Detroit underground mainstay Freddie Beauragard, aka Paradime, toiled in the up-and-coming Detroit hip-hop scene throughout the '90s. Upon the overwhelming commercial success of Detroit's own Slim Shady (Eminem) in 1999-2000, some focus in the rap game shifted to the Motor City, seen as hip-hop's next hotbed. Paradime benefited from this exposure and his 1999 debut LP Paragraphs was well-received in the Midwest and on underground college radio shows across the country. The gifted wordsmith caught the ear of another Detroit nouveau riche, Kid Rock, who signed Paradime to his label Top Dog in 2000.