2003: YEAR IN REVIEW Eminem's Oscar struck a blow for rap music

A feud that spread to the magazine world was a lowlight.
By ROB CLARK
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Eminem had no new album out in 2003. No movie, no video, no nothing. Yet he still managed to dominate rap music with an avalanche of awards and two prot & eacute;g & eacute;s (50 Cent and Obie Trice) who found a home in the top 10.
In soul music, you know it's a down year when the troubled R. Kelly has one of the biggest hits -- the goofy, sex-charged "Ignition" -- and when the words "Justin Timberlake" and "soul" are used in the same sentence.
Thank goodness for a solid crop of newcomers and some veterans experimenting with new styles and sounds.
Highlight of the year: Eminem's dominance of rap and pop music was never more evident than in March, when he became the first rapper to win an Academy Award. "Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile" was a huge hit, so it wasn't totally unexpected for the best-original-song trophy.
Final frontier
But the Oscars, in some ways, were a final frontier for rap. Not that artists were actively seeking approval -- no way -- but they finally got Oscar's long-overdue attention. And the academy moved away from the usual drivel that gets that honor, the Elton- or Phil-writes-songs-for-Disney-cartoons variety.
The Oscar was perhaps the exclamation point on rap's acceptance into the mainstream. For fans, it was historic. For those who still mock the genre and eagerly await its demise, well, keep on dreaming.
As for Eminem himself, he didn't show to pick up his trophy. Too cool for that. Even at award time, he's always a rebel.
Feuds
The lowlight of the year was the divide between feuding rappers -- Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule, Irv Gotti and the Murder Inc. crew -- which spread to the magazine world: The longtime champion, The Source, vs. upstart XXL.
An album by Benzino -- Ever heard of him? Didn't think so -- included a song called "Pull Your Skirt Up" that dissed Eminem. The Source published a cartoon poster of a muscle-bound man (with a Source shirt on) crushing a lesser man (with an XXS shirt on).
The flip side of the poster is a cartoon Benzino hoisting the decapitated head of Eminem.
Benzino is also co-owner of The Source. Conflict of interest, anyone?
The issues have heated up in the past several weeks, with The Source uncovering way-back lyrics by Em that were racist.
The rapper apologized and won support from Russell Simmons and the bulk of the hip-hop nation. But The Source isn't giving up on its fight against rap's biggest star.
Meanwhile, The Source calls its rival XXS. XXL calls its rival The Sauce. Silly stuff. There's plenty of room for both magazines in hip-hop. Don't make us quote Rodney King here.