidi was furious that Spencer's "breakup" with Stacie wasn't working, to which he retorted, "What do you want me to do, kill the girl?" (Now that would be an insane plot point. Perhaps there could be a "Phone"/"Hills" cross-promotion show?) And as if Heidi couldn't get any more gangsta, she finished their argument with, "I just dare you to find another Stacie, and just wait till you see what happens with that. OK?"

Sheesh! Between Heidi's threats and vague "take care of this and that" talk and Lauren's directions to decapitate Stephanie, we're in for one bloody finale.

Get the popcorn ready!

• MTV Detox

Band still seems to be grappling with sudden popularity in 1994 chat.
By James Montgomery

Green Day's Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe Armstrong in 1994
Photo: MTV News

It was back in 1994. August 3, to be exact. MTV News' first-ever interview withGreen Day.

The guys were still fresh-faced and scruffy, still trying to figure out how to deal with the fame that theirDookiealbum had brought them and— perhaps most importantly— still touring aboard their customized Book Mobile (complete with a fold-out sorta couch and a space for their Sega Genesis).

We spoke to Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt from the living quarters of the bus, hours before their gig at the iconic Stone Pony club in Asbury Park, New Jersey. This was 11 days before their infamous mud-slinging gig at Woodstock '94 and less than a week before they began touring on the main stage of that summer's Lollapalooza festival, alongside headliners like theSmashing Pumpkinsand theBeastie Boys.

During our interview, they still seemed to be grappling with their sudden popularity and the sheer enormity (and ridiculousness) of their upcoming gigs. About their Woodstock slot, Armstrong quipped, "We're gonna drop onto the stage in flaming parachutes and do Hendrix's version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' " They were seemingly dead-set on never leaving the cozy confines of the Book Mobile (oh, how times would change).

But, most notably, they didn't seem like one of the hottest rock acts in the country— they seemed likekids,the kind you'd see skateboarding in the parking lot of 7-Eleven or hanging out around a Dumpster somewhere. They dodged most of our questions about "punk rock" and "selling out" (and, really, who could blame them?) and seemed most excited when showing our cameras around their bus (at one point, Dirnt jokes "Make sure you show the Genesis with the Fat Wreck Chords sticker on it!").

It's a pretty amazing bit of tape— a time capsule that looks back at a time that's seemingly gone forever. And, in celebration ofGreen Day's upcoming21st Century Breakdownalbum, we decided to pull a bit of the interview for you to see. It's Armstrong and Dirnt, stubbing out cigarettes, giving us a tour of their bus and introducing us to their driver (and so-called "spiritual adviser")— who just so happens to be drummer Tré Cool's dad.

So, before you look forward, have a look back, at the first time Green Day ever graced MTV's cameras.

• MTV News RAW: Green Day