“Butt Sex”: Why Eli Is One Popular Guy

We understand that the transition from youthful ribaldry and the louche world of hip-hop to suave balladeering is difficult, but Eli: One Popular Guy (formerly shock rapper Smoove-E) hasn't left his roots behind.

For a dozen albums, the now-besuited crooner Eli was the rapper Smoove-E, who crafted introspective songs like "The Fornicating Cowboy," "Made You Moist," and "Heat Wagon."

But(t) now he has put away childish things to become the Rat Pack-esque Eli.

"The older I got, the less rebellious I became," says Eli, explaining that, for some reason, he feels songs like "Cocaine Girls" and "Butt Sex" needed a more rockabilly or Dion & The Belmonts feel.

We've always been partial to people who get their point across while wearing ties (that's why it was George Bush, Jr., not Chuck D., who inspired us to invade Iraq), and we appreciate both the humor of using both a "Love Is A Battlefield" riff and the lyric "Oh shit there she goes" in "Butt Sex."

(Note: Eli and Elegant Angel and Alexis Texas have nothing to do with each other but, porn being a visual medium and all, we thought it wouldn't be too much a leap to imagine "Butt Sex" "with Alexis Texas.")

· Eli: One Popular Guy (onepopularguy.com)