So theres really not much of a rush hour these days as time is a flat circle during the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t blast some new #RushHourRap from your couch at 8 am. Well after a rough couple of years dealing with personal issues, Kid Cudi is back and he’s brought the one and only Eminem with him. This is a catchy track and a lyrically impressive song from Marshall. Em does more than just play with pronunciations as he plays with his tempo, which will have you rewinding the song a few times just to make sure you caught every line.
Yahoo – Eminem came face-to-face with an intruder who bypassed security at his Detroit home.
TMZ broke the story, claiming the suspect used a paving stone to smash a kitchen window and climbed inside the house. The outlet reported Eminem was sleeping and woke up when his alarm went off, only to find the suspect in his living room, so he called for security. However, a rep for the rapper disputed some of the details to XXL, saying Eminem was not asleep and did not call for security — but that he detained the man himself until police arrived…Hughes apparently didn’t attempt to steal anything, but “was said to have wanted to meet the rapper face-to-face,” per TMZ. He was booked on charges of first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of a building.
Imagine breaking into Marshall Mathers’ house? The guy thats spent the last 20 years rapping about killing his wife, his mom, and even his own fans at a concert?
Slim knows that some fans are nut cases and may want to break into his house to do God knows what. Whats even more eery though is he legitimately rapped about this exact scenario back in 2013 on the Marshall Mathers LP 2:
See, it’s sad it came to this point Such a disappointment I had to make this appointment To come and see ya, but I ain’t here for your empathy I don’t need your apology or your friendship or sympathy It’s revenge that I seek So I sneak vengefully, and treat your bedroom window Like I reached my full potential: I peeked Continue to peep, still bent low, then keep Tapping the glass lightly then start to crescendo, sneak All the way ’round to the back porch Man, door handles unlocked, shouldn’t be that easy to do this You don’t plan for intruders beforehand?
TMZ actually reported that Em was asleep when the intruder broke in, but one of his reps told XXL that he wasn’t asleep and in fact detained the intruder until police arrived. I know he’s a rich, 47-year-old white man, but he’s also a maniac so what do you think was the more likely scenario?
This is hands down the worst part of being mega famous because you never know what the hell people are thinking. Maybe this was a troubled young man who just wanted to meet his idol or maybe he was a psychopath looking to slice up Slim Shady.
Glad to hear Em is fine, but I hope he fired those security guards that night like Shooter McGavin.
For a white kid from the burbs, this album was like being transported to another world. I love Jay-Z, but was probably just a little too young to really understand what The Blueprint was about when it was released. When Curtis Jackson came out of nowhere in 2003, co-signed by Eminem, he took off like a rocket because he was authentic with a wild origin story to back him. In what is nearly an urban myth at this point, 50 cent was shot 9 times and lived to tell the tale.
There were FIVE singles from his debut album, three of which I’ve heard on the radio within the last week – 17 years after their release. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ had one of the greatest B-sides of an album I can remember too. What Up Gangsta, Patiently Waiting, High All the Time, Heat, Like My Style, Don’t Push Me, Life’s On the Line are all still bangers to this day. I feel like I forgot about a lot of these early 2000s albums once they stopped putting CD players in cars. I have like 50 CDs in my trunk with no way to play them. Damn technology.
Em dropped his new album “Music to Be Murdered By” in the middle of the night a couple weeks back and it definitely shows that Shady’ still got the juice as it hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. There aren’t any instant classic singles here nor are there many radio friendly tracks, but there is a ton of elite rapping. Eminem shows off his unmatched lyrical dexterity while recruiting some big names to fill out the album’s 20 songs. Ed Sheeran returns for his second Eminem collab on “Those Kinda Nights,” he brings out old friend Royce Da 5’9″ for a few songs, as well as the likes of Skylar Gray, Anderson .Paak, Q-Tip, Joell Ortiz and more. The song everyone is going to remember from this album though is the incredibly morbid track “Darkness” where Em raps from the perspective of the Las Vegas mass shooter. The song is more “Encore” than “The Eminem Show” and whether it’s profound or tasteless is up for debate, but it’s definitely an engrossing track that samples Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence.”
Ummmm am I the only one who did NOT know this? I can’t be. I just can’t believe I’m that out of touch and in the dark.
Assuming I’m not, it’s sort of unforgivable in and of itself that we all sort of just went with the flow and started using “stan” as a common noun and as a verb. We all started saying things like “I stan (ATHLETE OR MUSICIAN X) hard” and “I’m sick of (ATHLETE OR MUSICIAN Y) stans they’re so annoying.” We did this without ANY KNOWLEDGE of where it was coming from and we did it in a day and age where that is capital “D” Dangerrrrrrous. We could of been #MeToo”d or #Cancelled or #ImWithHer’d or something along those lines without ever being any the wiser to what we said wrong. It was a new term that was easy enough to use so hey, fuck it. Let’s give it a whirl.
Come to find out, some fairly savvy individual took it directly from Eminem’s 2000 depiction of the eponymous obsessed, unwavering, and very much unstable fan. A song made famous not only by how very good, albeit dark, it was, but by an all-time VMA performance featuring perceived homophobe Marshall Mathers and Elton John. This is both sort of wild to realize but also a little unnerving to learn, no? I’ve called people “stans” with very little concern probably hundreds of times. Never was I trying to imply they were “a fan of to the point of a graphic murder-suicide”. Kind of overkill (no pun intended) if you ask me. But hey, that’s showbiz, I suppose.
Look, I know people don’t come to this blog to learn. They’re not seeking any kind of knowledge unless knowing where the line in the sand is drawn in terms of the etiquette of serving faux-Mexican fast food counts. However plain and simple I think this is a true blue #themoreyouknow situation where people should fuckin know this. Marshall Bruce Mathers III is a Lexicon King as well as a Rap God.
There is nothing cooler in sports than the walk out music for a defending champ as the lights are off or when the music blasts as a closer jogs in from the pen to save the game. Whether its something grave diggers would listen to like Mariano Rivera’s “Enter Sandman” that ruined so many nights of my childhood or an A+ inside joke like Christian Yelich using “Roxanne.”
So the question I posed to The 300s staff was what would your walk out/walk up music be?
Dom: Walk up song is “Electric Avenue,” no doubt. Been my ring tone since senior year of college and still haven’t gotten sick of it. It’s one of the catchiest tunes of all time.
Big Z: Payphone – Maroon 5
“All those fairy tales are full of shit One more fucking love song, I’ll be sick”
Perfect song for an unexpected hero who saves the day in the bottom of the 14th. I know if I’m in the big leagues I’m probably coming off the bench in an emergency situation. It’s not the movies. I’m a dirtdog who doesn’t get all the opportunities, but delivers in the clutch when it matters most.
Papa Giorgio: It’s a toss up between The Used – Pretty Handsome Awkward and The J Geils Band – Love Stinks if I was on any of the 29 teams that aren’t the Mets. If I was on the Mets it’d be the Somebody Kill Me please song from the Wedding Singer.
Lippa: I have always thought “Eminence Front” by The Who would be a great entrance for a closer. That song has such a great intro that keeps ramping up as the pitcher reaches the mound.
Joey B: I’m giving you three because Abraham Lincoln didn’t swoop down onto the battlefield on the back of a bald eagle and turn away the Mongolian hoards just for me to keep quiet.
1.) 2pac – “Hail Mary”
Just a true blue pump up song with an always riveting biblical reference. “I aint a killer but don’t push me/revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin pussy” might be the best opening line in terms of introducing yourself to an opponent.
2.) Lynyrd Skynyrd/Shinedown – “Simple Man”
Either version works and will make the hairs on everyone’s necks stand up.A moving explanation of the fact that the violence that you are about to inflict isn’t personal, just a basic instinct of a simple person.
3.) Thrice – “To Awake And Avenge The Dead”
This one is kind of out of left field. I can’t really categorize Thrice as a band. Sort of a melodic metal/punk/hardcore fusion. But the second that first chord rips you’ll be ready to run through a fucking wall.
Red: You can see the clear line of demarcation between the baseball guys and the UFC guys here as Joe and I are the only ones to pick music that makes you want to get suspended from high school. I went back and forth on this one with classics like “Til I Collapse,” and almost had to go with “Shook Ones Pt. 2,” but I had to go with one of the few songs from Eminem’s most recent album thats taken off; “Lucky You.” The subtle bells open the track followed by some bars from Joyer Lucas before that beat comes in HARD. Let me walk into that and get the hell out of my way.
I don’t know what kind of obscure demographic/psychographic research you have to cross into as a fan of watching YouTube music videos, Rap, Logic, and The Sandlot…but shit thats me. Either way, the song is fire flames, but this music video shouldn’t work. It looks like a drunk MadLib on paper. So we’re going to have a music video that features zero artists performing with Squints from the Sandlot rapping and Eminem being played by Chris D’Elia while he raps in a murder cabin.
That sounds like someone watched Em’s 3 AM video while high and then tried to recreate it for a student film with C list actors, but IT WORKS. Doesn’t hurt that the song bangs and oh ya Squints is a dead fucking ringer for Logic. Like Bobby might want to keep Squints on retainer for mall autograph sessions or to be his fall guy.
I am in a full blown tailspin of nostalgia today after hearing songs I haven’t heard in years. 1999 had some BANGERS from the wildly popular bands like Blink-182 to the groups people don’t like to admit they actually enjoy like Limp Bizkit to the one hit wonders like LIT. It was an awesome year for angsty kids. Lets take a look at SPIN’s 69 best songs of 1999 as I pick out the best songs I liked the most from the list.
1999 was a simpler time and was the absolute height of music videos. Record labels and it’s artists poured a shit ton of time and money into making these 4-minute movies so we’ve got highly produced vids to go with each song. Enjoy wasting the next 20 minutes of your day with me.
It probably helps that all of these songs came out in my most formative years, but a ton of them were also featured in the video games I played endlessly so these songs are burned into my brain. Featured at No. 34 on this list, remember Powerman 5000’s “When Worlds Collide”? No? How about now?
No. 65 – Smashmouth – “All Star”
Smashmouth really is peak 90s as they were poppy and bubbly, but still sang/rap about getting blackout drunk. All Star was a mega hit before becoming a legitimate meme after being featured on the Shrek soundtrack. Also, shoutout to Dane Cook making an apperance in the All Star video as he was the King of the early 2000s when he was a comedy god.
No. 30 – Sugar Ray – “Someday”
I’m still beyond jealous that Papa Giorgio has seen Sugar Ray in concert not once, but multiple times and has even received a high five from Mark McGrath.
No. 29 – Kid Rock – “Cowboy”
Before Lil Nas X made rapping about cowboys and country cool again, Kid Rock invented the entire style. Never forget the pioneer that Robert Richie was in the 90s.
No. 26 – Creed – “Higher”
Surprise of the century is that Scott Stapp is still touring. I saw he
No. 25 – Limp Bizkit – “Nookie”
I vividly remember how big of a deal it was when “Nookie” beat out the Backstreet Boys for the No. 1 spot on TRL. Holy shit do I feel old having just written that sentence.
No. 24 – The Offspring – “The Kids Aren’t Alright”
These guys vanished into thin air, but not after dominating MTV and becoming the soundtrack for basically every movie made in the late 90s/early 2000s like American Pie 2, Orange County, The New Guy, Tomcats, Idle Hands, Varsity Blues, and The Faculty. I challenge you to show me a better run from that era because you can’t.
No. 20 – Santana feat. Rob Thomas – “Smooth”
20 years later and this song still fucks.
No 18. – Beastie Boys – “Alive”
I feel like this will wind up being one of those groups that I opine about the older I get and the more I start to despise the popular music of today because the Beastie Boys changed the damn game.
“While it’s not as flashy or seminal as singles like “Intergalactic” or “Sabotage,” the understated majesty of “Alive,” from their two-CD anthology, showcases the consistent brilliance of the crew as talented MCs, feeding off each other like they share one brain.”
No. 16 – Sugar Ray – “Every Morning”
Absolute kings of 1999.
No. 15 – Blink-182 – “What’s My Age Again?”
So Papa Giorgio and I actually saw Blink twice in the span of a week back in senior year of college and its one of the few bands that I would ever do that. These guys have 20+ years of hits to pull from and I mean this in the best way, but it feels like you’re back in high school any time you throw them on. Unlike just about every artist on this list Blink has found their stride with excellent new music to ride out the second act of their career. They even remade the same goddamn video with a slight twist.
No. 14 – Korn – “Freak on a Leash”
Korn was a clear line of demarcation between kids in high school. Freak on a Leash was a banger, but it was definitely the single that crossed over because I was never a huge Korn guy until I heard this single. Even better though is the Korn rap crossover with Dem Franchise Boyz on “Coming Undone With It” because the early 2000s were a breeding ground for mashups that in theory sound like an abomination, yet somehow work.
No. 12 – Kid Rock – “Bawitdaba”
If you had the Kid Rock CD in middle school you were definitely already rolling blunts before you could drive. Dope song though.
No. 9 – Foo Fighters – “Learn to Fly”
Full disclosure, Foo Fighters is my favorite band of all time so I stan for Dave Grohl. Hell I had them on the Must Play List at my wedding. So I’m glad to see this song so high up on the list. If you haven’t seen the video of them playing this live alongside a thousand people simultaneously, stop whatever you’re doing and watch it right now. Incredible.
No. 8 – Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Scar Tissue”
I don’t know why, but the SPIN description of this song hit the nail right on the head.
“As with many great Chi Peps tunes, Frusciante provides a cover for all of the band’s worst instincts here: His guitar and background vocals manage to make Anthony Kiedis’ lyrical gibberish ring true and forlorn, transforming the track into a classic of late ’90s rock ballads.”
No. 7 – Lit – “My Own Worst Enemy”
I vividly remember the teenage, probably drunk, camp counselors blaring this on the bus every goddamn day at Summer Camp when I was a kid, which is probably why its worked its way into my brain and never left.
No. 5 – Fatboy Slim – “Praise You”
Not my favorite song to be honest, but you’re lying if you don’t *taste* 1999 when you hear this song.
No. 4 – Len – “Steal My Sunshine”
Another cringeworthy level of 90s nostalgia, this song was a massive hit in 1999, but probably wouldn’t get played anywhere other than Soundcloud if released today. Also, this video always creeped me out because the Canadian brother-sister duo just seemed a little too close. Even the front man didn’t love the album, but this song popped.“Some of it’s terrible. A lot of it’s terrible,” Marc said about Bum Rush, but hit single “Steal My Sunshine” was huge with fans and critics alike.
No. 3 – Eminem – “My Name Is”
Hi kids, do you like violence?
Massive Eminem fan here so shoutout to Marshall for making No. 3 on the ALT ROCK list as a rapper from Detroit. That my friends is what they call crossing over and I’m not talking about that shitty TV show where John Edward conned grieving people into believing he was talking to their dead relatives. But I digress, this along with The Real Slim Shady is when Eminem exploded onto the scene as the angry yet funny white guy who could rap better than anyone I’d ever heard. The Real Slim Shady video that doesn’t even try to hide the fact that its ripping on Tom Green, another MTV darling in 1999, probably didn’t hurt either.
No. 2 – Blink-182 – “All the Small Things”
I’ve already said my piece on Blink, but aside from the actual music these guys just knew how to make a video that would get played all day on TRL. This looks incredibly dated now, but it was massive at the time because it poked fun at the way too serious slo-mo boy band videos of the era.
No. 1 – Fiona Apple – “Fast As You Can”
Fiona Apple is the soundtrack for any movie scene where the main characters are strung out doing heroine, not the No. 1 alt-rock song of 1999. I reject this.
Anyways, you’re welcome for this trip down memory lane now excuse me while I go grab my chain wallet and slip into my JNCO jeans.
Logic + Eminem. Two of my favorite artists of all time jump on the same track to put together an absolutely hectic flurry of rhymes. And the beat bangs too. Sometimes with tracks like this you get one or the other. Incredible flow and wordplay, but a lackluster beat. Well Bobby Tarantino came hard here and Marshall Mathers came in to close it out. What I’d give to see these two tour together. Hey, Logic did open for Em at a recent show in Hawaii so it could happen.
Joey B previewed The Masters last week and boy was this year’s event a doozy. That was a full four days of entertainment. From watching in between meetings at work on Thursday and Friday to sitting my ass on the couch all day Saturday and then waking up early on Sunday to watch the last 5 or so hours. It was an instant classic.
The Masters was awesome last year too with Patrick Reed swooping in and snatching the green jacket like an 80’s movie villain. Just an emotionless robot looking rich kid with ice in his veins. Reed finished at a just ridiculous -15 to win the event. I watched last year at my house and then at the bar before heading in for a Celtics playoff game and it was thrilling. So I figured 2019 would have a tough time topping what was such a great event last year.
Really all you’re hoping for is that Tiger is in contention come Sunday. I know a lot of people say that, but it’s true. Whether thats a reflection on the absolute void of exciting and entertaining personalities in golf is a valid question. Either way though, Tiger is must see TV when he’s within reach of victory. Going into Sunday he was just 2 strokes back and there was about 6 or 7 guys all within 3 strokes so it was going to be a battle. Add in the fact that they pushed everyone’s tee time up on Sunday because of an incoming storm and it was Tiger time before I even had my morning coffee. It was too early the perfect time to crack that first Sunday morning Bud Latte too.
Tiger looked like a man on a mission, but a couple of gimme putts he missed had me thinking he just wasn’t going to have enough in the tank.
The legend of Tiger has faded a bit in recent years, or so I thought. Less and less do we see guys just wilting under the mere presence of Tiger on their six. Well lucky for us the guy Tiger was chasing, Francesco Molinari, is exactly who he was paired up with on Sunday morning. So every time Francesco tee’d off, Tiger was staring a fucking hole in the guy’s back. And Molinari could *feel* that.
With a two stroke lead he started to melt when he put his first shot in the water on No. 12. Even Tiger’s caddy, Joe LaCava, was shocked:
LaCava said that Tiger was all business after Molinari, inexplicably, put his tee ball in Rae’s Creek. For LaCava, it wasn’t something he saw coming. Molinari, who’s so steady it’s borderline infuriating, wasn’t a player you’d peg as a candidate to drop a ball in the water on the back nine of a major.
“[Molinari]’s one of those guys, he’s not going to go away,” said Lacava. “I was a little surprised he hit it in there. I was thinking this is a perfect 8 iron for him, it’s probably a smash 9 iron for us. I actually thought he was going to hit not to two feet, but 15 feet left. I was very surprised. Things definitely changed.”
The cameras cut to Tiger and you can see his eyes come to life.
Francesco shanks one into the stands at #TheMasters
It’s like when Eminem gives the mic to Papa Doc in the final rap battle and he slowly realizes that Papa Doc just doesn’t have anything left.
After that it was a wrap. Tiger slowly but surely chipped away at Molinari’s lead before just having to two putt on 18 to win The Masters. No problem.
It was an incredible scene to watch and say what you will about his past transgressions, but I love a good comeback story. People thought his career was over, his back was in shambles and here he was putting for his fifth green jacket.
It means so much more to him these days too. I first saw it at the PGA Championship last year where he narrowly lost to Brooks Koepka and he walked off and hugged his kids and looked like he was about to cry, but in a good way. Like he was beaming with pride because all though he didn’t win, he was healthy, he played his balls off, and his kids saw it.
He was a fucking legend back in the day, a complete force of nature, but his kids were too young to see that. Tiger even said it in one of his interviews Sunday, for the longest time he was just “the YouTube golfer” to his kids. So for him to be dominant and winning majors in front of his kids who are now old enough to understand and appreciate what they’re seeing is a huge change for Tiger. And now the chase of Jack Nicklaus’ 18 majors is back on.
It wasn’t all gumdrops and rainbows though as the price of admission for me seeing Tiger return to his former glory was a shit ton of my own money. I had Brooks Koepka at +2,500 and Xander Schauffele as my longshot at +4,000 to win The Masters. Both of them finished ONE stroke behind Tiger. That hurt. Xander was a guy I bet on solely because of how confident my barber was in telling me to do so just a few weeks ago. So I thought well I’ll feel like a real schmuck if I ignore this divine intervention and Xander goes on to win. Welp, my guy was gunning for it late and missed a couple of putts, but would have at least gotten into a playoff or even won it outright if not for Tiger. Tiger picked a great day to pull a vintage performance out of his ass.
The 300s 