Vibe.com, November 1st, 2004
When a dancehall full of youth and adults holding "I Will Vote" placards crowded the Roseland Ballroom on Thursday, Oct. 28, one might have thought they were attending the Republican National Convention recently held in the same city. However, it was another "shady" affair.
Only days away from what's been staged as one of the most historical presidential elections of our time, Eminem (a.k.a. Slim Shady) hosted his own national convention called the 2004 Shady National Convention (SNC). It seems like radio contest winners from across the country were flown to New York as SNC delegates for promotion purposes, as well as to laugh at the antics of all political parties.
Method Man's introduction set the tone for the evening when he stated, "This is definitely not political, as usual. This is hip hop." Busta Rhymes added, "Most politicians are shady anywayÂ…F@*k Bush."
The event played out more like a music video shoot, for one of Eminem's satirical music videos, rather than a rally for a candidate of a political party. Guest appearances and speeches were made by Donald Trump, Busta Rhymes, Comedy Central's mentally challenged puppet Special Ed (Crank Yankers), Method Man, Bono (U2), 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and a host of other celebrities.
Similar to the scene at Russell Simmons' set of Hip Hop Summits, most of the convention attendees were confused on why they were there. Was it a concert? Was there a political platform to be announced? Were the concerns of the youth going to be addressed? Although Eminem did perform after his more than three- hour-long political charade the answer was no.
Who best to make a mockery of our country's recent political campaign activities than the jester of hip hop himself-Eminem? Wearing a suit, playing the part of a presidential candidate, Eminem addressed the crowd reading a teleprompter all to promote his next album, Encore, scheduled to release Nov. 16. and his new radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio, Shade 45.
The rapper along with Sirius Satellite Radio, Shady Records and Interscope Records promise uncensored hip hop. According to Sirius' website Shade 45 will feature a full lineup of on-air hosts and mixers, including Eminem's DJ, Green Lantern.
For more information, go to www.sncon.com or www.sirius.com
