This is the first I've seen of something like this. I "jokingly" said I was gonna "download the fuck out of his new album" (in another thread) in lieu of actually buying it...and I still will...just, I didn't know everyone was gonna! Read this: This is 2 much!

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Eminem's Early "Show"
Fri May 17, 9:00 PM ET
By Marcus Errico

Looks like The Eminem (news - web sites) Show is opening early.

The rapper announced late Friday that the much-anticipated follow-up to his Grammy-winning, megaselling The Marshall Mathers LP will be in stores on May 28--a week earlier than planned.

The reason for the sudden switcheroo: illicit MP3 swapping. The album has been leaked on the Internet and is widely available through song-sharing applications like Morpheus.

"Due to the rampant Internet piracy and illegal bootlegging, Aftermath/Interscope, in conjunction with Eminem and his manager, have decided to push the release date up a week to May 28," reads a statement on the hip-hopster's official site, eminem.com.

"We had no choice."

The disc, featuring production from Em's mentor, Dr. Dre, is the rapper's first solo studio album in two years, and like its controversial predecessor, The Eminem Show is already making waves.

"Without Me," the first single and video off the album, was released two weeks ago and mocks everyone from Sally Jessy Raphael to Moby to 'N Syncer Chris Kirkpatrick to Limp Bizkit to Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites). Eminem even dresses as Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) in the video. Another cut, "White America," disses Cheney's wife (and outspoken rap critic), Lynne.

Despite being sneaked on the Web, The Eminem Show is expected to be a monster hit. "Without Me" has already climbed to number 20 on Billboard's latest Hot 100 singles chart.

The rapper and his label are also giving fans an incentive to hit stores early. The first 2 million copies will include a special limited-edition DVD featuring video clips and the trailer to the rapper's big-screen debut, the semiautobiographical 8 Mile, which is due November 8.

Meantime, Eminem (real name: Marshall Mathers III) is also putting the finishing touches on the 8 Mile soundtrack, which should hit stores in July. That is, of course, unless it winds up on the Internet first.


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Meanwhile, I have yet 2 receive my ONA disc... maybe I should just download it somewhere!

"The rapper and his label are also giving fans an incentive to hit stores early. The first 2 million copies will include a special limited-edition DVD featuring video clips and the trailer to the rapper's big-screen debut, the semiautobiographical 8 Mile, which is due November 8"


mm nice marketing! now if only WB/Prince could do something like that...