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More Talk About Slim Than Shady Stuff

Eminem, Pals Put Detroit On Map

Michelle Solomon, Staff Writer
February 22, 2001, 12:51 p.m. EST

DETROIT -- Seems like everywhere you looked at the Grammy Awards, someone was saying his name: "Eminem this, Slim Shady that."

Host Jon Stewart got lots of mileage out of making fun of the controversy surrounding the 28-year-old Detroit rapper's multitude of Grammy nominations.


	Eminem's Family, Friends React To His Grammys

Stewart: "I just met Eminem back stage and he's gay, gay, gay."

Later, Stewart added: "After Eminem sings with Elton John he'll go into the bathroom with George Michael."

Michael Greene, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, prefaced the Eminem performance with a speech about tolerance, intolerance, latchkey kids and parental communication. "We're not here to censor art, we're here to recognize it..."

Greene also gave kudos to producer of the year Dr. Dre who was the guiding force behind "The Marshall Mathers LP." Will the real Dr. Dre please stand up? Please stand up? And he did.

In typical TV sweeps fashion, even The Grammys made you wait well into the three-hour show for "what you've all been waiting for," and it wasn't another bad joke by Stewart.

The performance with John was noticeably tame with the Grammy censors quick on the live zap button throughout Eminem's performance of "Stan." And Elton and Em's awkward hug at the end of the song brought the Grammy audience to its feet. But one could only wonder why the camera caught Em only at the wrist. Could it be that Eminem was giving America his trademark middle fingers up?

Eminem, accepting his award for Best Rap Album, became a regular Hollywood pitchman, putting a plug in for Detroit group D12.

"Buy their album. It's due out next month." He brought the group out onstage with him to make his point. He also thanked his "baby girl." He wasn't talking about his on-again, off-again relationship with wife Kim, but rather his 4-year-old daughter Hailie Jade Scott.

One thing Eminem's presence did conjure was a sense that Detroit had once again put cutting-edge music on the map. And with Detroit's Kid Rock accompanying Heather Locklear to the podium to make an awards presentation and Stevie Wonder in the house, Motown once again was on top of the music mountain.