Eminem has recently released a new playlist on Spotify called “EMINEM, level up.” with the cover art that references his favorite video game, Donkey Kong.
— The Mainly Eminem Podcast (@MainlyEminem) May 20, 2023
On March 30, 2010, Eminem reported a score of 465,800 with photo proof, which would have put him within the top 30 worldwide at the time. As of March 2023, with increasing competition, this score would now sit in 191st place; the score was never officially submitted.
http://twitpic.com/rwj3t – I just want everyone to see my actual new high Donkey Kong score. Wiebe beware!
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) December 3, 2009
In an interview with Rolling Stone around the time, Em talked about his obsession with Donkey Kong and other retro video games— immortalized in the 2010 track “Despicable” on which he rapped “The game I just about conquered it like Donkey Kong / I’m bonkers b–ch, I’m the king of this honkey s–t, I reign supreme in this honkey s–t”—which was apparently sparked after seeing the documentary King of Kong. That doc details the battle between Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell, the latter of which RS describes as “a loudmouthed jerk not entirely unlike a certain white rapper.”
“It’s a perfect contrast,” Eminem said of the film. “A hero and a villain.” The implication, of course, is that he’d naturally side more with the latter—evidenced by his first tweet about Donkey Kong back in 2009, in which he warned Wiebe that he was coming for him. (That too is complicated though, per Rolling Stone, two of Em’s arcade cabinets are signed by Wiebe.)
Stream Eminem’s new official playlist below!