Following the success of last year’s issue with Young Jeezy, Eminem graces the cover of VIBE‘s 2nd Annual Real Rap magazine. On stands May 19. The same date his album Relapse is due to drop. But even more interesting is an interesting contest revolving around the issue. 

“VIBE Verses Presents No. 1 Stan” gives aspiring artists a chance to showcase their skills to the man himself, Marshall Mathers who will crown the finalists. 

“Battling is the way I came up, so it’s gonna be interesting to watch a rap battle unfold online,” states Eminem. “VIBE is taking it out of the clubs and street corners and putting it on the net.  MCs better bring it, because I’m watching.”

After the jump, peep the details.

“In the contest’s first phase, all entrants will rhyme for 60 seconds over a specially selected instrumental track and submit video clips of their performance on numberonestan.com due by April 21, 2009. VIBE will send the Top 10 finalists (determined by VIBE.com user votes) a second instrumental track to rhyme over for 60 seconds, which will then be submitted to Eminem for careful review. His personal selection of the final two will be made by May 8, 2009. Arrangements will be made for the two finalists to be flown to a VIBE event where the winner will be crowned by audience response, presented with an engraved microphone certifying them as Eminem’s “No.1 Stan,” and featured in VIBE magazine and on VIBE.com.”

I gotta feeling the Internet is about to go nuts.