the majority culture, a lesson of mas- sive importance for brand managers and marketers. Until then, fash- ion, product, and consumer trends were assumed to trickle down from the upper classes to the lower classes. Rock and roll changed the soci- ology of marketing to a new model of product innovation and brand acceptance-the trickle-up process of brand development. In todays world of branding, everything from urban styles to slang words are trickling up to mainstream culture, following in the footsteps of their musical predecessor-rhythm and blues. Todays most relevant example is Eminem, the foul-mouthed, white rapper who says things in his songs that most of us would never admit to thinking. The 30-year-old prodigal son of Dr. Dre (one of the founding fathers of rap music) spews out sentiments of hate, homo- phobia, murder, gay sex, rape, and hating his mother. (If there are any additional disparaging topics you can name, hes probably sung about them.) But ask critics and fans alike, and theyll tell you his lyrics are a bit tongue-in-cheek, and if you really look behind the façade of hate, youll see the humor in his words. Okay. The only person he seems to care for is his daughter, to whom he declares his devotion and love. These sentiments touch a nerve with many of the kids who make up his fan base-kids who dont have fathers and wish someone would love them as much as Eminem professes to love his daughter. His asso- ciation with Dr. Dre has given him credibility in the hip-hop commu- nity and has helped him craft a strong beat and musical sound, and his whiteness has let him connect with suburban kids-and, believe it or not, some of their parents. Eminems major debut album in 1999, The Slim Shady LP, hit an c r e at i ng cu lt u r a l ly r el e va n t br a nd s |     emotional chord with a variety of fans-some loved it and some hated it. Its popularity fueled the 2000 release of The Marshall Mathers LP, which poked fun at celebrity and controversy in Eminems typical hip- hop mockery fashion. His most recent album, The Eminem Show, is a tamer, simpler version of his first releases, which built his rebel image and brand among urbanites and suburbanites alike. By the summer of 2002, you could find urban kids, mostly white suburban kids, and soc- cer moms rapping and bopping to "Without Me," a hit single. Critics, who prefer the harsher, "more pure" version of Eminem, cite his new, tamer music as a way to grow his brand based on the formula that has worked for him in the past. Jon Pareles, of the New York Times, writes, "Eminem has now decided what his brand image is; hes the spokes- man for suburban adolescent rebellion coupled with self-pity, for so much anger aimed in no particular direction. "1