Better than what I expected, even with Eminem as the lead

Rating: 7/10 (10 November 2002)

Eminem stars in a film about a white rapper trying to cut it in a black dominated musical genre and eventually comes out on a top. Hmmm, did Scott Silver really think this was an original idea? Well, beyond that, this film actually proved to be rather satisfying, presenting an image of rap and the hip-hop aesthetic in a cinematic format as opposed to high-gloss exploitation like The Players Club or All About the Benjamins. Eminem's frequent outbursts seemed too many and too quick, but his acting style was fairly consistent with the rather static character he sought to portray. If Rap wants to be taken more seriously for its style and impact, then they should follow the lead of this film. While the film is not without its problems, it is a much better alternative than some of the other hip-hop schlock that has been released in recent years.