Game on the set of his "My Life" video shoot
Photo: Willie T.

No more speculation necessary: The Game says he wasn't taking a shot at Eminem in a recently leaked track.

After a version of the L.A.X. song "My Life" hit the Web on Wednesday night, fans were confused by some lyrics that seemed to be aimed at Slim Shady: "All the pictures of me and Em, I burned them/ So there ain't no proof I walked through 8 Mile/ And so since it ain't no Proof, I'll never walk through 8 Mile."

The Compton rapper explained himself with a statement on Thursday afternoon (July 24). "When I originally wrote the song 'My Life,' I was trying to think back on events that affected my life and how they changed me," Game said. "When I first got signed to Aftermath and G-Unit, I was exposed to so many different people — from Dre to Em to 50 to Proof. I always identified with Proof. We were always cool, and he would reach out to me whenever I was going through something. I remember when Proof died vividly, and now every time I think about going to Detroit, I get depressed. That is what I was trying to say in that verse. And the more I looked at it, I realized that people would take it the wrong way."

Game went on in his statement to say that the references to Em and Proof have been taken out of the song. True to his word, a new version of "My Life" surfaced Thursday with new lyrics: "I ain't no preacher, but here's my Erick Sermon/ So eat this black music and tell me how it taste now/ And f--- Jesse Jackson because it ain't about race now."

"I decided to change it so that this bullsh-- wouldn't happen, and now it's happened anyway," Game continued in his statement. "For the record, this is not the version on my album, this is not the version that radio will get, and this is not the version that I just shot the video to. Furthermore, I apologize to anyone who took this the wrong way as that was never my intention."

Game and Lil Wayne have indeed finished the video for "My Life." Game and Travis Barker also have a video for "Dope Boys" that should be hitting soon. L.A.X. is due August 26.

• The Game, Lil Wayne And Young Buck On The 'My Life' Video Set

• The Game
• Eminem

The Game on the set of the "Dope Boys" video
Photo: Interscope

Coming off his song "Game's Pain," it's clear the Game's mood isn't getting any brighter. "My Life," another track from his L.A.X. LP was leaked Wednesday night. It features Lil Wayne and showcases more of Game's wordplay and his very vocal torment.

"All the pictures of me and Em, I burned them," he raps, referencing Slim Shady. "So there ain't no proof I walked through 8 Mile/ And so since it ain't no Proof, I'll never walk through 8 Mile/ Sometimes I think about my life with my face down/ Then I see my sons and put on my Kanye smile."

Later, he references Notorious B.I.G. "Biggie, Brooklyn's Jesus, shot for no f---in' reason/ And you wonder why Kanye West wears his Jesus pieces."

Game also talks about his own troubles, rhyming over the slow, melancholy track. "Hated on so much, 'Passion of the Christ' needs a sequel/ Yeah, like Roc-A-Fella needs a [Beanie] Sigel."

"You ain't grindin' till you die," Wayne sings on the hook, with some help from the Auto-Tune. "So I'm grindin' with my eyes wide looking to find a way through the day/ ... Dear Lord, you have taken so many of my people/ I'm just wondering why you haven't taken my life."

Game's next video, however, is more upbeat. It's called "Dope Boys" and features Travis Barker. The two recently shot the clip in California. You'll see heavy performances as well as some explicit images of hustling. Game's L.A.X. is slated for release later this summer.

(What do you think Game is rapping about? Let us know on the Newsroom blog.)

• The Game And Travis Barker On The Set Of The "Dope Boys" Video

• Eminem
• The Game

Metallica
Photo: MTV News

• Metallica
• Beastie Boys
• Madonna
• Eminem
• Ice Cube

Eminem
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

• Eminem

Eminem
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

Eminem to Slim Shady to "Jason from Miami"? Marshall Mathers popped up Tuesday night on his Sirius Satellite Radio station, Shade 45, to pull a prank on LL Cool J. L was a guest on Tony Touch's "Toca Tuesday" show when fans started to phone in.

One caller was "Jason from Miami," who challenged LL to a round of "Name That Tune," in which "Jason" would recite the Queens legend's lyrics and L would have to guess which one of his songs was being rapped.

"Hold your nose, dead bodies are around/ I leave scratch marks under the tears of a clown," Eminem rapped in character. Cool J immediately recognized his song "Eat 'Em Up L Chill."

More lyrics came: "The president woke and he called the pope/ The pope climbed to heaven on a golden rope/ PS. The Lord raised Michelangelo from the dead/ So he can make a fresh painting of my head." Cool J was two-for-two, answering "My Rhyme Ain't Done."

"You sound good saying them joints. Damn, B," LL laughed, still apparently not hip that he was talking to Em. "That sounds like you need to write some bars, homie."

Em finally started reciting his own rhymes from "Lose Yourself" and revealed himself. Cool J laughed. Slim Shady told LL he had been a longtime fan and remembered their only meeting, years ago in a Foot Locker.

"Listen, man, you got this relationship with Dre," Em said. "You're cool with 50, so when are we gonna hang out? I got cable at my house, and the game is on."

Tony Touch was able to sneak in a question to Em about what he's up to musically. Slim has been on hiatus since late 2006 and was hospitalized with pneumonia last December, fueling tabloid rumors that he had gained an unhealthy amount of weight.

"Everything is good," he responded. "I'm just in the studio now working on songs."

Cool J is working on new material as well. His next album, Exit 13, is slated for sometime this summer.

• Eminem
• LL Cool J

50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

50 Cent wants you to know that despite what you may have heard, his good pal Eminem is not — as one tabloid so delicately put it — "starting to look like an M&M."

In a recent sit-down with MTV News' Tim Kash, 50 laughed off recent rumors that Em — who has all but disappeared from the public eye in recent years — has been packing on the pounds, and that as a result of his weight gain, has become a recluse, venturing out of his Detroit-area mansion only to gorge himself on meals from Taco Bell and Outback Steakhouse. The G-Unit captain insisted that fans are going to be seeing a slim-and-trim Eminem real soon.

"Em is in shape right now. He looks good. I seen him in Detroit. He's gonna look real good when you see him return," Fif laughed. "He's in shape right now."

The rapper has been on hiatus ever since releasing his official Shady Records mixtape, Eminem Presents the Re-Up, in December of 2006. In mid-2007, he called in to Angie Martinez's show on New York radio station Hot 97 to say he was "in limbo" and "debating" whether to release another album. Then, in January of this year, news broke that he had been rushed to a Detroit-area hospital for complications related to pneumonia, and in at least one of those reports, sources were quoted as saying his weight had exceeded 200 lbs.

Those rumors — coupled with a National Enquirer story that quoted an "insider" as saying that the rapper "[has] got a double chin, a potbelly and droopy man-breasts. And he's living a reclusive lifestyle in an attempt to hide his new body" — had fans worried about Eminem. But 50, who in recent weeks has battled rumors about his own weight thanks to online photos that show him looking extra gaunt, said that those worries are unfounded. According to him, Em's fine and in fighting shape (or at least, balling shape).

"The last time I seen him we played basketball together," 50 said. "He had a knee injury, so we chilled for a little bit."

• MTV News Raw: G-Unit Explain Young Buck Situation
• 50 Cent Says Eminem Is 'In Shape'

• 50 Cent
• Eminem
• G-Unit

Eminem in a 1999 MTV News interview
Photo: MTV News

When you've been interviewing people for, oh, a hundred years or so, you build up quite a backlog of banter and chat. A lot of this stuff is inevitably ephemeral — the day will surely never come when anyone cares what Vanilla Ice ever had to say about anything. On the other hand, it is kind of interesting to look back on the vintage natterings of people who are still on the scene and still entertaining us, either with their work or with their dotty behavior.

We've been exhuming a ton of this stuff over the last several months — interviews from the vaults going back not only to the early '90s, but even beyond. Most of these ancient tapes are fun in one way or another; some are scary, which is even more fun. We're going to be posting these old interactions every Tuesday from now on, and if some of what you see seems a little silly at times, well, the past is filled with silly things. Much like the present.

The hurricane of shock and horror that would soon start blowing in from the high seas of political correctness was still a ways off when we went up to Detroit to talk to Eminem in the late winter of 1999. (Check out our full interview from that visit in this '99 feature.) The 26-year-old rap phenom had just released his first major-label album, The Slim Shady LP, and "My Name Is," the cute single and video that started selling it, gave little indication of the man's remarkable artistic range, or of how deeply dark his humor could be. That would all become clear very soon, though.

Em's daughter Hailie was three years old at the time we met. His relationship with her mother, Kim, was ... troubled, let's say. One of the Slim Shady tracks, called " '97 Bonnie & Clyde," depicts him taking Hailie for an ominous late-night drive to the beach. When Hailie asks where her mother is, Em says, "She's takin' a little nap in the trunk." Rarely, if ever, had psychodrama been conveyed with such electrifying directness.

A lot of people have found the unhinged violence in some of Eminem's lyrics totally deplorable — all the more so for being at the same time hilarious. Having grown up in fatherless poverty, the man clearly had some issues to work through, not least with regard to his mother, Debbie Mathers, who was also a target of his embittered acrimony. (Em said Debbie was so unreliable a parent that he had to raise his younger brother, Nate, pretty much on his own.)

That day in Detroit, he took us to one of the houses he'd lived in as a kid, and we sat down on the front steps. Em had passed through a lot of places over the years, and he'd stockpiled a lot of stories, many of which he told us. At the end of the afternoon, his friend Proof showed up. Proof and Eminem had been friends since high school, and Em had been a member of Proof's much-admired rap collective, D12, until he hooked up with Dr. Dre in Los Angeles. Now Eminem was a bigger star than Proof would ever be, but they were still tight. (Em's very big on loyalty: D12 was the first act he signed when he started his own label, Shady Records; and he also found a small part for Proof in his 2002 movie, "8 Mile.")

After we'd finished talking, Em climbed behind the wheel of his van to take off. He lingered a bit to talk to Proof through the window, though, so we asked the two of them if they'd like to freestyle a little for us, like in the old days. Em slipped some beats into the van's sound system, and they got right into it. To me, this is one of the great rap moments — for Eminem's wicked improvisational skill, for the way he and Proof vibe together, for the love they clearly have for what they're doing.

Eminem, of course, went on to worldwide acclaim. Proof recorded a solo album in 2005, and Em took him out on the Anger Management Tour to help promote it. The record didn't do much, though, and the following year, back home in Detroit, Proof was shot dead one night during a bloody fight at a local club out on 8 Mile Road.

Enjoy digging through The Loder Files? You'll find more here, and there's much more to come from the vaults — check back every Tuesday!

• The Loder Files: A Trip Inside The MTV News Vaults

• Eminem

50 Cent and Eminem
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

Artist: Kool G Rap
Representing: The Juice Crew, Queens
Independent Album: Half a Klip
411: Here's a little-known Kool G Rap fact: The first verse of "Men at Work" and his guest spot on "The Symphony" were originally written as one long, angst-driven rhyme. Clearly, he was in a zone at the time.

But KGR declares he's even better today than he was in the golden era of rap.

"G Rap is so current, you could mix me up with anybody in 2008 and I'mma sound relevant and up to the times," he said, sitting in his Queens studio.

Although he took a long break from recording, G Rap told us that he isn't done. He just released an EP called Half a Klip with production from DJ Premier, Domingo and Juice Crew partner Marley Marl.

"I'm still working on the project, and it's gonna be the full-length album," he said. "But it's been a long wait. The last thing I did was in 2005. I dropped a mixtape with Whoo Kid. I wanted to hit them with an appetizer to keep the stomach growls alive.

"It's hard, but not hard, because at the same time, I was working," he added about his hiatus. "I must have a collection of 50-60 songs. We're gonna put this Half a Klip out there, let it do what it do, then hit them with the Full Extended Klip.

Joints To Check For

»"With a Bullet." "Me and Marley, the song we did together basically was a throwback rhyme," G Rap explained. "It was a throwback verse I had, something I had with Nas years ago, like '92, '93. ... We have one of the dudes we're working with featured on the song, giving him a little light. They found a verse from somewhere. I don't know how they got it. But there's a lot of people out here that got stuff — you wouldn't believe, that I wouldn't believe — on me."

»"On the Rise Again." "DJ Premier laid a crazy track to it. My man D-Mac, the guy who I'm partnered with, ran into Haylie Duff and got her to blow vocals through the chorus. It's not a whole lot, but it's just right. The way Premier put it together was a masterpiece.

"I heard [Haylie] wasn't really up on Kool G Rap, but her managers and people she worked with schooled her on who Kool G Rap was," he added. "I'm aware of the Duff sisters. Of course, her sister Hilary Duff is a household name. I didn't know her [older] sister did the same thing too. I guess we discovered each other through this project."

»"100 Rounds." "That's just me going in," he said. "Coming out that street mode and putting it in lyric mode. It's traditional G Rap right there."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

» DJ Drama and La the Darkman - The Notorious L.A.D.
» DJ DVS-1 and DJ 1Mic - The League Leaders
» DJ Diggz - The Hardest Out 2 (Beanie vs. Styles P)
» DJ Smallz - Florida Trafficking
» DJ Woogie and Lloyd Banks - Bank Vault, Pt. 2

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» Donnie Klang (featuring Diddy) - "Take You There"
» Saigon (featuring Just Blaze) - "Gotta Believe"
» Bishop Lamont (featuring Focus) - "Better Than You"
» Rick Ross (featuring Triple C and J Rock) - "Ridin' Thru the Ghetto"

Fire Starter: Tyga

"Young Moooolah, baaaay-baaaayyyyyy!" Tyga literally has Lil Wayne's Young Money stamp of approval — the young buck has Wayne's label logo tattooed on his arm. The 18-year-old, who sports a Young Money chain as well, met Weezy at the 2007 VMAs, during a performance by Gym Class Heroes. While Wayne thought he was just a hanger-on, Tyga turned out to be Travis McCoy's cousin and an aspiring hip-hop artist. Now thousands of fans on the Net know who he is. His alternative-rap/reggae ode "Coconut Juice" is getting the royal treatment. He just shot a video to it with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz (Tyga is signed to Wentz's label Decaydance Records). He's also got "Space Joyridin" and "Exquisite," with Birdman Jr. and Gata, floating around the Internet to set up his debut, No Introduction.

Celebrity Faves

For an album with no release date, no single or even a set list of producers, Nas' LP Nigger is still getting a bunch of people talking about it. While over in England, Chris Brown said he's eagerly awaiting it, just like the rest of us.

"Nas' album [title], that's incredible," he said. "I would just say, Nas is a great MC. He is always going to be a dope lyricist, a legend in my eyes. At the same time, it's all about people's personal opinion. That's his album, so if he wants to call it what he wants to call it, he can call it what he wants to call it. There's always going to be people saying that [it should have] 'Parental Advisory' all the time, and they have their opinions. But my thing is, it's his album, so you either want to buy it or you don't."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

50 Cent can admit when he is totally wrong and his gambles don't pay off. For most of last year, he took the advice of Interscope Records and fell back from the mixtape circuit because the label had advised him that it was taking away from his official record sales. That was right around the time DJ Drama and Don Cannon were having issues with the RIAA.

But 50 has made up for lost time in the past six months, releasing three mixtapes since last fall.

"They think I'm crazy," 50 told us last week in his Connecticut mansion, chuckling about what Eminem and Shady Records tell him about giving away so much material for free. "Sometimes [Em] misses why I put it out. He goes, 'Why did you put it out?' But I can't be as hot as I'm gonna be if I don't play around. I gotta spar before I go fight the champ. That's my concept of it. If I don't go out and make material and lock in, I'm not gonna make the best possible material for the next [official] project."

Fif — who has been working on a new freestyle with Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo over the beat of Snoop Dogg's "Neva Have 2 Worry" — obviously hasn't been slowed down by any of his recent issues with his hip-hop peers. Lately he and Fat Joe have been going back and forth in interviews, songs and Photoshopped pictures on the Web.

"The Hip-Hop Weekly [a fake cover] came out, and it was a thing with [Benzino] supposed to be [sleeping] with Fat Joe's wife," 50 said. "I didn't make that. I didn't have anyone [Photoshop] that. Why would you do that? I work for Hip-Hop Weekly? They'll know that there are issues between me and Joe, so when he approaches them, they'll say, 'Nah, it must be 50. You know how 50 is.' But I didn't care, 'cause I don't like Joe neither. It doesn't matter to me that they did it, but it didn't come from me."

But several days ago, 50 did hold a mock funeral for Joe online. In the video, he started to cry, saying the SoundScan returns of Joe's The Elephant in the Room killed him. He also warned Joe's friend Rick Ross not to align himself too tightly with the Terror Squad general.

"Rick Ross is doing good," 50 elaborated. "I also complimented him that he had the #1 album. I said, 'Just don't stand too close to this fat piece of ...' I'm saying that because of what [Joe's] trying to do. He runs to Miami and hangs out with them like he's running Miami? Does Fat Joe run Miami? I don't think Fat Joe runs Miami. I think people from Miami would be upset you're even questioning that. The fact he can influence DJ Khaled on the radio, does that mean Fat Joe runs Miami? ... I don't care if [Khaled] ever plays my records. He's not important enough to what I'm doing for it to matter. Not to say Miami doesn't count. He doesn't count for it to matter to me."

The G-Unit album, tentatively titled Lock and Load, is slated for this summer, while Fif's next solo LP, Before I Self Destruct, is coming toward the end of this year.

To watch an exclusive clip of 50 explaining why his problems with so many artists have a roundabout connection to Jay-Z, click the player above. ...

The T's have been crossed, the I's have been dotted, and now Brooklyn's Papoose is a free man.

"Actually, I just got out of the situation with Jive," he told us last week at Philippe's restaurant in Manhattan. "I had options when I was trying to get out of the situation with Jive. Now that I'm out of the situation, I'mma make my decision within the next couple weeks or so. And I'm going to move forward. After I make my decision, I want the single out, and I want the album to come right afterward. I want my album out as soon as possible. I just want to get it out there."

The lyrical MC said he wants to release his album, Nacirema Dream, this year, no question. He pinpointed June as a target month, but he's still shuffling songs for the project. Now that he's out of his contract with Jive, Pap said there are a few songs from the album he turned in that he wants to swap out for better ones.

"I'm not with the industry politics, like, 'Yo, you have to have this type of record.' I'm not with none of that, because I'm not bred like that. I'm bred from the street."

Speaking of the street, the DJ Kay Slay protégé recently got into it with another 'hood-certified guy, Fat Joe. After trading barbs in the press about a fight they had in North Carolina, Pap said he's done with Joe. But he warned everyone against thinking someone with a slim frame like his couldn't hold his own with a big guy like Joey Crack.

"That's the same reason he got punched in his face," Pap boasted. "Don't underestimate nobody. He's a big dude, but that's dead weight. He thought he was just gonna come in there and get an easy run, try to punk me. 'Yo, you got a problem with me?' That sh-- don't scare me. I'm from Brooklyn; that don't put no fear in my heart. Size don't mean nothing. Like I said, that's dead weight.

"If you listen to the interviews, he told you himself," Papoose continued. "He wants to fabricate, 'Papoose was in the corner, he was so afraid.' But he doesn't realize that the people and the fans aren't stupid. You said it yourself; you asked me, 'Do I have a problem?' You said yourself that I said, 'Do you want to make it a problem?' That was the only thing he was honest about. Everything else, the fabrication starts. A person that's afraid isn't going to ask you, 'Do you want to make it a problem?' So it speaks for itself." ...

Yes, they can. Once Russell Simmons made up his mind to back Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential primary and had to step down as chairman of his nonpartisan political group the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, one of the first things he did was ... e-mail DJ Green Lantern?

"I got the e-mail from Russ, like, 'I'm going in. I made my decision; I'm throwing the whole house behind Obama,' " Green said.

Green, in turn, picked up the phone to ask Simmons to collaborate on a Barack Obama mixtape called "Yes, We Can," named after the Illinois senator's popular refrain.

"The light bulb just went off," he explained. "[Russell] is going in; I been a Barack supporter for a long time. [Russell] was conflicted with what he wanted to do, and when he finally made the decision, I just hit him back immediately. I got the idea, let's go and get everybody who's professed their support. Let's make it happen."

"That's his idea; this man did it all," Russell chimed in about Green. "When he called me, I was with it. It's just one more layer for the cake. We already see [Obama] as the nominee. I don't think it's possible for him to lose the nomination. But we have a long haul in front of us. Young people got to come out; they got to vote."

The two have been putting in calls to the likes of Common, Q-Tip and Will.I.Am to get original songs for the project. But, according to Green, the mixtape is going to feature 50 percent new material and 50 percent of his remixing. They're aiming to finish the project before next month's HSAN summit in Pennsylvania.

"I'm having a field day with these Obama speeches," Green explained. "I actually got joints where I'll make a beat, I'll get somebody to sing a hook, and where there's supposed to be verses, it's just straight speeches. I played one for my mother, and she started crying. So it's gonna be inspiring, but then on the street side, it's just gonna be some descriptions of life on the street, but not any of the thuggery."

"[This is] something that I had to do personally," Simmons said of backing Obama and the mixtape. "I think this endorsement is something that I had to do, and it kind of promotes a conflict, so I didn't want to be nothing but a participant. I'm not involved in the day-to-day activities of the Summit anymore because I endorsed Barack Obama." ...

Before we take it a step further, R.I.P. Chad Butler, a.k.a. Pimp C. Bun B's second solo LP, II Trill, is coming in less than a month, and the first single, called "That's Gangsta," features Sean Kingston.

" 'Gangsta' is still doing real good," Bun said at the South by Southwest music festival earlier in March. "We're gonna shoot that video, just waiting for Sean to get back from overseas to get that movin'. Finin' to start getting some viral videos together — just trying to stay focused and grind it out."

"Damn I'm Cold" features Lil Wayne, while Mya sings on "Good II Me." Scott Storch produced "I Luv That." All are being considered as singles.

"The song with Mya is a real good record," he said. "We got this song called 'You're Everything With Me' with Rick Ross, David Banner and 8Ball & MJG. The beat is incredible. I think what the song represents would be something good. We got a lot of good options. That's one thing with UGK: We never tried to make singles; we always made sure we got a solid album. Our problem was trying to decide what the single would be."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

• Mixtape Monday Video: 50 Cent, Papoose

• 50 Cent
• Eminem
• Papoose
• Fat Joe
• DJ Green Lantern

Eminem
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Focus.

The name might not immediately ring a bell, but you've definitely heard his work with Eminem, Dr. Dre, Young Buck, the Game, 112, 'NSYNC and Busta Rhymes. The producer, born Bernard Edwards Jr. — the son of late funk/disco legend and Chic co-founder Bernard Edwards — is about to drop his debut album, which he described as his version of mentor Dr. Dre's landmark G-funk smash, The Chronic.

But, like a hip-hop Radiohead, he's planning to give it away. "A lot of people don't know how long I've been in the business, and the best way to do that is to showcase yourself," said Focus, 35, who plans to release Dedicated March 18 on A.Fam Records' Web site, preceded by the single "Shine," featuring Busta Rhymes and Aftermath Entertainment newbie Bishop Lamont. In a nod to his relative mic anonymity, "Shine" opens with Focus rapping, "Nobody knows who the f--- Focus is, except for local kids/ They know me on these beats, but not on some vocal sh--," over a grimy, buzzing track. In the meantime, he's also working on the oft-delayed rapping swan song from Dre, Detox, and the long-awaited new album from Eminem.

Asked why he's giving away an album he's spent so much time on, and which he's clearly very proud of, Focus said he's hoping that if the response is as good as he anticipates, he will follow it up with a second album, called Focal Point: 1172, which he will definitely get into stores. "As for me and Aftermath, I like just being part of the production [crew]," he said. "I don't see a long life on Aftermath as an artist unless you are a 50 Cent, Eminem or Bishop. ... I'm not trying to make a career of being an artist. [I] just want the world to hear my music."

In addition to Busta and the Bishop, the 16-track album will feature cameos from fellow Aftermath artist Stat Quo, as well as Little Brother, Chino XL, Raphael Saadiq, DJ Khalil and Illa J, the younger brother of late hip-hop producer J Dilla. "I've been around the music industry my whole life," said Focus, who said he began his professional career more than 20 years ago. "I've worked with everyone from Beyoncé to J. Lo, but this will definitely be the only album you'll hear from me where I produce and rhyme on every track."

As he awaits the album's online debut, Focus is keeping busy working on tracks for the upcoming, but tightly under-wraps, first album in nearly four years from Aftermath kingpin Marshall Mathers. "Marshall's album is coming out soon, and we just did a couple tracks together, and we've done a lot of writing together," he said. "I make my beats and send them out to him." But other than confirming the existence of a new album from Eminem, Focus wouldn't divulge much else about the sound or the style of the project.

He was also tight-lipped about his work on Dre's long-gestating final album Detox which Focus said should definitely be coming out this year. "We're heavy into Detox now," he said. "I'm trying to get some tracks on there and give him whole songs so he can keep everything moving. Detox is coming this year. I know that's what he's been working very hard on. I want my tracks to be as big as Dre's name and legend are."

Interscope's Dennis Dennehy said there is currently "nothing on the schedule" from either artist.

• Eminem
• Dr. Dre
• Busta Rhymes

Eminem
Photo: Anthony Mandler/ Interscope

Eminem will release a book later this year, MTV News has learned, but details surrounding the project were vague at press time.

According to a report in Britain's New Musical Express published Tuesday, British publisher Orion Books and Em will partner to release the Detroit hip-hop star's memoirs, titled "Eminem: The Way I Am," which will include hand-drawn sketches, lyrics and journal notes, along with rare photos of the rapper. A rep for the publisher confirmed an October 16 U.K. release date for the book with the N.M.E.

But the rapper's reps denied having a solid release date for the book and blasted the publisher for delivering inaccurate information.

"While there is a book in the works from Eminem in which he details certain aspects of his personal and professional life, the book is still in the process of being written and edited," Eminem's camp told MTV News via e-mail. "There is no firm release date scheduled, although it is anticipated to arrive in the latter part of this year. The news about the project today came from the U.K. publisher, who is not involved in the day-to-day editing or creation of the book. It's unfortunate that someone who does not have intimate knowledge of the book felt compelled to jump the gun on announcing it by delivering partial and inaccurate information."

Eminem has been in the headlines numerous times in recent months; first the rapper was rushed to the hospital over the holidays in late 2007 for complications stemming from pneumonia. His label confirmed his hospital stay but said in a statement that he was released quickly and recovering at his home.

Tabloid reports also claimed that the formerly lanky rapper had ballooned to more than 200 pounds. Doctored photos of Eminem appeared online, and Slim-Fast offered him an endless supply of its dietary drink. Shady Records signee Trick Trick, however, downplayed the rumors.

"Em just picked up some weight, that's it," Trick told MTV News in January. "He's nowhere [near] 250 pounds or anything like that. He picked up a little weight. He ain't walkin' around obese or some sh--, though. He can still run two miles if you want him to, and still out-box the majority of them. My man still gets down."

News also surfaced about two movie roles involving the rapper — in "Jumper" and an aborted "Grand Theft Auto" flick — neither of which came to fruition.

• Eminem

Mixtape Monday, 11.06.2006

• The Game
• Jay-Z
• Eminem
• Clipse

Hair Aware

• Busta Rhymes
• Gwen Stefani
• Cyndi Lauper
• Rod Stewart
• Pink

Jay-Z, Beyonce, Eminem, Chris Brown And More At The 2006 BET Awards

• Jay-Z
• Chris Brown
• Ne-Yo
• Eminem
• Busta Rhymes

The 48th Annual Grammy Nominees

• Mariah Carey
• Kanye West
• John Legend
• 50 Cent
• Black Eyed Peas

2005 MTV Europe Music Awards Nominees

• Coldplay
• Gorillaz
• Shakira
• Moby
• Gwen Stefani

2005 MTV Video Music Awards Nominees

• Green Day
• Gwen Stefani
• Missy Elliott
• U2
• Coldplay

50 Cent, Eminem, and Lil Jon at The Anger Managment Tour 2005 in Chicago, IL 07.11.05

• 50 Cent
• Eminem
• Lil Jon

2005 MTV Movie Awards Show Highlights

• Eminem
• Foo Fighters
• Mariah Carey
• Lindsay Lohan
• Jessica Simpson

Eminem, Linkin Park and 50 Cent In Concert

• Eminem
• Linkin Park
• 50 Cent

Holiday Gift Ideas For Music Fans

• Green Day
• Britney Spears
• Good Charlotte
• New Found Glory
• Eminem