Eminem Graces the Cover of XXL

New York, NY – As the Eminem craze continues to overwhelm the media and the fans in light of his upcoming album ‘Relapse’ on the verge of release, it seems as though the fans are beginning to remember his reign some years ago. What better to add to craze than to have the artist of the hour grace the cover of Hip-Hop’s top magazine XXL.

XXL Magazine went all out for this issue, welcoming back the one and only Slim Shady. On the signature the front cover, they have Em all decked out in Punisher-like characteristics. During his interview he discussed topics that dealt with the recent state of Hip-Hop as well as the loss of his best friend, Proof. These were his comments:

“I stayed up on the music, and obviously I watch TV and saw what was going on and without naming any names, it just felt like hip-hop was going downhill. And it seemed like kinda fast. You know, in them three years, it was like everybody just cares about the hook and the beat; nobody really cares about substance. But with this new T.I. album, with this new Lil Wayne album of recent, it seems like things are looking a lot better now. You can appreciate Lil Wayne using different words to rhyme and actually rhyming words that you know. Or T.I., where you hear sh– and you’re like, ‘Whoa, ah, I wish I would have thought of that!’ You know what I mean? Or you hear all the compound-syllable rhyming and all that. It just seems like now the craft is getting cared about more.”

The passing of his best friend and D12 member, Proof, put him in a perspective where he had to put his life back together. It put his mind into a deep dark corner that he did not want to move from. It has been three years since his death and only now can Em bring himself to discuss the tragedy:

“Everyone felt his loss, from his kids, to his wife, to everyone, but, for some reason, in hindsight, the way I felt was almost like it happened to just me. Maybe at the time I was a little bit selfish with it. I think it kind of hit me so hard. It just blindsided me. I just went into such a dark place that, with everything, the drugs, my thoughts, everything. And the more drugs I consumed — and it was all depressants I was taking — the more depressed I became, the more self-loathing I became. … By the way, I’m just now at the point where I’m better talking about it. It took me so long to get out of that place where I couldn’t even speak about it without crying or wanting to cry. Proof was the anchor. He was everything to D12. And not just the group — for me, personally, he was everything.”

During his hiatus from the music and the death of Proof, his life went into a spiral where at one point he even struggled with drugs, hence the album title ‘Relapse:’

“I wasn’t ready mentally. I wasn’t ready to give up drugs. I didn’t really think I had a problem. Basically, I went in, and I came out. I relapsed, and I spent the next three years struggling with it. Also, at that time, I felt like I wanted to pull back, because my drug problem had got so bad. I felt like, ‘Maybe if I take a break, maybe this will help.’ I started to get into the producer role more. I can still be out-there with my music, like with the Re-Up album, but I don’t have to be in the spotlight the whole time.”

The June issue of XXL will be released with two different covers, one with the Punisher tattooed on Em’s chest and the other with him draped in full Punisher costume. ‘Relapse’ officially drops May 19.

Plies Discusses the Release of his brother Big Gates

Fort Myers, FL – Plies and his older brother Ronell ‘Big Gates’ Levette have been very close even before Plies’ career began blasting off. It has been evident over the course of his career that he considers family his first priority. Big Gates, who is no stranger to the law, began his sentence in 2006 from charges stemming from a club shooting in Gainesville, Florida. After three years of being incarcerated, Gates was released on April 10 (Friday).

Plies can now shed a sigh of relief as his brother is finally home. During his incarceration, Plies kept in touch with Gates and even wrote several songs about him that was deep and personal. He recently spoke to MTV News concerning the recent release of his brother and was very thankful and sincere about the whole situation.

These were his comments:

“I thank everybody that continued to support not only me, but my situation. I thank everybody that continued to pray for my situation with my brother. I had an opportunity yesterday (April 9), a day I’ll never forget, I had a chance to go down to Coleman correctional facility and see him walk out. That meant everything to me. I haven’t had a chance to enjoy an Easter with him over the course of the last three years, man. I told him I was gonna take yesterday off; let’s take time to smell the roses. But he came home straight in work mode. Thank God for the opportunity, man, and everybody who prayed for the situation around the country. It means everything to me. That was a part of my life I’ve been missing for a few years. That was his second time in prison I told him either one of us can go down this road. We don’t do each other good for me to go to prison or him to go to prison. For me to see him come home was everything to me.”

Plies continued to state that while his brother has been released, there are still people suffering and struggling within the system that he plans on making it his life mission to be their voice:

I think it’s important. We talked a long time yesterday and, like I said, it’s so many more people. He gave it to me in the simplest form possible. ‘Behind that wall, there’s more people who are suffering, struggling, disappointed, sincerely hurting.’ People will never understand it unless you are a part of that system. People tell you that some people deserve to be there. I can’t never say they wrong. But I do know it’s a lot of people in those situations. It’s a lot of pain and struggle that they go through. My new vow that I made to myself is that regardless of my situation and my fame, [rapping about the penile system] that’s something that’s always gonna be a part of me and my responsibility to do everything I can to make sure that those people’s voices behind those walls live on. I’ll always be a representation of them.”

At press time, Plies plans to release his fourth album sometime in the summer of this year. That album has yet to be titled.

Keep posted to 24hourhiphop.com for more updated news on Plies and his upcoming untitled album.

Stay tuned for an upcoming interview with Ronnell Levette in the weeks to follow.