He's like herpes, even antibiotics won't get rid of him. Expect future outbreaks, sadly. When Music has a nasty looking sore on its lip, that's him.

Egad! To think my fantasy of seeing him locked up in a room with 20 sumo wrestlers who would sit on, and bounce off him, thus smothering him to death, will not be fulfilled...

Back in the 1960s, it was still possible to send care packages to Cuba through the U.S. Post Office. A favorite treat for the children were packages of M&Ms. These were often pilfered by the Customs inspectors for their own children. I know this is not the Eminem you mean, but I didn't know what else to post.

Being one of those folks in the minority that detest and loathe rap music, whenever I read or watch a review of this stuff it reminds me of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy when Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are reviewing Vogon poetry and trying their absolute best to create a believable positive review, because their lives depend on it -- literally:

ARTHUR: Oh yes, I thought that some of the metaphysical imagery was particularly effective.

VOGON CAPTAIN: Yes?

ARTHUR: Oh... and um, interesting rhythmic devices, too, which seemed to counterpoint the, er...

FORD: Counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphor of the, um...

ARTHUR: Humanity of the er -

FORD: Vogonity.

ARTHUR: What?

FORD: Vogonity.

ARTHUR: Oh. Oh! Vogonity. Sorry. Of the poet’s compassionate soul which contrived through the medium of the verse structure to sublimate this, transcend that and come to terms with the fundamental dichotomies of the other. And one is left with a profound and vivid insight into... err...

FORD: Into whatever it was...

FORD: ...that the poem was about...

There is, I understand, a famous Cuban-American rapper named Pitbull, and an even more famous rapper named Fat Joe who is Cubanrican. All Cuban success should he be encouraged. This doesn't require us to buy their records, though.

Yes, it is bad and vulgar poetry, George. Personally, I object more to its nihilism than I do to its crudity. When these kids are old coots like us, I wonder if they'll still be listening to rap "oldies." I can imagine the look of astonishment on their kids' or grandkids' eyes when they see grandpa and grandma dancing reggaeton (supposing, of course, that something even more objectionable does lie in the future that would make rap music look staid and conservative in comparison, as rock-and-roll does today).

Still, rap music has created the phenomenon of millions of teenagers who spend billions of hours "making rhymes." Considering what else they could be doing, I don't see that there is much harm in it. I gave my rap-obsessed 14-year-old godson a rhyming dictionary the other day, and it was like the universe opened up for him. I next intend to introduce him to Martí's "Simple Verses" and effect the desired cultural transformation.

Another positive thing about rap music is that it has changed the Anglo perception of female pulchritude from Twiggy to Jennifer Lopez; that is, it has rescued "white" men from their long thralldom to gay fashionista ideas of what a female should look like (i.e. a boy), and created in them an appreciation of the natural female form which Latins and African-Americans have always had. This sea change cannot but promote greater racial harmony in the United States.

if you want an excuse NOT to buy or support pitbull, he is a guest performer on one of the orishas albums, i think the last one.. i happen to like the orishas, and think their stuff is pretty good, old cuban rhythms to new hiphop jazz grooves, but hey its just me.. in other news, seems eminem is in rehab

Two days after deep-sixing his European tour citing "exhaustion," Eminem has confirmed through his publicist that he is in drug rehabilitation.

http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/eo/20050818/112442100000.html

Daniel, Eminem on drugs is as big a shocker as Castro turning out to have been a communist after all.