Eminem Brings Slim Shady Crew to Village Tea Party

MANHATTAN — Slim Shady is venting his fury at a Greenwich Village tea party.

Rap star Eminem, known for potty-mouthed, angry lyrics and a long battle with drug abuse, is bringing his stable of stars to a Bleecker Street gallery Saturday for a concert sponsored by tea company Lipton.

Musicians from his Shady Records label will perform at a private event, according to the singer's website, but the Grammy Award-winning rhyme guru will not be on hand.

The event kicks off at 159 Bleecker St. at 11 a.m. with something not usually associated with rappers — a pop-up art gallery.

The space, which is being called Brisk Bodega, will display "some extremely rare and never-before-seen gems from the Shady Records museum of memorabilia" including the puppet version of Eminem used in a 2011 Super Bowl commercial for Lipton Brisk Iced Tea, according to a statement tweeted by a promoter.

Work by street artist Tristan Eaton and design agency Artek Creative Inc. will also be on display, according to the statement.

More than 650 people on Brisk Bodega's Facebook page have said they will attend the free event, which will be open to the public until 5 p.m.

People will be admitted to the gallery beginning at 11 a.m. until capacity is reached, a spokeswoman for Brisk said Friday. It's not clear if there will be any performances at the gallery event.

Later, rappers Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse are expected to perform at a private evening event "to mark the evolution of Shady Records," according to Lipton Brisk's website.

Briskbodega.com says to follow promoter @elliottwilson and @Brisk to find out find out how to gain access to the concert.

In Eminem's Lipton Brisk ad, the puppet of the rapper explains why "he doesn't do commercials" but then drinks the iced tea and shouts "Damn! That is good!"

This isn't the only time that the "8 Mile" star has appeared in advertisements. This year he also promoted the Chrysler 200.

A Brisk spokeswoman rejected the notion that artists who shill products are selling out.

"I think people have a different take on that nowadays," she said. "If you're getting exposure due to a relationship with a brand, good for you."

Eminem's manager David Shiff did not immediately return a call for comment.

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