Eminem 'checks into rehab' for 'Relapse' release

Eminem has made light of his history with drug dependency in a viral campaign promoting his highly-anticipated new album 'Relapse'.

The 'Without Me' hitmaker, real name Marshall Mathers III, checked into a rehabilitation facility in 2005 in an effort to kick an addiction to sleeping pills, and he's poking fun at his experiences with substance abuse by posting a snap of himself outside a clinic on social networking site Twitter.com.

The seemingly innocent photo, which first appeared on Thursday, features the caption: "Marshall checking into Popsomp Hills."

But sharp-witted fans have caught on to the joke - Popsomp Hills said quickly sounds similar to "pop some pills".

A website set up in the imaginary rehab centre's name, PopsompHills.com, bears the slogan "We Remade You" - a direct play on Eminem's hit new single 'We Made You'.

And that's not all - prankster Eminem claims the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan facility was founded by "Dr Balzac" and links the website to the Wikipedia.com page for hell.

But, for fans who fail to pick up on the elaborate hoax, there's one last laugh in the website's terms and conditions: "We tell our staff all of your secrets. All confidential information provided to us during the course of your treatment will ultimately be used against you. Life is too short, party harder than ever. We can help."

The internet prank comes just days after Eminem unveiled the album artwork for his May release - the cover image of the rapper is sculpted from pills of assorted shapes, sizes and colours.

Thursday was a great day for the rapper - 'We Made You' has rocketed in to the US pop charts, giving Eminem his highest debut ever at number nine.