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.F E A R O F A W H I T E P L A N E TEminem was no stranger to controversy.The first two years of hismarch to superstardom were paved, in part, by assertions that he wasa loathsome performer who spewed rapid fire hate-speech draped inwordsmith rhymes, with a twisted sense of humor, and elaboratelycrafted studio beats.Nevertheless, the legacy of racism in Americacombined with hip hop’s intimate connection with black and Latinocommunities made The Source’s allegations against Eminem, rightlyor wrongly, potentially far more damaging than the previous accu-sations of homophobia and misogyny.Both Mays and Scott under-stood this.Eminem did too.The evening of the press conference hereleased a statement admitting that it was his voice on the recordingdenigrating black women.Significantly, he did not claim the record-ing that included the use of the racial epithet.“The tape they playedtoday was something I made out of anger, stupidity and frustrationwhen I was a teenager,” Eminem explained.“I’d just broken up withmy girlfriend, who was African-American, and I reacted like the angry,stupid kid I was.I hope people will take it for the foolishness that itwas, not for what somebody is trying to make it into today.”Eminem was fully aware of the precarious nature of his celebrityand the racial fault lines upon which it stood.Throughout his riseEminem made it a point to show respect for black music, hip hop,and the history and people that produced both.In a 2000 interviewwith Rolling Stone Eminem was asked if he would use the word nigger on a record.His response demonstrated the fine line he knew he waswalking.“That word is not even in my vocabulary,” Eminem told thereporter.“[I] do black music, so out of respect, why would I put thatword in my vocabulary.” It was an interesting response given the factthat nigga has become such a common part of rap’s everyday “keep-ing it real” vernacular.It indicated that—despite a tendency towardthe contemptible—even Slim Shady, Eminem’s wildly controversialalter ego, knew certain lines were not to be crossed.Eminem’s un-usually quick response to The Source’s charges confirmed their seriousness.Once again, the stakes in hip hop were high.In the end, the personal animus between The Source and Eminem87
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