Critic's Choice

Motor City has a new madman. Move over, Nuge: Make room for Obie Trice. A product of his environment -- the same battlefield that produced Eminem -- Trice is as real as the name his mama gave him. Known as Obie-Wan until Proof from D-12 convinced him to use his real name, Trice hasn't had to rely on a flashy moniker to define his game. After setting it off on the streets of Detroit Rock City in the late '90s, his self-released cassette tapes (passed on by the members of D-12) were promising enough to prompt a call and an invitation to throw down from The Shady One himself. Trice's recorded debut, a freestyle skit on D-12's 2001 platter Devil's Night, immediately began turning heads. After laying in the cut with a few more cameos -- on The Eminem Show and the 8 Mile soundtrack -- Trice has finally taken center stage with a white-hot debut disc of his own called Cheers. With a laid-back cadence and straightforward approach bolstered by the ace production of Dr. Dre, Timbaland and Em, Cheers is the hottest slab o' wax this side of the new Outkast joint. As much a testament to his own skills as to Marshall's Midas touch, Trice is set to join the platinum ranks of the Shady empire. Welcome to M-O-town, y'all. Catch Trice and Bubba Sparxxx this Sunday, November 16, at the Gothic Theatre.