When Eminem Learned That the release of his third album, The Eminem Show, had to be moved up a week to combat a nationwide bootlegging epidemic, he said, "Whoever put my s___on the Internet, I want to meet that motherf_____ and beat the s___ out of him." This may be the first of Eminem's famously foul-mouthed tirades that gets a chuckle from his critics. While The Eminem Show (out May 28) is being pirated on modems and street corners across the country, those who believe that the rapper's coarseness has inspired a generation of delinquents can treasure the irony: those supposed hooligans are now picking his pocket. Eminem could lose millions of dollars to bootleggers, but his rant obscures the fact that as a performer, he's actually maturing. The Eminem Show has offensive and profane lyrics, but it's also a significant work of pop culture. If it comes up a bit short of be- ing a great rap album, it leaves no doubt that Eminem is a great rapper.
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