Benzino-led magazine The Source introduced Eminem to the public in March 1998 in the “Unsigned Hype” column. Later the magazine checked the publication and confirmed and Eminem, indeed, was one of a kind.
The column was meant to help young talents to find more exposure and, possibly, get signed. So Rigg Morales (currently known as Senior Vice President of A&R and Artist Development at Atlantic Records and “Hamilton” musical co-producer), who clearly knew about Marshall’s battle rap reputation and heard his Slim Shady EP, wrote:
Wow, it’s been a few months since we’ve profiled a creme-de-la-creme MC in need of some nurturing from a record company. During our ninety day hiatus, however, our ever-reliable “Flavortracker 2000” came across a target that, in many ways, redefines the term ill. He goes by the name of Eminem (as in the popular candy). After making a buzz in the Detroit area for quite some time, he just recently gained the hip-hop nation’s attention with his impressive showing in events like the Rap Olympics. One glimpse of the contents within his Slim Shady demo, one can’t help but recognize that this rapper of the Caucasian persuasion’s got skills.
As far as flow, he keeps it simple, yet extremely effective. In “Murder, Murder,” he kicks a humorous tale about a bank heist gone wrong: “Left the keys in the van/ With a gat in each hand/ Went up in Eastland/ Shot a policeman/ Fuck a peace plan/ If citizen bystands/ The shit is my hands/ Here’s your life span/ For what your life’s worth, this money is twice than/ Grab a couple grand and live in Iceland/ See, I’m a nice man, but money turned me to Satan.” Another guaranteed rewinder is the semi-demented “Just The Two Of Us,” a crazy tale about the actions Eminem takes upon his baby’s mother. With wifey placed comfortably in the back of his trunk, Em drives far and wide explaining to his seed the reasons why “daddy had to bury mommy.”
Point blank, this ain’t your average cat. This Motor City kid is a one-of-a-kind talent and he’s about to blow past the competition, leaving many melted microphones in the dust.
In February 2002, The Source took time to remind that they were involved in making Eminem a superstar:
Not long after Eminem was featured in Unsigned Hype, Dr. Dre got a hold of his tape. “When Dre heard my tape, it helped that I wasn’t just a nobody because I was in Unsigned Hype.” The Detroit native was soon signed to Aftermath/Interscope and sent into the lab to record his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP. The video “My Name Is” was shot and delivered directly to MTV before any promotional CDs, tapes or vinyl were even pressed. Millions of people would soon realize the same thing that we’d predicted first: Eminem is a superstar.
Then again, in 2017, The Source revised names of the artists who were mentioned in this column and noted with satisfaction that Slim Shady was one of their most notable alumni.
There is no love lost between Eminem and the former owner of The Source Benzino. But even his magazine could not resist claiming their share in Marshall’s success.
