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Eminenemy of the State

post #1 of 22
12/7/03 at 8:18pm
Thread Starter 
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The Secret Service is trying to determine if any action needs to be taken regarding a lyric from rapper Eminem that may be a threat to President Bush.

The lyric comes from a bootleg Eminem recording -- one of several from the rapper making rounds on the Internet over the past week.

In the song called "We Are American," Eminem sings: "(Expletive) money, I don't rap for dead presidents. I'd rather see the president dead."

Dennis Dennehy, a spokesman for the Grammy- and Academy Award-winning rapper, told CNN the song was not ready for release.

"This was an unfinished song, either lost or stolen," Dennehy said. "There was no determination where, when, how or if it was going to be used."

A Secret Service probe is routine when something that could be construed as a threat to the president is brought to agents' attention.

"Dead presidents" is slang for cash because of the depiction of several presidents on currency.

The reference to seeing the president dead does not specify the president of the United States.

"We are aware of the lyric and are in the process of determining what action, if any, will be taken," said Secret Service spokesman John Gill.

The music has been circulating on fan sites, on peer-to-peer networks and in hip-hop chat rooms.

There is no indication that the rapper was complicit in the release of the bootleg song.

"It would be saying too much to make too big a deal out of this," one Secret Service official said.
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post #2 of 22
12/7/03 at 10:16pm
Well yeah. Overkill and all, but still. Note to Marshall Mathers: that white line behind you is the one between provocative and stupid.
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post #3 of 22
12/8/03 at 10:48am
Great thread title.

Supposedly, Drudge is fueling this "scandal."

If he's looking for "The Reagans Part 2: Look How Much Shit I Can Shut Down," he needs to wake up. The threat of Bush-supporters boycotting Eminem is empty because they don't buy his music in the first place, and if they think they can pressure Universal/Interscope into dropping him and Shady Records like the Ice-T/Body Count/Cop Killa scandal of yore, they're mad.

Neither Interscope nor the music industry at large can afford to be without Eminem and 50 Cent right now. They are driving and sustaining the business at present.
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post #4 of 22
12/8/03 at 11:19am
I heard this on the morning news I believe on Friday, heard it all weekend long, and never brought up Drudge. How do you define "fueling" if never once a listener received the information regarding this from him?

Here's the deal: It's a publicity stunt not unlike Britney kissing Madonna. Even if Drudge was the first to publish the lyrics or whatever Mathers doesn't care. And we KNOW that he's trying to make a point, albeit in a rather volitile way.

The problem being hundreds of thousands of listeners who will hear nothing but the words, "...see the President dead" and not really care about the message surrounding the idea of money/art.
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post #5 of 22
12/8/03 at 11:35am
Quote:
Originally posted by Kronos
I heard this on the morning news I believe on Friday, heard it all weekend long, and never brought up Drudge. How do you define "fueling" if never once a listener received the information regarding this from him?


It was a Drudge "exclusive"!

http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/...804_mattmm.htm

By fueling, I mean read his story as opposed to other reports (like the one above). He's trying to wring ot for the most controversy possible to make it seem as if the Secret Service are making this priority number one or something. In turn, the conservative fanbase that reads this site is supposedly looking to do a boycott if "action is not taken."

Quote:
Here's the deal: It's a publicity stunt not unlike Britney kissing Madonna. Even if Drudge was the first to publish the lyrics or whatever Mathers doesn't care. And we KNOW that he's trying to make a point, albeit in a rather volitile way.

The problem being hundreds of thousands of listeners who will hear nothing but the words, "...see the President dead" and not really care about the message surrounding the idea of money/art.
Publicity stunt? Eminem needs publicity? Come on. That guy taking a dump in public gets major coverage. His career has never been hotter.

And these hundreds of thousands of listeners aren't going to fixate on that in context of the rest of his lyrics. No one would care. There's more controversy over him having made a defamatory rhyme about black women 15 years ago than there is this.
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post #6 of 22
12/8/03 at 11:41am

Re: Eminenemy of the State

The Secret Service is trying to determine if any action needs to be taken regarding a lyric from rapper Eminem that may be a threat to President Bush.

The lyric comes from a bootleg Eminem recording -- one of several from the rapper making rounds on the Internet over the past week.

In the song called "We Are American," Eminem sings: "(Expletive) money, I don't rap for dead presidents. I'd rather see the president dead."

Dennis Dennehy, a spokesman for the Grammy- and Academy Award-winning rapper, told CNN the song was not ready for release.

"This was an unfinished song, either lost or stolen," Dennehy said. "There was no determination where, when, how or if it was going to be used."

A Secret Service probe is routine when something that could be construed as a threat to the president is brought to agents' attention.

"Dead presidents" is slang for cash because of the depiction of several presidents on currency.

The reference to seeing the president dead does not specify the president of the United States.

"We are aware of the lyric and are in the process of determining what action, if any, will be taken," said Secret Service spokesman John Gill.

The music has been circulating on fan sites, on peer-to-peer networks and in hip-hop chat rooms.

There is no indication that the rapper was complicit in the release of the bootleg song.

"It would be saying too much to make too big a deal out of this," one Secret Service official said.
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post #7 of 22
12/8/03 at 12:08pm
I'm a cynic. I don't belive anything happens media-wise without there being a coprporate motive, if you will. Yes, Mathers is already gonna sell cd's. He's also going to sell a few more to a different demo behind this.
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post #8 of 22
12/8/03 at 12:14pm
But that doesn't make any sense. He's in public WITHDRAWL mode right now for being too popular.

And even that hasn't worked because every project he touches turns to popular gold. 50 Cent? Biggest rapper in eons. His production work? Only a major track on Jay-Z's final album AND the lead single from the new Tupac movie soundtrack featuring Tupac AND Biggie Smalls on the same track. His first starring role? A huge success with a successful Oscar and Grammy-nominated soundtrack.

If anything, he's in overexposure mode - and that's without having a new album out in over a year. He doesn't need MORE record sales. If he quits everything today, the guy will be making millions for years to come.
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post #9 of 22
12/8/03 at 6:16pm
I wonder how many people are now going over every lyric in every song he's ever made, looking for more controversial lines they can make a story out of?
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post #10 of 22
12/8/03 at 6:31pm
Great thread title, Dev.
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post #11 of 22
12/8/03 at 6:37pm
If the kid was arrested there would be massive protesting of which the likes we have never seen.
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post #12 of 22
12/8/03 at 6:46pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Van Jones
I wonder how many people are now going over every lyric in every song he's ever made, looking for more controversial lines they can make a story out of?
Well I know that I shall not be one of them.

His first/second(?) album left my poor head feeling as if it had been pounced upon by a thirty-ton earth excavator.

CRASH ... BANG ... CLANG ... WHUMP ... THUD!

Give me two hours of smooth harmonious jazz and a sweet Cognac any day.
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post #13 of 22
12/8/03 at 9:06pm
Give me two hours of smooth harmonious jazz and a sweet Cognac any day.

Shit. Just when I'm busy fighting for the underdog and you had to go and throw that in there.

Now I'm all confu sed.
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post #14 of 22
12/8/03 at 9:15pm
Thread Starter 
Smooth jazz is the sound of giving up life.
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post #15 of 22
12/8/03 at 9:17pm
Quote:
Originally posted by devincf
Smooth jazz is the sound of giving up life.
Oh, dev, how we have missed you. Actually, me no likey the smooth stuff. Progressive, babe...think progressive.
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post #16 of 22
12/8/03 at 9:21pm
Thread Starter 
Progressive jazz is the sound of giving up on taste.
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post #17 of 22
12/8/03 at 9:22pm
Secret service? Sounds more like a job for Tipper Gore and the PRMC
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post #18 of 22
12/8/03 at 9:32pm
Hey! HEY! Play nice.
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post #19 of 22
12/9/03 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Avalon
Give me two hours of smooth harmonious jazz and a sweet Cognac any day.

Shit. Just when I'm busy fighting for the underdog and you had to go and throw that in there.

Now I'm all confu sed.
Sheesh you people are a tough audience.

Ok, if I said that I watched the remarkable Michael Franti (who knows more about good music than Eminem ever will) in Manchester last Friday, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance - would that be enough?

Or do I need to debase myself and state that I llllllooooove Britney in order to curry favour with you musical gurus?

<grin>
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post #20 of 22
12/9/03 at 9:18pm

I Shot the Devil

Suicidal Tendencies got a little visit from the Secret Service back in the day for their anti-Reagan diatribe "I Shot the Devil."

Dunno exactly what the SS can DO to someone in this situation, if they aren't either a threat to assassinate themselves or clearly inciting assassination - shake their finger vigorously in the artist's direction while yelling "bad MC! bad! bad!", perhaps.
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post #21 of 22
12/10/03 at 10:14am
Quote:
Originally posted by AgentOrange: Stainless Steel Rat
Sheesh you people are a tough audience.

Ok, if I said that I watched the remarkable Michael Franti (who knows more about good music than Eminem ever will) in Manchester last Friday, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance - would that be enough?

Or do I need to debase myself and state that I llllllooooove Britney in order to curry favour with you musical gurus?

<grin>
LOL.. I was just ribbing ya. I actually like some smooth jazz (I was just fucking with Dev's head), ala Michael Franks, but "smooth" is also open to personal interpretation. I'm just more of a progressive fan, myself.

Me? Tough? Naaaah

So have we all decided? Eminem in or out? Micah knows what he's talking about, so I'll fathom a guess and say that Eminem is safe again for the time being. Poor little guy...er..rich guy.
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post #22 of 22
12/10/03 at 7:51pm
1) Nothing is going to happen with this. The Secret Service has to respond to anything, especially when a popular celebrity "endorses" the death of the president.

2) The song will likely never be released. However, I say "likely" because if it was anyone BUT Eminem, it probably wouldn't be.

3) Many of you vastly overestimate Eminem's populararity. He's huge, yeah. But there is a little bit of hyperbole going on here.

4) Micah: 50 Cent's star is fading and will fade even farther. He had 1 major hit, and a series of, what, 1 or 2 more minor hits. And I have seen him live. He's one of the worst rappers in person I have ever seen. Eminem and Ludacris are infinitely better live, another reason why I think both of them will "be around" a lot longer than Fitty will be.
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