Many people know Eminem's history or at least parts of it, but the music icon has kept some secrets to himself until now.
During a recent conversation with Rap Genius, Mr Mathers, talks about his history with 50 Cent, Proof and Dr. Dre.
Eminem recalled his first studio session with Dr. Dre and the creation of "My Name Is," a song that was recorded in one take and launched him into superstardom:
Dre put on the Labi Siffre record, and I was just like “Hi! My name is!” That beat was talking to me. I was like, “Yo, this is it, this is my shot. If I don’t impress this guy, I’m going back home and I’m fucked.” I knew Dre wasn’t an easy person to please. I made sure that everything he had a beat for, I had a rhyme ready to go, or I came up with a rhyme on the spot.
“My Name Is” was the first thing that came out of my mouth that first day I was at Dre’s house. I don’t know if we released what I did the first day or if I re-did it, but it was basically the same. I didn’t understand punching, or believe in it. So I would just go from the top of the song all the way down. I was never flying in hooks. Everything was live, one take. If I got all the way to the fucking end, and messed up the last word, I’d be like “Run it back, let’s do it again.” I remember Dre was like “Yo, are you fucking crazy? Let’s just punch.” I didn’t like that concept because I wasn’t used to it. When we were recording here in Detroit, in the beginning, I was saving up my money to go in. We only had an hour, you know? I’m like “One take down, alright, let’s go to the next song. Fuck it.” That’s what I was used to.
Marshall explained where the name "Slim Shady" came from in an annotation on the song "Just Don't Give A Fuck":
Coming out with an alias was part of Proof’s whole idea. He said, “Let’s be in a group called D12, and there will be six of us, and we’ll each have an alias. We’ll each be two different people.” When I started rapping as Shady, as that character, it was a way for me to vent all my frustrations and just blame it on him. If anybody got mad about it, it was him that said it, you know what I’m saying? It was a way for me to be myself and say what I felt. I never wanted to go back to just rapping regular again.
In another annotation on the same song, Eminem explained that he started writing songs like "Just Don't Give A Fuck" because "people were saying that I sounded like AZ and Nas."
Em broke down a few lyrics from "Lose Yourself," clarifying whose sweater the vomit was on in the first verse:
The first verse is all about Jimmy Smith Jr. It’s me talking about Jimmy Smith Jr. — like, I’m not saying my sweater, I’m saying his. I’m trying to show you what his life is about.
On the original demo version of "Lose Yourself":
This is going to sound stupid, but I have no recollection of the demo version on “Shady XV.” I don’t know where I recorded it, I don’t even know when I recorded it. I did a lot of drugs, so my memory is all over the place.
On the decision to make "In Da Club" the first single off 50 Cent's Interscope debut:
We couldn’t decide on the first single from Get Rich. It was going to be either "If I Can’t" or “In Da Club.” We were torn, so me, 50, Paul, Chris Lighty, and Jimmy Iovine decided to flip a coin.
On Jay Z's "Renegade," Em explained his thought process when writing:
When I’m writing, I’m in the syllable game. I’m connecting 5-6-7-8 syllable phrases where every syllable rhymes. I get heavy into that. When I start rapping something, and I think of more syllables that connect with it, sometimes I want to just keep the scheme going forever.
I’ve done it before in songs, where the syllable scheme of the first verse ends up being the syllable scheme of the second verse, and the third verse — all the way down. I do it because the lines start connecting and making sense. Once I find something and lock in, it comes out pretty quick.
Head over to Rap Genius to read the entire interview
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