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Eminem’s first Rolling Stone cover story in 1999 documents Marshall Mathers addictive personality, specifically pre-performance in New York City. Three tabs of ecstacy and a fifth of Bacardi, anyone? Thankfully Eminem cleaned up his act, and is able to inspire drug-addicts with songs like “Deja Vu” and “Beautiful” off his latest album, Relapse.

The Michigan rapper, who calls himself Eminem — and whose debut, The Slim Shady LP, sold 480,000 copies in its first two weeks — was a cook in a Detroit grill before his obscenity-strewn, gleefully violent, spastic, hilarious and demented ryhmes landed him in the studio with rap honcho Dr. Dre.

The blue-eyed MC is dealing with the instant fame and simultaneous criticism well enough — much better, actually, than he is dealing with the fifth of Bacardi he downed an hour ago.

On a chilly Friday night in New York, he emerges bleary-eyed from the bathroom of his manager’s office. “I just threw up everything I had, he says in his slow-roll drawl, which is a bit slower at the moment. All I ate today was that slice of pizza. Feel good now, though.”

His manager exhales slowly in relief. Eminem has three club gigs tonight, and the first one starts in less than an hour. The crew (nine including DJ Stretch Armstrong and Dennis the security guard ) ambles toward the elevator. Downstairs awaits Eminem’s partner in rap, Royce the 5′9”, who looks to be about seven people of his own in tow. Em hops into a giant white limo as fellow honky Armstrong cops a ryhme from Eric Clapton’s Cream. “In the white room, with white people and white rappers,” he bellows. A minute later there’s a knock on the window and one of Royce’s posse gives Em the first of the three hits of ecstasy he will consume over the course of the night. Down it goes in a swallow of ginger ale as the car zooms off toward Staten Island. [Anthony Bozza - Rolling Stone]

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