A relapse is typically bad news, but in this case it’s a positive omen for fans of Eminem: the rapper is planning to play a free concert on Tuesday in Detroit to promote the release of his new album, “Relapse” (right), The Associated Press reported. The free show was announced on Eminem’s MySpace page, myspace.com/eminem, and tickets were scheduled to be given away on a first-come-first-served basis on Monday at 5 p.m. at Record Time, a music store in Roseville, a Detroit suburb. The site of the show, which will feature DJ Jazzy Jeff, was not revealed. Last Friday Eminem took about 200 unemployed auto workers to Los Angeles to watch his performance on the ABC late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Eminem will also appear on that show on Tuesday and Friday.

Eminem’s Relapse will be another Dre and Em collabo.
The bad news: Detox will be postponed, yet again, until Dre completes work on Em’s album.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Em confirmed all the blog-talk that he and Dre would be linking back up for the 2009 album saying: “Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days. Just him banging away on tracks and me getting that little spark that makes me write to it… Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on Relapse.’ We are up to our old mischievous ways … let’s just leave it at that.”

Leaked tracks from Relapse have been circulating around the web and for months now and a track called “Crack a Bottle” caught Em’s attention when it got featured on DJs Big Mike and Neptune’s 4th Quarter Pressure Part 2 mixtape.

Em was tight about recent track leaks saying in the interview: “[Crack a Bottle] wasn’t close to finished, and it even has me doing guide vocals for Dre as a suggestion of how he could lay his verses down. It’s like someone catches you peeping in your window before you got the Spider Man costume all zipped up! Nobody is supposed to see that. We are gonna finish it up though and get it out there how it’s supposed to be.”

Em goes on to talk about the upcoming releases of his label artists 50 Cent and Ca$his saying 50 is “working on it [Before I Self Destruct] and getting back together with me and Dre next week to finish up…I have a couple of tracks on there with him. It’s sick.” And on Ca$his’ next project saying: “People are going to be surprised what he is capable of. I produced a bunch of records on there as well.”

It’s gonna be Shady/Aftermath year in 2009.

Kanye West is to music what Michael Jordan was to basketball — at least that’s what West thinks, in his humble estimation.

“I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice,” he said in an interview on Wednesday. “It’s me settling into that position of just really accepting that it’s one thing to say you want to do it and it’s another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan.”

The Grammy-winning rapper-producer said Justin Timberlake had a chance to be music’s MVP, but hasn’t put out enough material. (Timberlake’s last album was in 2006, while West released a CD last year and is releasing his latest — “808s and Heartbreak” — on Nov. 24.)

“There were people who had the potential to do it but they went on vacation, so when Justin went on vacation I made albums,” he said. “And it just came out to be that.”

West, 31, said life has been difficult since his mother’s death. Donda West died last November after having plastic surgery. “I’m just going through balancing that. And I always used to have that support system, you know. My mom would be there; no matter what, she was there before everything,” he said. “We were together for like 30 years. And you know now when I’m on that stage and I look out and I say, ‘What am I going to do with the rest of my life?’ Like when does a real life start?’ Because I have sacrificed real life to be a celebrity and to give this art to people, which is great. It is great that I was able to do that, I’m not trying to shun that in any way, but it’s definitely a Catch-22 and it’s bittersweet.”

After a three-week break, rapper Lil Wayne returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart on Thursday with his first No. 1 single “Lollipop” featuring late songwriter Static Major.

It’s the longest chart-topping hiatus since Usher’s “U Got It Bad” went four weeks between No. 1 stints in January 2002. “Lollipop” was also No. 1 for a fourth week on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs tally.

Lil Wayne, a.k.a. Dwayne Carter, is expected to release his sixth studio album, “Tha Carter III,” next month. Static Major, a.k.a. Stephen Garrett, died suddenly in February, a few weeks before the song’s release, aged 33. A posthumous album, “Suppertime,” is in the works.

Meanwhile, British singer Leona Lewis’ former chart-topper “Bleeding Love” was No. 2 for a second week, while last week’s champ, R&B star Rihanna’s “Take a Bow,” slipped to No. 3.

Usher’s “Love in This Club” featuring Young Jeezy rose one to No. 4, trading places with Jordin Sparks’ “No Air” featuring Chris Brown.

Ray J & Yung Berg’s “Sexy Can I” held at No. 6, and Madonna’s “4 Minutes” featuring Justin Timberlake at No. 7. Natasha Bedingfield’s “Pocketful of Sunshine” rose one to No 9. 8, trading places with Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body.” Danity Kane’s “Damaged” was steady at No. 10.

The top debut came from the reunited New Kids On The Block with “Summertime” at No. 57.

The music superstars have taken out a marriage license in Westchester’s Scarsdale Village, People.com reported Tuesday.

The pair reportedly got the license yesterday morning, which means the earliest they could get hitched is Wednesday. Otherwise, it’s good for 60 days anywhere in New York State.

A spokeswoman for Beyoncé refused to comment, and Jay-Z’s rep couldn’t be reached.

The Destiny’s Child diva and the rap mogul have been an item since 2002, and rumors that they plan to make it legal have been heating up.

As the Daily News reported this week, while Beyoncé was out of town filming an Etta James biopic recently, Jay-Z met with her younger sister, Solange, at Miami’s Delano hotel.

Sources said the topic of discussion was popping the question to Beyoncé - and asking her manager-dad’s permission for her hand in marriage.

All that Beyoncé, 26, and Jay-Z, 38, would have needed to get a license in Scarsdale was proof of identity and age, and $40.