Various artists
(Shady Records/Interscope)
Eminem's star is on a speedy ascent. It seems like only yesterday this foul-mouthed, homophobic misogynist came kicking and screaming out of Detroit. Now, he is the golden boy of the entertainment world, loved by all it seems - including the homosexuals and women he once derided.
With 8 Mile, Eminem adds a few more strings to his bow. He becomes an actor in the film and, with the soundtrack, becomes a producer and a savvy record-label boss - it contains contributors from his label, Shady Records.
That Eminem has been able to employ a credible line-up of MCs (Jay-Z and Rakim, for instance) attests to his growing acceptance across the board.
The record itself, however, falls between two camps. The inclusion of songs by Macy Gray and the sultry Taryn Manning keeps it from being a pure rap record, while the predominance of rap renders it a fairly one-dimensional soundtrack album.