Rap superstar Eminen swung through the SF bay Area this past weekend on a promotional tour and wound up running into a few problems. The first occurred on Sunday morning during his interview at college radio station KALX 90.7 FM in Berkeley. According to Eminen he had a run in with long time dj Sista Tamu. He claims that not only had a bad attitude and was she extremely rude and disrespectful to him, but she also took his hit record 'My Name Is Slim Shady' and cracked it in half on the air. 'It was like she was on a mission to come for me', he noted in a later interview. He said that she appeared bent on trying to embarrass him on the air by telling him she did not like his rhyme style and music. 'If that was the case why did she agree to interview me?' Eminen wondered. He also noted that he himself tried to be professional by holding back and not going off the sista.

Sista Tamu offered up her side of the story. She explained that when she first met Eminen that she went over a few ground rules with him including that she tries to keep her show 'clean' of the large number of families and kids listening on Sunday morning. She went to explain that she had heard a few of his freestyles in particular one in which he rapped about killing his baby's mother. It was for that reason Tamu was not really fond of Eminen. Tamu who is a community activist, admitted that she prefers hip hop that brings a socially uplifting message. However, she felt that because Eminen was so popular that it was important to allow him access to her listeners. 'I'm not really a big fan of your style of rap, but a lot of our listeners are so welcome to the show', she told him. She also told him that if he decides to freestyle or anything like that to keep that in mind and respect the ground rules she had set. According to her, Eminem agreed.

During the interview she and Em exchanged barbs with each other. While Eminen felt she was trying to be rude. Tamu felt it was all in jest. She said that Em's whole character was to be witty and sarcastic and she was having fun with him by trying to match wits. Eminen felt she was trying to pull the 'race card' by talking about him having blonde hair and being white.

Tamu then took a number of calls including one from a woman who noted that she appreciated Em's sarcastic and somewhat sadistic wit, but cautioned him not to leave young impressionable listeners with the wrong message. Eminem admitted that his album was very different then the sanitized version they were playing on MTV and commercial radio. 'A lot of parents are going to be upset and take that album right back to the store because there's nothing nice or clean about it', he noted. The next caller challenged Eminen to do a freestyle. So [Mr Slim Shady agreed]. What set Sista Tamu off, was that after cautioning Eminen about her audience, he then flipped a verse which started off with him slapping a pregnant woman and then slapping another 'bitch'. Tamu immediately stopped him and ended the interview. 'I ain't having that disrespect on my show' she explained. At that point she bid him goodbye and as Slim Shady left the station Tamu went on the air and said because he had disrespected the ground rules and her audience by doing a rap about 'slapping bitches', he would never be invited back and at that point she cracked his record on the air. needless to say it quite eventful and left Slim Shady a bit peeved.

If that wasn't enough while visiting record stores across the Bay in San Francisco's infamous Haight Ashbury district which is known for it's hippies, punk rockers and other colorful individuals, some kid steps to Eminen and in a threatening manner asserts that 'this is his block' and Eminen better leave. At first Em thought he was joking but soon realizes the kid is serious.. This is his block and he has no intention of letting Eminem walk by. When Eminem moved to walk around him the kid reached for what everyone thought was a weapon. The next thing you know Mr Shady lit up on homeboy with a barrage to the head. I guess he let his Detroit upbringing come out as folks had to pull Eminem off the kid who was left literally sprawled out on the ground. By the time I caught up with Eminem he was bit spent..