"Shady XV" began as an outlet for Eminem to release a batch of songs that didn't have a home. "Aside from being on the road, it's pretty much been seven days a week for the past five, six months." How often is he there? "Umm, how often is all the time?" Em asks. He's used to long hours in the studio, which he considers his office. Right now the destination is "Shady XV," which hits stores Monday, and was still coming together in late October. Says Em of their partnership: "I come to him with the car, and he shows me where to drive it." Theirs is a tight alliance that began as a business relationship and became a friendship, and together they grew Shady into an internationally recognized brand that also includes a clothing line, a film division and a Sirius XM radio station. He is joined by his manager and business partner Paul Rosenberg, with whom he launched Shady Records in November 1999. In a rare sit-down interview with The Detroit News, Eminem is discussing "Shady XV," the new two-disc set that commemorates the first 15 years of his record label, Shady Records. He introduces himself and offers a hand-to-hand embrace that he pulls into a half-hug. At least, if either Yelawolf or Slaughterhouse get their records released.Marshall Mathers enters the lobby of his Ferndale recording studio, located in a nondescript, heavily secured building in the city's industrial district. Whether or not four fast-rapping hyper-lyrical rappers can maintain a high non-Internet profile remains to be seen, but it’ll be an interesting gambit to watch. The signing of Slaughterhouse also reflects a gamble by Shady, one unlikely to pay off in commercial dividends, but a move that shores up its credibility among true-school types alienated by Eminem’s recent pop bids. Other than Eminem and 50 Cent, the Interscope Records subsidiary hasn’t released a full-length album since 2006’s “Eminem Presents the Re-Up,” a lackluster compilation that attempted to promote also-rans Bobby Creekwater, Ca$his and Stat Quo. Indeed, it certainly recalibrates the former Columbia Records signee’s commercial ceiling and reinvigorates the fortune of the once latent Shady. And now that I’ve become an apprentice to one of the greatest artists in the world, my potential reaches beyond anything I ever imagined.” ‘I can tell you that when you’re willing to give your life up to see a dream through, the reward is great. ‘Considering where I’m from and the I’ve been through, it’s hard to put into words what partnering with Shady means to me, my team at Ghet-O-Vision, and my state of Alabama,” Yelawolf said in a prepared statement. Indeed, the signing seems to reflect a passing of the torch to the younger white rapper, who has been frequently been compared to Eminem. Collaborations with Gucci Mane and Big Boi, and a tour with Wiz Khalifa certainly upped his public profile, but none can match the co-sign of Marshall Mathers. Without a proven track record of producing hit singles, Yelawolf would’ve had an uphill struggle to succeed alone. What’s clear is that the imprimatur of one of the most popular rappers of all time counts - not just in terms of marketing strategy but also in terms of marshalling support within the Interscope building. It’s the new generation of Shady Records and as we’re trying to rebuild our label, it’s exciting for Hip Hop and with all of these forces coming together and with what everybody’s capable of on the mic, it’s gonna be fun,” Eminem said in a prepared statement. “Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse, it’s kinda phase two of Shady. Yet the label appears to be taking an atypical tack in today’s singles-driven rap world: nurturing him as a career artist. Late last year, the rapper born Michael Wayne Atha dropped the stellar “Trunk Muzik 0-60,” which debuted to a modest 5,000 in first week sales - a far cry from Eminem’s multiplatinum reign. Thus far, the critical accolades have yet to turn into commercial returns. Or as his Twitter bio describes him: rapper, skater, drinker. Themes include: Mossberg rifles, Monte Carlos and the backwoods battles endemic to the rural south. But in brief, think a flock of seagull-haired and heavily tattoed redneck with a double-timed tornado flow, and an experimental streak reminiscent of early Def Jux (his collaboration with El-P is forthcoming). Those looking for a more substantial background on the Gadsden, Ala., rapper can turn to his Times interview from last year. But the sentiment seemed well-deserved concerning Yelawolf, who is one of the rare rappers capable of eliciting largely unanimous praise amid that famously fractious world.
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