The Front Porch Blog
John Rich, rapper Eminem fightin' mad about Detroit
Jessica Phillips | May 12, 2009

John Rich may be "fightin' mad" about the government bailing out bankers and giving auto workers a bad deal, but he's not the only one.
While Rich is "Shuttin' Detroit Down," rapper Eminem will be "living it up..in that New York City town" for an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 19th, and he's taking about 200 laid-off auto workers with him to the show (according to Billboard). The rapper says, via a publicist, that news reports are largely ignoring people who have lost their jobs without getting big payouts after dedicating themselves to the auto industry. Hmmm...defiantly mouthing off to national media and taking a herd of support with him? Sounds like a John Rich move.
Despite their different musical tastes, these two have a lot in common. Both seem to balance non-politically correct music with largely mainstream success. Both brought a different style of music to their respective genres. Big and Rich created a buzz in country music when they released "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy," with it's wacky video and suggestive lyrics, while Eminem's shocking lyrics caused a firestorm in mainstream media. Both used the momentum to branch off into other businesses-including owning record labels and dabbling in television (or film), and both have produced other artists.
If Kimmel's going to include a rap artist and 200 auto workers, he should consider Rich for a solo of "Shuttin' Detroit Down."
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