Month: April 2004

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A 16-year-old who carjacked and robbed the mother of rap star Eminem was sentenced Monday to at least 4 years and 3 months in prison.
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?g6219_BC_MI–Eminem’sMomCarjac&&news&newsflash-michigan
James Antonio Knott of Detroit also was ordered to pay $3,473 in restitution to Debbie Nelson, 49, Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Margaret Scott said.
Knott pleaded guilty to carjacking and armed robbery charges in the Jan. 22 attack on Nelson at an Oak Park gas station located on Eight Mile Road — made famous by her son’s movie, “8 Mile.” She said she suffered bruises, a broken foot, neck pain and insomnia.
Nelson was present for Monday’s sentencing hearing but did not make a statement, Scott said.
Circuit Judge Fred Mester sentenced Knott as an adult, but the teen will be segregated from inmates older than age 21, said his attorney, J. Herbert Larson of Sylvan Lake.
Knott faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. But with credit for good behavior and nearly three months’ time already served, Knott could be released before his 21st birthday, Larson said.
Nelson said her attacker waved a silver revolver in her face, punched her in the head and dragged her and her dog out of her 2002 Honda Accord. Police arrested him after he got stuck in traffic about a mile from the gas station and fled on foot, Scott said.
Nelson has said she thinks Knott should be punished, but that her “main concern is that he’s rehabilitated and won’t do this again.”
Nelson’s rocky relationship with Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been well-known since the Detroit rapper became a star. He has disparaged her in his music and she has settled two defamation lawsuits over his statements that portrayed her as an unstable drug-user

‘If I was you, suicide would be a way of life. If you was me , you’d kill you.’ (Proof)
Before I start talking about D12’s gifted Mc Proof, I would like to thank and to give credit to the webmaster of the following Derty Harry website for the rare info I found about Deshaun Holton aka Derty Harry aka Proof:
http://angelfire.com/bxc3/dertyharry/main_bio.html
Deshaun Holton aka Proof was born on October the 2nd 1975 in Detroit.
Although they didn’t attend the same High School, Eminem and Proof have been friends since 1988. They used to live in the same street in Detroit.
Proof used to go to Osbourne High school while Eminem was attending Lincoln High. Both friends used to skip high school in order to rap together: in fact Eminem skipped Lincoln High and used to come to Proof’s school very often, because both friends wanted to rap together. This is how they met:
‘I was skipping school, and he was skipping school also, passing out flyers for his concert he was having in Centerline. That had to be, like, ’88 or something.’ (Proof)
Some (white) underground Mcs from Detroit like Backstab the Kingpin are convinced of Proof’s racism. But Deshaun’s statements seem to prove the contrary.
CDNow has asked Proof how he felt about Eminem’s skin color at the time they met:
CDNow: Did you wonder what this blond, white kid was up to?
Proof: ‘You know, I went to Catholic school and had a great, great friend of mine who happened to be Irish; we were best friends since the sixth grade. So when I saw [Eminem] was white, I didn’t even jump off like that; when he rapped, he was dope. What made us get dope and become great friends was we both rhymed “first place” and “birthday,” and we’ve been tight ever since [laughs].’
Eminem and Proof have been real friends since the beginning. When Eminem was kicked out of his home, he would sleep at Proof’s house.
It is well known that Proof is an amazing freestyler.He won the freestyling competition in the Source magazine in 1999. He his a better freestyler than Marshall, but Marshall’s force is in the way he handles his words in his lyrics. That’s exactly what Proof states about their complementary talent:
‘We were both impressed with each other. The advantage I’ve got over Em is freestyling; I’m the kind of guy who freestyles off the head, right? The advantage he had over me was that he knew how to write intricately; he knew how to put a song together and bring feelings about. That’s why I journeyed under him, like, “Yo, show me the ropes, homeboy.”
The idea of the D12 group composed of talented MCs and sick aliases with popped into Proof’s mind:
“I was in New York; I had this deal with Tommy Boy that didn’t work out, unfortunately. But I just had this idea that we could put together a team of dope MCs, put a lot of Detroit on as far as having MCs with skills. Everybody’s solo took so we’ll make aliases, like Eminem’s Slim Shady and I’m Derty Harry, and call it the Dirty Dozen — and at this time, to be honest with you, we thought The Dirty Dozen was a Western movie; we didn’t know it was an army movie [laughs].
That fits us, army rather than Western, ’cause we see ourselves more as gun-slingers, lyric-slingers. Then the idea was to form a pact whereas this team, whoever gets out first comes back and gets the rest of the group.”
Proof has always been confident in Eminem’s loyalty, even if some other members of the group may have been worried:
‘Not me; I’ve been there since day one, almost. I think the rest of the group may not have been there, but Proof has been beside Eminem all this time. I play a leadership role in the group, where I talk to everyone else; Em is like the president, and I’m the general. I talk to the rest of the fellas and put ’em in line and show ’em the direction. It’s a family, too, so there’ll be a lot of fighting and bickering, and some people might have felt it might not be the way it should be. So, yes, there were times when people felt funny about things. But now everybody thinks back to that, and we were tripping out over nothing.’
Acccording to Proof, Eminem’s success was the best thing that could have happened to D12:

Right. Some people look at us like, “You’re gonna be Eminem’s group. You’re gonna be in his shadow.” They don’t realize how positive and great that is to hear; if you’re in the shadow of a guy who can sell almost 10 million records in just the states alone, great. That’s not a dis to us. But when they hear the album, they hear the individuality of each person, how everybody holds their own.

It is so true that each D12 emcee has his own talent and ability to rap.
It is less known that Proof’s first stage name was ‘Maximum’. Proof has always been appreciated in Detroit for his raps and his freestyling qualities. He changed his nickname when people started calling him ‘Living Proof’, because in many people’s minds, Proof was the ‘living proof of the living MCs in Detroit”.
Proof has collaborated and still collaborates with numerous artists such as Dogmatic.
Proof’s first released Cd was called ‘From Death’ and was co-produced with Da Goon Squad.
He has released a CD called ‘Promatic’ with Dogmatic and a six Track solo EP called ‘The Search For Jerry Garcia’.
As well as for Eminem, Detroit has been very influencial to Proof who describes his hometown as ‘the type of place where eye contact can get you killed’ and also as ‘ a city where the sun never shines, full of pot holes, snow and con artists ready to jack everything you got’.

The D12 crew is composed of 6 talented and hardworking emcees from Detroit. Since the beginning of their carreer, D12 has been targetted by the media and negatively criticized ‘for making money by exploiting the world’s misery’. D12’s first fight is against censorship and it is all about freedom of speech. It seems like their fight has been facing many difficulties mainly due to to the FCC’s censorship. Being asked in an XXL interview about political censorship, Eminem and Bizarre expressed about the problems they had to face with the ‘Purple Pills’ song:
XXL:But politics have hit you before. Like when you had to change ‘Purple Pills’ to ‘Purple Hills”did that bother you?
SLIM: That bothered the fuck out of us.
BIZARRE: It bothered me. But then when I heard lil’ kids rappin’ it, I would rather them rap the clean version than the bad.
So did you fight it until the end?
BIZARRE: We lost.
SLIM: I mean, we could stick to our guns and say, ‘Look, we’re making it ‘Purple Pills.” And then guess what? No radio play, no record sales. If you want to eat, this is what you gotta do. You change ‘pills’ to ‘hills.’ It’s the difference between ‘mills’ and ‘bills.’
If you ask me, one of the most hypocritical censorships is MTV’s censorship of ‘Without Me’ where you will see ‘a little bit of weed’ replaced by ‘ a little bit of me’ while ‘hard lickor’ remains authorized.
Besides their fight for freedom of speech, the D12 are fed up to be confused with some artists of the fake world of pop. The song ‘My Band’- that has also been misunderstood by some people since its release- is all about that kind of confusion. Many people actually take Eminem for the lead singer of a band. It often angers me when Eminem gets called a ‘singer’. I do feel the same when D12 gets called a ‘band’.
Because he’s blond haired and white, many people who have no idea what Eminem is about confuse him with a pop artist.
Eminem and D12 are hip hop and it’s high time people realized it. Eminem never intented to be the ‘leader’ of the D12 group. The D12 group exists since 1990, long before Eminem launched his career. The creation of the group was Proof’s idea. D12 is a story of friendship and loyalty. The first to become famous was supposed to do something for his fellows:
‘We made a pact years ago, “which ever one of us gets signed comes back for the rest.’ (Eminem)
Eminem never forgot his friends who grew up in the same place as him and a similar background. Their roots are hip hop and it would be a big mistake to call them ‘singers’ instead of ‘rappers’.
When the ‘Devil’s Night’ album was released, the 6 emcees had to face a lot of negative criticism. ‘Devil’s Night’ is nothing else but a true reflection of life in the Detroit underground. I remember Eminem saying on MTV how much hard he had worked with his fellows on that album. And this time, he wasn’t joking.
The D12 crew has also another important point to prove. I have heard so often:
‘Eminem can rap so well, but the other MC’s of the group are worth nothing. Their lyrics suck and they’re bad rappers.’
Which is so untrue.
The 5 other emcees of the group are gifted. A better examination of their solo work will make people realize their individual talent. Eminem is brilliant, for sure, but his fellows are doing excellent work too. If you take a deeper look at their work you will find Bizarre’s ill rhymes funny and amazing. You will certainly enjoy Proof as a solo artist and see a gifted freestyler in him. You will certainly love Swifty’s wicked rhymes and enjoy Kuniva and Kon Artis’ voices and parts inside of a D12 song. ‘D12 World’ is also about that:
Eminem’s friends want to show you their talent if you just agree to have a look.
Won’t you give them a chance?

D12 member Kuniva has many aliases. He is also known as Hannz G aka Rondell Beene. His real name is Van Carlisle.
He was born in Detroit on December the 10th 1976. He and Kon Artis belong to the group Da Brigade.
It is known that Kuniva battled Eminem in a freestyle battle to prove his credibility.
He won the 2000 Underground Young Gun Award for ‘Funky Fresh In The Flesh’.
D12 member Kuniva doesn’t like to talk to much, but rather to observe people’s conversations:
‘It’s best to remain silent and be thought of as stupid, then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.’ (Kuniva)
Like his other D12 fellows, Van Carlisle is attached to Detroit:
‘I’m proud of where I’m from. Detroit has been overlooked for so many years as far as hip-hop and there’s a lot of talent here. Just like Eminem came back and got us, we want to do the same thing with other artists. It’s about being somebody
and doing something with yourself.”
Besides their hard work, one of the D12 crew’s main goals is the promotion of their hometown and to make people discover some other local talents made in Rock City.
Kuniva, who states that the D12 crew is “here to bring the sick, the obscene, the disgusting”, has contributed to the success of the best rap group of all times: D12.

When people talk about D12, they usually talk more about Eminem or the D12 group globally. People rarely talk about the other D12 members individually, although there is a lot to say about a member like Kon Artis, for instance.
Denine Porter aka Mr Denaun Porter aka Kon Artis was born on December the 7th, 1976 in Detroit.
He had a passion for basketball and wanted to play in the NBA, but unfortunately, he got shot in the leg and had to stop playing basketball.
It is also known that he loves bowling.
Kon Artis grew up at 7 Mile Road.
Some bad mouthed people also say that he used to steal cars before being famous. True or not, you can hardly grow up in a ghetto like 7 Mile Road without being a real gangsta. And the D12 crew is composed of Runyan Avenue soldiers, as we know.
Most of the people ignore that Kon Artis has produced most of the Infinite album with Eminem. Besides the D12 group, Kon Artis used to belong to the group Da Brigade with his fellow Kuniva. They both had an unreleased CD that was supposed to be released on Federation Records, but the label broke down before the Cd could be released.
When his group D12 was targetted by the media about violence, Kon Artis reacted this way and justifiedly pointed out their hypocrisy:
‘You can’t just ridicule us for being real, the media is real. ‘Faces of Death,’ that’s a movie you can buy in a video store. I can’t even watch that movie for 10 minutes. I’m not that sick.’
When he’s not recording, Kon Artis spends time producing. He has worked with some other famous artists such as Method Man, as he points it out in an interview given to Chronic Magazine:
‘I stayed in the studio. I was working on other people’s
albums. I [produced] “P.I.M.P.” and “Stunt 101” [for G-Unit]. I
worked on the 8 Mile Soundtrack. I worked with Method Man, Redman,
Bilal, Rah Digga, Snoop Dogg.’
Kon Artis also revealed some interesting infos about the upcoming D12 album in the same interview:
‘It’s not the same sound of the last album. “Loyalty” is a
good song. It [describes] our relationship as D-12 – our loyalty to
each other before our loyalty to the label. Sometimes that’s more
important. People look at us as a group that was just put together,
but we really grew up together. We’re really a group. “Good Die
Young” focuses on early demise. I wonder what Pac and Biggie would
be doing right now if they were still alive. “Bitch” is funny. You
would expect us to be doggin’ a chick, but it’s a funny story about
men v. women. This album is different from a lot of music that’s out
right now.’
It is so true that the D12 group is a story of loyalty. True friends who grew up in the same part of Detroit and who will stay friends for life.
Being asked if stardom has had negative effects on him, Kon Artis responded:
‘I used to like to go to the hood a lot to free my mind and
get it away from being in a place where my friends couldn’t live
next door. But, I had to learn to [let that go]. They’re still my
friends. It’s hard for me to have relationships. I haven’t been able
to have a person life. I already have trust issues with women. My
personal life is “let me go to the studio with Dre.” He’s works in
the back room and I work in the front room. I work that close to him
everyday. I had to move to California. That was tough. I’m so used
to Detroit. I can’t go certain places that I want to go. Niggas that
don’t have nothing or anything to lose don’t have respect for life.
So, a little chain or some diamonds will make them want to take from
you. I’m not going to put myself in that predicament, so I go to the
club deep. If you’re going to go at me, you’re going to go at the
rest of these niggas ‘ period. It has to be that way. Other than
that”
His point of view on fame is also summarized in ‘When The Music Stops’:
‘I was happy having a deal at first,
Thought money would make me happy but
It only made my pain worst,
It hurts when u see ur friends turn their back on u dawg
When u ain’t got nothing left but ur word and ur balls
N ur stress full of cause
Of ur new friends they beggin with their hands out
Checking for ur record when its selling
When it aint, that’s the end, no laughs
No friends no girl
Just the gin u drink till u car spin u then
Screech
Damn!
Crash
U slam into the wall and u fall
Out the car, trying to crawl with one arm
About to lose it all in a pool of alcohol
If my funeral’s tomorrow, wonder if they would even call when the music stops…’
If you want to listen to some former songs featuring Kon Artis, you will be able to listen to ‘Skull Therapy’ and ‘Searchin” here:
http://d12_israel.tripod.com/links/kon.html
You may find some additional info on Kon Artis’ personal webpage:
http://www.djknice.com/KonArtisArtistPage.htm
As Kon Artis points it out ‘ Everyone in my group is just dope lyrically’. So dear fellow Eminem and D12 lovers, take time to study each MC of the group. Each of them brings a particular note to the Dirty Dozen group

January the 22nd, Detroit, 8 Mile Road. A woman gets carjacked by a young man. A very common situation at 8 Mile Road. The only difference is that the woman sitting in the car is known by the public. She is even one of the most hated women in Detroit : Eminem’s mom, Debbie Mathers.
The incident took place around 11 :30 while Debbie was sitting in her honda accord. She was pumping gas at a B.P when a teenager approched her car, holding a silver gun. He forced her and her dog our of the car. It is known that Debbie suffered injuries : bruises, a broken foot, neck pain and insomnia.
Eminem’s mom has been shocked by the incident : ‘ this is something that doesn’t just go away overnight, ‘ Debbie Mathers says.
The police found Debbie’s attacker and identified him as James Antonio Knott, a local teen from Detroit. When he attacked her, he had no idea of her identity.
Quoting Sgt Frank slone of the Oak Park police :
‘ I think this was just a random carjacking. This has been happening in this area. ‘
Police arrested Knott after he got stuck in the traffic about a mile from the gas station.
Accoring to Lt John Mc Neilance of the Oak Park Public safety department, Knott forced Debbie out of the car.
When the tragic incident happened, Marshall was shooting his video in LA and he couldn’t be reached by his mom.
When she eventually got to talk to him, he reacted badly and was angry with his mom :
‘ Look bitch, of all places for this to go down, Eight Mile Road, where my movie was filmed ! Couldn’t you pick another place for this to happen ? ‘
I guess that if she could have choosen, Debbie wouldn’t have wanted this event to have taken place in her life.
Eminem’s mom wants her attacker to be punished. But she also feels sorry for him. Isn’t she a bit contradictory ? Is that just another publicity stunt to attract people’s attention on her case ?
Debbie has been followed by bad luck in the last years.
She had legal battles with Marshall who gave a true description of her addiction in his songs. But she never won those battles. Simply because there is no defamation in telling the truth.
She’s currently battling with cancer and she cannot afford the costs for an operation. And now being carjacked’
We may not doubt Debbie’s sincerity for once. Why ?
I think that Debbie shows concern for Knott’s case, because she knows that a 16 years old boy may face 10 to 18 years in jail for his action. I think that she is very conscious that in Knott’s case the sentence may be harder for a man with a dark skin. 8 Mile Road, as Eminem’s movie talks about, is also the place for racial segregation and discrimination.

The D12 thugs are back with a brand new song and video : 40 oz. You gotta love this song that puts you in the typical athmosphere of the Detroit underground. ‘ 40 oz ‘ is an ode to beer. Beer that makes the D12 crew act weird and become a real menace to the Detroit clubs.There are explicit references to guns and drugs which belong to the Detroit underground scene.
Bizarre starts rapping and appears as a real menace in the video. Drunk as much as possible, Bizarre is ready to start fighting. He’ ready to start some problems in the club and shows a very provocative side. You’d better be careful :
‘We fucked up
let us in the club
One of y’all niggas gon’ catch a slug
I’m so drunk i could hurl for a month
Any nigga pop’s, go to the trunk
D12 start shit, nigga come get us…’
Bizarre reminds people of his roots: 7 Mile Road. One of the scariest place in Detroit:
‘7 Mile Runyan, wild niggas wit us
cause all my niggas is talkin’ that shit
Ain’t got no problem, with smackin no bitch
I’ll have my wife, cut your throat
Blunts, gans , that’s all we smoke
Wile the fuck out, stab you with a knife
It’s D12 nigga, we ready to fuckin’ fight…’
Bizarre and Eminem both make a reference to Runyan Avenue at 7 Mile Road.Two other references of this place can be found in D12 lyrics such as ‘Shit Can Happen’ and ‘Fuck Battlin” featuring Bugz.
The Detroit underground is very inspirational to many artists. You will find Bizarre’s former track ‘What What’ and Eminem and Swifty ‘s work with Da Ruckus ‘We shine’ on the ‘Silent Records’ website. You will also discover some Detroit underground artists like ‘Uncle Ill ‘ on the same website. Check it out:
http://www.the-s.com/index_frames.htm
Eminem impersonates the next drunk thug. Nobody will be secure against him. He is ready to attack you and you’d better react on time :
[Eminem]
Who tryin’ to be the first one to catch this blade in their throat
You know the po-po don’t let me hold them toasters no mo’
I just clapped three people, you gon’ be number four
If you don’t back the fuck up, and get the fuck up off the flo’
My crew is takin over as soon as we hit the do’
You hit the door then we comin’ in and you goin’ home
Security that can’t even stop us because they know
Runyan Avenue soldiers hold it down wherever we go
Suckin on our 40’s and holdin up .44’s
We come with toasters like we just opened saving’s and loans
And we don’t need your brew tonight homie we brought our own
So grab whatever you sippin on and let’s get it on!!!!
Kuniva follows Eminem. He makes a sarcastic comment about the crew’s weapon possession.The security guards will let them in, they don’t seem to handle the situation. They are probably afraid of the drunk Runyan avenue soldiers:
[Kuniva]
‘We deep as a muvafucker, we ’bout to get it crunk
you just another punk in the club about to get jumped
I settle my vendettas with AK’s, berettas
We dont supposed to be in here with our weapons but still they let us
Switchblade, brass knuckles, nickel plated belt buckle
Broken beer bottles, when we walk in you can smell trouble
Elbows flying, bitches crying, niggas bleeding, you retreating
Run into your car and skatin off free g-ing
We make examples out of you haters runnin’ your mouth
You the reason why your peoples is pourin their 40’s out
Dirty Dozen wiling, beat niggas bloody
And you gon’ have to pour out a keg for all your homies’
But Proof will probably be their worst nighmare: alcoholic, raised by drunks. He is ready to beef as the real gangsta he is. Blunts and alcohol belong to his crazy way of life and he will heat the beef.
Don’t forget that ‘because of Proof they put the G in the alphabet’.
It is a matter of fact D12 has often been accused of promoting violence. Little did you know : violence is an every day reality in the Detroit ghetto.
Urban violence in Detroit is something common. It often happens that kids become victims of this violence :
http://www.freep.com/news/metro/shoot14_20020514.htm
The D12 haven’t created it. They just talk about in their songs.
The ‘ 40 oz ‘ video will make you penetrate in the thug universe of Detroit. An atmosphere that you have discovered through the ‘ Devil’s Night ‘ album and that you have probably enjoyed a lot. As well as they made you appreciate their former work, the D12 crew will make you enjoy their newest ode to beer.
What! What! ………..
[Intro: Kuniva]
Yeah nigga!
Its D12 up in this mothafucka
you know how we get
We wilin’ in the club
Everybody get crunk
Detroit too nigga
So wile the fuck out!
[Chorus:]
Pour your 40 out and guzzle it! [ x 8 ]
Bitch!!!
[Bizzare]
We fucked up
let us in the club
One of y’all niggas gon’ catch a slug
I’m so drunk i could hurl for a month
Any nigga pop’s, go to the trunk
D12 start shit, nigga come get us
7 Mile Runyan, wild niggas wit us
cause all my niggas is talkin’ that shit
Ain’t got no problem, with smackin no bitch
I’ll have my wife, cut your throat
Blunts, gans , that’s all we smoke
Wile the fuck out, stab you with a knife
It’s D12 nigga, we ready to fuckin’ fight
[Repeat Chorus]
[Eminem]
Who tryin’ to be the first one to catch this blade in their throat
You know the po-po don’t let me hold them toasters no mo’
I just clapped three people, you gon’ be number four
If you don’t back the fuck up, and get the fuck up off the flo’
My crew is takin over as soon as we hit the do’
You hit the door then we comin’ in and you goin’ home
Security that can’t even stop us because they know
Runyan Avenue soldiers hold it down wherever we go
Suckin on our 40’s and holdin up .44’s
We come with toasters like we just opened saving’s and loans
And we don’t need your brew tonight homie we brought our own
So grab whatever you sippin on and let’s get it on!!!!
[Repeat Chorus]
[Kuniva]
We deep as a muvafucker, we ’bout to get it crunk
you just another punk in the club about to get jumped
I settle my vendettas with AK’s, berettas
We dont supposed to be in here with our weapons but still they let us
Switchblade, brass knuckles, nickel plated belt buckle
Broken beer bottles, when we walk in you can smell trouble
Elbows flying, bitches crying, niggas bleeding, you retreating
Run into your car and skatin off free g-ing
We make examples out of you haters runnin’ your mouth
You the reason why your peoples is pourin their 40’s out
Dirty Dozen wiling, beat niggas bloody
And you gon’ have to pour out a keg for all your homies
[Repeat Chorus]
[Proof]
I was raised by drunks, so I became a drunk
80 Proof on this vodka, that’s the name I want
I’m in the club to beef, you gotta murder me then
Only talk to a bitch with burgundy hair
Or the aisle in the back, bump a seven deuce
See that top on that 40, you know it’s comin’ loose
See me on the Ave. daily, we runnin’ this shit
If your chick get loud, I g-money that bitch
Packin mags and clips, I’ll smash your clique
Because of Proof they put the “G” in the alphabet
Smoking weed, drinking henny, remy, in that Jimmy
Don’t worry if we run out the corner store got plenty

DETROIT (AP)–Eminem’s mother wants to see a 16-year-old punished for carjacking and robbing her, but she’s also distressed to think he could spend the next decade or more in prison.
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/featr/content/features/entertainment/ap_story.html/Entertainment/AP.V0046.AP-People-Eminems.html;COXnetJSessionID=A8KtUEQ7Hs2UoAD1jdzH9I2yF1djRLdFmqRaEZgeO7gsoZSWFKFf!-1088967648?urac=n&urvf=10818873416070.43037152920450017
Debbie Nelson said she’s struggling to get over the Jan. 22 gas station robbery on Eight Mile Road, a strip that divides Detroit from its suburbs and was made famous by her son’s movie, “8 Mile.” She said she suffered bruises, a broken foot, neck pain and insomnia.
“This is something that doesn’t just go away overnight,” Nelson, 49, said in an interview Monday.
She said she was in her car, resetting the trip odometer while getting fuel, when her attacker waved a silver revolver in her face, punched her in the head and dragged her and her dog, a lab mix named Itchy, from the car.
James Antonio Knott is scheduled to be sentenced next week and could face 10-18 years in prison on charges of carjacking and armed robbery, said Oakland County prosecutor Margaret Scott.
Knott pleaded guilty and has said through his attorney that he used a BB gun in the robbery, not a handgun. Scott said investigators never recovered a weapon.
Police arrested him after he got stuck in traffic in Nelson’s 2002 Honda Accord about a mile from the gas station. He ran from the car and was caught, Scott said.
Nelson said Monday she hadn’t received the contents of her handbag, which was in the car and contained her cell phone, identification, house keys, pictures of her two sons and more than $3,100 cash.
Nelson’s rocky relationship with her son, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been well-known since the Detroit rapper became a star. He has disparaged her in his music and she has settled two defamation lawsuits over his statements that portrayed her as an unstable drug user

Eminem’s movie has brought him acclaim and sympathy from people who would have despised him before. The day he was giving his concert in France on June 2003, I have talked to the hotel manager in front of the concert hall. He has told me:
‘I didn’t like Eminem several years before. But it went to watch 8 Mile with my son. Since then, I do respect him a lot.’
It seems like 8 Mile has brought more mainstream acclaim in Eminem’s carreer.
But his movie has also raised some controversy in Detroit from some Highland Park citizens who were protesting Eminem for burning down a house. An abandonned house that was already known as a crack house:
http://216.109.117.135/search/cache?p=Dozens+Protest+Eminem+movie+in+Highland+Park&ei=UTF-8&cop=mss&u=www.clickondetroit.com/news/1092851/detail.html&w=dozens+protest+eminem+movie+in+highland+park&d=16B017DC4A&c=483&yc=44854&icp=1
Eminem has been accused to ‘give Warren a bad name’. How hypocritical. Warren doesn’t need Eminem to have a bad name.
The burning of the abandonned house has ignited a debate in Detroit. People like City counsilman Earl O. Wheeler was totally opposed to the burning of the houses:
“Burning a house for a movie sets an example for our children. It says to them that burning a house is good.”
I don’t think he is right. The 8 Mile movie is talking about real facts. Only responsible parents will help preventing from such acts. It has nothing to do with ‘8 Mile.’
Will people held Eminem responsible for every burnt house in Detroit? That’s simply ridiculous.
The situation of Highland Park has raised numerous debates:
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/journ28_20011128.htm
Nobody could deny Highland Park is already facing financial crisis. The region of South 8 Mile doesn’t need the movie to get bad publicity.
When ‘8 Mile’ was released, in November 2002, it also raised some debates among parents whether their kids should be allowed to watch it or not.
Some parents of Detroit gave a positive appreciation of the movie:
Robin Cusman went to see the movie with her two kids:
‘The part where they were having sex, I got the hand out.The language? You hear that every day. I go to my son’s school and you hear it. That’s real life.”
Mandisa Smith of Detroit saw “8 Mile” with her 15-year-old son, Biko:
“I thought the overarching theme of the movie was being passionately committed to one’s goals and persevering in the face of all the obstacles of your environment. I think that’s an important message for everyone — particularly young people.”
Most of the negative comments I have read on the movie are focused on strong language, the use of alcohol and drugs and both sex scenes with Kim Basinger and Brittany Murphy.
I think those scenes are taken from real life, as Robin Cusman states it. I think we shouldn’t hide reality to kids. They are intelligent enough to understand real life situation. We as parents have a responsibility to explain them what is good or bad for them.
I wouldn’t be as prude as Mrs Cusman about the sex scenes. It wouldn’t help anyway. I didn’t have to explain anything about sex to my son. He had already learnt a lot from his friends as a teenager. Parents shouldn’t be so prude about sex and do as if sexuality didn’t exist. It is something completely natural, after all.
My son saw 8 Mile with me on January 2003. He was 13 when he first watched it.
Of course, he is not totally fluent in English. But he enjoyed the movie. When
I recently asked him about what he remembers of the movie, he told me:
‘The most important is Jimmy Smith’s success in the end. There is a positive message in the movie: Jimmy struggles, he suffers, but he wins the battle in the end and captivates his audience. He manages to win his audience.’
We should be confident in our kids. They are intelligent enough to memorize the essential points in a movie. Parents, don’t forbid ‘8 Mile’ to your kids. Let them watch it, it is really worth it. Why not watch it with them: you might be surprised by the positive lesson you can learn from the movie.

Each century has its rebels.
Although he is so often described as sugarcoated by Catholics, Jesus of Nazareth was certainly a rebel against Phariseans’ hypocrisy.
At his time, Martin Luther was a rebel against Catholic Church. He was against social injustice and the exploitation of poor people.
Marcus Garvey is a symbol of rebellion against slavery and the exploitation of Blacks by White people . At the time Jamaica was still a colony, he used to say :

The day sall come when the Negro shall rise to power and the white nations shall fall

Rebel one had to become. Rebels are people who don’t accept things as they are, they are the ones who ‘through their attitude- can make things move in our society.
If you ask me, Eminem is certainly a rebel. A rebel with a cause. Because his character Slim Shady is foolish and weird, it is easy to minterpret Eminem’s words and sentences at first.
Of course, Slim Shady is deranging, because he has so many things to say that you might not like at all.
Because he points out society’s failures, Eminem is somebody comfortable people love to hate. Powerful persons often don’t want to hear stories about white trash and underground people. They usually want to comfort themselves in the myth of the American Dream.
To me, Eminem is a social commentator who points a mirror in front of suburban people to tell them:

We as a Americans
Us as a citizen
Gotta protect ourselves
Look at our shit has been
We better check ourselves
Livin up in these streets
Through worse and through better health
Surviving by any means
We as Americans
Us as a citizen
We are cemeritans
What do we get us in
We better check ourselves
Look at our shit has been
Take a look where you live
This is America
And we are Americans…

(Eminem ‘We as Americans’)
It is a strong call for people to acknowledge the harsh living conditions of people from the ghetto. Eminem doesn’t write his lyrics to please anybody. Not even his label. If you consider ‘The Way I Am’, this song is also rebellious towards the label’s wishes.
There is so much realism in many of Eminem’s descriptions. He pictures and parodies violence. Although his movie ‘8 Mile’ has brought him respect from people who used to despise him before, he’s often been accused to encourage the circle of violence that exists in the inner cities. It is completely ridiculous. Violence existed in the inner cities long before Eminem and has been pictured in many American series and movies.
Eminem wishes people to open their eyes ans to stop being such hypocrits, particularly on the topic ‘violence’. The same parents who allow their kids to play violent and scary games on their playstation and to watch some Schwarzenegger movies will be so negatively shocked by his lyrics. That’s exactly what he expresses, in ‘ Who Knew?’:

And last week, I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie
where he’s shootin all sorts of these motherfuckers with a uzi
I sees three little kids, up in the front row,
screamin “Go,” with their 17-year-old Uncle
I’m like, “Guidance – ain’t they got the same moms and dads
who got mad when I asked if they liked violence?

Eminem is talking about things people would love to hide. Like children abuse. Some closed minded people don’t understand that through his own example, he is addressing to the crowd of kids all of the world who actually suffer from their parents’ behavior. He wants people to open their minds, to open their eyes. Not every kid has a golden childhood. Some kids will grow up with deep wounds inside of their soul.
To his (negative) critics, Eminem has a message to deliver:
‘But put yourself in my position; just try to envision
witnessin your momma poppin prescription pills in the kitchen
Bitchin that someone’s always goin throuh her purse and shit’s missin
Goin through public housin systems, victim of Munchausen’s Syndrome
My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn’t…’
(Cleaning Out My Closet)
But Eminem also shows them abused kids that it is possible to succeed despite all.
Eminem is also against the sugarcoated world of the show business. He doesn’t ‘give a damn about a grammy’ and has also proven it: he doesn’t attend to each ceremony. He even shocked some fans in 2003 because he preffered spending some time at home with Hailie than attending to such ceremony (who could blame him for that?).
Eminem will always rebel against boy groups as he expressed it in ‘The Real Slim Shady’:
‘I’m sick of you little girl and boy groups, all you do is annoy me
So I have been sent here to destroy you *bzzzt*…’
Some people still don’t get it, but the newest D12 single ‘My Band’ is a parody of people who describe D12 as a band, not as a group.
No, D12 has not gone ‘pop’. D12 is still hip hop, don’t worry.
Eminem strongly rebels against the Bush administration. Some of his lyrics could be described as visionary. Yea, the vision is scary. But it is the truth.
To Marshall, only truth matters. He is a rebel. With a cause.