Royce da 5'9" would love to be as big as Eminem (AP)

NEW YORK – Royce da 5'9" has enjoyed a No. 1 album thanks to his collaboration with Eminem, but he doesn't enjoy the same amount of fame. He's still aiming high, though.

"It would be great if I could be in that position," says Royce, whose real name is Ryan Daniel Montgomery.

"I obviously don't have to be that big," he adds modestly.

The rapper has toiled under the radar for years, but is enjoying a different side of fame since working with Eminem, a fellow Detroit native whom he has known for years. Their joint album "Hell: The Sequel" under the moniker Bad Meets Evil was a chart success, and Royce appeared on stage with Eminem at the recent Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, in front of a 60,000 strong crowd.

"It's one of the most massive things that I've ever been a part of performance-wise. It was crazy, the energy was great, everybody showed Marshall a lot of love," Royce said in an interview this week about Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers.

"Once you reach that level of superstardom, like when you're beyond hip-hop, that's like something else. Not everybody is built for that," says the rapper.

But Royce is hoping to ride the wave of his Bad Meets Evil success with his new album, "Success Is Certain," which was released this week .

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Eminem collaboration aiming to top U.S. chart (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Eminem has a good shot at taking the top spot on the U.S. pop album chart next week, although an 11-year-old talent show contestant could steal his thunder.

While it's still early in the sales week, the hip-hop star could sell about 150,000 copies of "Hell: the Sequel," his collaboration with Royce da 5'9" under the Bad Meets Evil moniker. The sales week ends Sunday evening.

Aiming for the runner-up slot -- or perhaps No. 1 if things really go her way -- is Jackie Evancho with her full-length major-label debut "Dream With Me." The young soprano, who finished in second place last year on "America's Got Talent," recruited Barbra Streisand and Susan Boyle for "Dream." It could sell around 140,000 copies.

After 10 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, Adele's "21" might slip to No. 3. Owl City's "All Things Bright and Beautiful" which should enter in the top five. Also likely heading for a top 10 debut is Ledisi's new set "Pieces of Me."

Sales data will be issued on Wednesday. Adele sold 114,000 copies of "21" during the week ended June 12.

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Eminem takes the big stage as rap rules Bonnaroo (AP)

By CHRIS TALBOTT, AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sun Jun 12, 3:46 am ET

MANCHESTER, Tenn. – After a little more than an hour of a hard-as-nails set that had the bikini-clad rumps shaking at Bonnaroo, Eminem thanked the crowd and left the stage.

Nearly 80,000 fans chanted "Shady! Shady! Shady!" in a thunderous roar for five minutes until hip hop's angry king returned to the stage for a triumphant encore of "Lose Yourself," capping the day rap took over Bonnaroo.

Saturday kicked off with Big Boi and Lil Wayne laying down early morning sets — inexplicably overlapping — shortly after Arcade Fire's Friday night finale, and the takeover continued with Wiz Khalifa on the big stage during a hot afternoon set before Eminem destroyed his Bonnaroo debut.

These weren't the first rappers at the four-day festival down on the farm in Tennessee. The event is known more for its granola-flavored ethos than its urban cool, but Jay-Z turned in one of the most memorable sets in the festival's 10-year history in 2010 and expectations were high for Saturday's takeover — the most concentrated collection of star MCs at Bonnaroo.

Big Boi mixed in his own songs with Outkast favorites. Lil Wayne played it naughty with the crowd and debuted tracks from his forthcoming album "Tha Carter IV," rattling the port-a-potties with a thunderous bass well into the morning.

And Khalifa kept the crowd sky high by preaching the gospel of weed to a willing choir that included a man who wore a "Marijuana Cures Racism" T-shirt, dancers with flowers in their hair and joints in their hands, and girls in bikinis crowd surfing.

The day was full of odd juxtapositions. Khalifa dropped his hit "Black & Yellow" while just a few hundred yards away Mumford & Sons tore through a set of fiery folk rock as fans watched over a nearby fence and from atop ATMs. The sold-out crowd appeared to be evenly split among the two rising stars of their genres.

Later in the evening, a reunited Buffalo Springfield set up Eminem's show with a fiery rendition of Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World." Fans rushed into the festival's largest compound as Young's echoing guitar died away, entering another world.

Eminem opened with "Won't Back Down" and "3 a.m." and never let up, featuring a mix of hits and new songs from his 2010 return to the top, "Recovery."

"It's been a minute since I been to the South," he shouted. "Did y'all miss us?"

Eminem was in top form, fast and angry as he stalked the stage in long camouflage shorts and a black t-shirt. He thanked his fans for standing by him before launching into "Not Afraid."

Bonnaroo's crowd may be a hippie enclave, but you wouldn't have known it Saturday night as most fans rapped right along with Eminem, brightened the sky with lighters to the Slim Shady and Royce Da 5'9"`s "Lighters" and played along to a naughty call-and-response before "Love the Way You Lie."

After the show the debate shifted from whether hip hop belongs at Bonnaroo to Shady 2011 or Hova 2010?

___

Online:

http://www.bonnaroo.com

___

Contact Chris Talbott at www.twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

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Eminem takes the big stage as rap rules Bonnaroo (AP)

By CHRIS TALBOTT, AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sun Jun 12, 3:46 am ET

MANCHESTER, Tenn. – After a little more than an hour of a hard-as-nails set that had the bikini-clad rumps shaking at Bonnaroo, Eminem thanked the crowd and left the stage.

Nearly 80,000 fans chanted "Shady! Shady! Shady!" in a thunderous roar for five minutes until hip hop's angry king returned to the stage for a triumphant encore of "Lose Yourself," capping the day rap took over Bonnaroo.

Saturday kicked off with Big Boi and Lil Wayne laying down early morning sets — inexplicably overlapping — shortly after Arcade Fire's Friday night finale, and the takeover continued with Wiz Khalifa on the big stage during a hot afternoon set before Eminem destroyed his Bonnaroo debut.

These weren't the first rappers at the four-day festival down on the farm in Tennessee. The event is known more for its granola-flavored ethos than its urban cool, but Jay-Z turned in one of the most memorable sets in the festival's 10-year history in 2010 and expectations were high for Saturday's takeover — the most concentrated collection of star MCs at Bonnaroo.

Big Boi mixed in his own songs with Outkast favorites. Lil Wayne played it naughty with the crowd and debuted tracks from his forthcoming album "Tha Carter IV," rattling the port-a-potties with a thunderous bass well into the morning.

And Khalifa kept the crowd sky high by preaching the gospel of weed to a willing choir that included a man who wore a "Marijuana Cures Racism" T-shirt, dancers with flowers in their hair and joints in their hands, and girls in bikinis crowd surfing.

The day was full of odd juxtapositions. Khalifa dropped his hit "Black & Yellow" while just a few hundred yards away Mumford & Sons tore through a set of fiery folk rock as fans watched over a nearby fence and from atop ATMs. The sold-out crowd appeared to be evenly split among the two rising stars of their genres.

Later in the evening, a reunited Buffalo Springfield set up Eminem's show with a fiery rendition of Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World." Fans rushed into the festival's largest compound as Young's echoing guitar died away, entering another world.

Eminem opened with "Won't Back Down" and "3 a.m." and never let up, featuring a mix of hits and new songs from his 2010 return to the top, "Recovery."

"It's been a minute since I been to the South," he shouted. "Did y'all miss us?"

Eminem was in top form, fast and angry as he stalked the stage in long camouflage shorts and a black t-shirt. He thanked his fans for standing by him before launching into "Not Afraid."

Bonnaroo's crowd may be a hippie enclave, but you wouldn't have known it Saturday night as most fans rapped right along with Eminem, brightened the sky with lighters to the Slim Shady and Royce Da 5'9"`s "Lighters" and played along to a naughty call-and-response before "Love the Way You Lie."

After the show the debate shifted from whether hip hop belongs at Bonnaroo to Shady 2011 or Hova 2010?

___

Online:

http://www.bonnaroo.com

___

Contact Chris Talbott at www.twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

Yahoo! News

Eminem boxing movie lures "Training Day" director (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Eminem's first movie since "8 Mile" is one step closer to happening.

"Southpaw," a boxing movie in which Eminem would play a welterweight champ who punches his way back to glory after a tragedy, now looks to be zeroing on "Training Day" director Antoine Fuqua to take the helm.

Fuqua, who is currently shooting a biopic in China centering on concubine Yang Guifei, is in talks to board the pugilist picture, which is hoping for a fall start.

DreamWorks picked up the project in December when another boxing movie, "The Fighter," was burning up the box office and awards season buzz. It was written by "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kirk Sutter.

Eminem played himself in 2002's autobiographical "8 Mile," and won an Oscar for co-writing the theme song.

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Eminem sues Audi over ad's use of "Lose Yourself" (Reuters)

COLOGNE, Germany (Hollywood Reporter) – Eminem has filed a cease-and-desist order against Audi, alleging the German carmaker illegally used the rapper's Oscar-winning song "Lose Yourself" in a commercial for its new 2012 Audi A6 Avant.

"Lose Yourself" is the same music Eminem authorized Chrysler to use in its "Imported from Detroit" campaign for its new Chrysler 200 model.

Eminem starred in a spot for the campaign which debuted during the Super Bowl and has been viewed by more than 10 million people online. In addition to the use of the song, Audi's commercial, which has not aired in North America, uses very similar visuals to the Chrysler spot. In Chrysler's version, Eminem drives past Detroit's key landmarks. The car in the Audi commercial drives past Berlin's tourist sites.

Eminem's Detroit-based publisher, Eight Mile Style, filed the order against Audi in a Hamburg regional court this week. The company has also said it will seek damages. The order only makes reference to Audi's alleged unauthorized use of the song and does not include allegations that Audi may have copied the Chrysler campaign.

But in a statement, Joel Martin, a spokesman for Eight Mile Style, said, "we believe Audi not only used "Lose Yourself" to sell their product without permission, but their spot actually feels inspired by elements of Chrysler's commercial campaign."

"Apparently someone believes that the definition of copyright laws is the right to copy others' materials, including world-renowned successes created by Chrysler Group brands," commented Chrysler Group spokesman Gualberto Ranieri, responding to the new Audi commercial, which first aired at a press event in Berlin May 19. So far, however, Chrysler has not said whether it will seek legal recompense.

Eight Mile Style has been an aggressive defender of Eminem's copyrights. Two years ago, the company settled out of court with Apple on claims that the company's iTunes service illegally profited from the digital downloads of Eminem's songs licensed from the rapper's label Aftermath Records.

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

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Eminem, Justin Bieber scoop Billboard Music Awards (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Eminem and teen idol Justin Bieber dominated the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, winning six awards each with the 38-year-old rapper taking the top honor for artist of the year.

With Eminem absent, Bieber helped lead the way on stage beside some of pop's biggest current stars at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, marking the music magazine's efforts to revive what was once an annual event following a four-year hiatus.

Sporting his now short, spiky hair and a sparkling gold tuxedo jacket, Bieber beat singer Bruno Mars and rapper Nicki Minaj for best new artist and marveled to the audience, "I'm 17 ... every day is crazy to me because I see so many people and I get to make so many people smile."

The Canadian pop star, who has gained a huge following of "Beliebers" through YouTube and social media websites, also won awards for top pop album, streaming artist and song, as well as social and digital media artist. He thanked "everybody who helped me get out of my home town and live my dream."

Detroit native Eminem, who released the critical and commercial success "Recovery" last year, including the hit single "Love The Way You Lie" featuring singer Rihanna, won awards for top male artist, billboard 200 album, rap artist, rap song and rap album.

Rihanna, 23, kicked off the show with a performance of "S&M" from her 2010 fifth studio album "Loud," and was joined on stage by Britney Spears before going on to win three awards including top female and top radio artist of the year.

She thanked her biggest fan devotees, who call themselves the Rihanna navy, and hailed her native Barbados. The last Billboard artist of the year was Rihanna's former boyfriend Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to assaulting her in 2009 and did not attend the awards.

Katy Perry won awards for top hot 100 artist and top digital songs, while British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz won the top hot 100 song of the year for his hit, "Dynamite."

"Need You Now," by Lady Antebellum won country song of the year. The title track from their second album introduced the group from Nashville, Tennessee to audiences worldwide and is now the most-downloaded country song ever, according to Billboard.

Taylor Swift, 21, who has swept music award shows in the past several years, won country artist of the year. She sold 1,047,000 first-week copies of her third album "Speak Now" in the United States last November, making it the fastest-selling new album in five years.

Accepting the top duo or group award for the Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.Am singled out "technology because without technology we wouldn't be here as an industry."

Beyonce was honored with the Millennium Award for her musical influence and hailed as a role model for women.

Neil Diamond, 70, won the icon award before performing his 1969 hit, "Sweet Caroline." Other performers included Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and singer Cee Lo Green.

U2 won the top touring award for its current "U2 360 degrees" tour, which features revolutionary staging and has become the highest-grossing tour of all time.

"You can make classic albums in your bedroom and you can play the greatest show of your life on a one-string guitar, but we just don't do that," U2 frontman Bono told the audience.

The awards, with eligibility from Feb 28, 2010 to March 1, 2011, were based on multiple factors including chart performance, album and single digital sales, touring and streaming and popularity on social media sites.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

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