Arts & ntertaiument SPOSI Atmosphere presei ;Ores ISTORANTE yk, NiVey. - *Ag a irits tits JOHN PERRY Thurs.7:00 - I :00 • Fri. & Sat., 7:30 - Midnight OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 248-626-2630 4108 WEST MAPLE • BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1111111111111111111,111111111111111111111 1-. -f=1- F R 1 I=1 ITALIAN CHOPHOUSE FINE CUISINE IN A RELAXED, CONTEMPORARY SETTING. Featuring fine traditional and contemporary Italian cuisine as well as prime Steaks, Chops, Veal, Fish and Seafood. Traditions and quality continue...Private dining & catering available. "AN ART IN EATING WELL" 2 1 /2 miles east of The Somerset Collection on Big Beaver Road phone 248-680-0066 SINCE 1920 THE TRADITION CONTINUES 4,0 2/18 2000 82 CPR can keep your love alive American Heart Association.. Fighting Heart Disease and Stroke Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, where Eminem finished second. The expo- sure led to a meeting with the execu- tives of Interscope Records, which led to the passing around of a demo-like tape (The Slim Shady EP), which in turn landed fortuitously into the hands of rap sensation and producer Dr. Dre. Dre worked with Eminem on the Detroit rapper's latest release, the Grammy-nominated The Slim Shady LP, a 14-song collection on Aftermath/Interscope, which was pro- duced by the Funky Bass Team and has gone triple platinum. "Dr. Dre is such a mentsh," Mark Bass says. "Many people think he is just tied up in this gangsta rap thing, but he is really just a family man." Eminem, who has appeared in a handful of videos, and in such maga- zines as Rolling Stone, Vibe and Spin, was called "phenomenal" in an iMusic.com biography. "His poten- tially controversial and undoubtedly offensive songs will strike a chord with a multitude of hip-hop loyalists Who believe they have little to lose and everything to gain," said the arti- cle. But to the four Jews from metro Detroit, he is just like a little brother, someone to watch over while levelling about his achievements. "I knew when he was a kid that he was a star," Mark Bass says. "We are very proud of him. He is like our lit- tle brother. We have always included him on family things," he adds, not- ing that during one Passover, Eminem recorded in the basement studio while upstairs the afikomen was being hidden. "He was hoping to find it and use the five bucks for gas money." The Bass brothers, still known as the Funky Bass Team, have since moved to California to be closer to the Los Angeles music scene. Their recording label, Web Entertainment, has sold 3 million LPs. Mark has since married his child- hood sweetheart, the former Wendy Adler. Wendy, a former schoolteacher at Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park, heads the label as well. The couple will split their time between California and the West Indies island of Nebis, where they plan to open their second studio, the Rich Bass Recording Studio and Record Company. Mark Bass also hopes to train to be a counselor to adolescents. Jeff Bass continues to work on his music. Once a member of the Quincy Jones-signed group Dream Boy, he is a trained pianist, guitarist and drum- mer who did session work with a number of groups after his own band broke up in the mid-1980s. Recently divorced, the father of a 10-year-old boy splits his time between a home in Birmingham and one in Burbank, Calif., where he hopes to soon score a movie or write more music while continuing to produce musical acts. Joel Bacow continues to produce recordings at his Ferndale studio, 54 Sound. He remains under contractual obligation to the Bass brothers and to Eminem, a deal he first signed in the mid-1990s. He, too, has married, and lives with his wife and toddler son in Huntington Woods. He is busy now working with the Romantics, a local "[Eminem] was hoping to find the [afikomen] and use the five bucks for gas money." — Mark Bass group that shot to fame in the 1980s and is currently being revived, as well as a number of other recording acts. Bacow also works closely with Paul Rosenberg, who has recently given up the full-time practice of law in order to open Goliath, a music manage- ment company in New York City. In addition to Eminem, he currently manages Cypress Hill, a rap group known for its lyrics about marijuana. He also is working with Eminem on the rapper's new label, Shady Records, which is a part of Interscope. The four guys behind Eminem's success plan to continue to work together indefinitely, developing left of center rap acts and other musical groups. "Being Jewish, we are always going to have a bond," Mark Bass says. "We are always going to be brothers." ❑ The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards airs 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, on CBS.