i dont think eminem is ruining the culture; he gave it a wider audience. If white kids try and be like him, thats their problem - they wont get respected anyway for being dickriders. For example, i wouldnt mind being a rapper and im white, but im not gonna follow in eminems footsteps even though hes one of my favourite rappers - i would never talk about raping people for fun, fucking animals, or any of the stuff he normally would. If your a biter or copying someone, your not gonna get recognised anyway. But if a white person brings his own qaulities, i dont think his colour matters as long as he/she have something worth listening to.

i do agree though, it is insulting to claim to be part of hip hop culture just because you think eminem is cool. Any true rap fan knows he isnt the be-all and end-all of rap. You need to understand something about the culture to be part of it; and the best ways are to either live it, or listen to underground, the real stuff.

Yeah, i hate mainstream too. Its profitable for the culture, but if an artist (nelly, chingy, ja rule) only make club-friendly music then they suck. On the other hand, eminem, jay z, nas etc. have both raw, lyrically powerful, meaningful songs as well as a few songs recorded for mainstream success. just dont pay attention to those, like me, if you dont like them. Id rather listen to "till I collapse", "soldier" or "when the music stops" than "without me".....