That's false. Many of the white people that became Eminem fans were fans of The Chronic and NWA. Those albums were the gateway for mainstream/Pop America into Hip Hop. It wasn't like the mainstream/Pop that Hammer and Vanilla Ice had introduced them to. It was the rebellious, unapologetic attitude that their parents and Conservatives would forbid their children from listening to.
Enter Eminem, and he's an extension of what gravitated them to the music. That's one of the biggest reasons why the Dr. Dre co-sign went so far. Any other producer co-signing Eminem wouldn't have had the reach that Dre's had. Even though he'd "fallen off" in the eyes of many, the co-sign had impact because Dr. Dre represented the bridge between mainstream and Hip Hop (Hip Hop that had credibility within and outside of the culture). What I mean is that even if you weren't a fan of Hip Hop or were just a casual listener, Dr. Dre's name and music held weight. This is partially how you get white people that listen to no other rappers, but Eminem. That's how you get a cross section of white listeners who thought they were down because they thought Hip Hop began and ended with Snoop, Pac, and Bone, but were bigger fans of Alternative Rock.
Still grovelling at the feet of the white man.
nah...
