   Eminem to retire his rap persona at end of tour, say
associates  Whether Mathers will be retiring for ever or merely
retiring the aggressive Eminem persona is unclear. And the
rumours from Detroit may be nothing more than the usual hype and
publicity-seeking spin. But according to the rapper Proof, who
is Eminem's stage partner, "Em has definitely gotten to the
level where he feels like he's accomplished everything he can
accomplish in rap. He wants to kick back and get into the
producing thing. Why not bow out while you're on top?"  Jeff
Bass, the Detroit producer who won an Academy Award for co-
writing Eminem's "Lose Yourself", said that while he would not
rule out the possibility of further solo albums from Mathers,
"the Eminem part of his career isn't going to be at the
forefront anymore".  Eminem, 33, whose 2000 album The Marshall
Mathers LP sold 9.8 million copies, apparently feels burnt out
by his success. He has madeeight albums and is the best-selling
rapper of all time. His film 8 Mile, also shot