Category: Latest Interviews

Steve Miller background story of Eminem sampling “Abracadabra” on “Houdini”

Legendary Steve Miller has recently done an interview on The San Diego Union Tribune where he talked about how his collaboration with Eminem come about.

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer didn’t have to think twice about collaborating with Detroit icon and fellow Rock Hall inductee Eminem, whose recent chart-topping song, “Houdini,” heavily interpolates Miller’s 1982 hit, “Abracadabra,” and was streamed more than 355 million times on Spotify to date. Check out the conversation below.

Interviewer: When you play “Abracadabra,” do you tell the audience about Eminem sampling it for his song, “Houdini?”
Steve Miller: Yeah. I tell a little story about putting the song together, we vamp a bit and then go into it. I feel really great that Eminem used “Abracadabra.” It’s a good use of it!

Interviewer: How did that come about?
Steve Miller: He called that he’d like to use “Abracadabra.” He said: “I’ve written a bunch of verses and we’ve done a track. I’ll send it to you.” I listened to it, called him back, and said: Yeah, that’s fine, man. It’s great! And if you want, I’ll send you the stems (individual audio files).” So, I sent him my actual recorded stems for “Abracadabra” so he could work with them.

Then, I got a lesson about what social media has done to the record business. When I put out “Abracadabra” in 1982, it became the No. 1 record in the world and that took about 12 months. With Eminem, two days after we signed our agreement, he released “Houdini” at 12:01 a.m. on a Friday. Within 30 minutes, 60,000 people had watched the video on YouTube. By 10 a.m. it was 3 million. Nearly 50 million people streamed it, worldwide, in just the first week.

I’d never seen anything like that. It was crazy, just instantly. So, that was a real lesson. And Eminem was very cool. I put out a little release (saying) I appreciated that it was legit. It feels good that a whole other group of people are listening to my music (through Eminem) and digging it.

For the full interview, visit SDUT here.

Icewear Vezzo comments on Skilla Baby saying Eminem is not considered GOAT in Detroit

Icewear Vezzo has recently sat down with Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious on The Breakfast Club where he talked about Eminem and commented on Skilla Baby saying streets in Detroit don’t consider Eminem as one of the greatest rapper of all time.

“I never wanted to speak against Eminem publicly, ever. But I just couldn’t contain my thoughts and how I felt. And I feel like I do so much for the city, I do so much for the community that I grew up in and he grew up in and a lot of people grew up in and that support don’t be there from certain artist, especially people like Em. Hommie’s a megastar. And I know what them kids get out of seeing me and Peezy, seeing me Sada and Skilla, I knwo they get out of seeing us, being able to talk to them, I know the type of motivation that come from that. And I just felt like, I wished hommies would have did that with us. I never been a guy that’s be like ‘Em ain’t did nothing to put nobody on from the city.’ He don’t owe nobody nothing, absolutely nothing, at all. And respectfully, he did what he needed to do. He did that for his era. When Em was our age…If it was not for Em, there would be no Proof. There wouldn’t be a D12. It wouldn’t be Royce Da 5’9″. He did what he had to do. We just admire everything about Em so much and he inspired us so much, I just think we’d appreciate more if we could have met him early on and got some knowledge, got some game, got some type of insight. I don’t understand how I met and locked in with 50 Cent who was from Queens before I met Eminem.” said Icewear Vezzo.

Then he continued: “Me and Em, we literally bumped to each other [at 50 Cent’s show]. It’s all good. I rock with 50 the long way. He a real one. Meeting Em was mad awkward but I was like ‘hey bro, it’s all love, I respect you bro, ain’t nothing like that. I feel how I feel.’ He like ‘I see what you doing’ bla bla bla. We kept it moving. Em don’t owe anybody nothing, man. We gotta leave him alone, man.”

Then Charlamagne asked about Skilla Baby saying most people from his generation wouldn’t consider Eminem the GOAT. “That’s true. That’s how it is. Why should that be a problem, man? Them youngers ain’t listening to that. They listen to most street artists in Detroit. Em got a fanbase. He got his fanbase. He got people that like that kind of music and the music that he makes it’s a way bigger audience to it so if I was him, I wouldn’t even care if certain audience don’t listen to me anyway because I got way bigger audience. But it was true what Skilla said. He got some flack for that too, didn’t he? I don’t understand, it’s true, it’s what it is.”

“Put it like this, is the youngest in New York listening to JAY-Z? Probably not. It’s a same scenario. It’s a generational gap. It’s all good. The youngest in Detroit don’t really understand JAY-Z. They don’t get it. They don’t care about that music either.” Icewear Vezzo added. You can watch the interview below:

John Cena names his 4 greatest rappers in history

Legendary actor and professional wrestler John Cena has recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe at Club Shay Shay for an in-depth discussion about his journey from a small-town athlete to becoming one of the biggest names in professional wrestling and entertainment of all time. John opens up about his sports background, including playing Division 3 football as an offensive lineman, and how his initial foray into working out was driven by a desire to avoid bullying, a decision that ultimately changed his life.

John shares stories from his early life, including working odd jobs as a limo driver, assistant greenskeeper, and summer camp counselor, all while pursuing his passion for wrestling. He recalls his move to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a bodybuilder, only to realize that his true calling was in professional wrestling just a week before joining the Marines. He explains how his journey wasn’t easy—he experienced homelessness and struggled financially even after signing a modest contract with WWF, but a lucky break on TV changed everything.

John also delves into his personal life, discussing his relationship with his father, the trauma they’re working to overcome, and how he refuses to let his past define him. Despite his success, John remains grounded, admitting that he fears complacency and continues to work hard on self-improvement. The conversation touches on his unexpected success as a platinum-selling rapper, driven by his love for hip-hop and rebellious nature, which resonated with WWE fans. John also shares his top athlete-rappers and rappers of all time, revealing his deep connection to music. John reflects on his final year in the ring, his desire for a meaningful last match, and his thoughts on the greatest wrestlers of all time.

The Face of the WWE talks about his transition to acting, how Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” changed his career, and his experiences in films like “Suicide Squad” and “Fast & Furious”. John doesn’t shy away from the challenges of acting, particularly the embarrassment of filming sex scenes, but embraces the opportunities that come his way. Additionally, John gives listeners a sneak peek into his latest role in Jackpot, which John found to be a natural fit based on his personality in real life.

As the episode nears its close, John offers insights into his financial philosophy. A self-proclaimed car enthusiast, John talks about his love for driving and his worst purchases, including a fake Lamborghini, while his best purchase remains his wife’s engagement ring. He shares some of the tough financial lessons he’s learned to inform listeners how they can avoid the pitfalls he’s made in the past. John shares views on personal privacy as a global superstar, and why he still doesn’t want kids despite the societal implications adopted when an individual decides to make such a lifestyle choice. Join Shannon Sharpe and John Cena for an episode packed with inspiration, candid stories, and the wisdom of a man who’s never given up.

During discussing hip-hop, John Cena was asked to name his Mount Rushmore of hip-hop, on which he replied: “JAY-Z, Eminem, NAS, Rakim. Rakim’s voice…Everyone has a bias. I know that list is obviously going to incite riots but we are all bias, we all have out favorites, that’s what makes music special. That what makes creativity. I was brought up in the East Coast, boom bap. I love wordplay. I love poetry. That’s what I based my character on so I think that’s super clever and those are [the guys]. That’s my list.” You can watch interview below:

Juvenile and Mannie Fresh react to Eminem sampling their song on new album

Juvenile and Mannie Fresh have recently sat down with DJ Drewski for an interview where they talked about Cash Money reunion tour, how Lil Wayne got on Back That Azz Up and artists like Eminem still sampling their records.

“Shout out to Eminem. He just used some ‘Ha.’ We can’t do nothing with this songs sitting down. We can’t make no money with these songs just sitting on. So, I applaud the artist, especially the artist that’s really good at it, that got talent.” said Juvenile.

“I think it’s a biggest homage anybody could pay to you when it’s credible artist, somebody like Em uses your song. That’s like ‘wow,’ you know! It’s incredible because it’s like you sitting down in barber shop and we talking and you can stick your chest out an be like Eminem ever rap any of your beats. When I heard Eminem song with ‘Ha,’ he did Juvenile flow, I was just like ‘OH, S–T!'” said Mannie Fresh.

“Em is my dude. Because when my career started, Em was one of them guys that reached out and he showed us love in the beginning so yeah, he’s my guy. But man, I didn’t expect that! We knew it was coming out but I didn’t hear it until it was released.” Juvenile added.

Eminem sampled Juvenile’s “Ha!” song on “Road Rage,” featuring Dem Jointz and Sly Pyper, produced by Dem Jointz, Dr. Dre and Eminem himself, from The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace) album. The 10th track on the alum is satirical take on modern society, addressing issues of identity, political correctness, and the current “beauty standards” as well as obesity. Sly Pyper’s chorus further voices the ensuing simmering aggression and the symbolic “road rage” that comes with this sociopolitical climate and the need to conform to these norms. The interlude also features an argument between Eminem and his alter ego, Slim Shady, which highlights the internal conflict between his reflective, socially aware side and the rebellious provocateur within. Em interpolates Juvenile’s flow at the end of the song.

Elliott Wilson recalls XXL magazine beefing with Eminem

Elliott Wilson, the founder and CEO of Rap Radar, has previously worked as editor-in-chief of XXL Magazine, recently sat down with VLAD where he recalled beefing with Eminem in early 2000s and how he managed to get 50 Cent, Eminem and Dr. Dre on the cover of the magazine.

“[When I arrived] Eminem already had a beef with XXL magazine. I inherited his beef. I tried to resolve it. They had already wrote an article before I got there, like question white person running hip-hop. The white MC. So he was offended by that. He was in good rapport with The Source at that time, so he was anti XXL. When I got to XXL, my first mission was resolve this beef with Eminem. Get Eminem on my side but he wouldn’t accept it so then I wrote up and did whole magazine against him because he wouldn’t embrace me yet.” said Elliott Wilson.

Then he continued: “And then he dissed us on The Marshall Mathers album cause the first issue I did put a nasty illustration that I regret to this day, about his mother spanking him, so he’s talking about that in the song. But it’s legendary man. I got dissed on a title track of Marshall Mathers LP which is a classic so… My first issue! And it wasn’t even my attent. Was I trolling Eminem? I don’t think I was. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was trying to get it done [laughs].”

Elliott Wilson then continued talking about the iconic cover story XXL magazine made back in 2003 with 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and Eminem: “I don’t know if you know this Vlad but 50 Cent does not like me. Let’s give 50 Cent all the credit in the world. 50 Cent was the reason I was able to finally resolve this conflict I inherited with Eminem and join the situation. We were supporting 50. I remember going to the office and everybody’s pumping his mixtapes. 50’s the hottest guy at that moment in New York. You could not deny his impact. So, we just started doing these stories on him and just continually putting him in the magazine, continually showing support, we built great rapport with him so we just kept supporting him. So, when he signed to Eminem, we were like ‘oh s–t. Is he gonna cut us off?’ We thought 50 gonna say ‘I can’t f–k with you all. Eminem and those guys don’t f–k with you.’ He ended up do be the bridge to help solve the situation.” he said.

Elliott then continued: “And then what happened was, Benzino made a record dissing Eminem at the same time so I went to have a meeting with Paul Rosenberg to resolve this conflict cause I wanted that 50 Cent cover. So, we had this whole sit down and Paul was like ‘how would you like, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent cover?’ I was like ‘this guy is f–king with me.’ I just wanted 50 Cent. He was like ‘you didn’t hear last night? Benzino dropped the diss record.’ I had not heard it. I missed it. So everything led to having that moment. Then Interscope pulled all the advertisements from The Source and gave it to us which empowered us to go on the run that we began.” You can watch the interview below:

Tyler, The Creator explains why he owes Eminem an apology

In the latest episode of Mavericks, ‪Tyler, The Creator‬ sits down with Mav Carter to discuss his unique approach to art and music, what he loves and hates about internet culture and why he owes Detroit hip-hop icon, Eminem, an apology.

“Eminem put out his album called Recovery in 2010. I was big Eminem fan when that album came out and I f–king hated it. Hated it publicly like ‘this s–t is whack.’ I didn’t like it. And after watching that show [Netflix’s ‘Painkillers’], I felt so bad about those tweets because thinking from his perspective, someone like me publicly saying that stuff and him getting off drugs and being clean and getting to a point in his life that’s behind him, he probably felt like I was attacking him.” said Tyler, The Creator.

Then he continued: “I thought I was just like I don’t like music. He was in the different part of his life and probably felt like I was attacking him. And now I feel so bad about saying that stuff because my perspective was so limited. I love him. That dude taught me how to rap. I learned how to put words together in rhythm because of some of the Eminem stuff I was hearing, storytelling and things like that. So after watching that show, I felt so terrible about some of the things I said about that Recovery album cause I realized that was a big step and meant a lot to him and my f–king young stupid a-s is like ‘ughh, I wanna hear Same Song & Dance. And I loved The Eminem Show.’

“I felt terrible. If I ever see him I wanna tell him that in person.” Tyler, The Creator added. You can watch the interview below:

LL Cool J says him & Eminem hit the studio together for their new song

In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, LL Cool J briefly talked about his upcoming song “Murdergram Deux” with Eminem from his highly anticipated 14th solo studio album The FORCE, which is set to be released on September 6, 2024, through Def Jam Recordings and the Virgin Music Group. The album also features guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, Sona Jobarteh, Saweetie, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Mad Squablz, J-S.A.N.D., and Don Pablito and is entirely produced by iconic producer Q-Tip.

Interviewer: Eminem is also featured on this album. He said, seeing you perform really inspired him and made him wanna rap. So, how much you appreciate this friendship?
LL Cool J: He’s great friend. Em is a great friend. We worked together in the studio on this song “Murdergram Deux” and it’s amazing. I love him as an artist. I had a lot of fun working with all of the artists. Snoop in the studio, Em in the studio. It was just a good energy. And I’m having fun too. I ain’t taking it that serious.”

The entire “Muerdergram Deux” song was leaked few months ago. In a recent interview, LL Cool J addressed the fact and revealed that the song was not a final version: “That’s terrible man, it’s so bad. It’s not AI but it’s not official. It’s not the right version. They just be over the top and people just be dabbling and… I don’t even know why even do that. It’s like, calm down man. They all just walking on in kitchen, touching the rolls before before the s–t is done and you know  just all up in the pots. Keep the food ain’t ready. You know how your grandmother slap your hand and s–t when you trying to put your hands in the pots early? That’s how I feel about this. Just cut that s–t. But it is what it is, it’s not AI, it’s a real joint.” said LL Cool J.

MC Eiht shows massive love to Eminem & Kendrick Lamar

MC Eiht has recently sat down on VLAD TV where he talked about Dr. Dre naming Eminem the greatest emcee ever and gave Slim Shady and Kendrick Lamar their flowers.

“Cause to him, it’s basically, not to say that’s his artist but, he’s different. Not to say that Cube and Kendrick or whoever were on the same patter. Snoop? You’ve seen that. You got a team of stars and s–t but there is only one Michael Jordan. You got a team of motherf–king great f–king picture painters but there is only one Leonardo da Vinci so that’s the category he’s putting.” said MC Eiht.

Then he continues: “To me, I feel, after seeing Kendrick, now Kendrick’s a great artist, he’s quoted that. Nobody could top Cube, Cube was the s–t. So’s Snoop. Snoop’s in the lane of his own but to him, in his opinion of <I’ve worked with ni–as from this color to that color, I’ve worked with motherf–kers from singing to rapping, to Jazz to f–king whatever and in my opinion, to me, Eminem is the greatest artist I’ve come across because he’s able to do something that I have not seen anyone else do as far as what he creates>.”

“My Name Is was so crafty. I used to bang that s–t out of Hi My Name Is. It was different. He’s given us all types of music. Something that we are related to as far as the ears and the beat is just captivating but then when you hear this motherf–ker talking about school and f–king parents and s–t like that, you only imagine yourself being in his shoes as from what he came from and it was crafty than just doing something typical like Ice Ice Baby. Something like they would not expect a white artist to do. So for him to be able to come with that depression and that expression about life and what he felt about it, it was just able to captivate different audience. Eminem, Kendrick, those are different dudes. You can’t put nothing past them. You have to give them their own lane. I don’t even consider them just rappers. That motherf–kers are different. Kendrick have passed the idea of me putting a CD in my car, rolling down the street, bumping and s–t. He’s the motherf–ker that I’m about to pull over and listen to what he’s saying. And I’mma go ‘damn! that ni–a said that?!’ That’s how you look at Eminem. That’s how you look at Kendrick.” MC Eiht added. You can watch the interview below:

Dutch, Math Hoffa & Mr. Mecc show love to Eminem & Royce 5’9″

FEA and Dutchie Man (Dutch) from Philadelphia hip-hop group Major Figgas have recently sat down with Math Hoffa, Mr. Mecc and the rest of the crew on the latest episode of My Expert Opinion where they briefly talked about Eminem and his new album, The Death Of Slim Shady.

Mr. Mecc: He knocked Taylor Swift off the charts. Shout out to Eminem.

Math Hoffa: Yeah, shout out to Em. I love the new album. Am I skipping? As a body of work I listen to the whole s–t. Because that’s what it is. A body of work. [If you skip past it you miss the chapter of the book]. Some people make projects that sounds like compilation. And there’s some people who make specific project that’s like it’s all wrapped together to enjoy the whole movie. You can’t watch the beginning, you can’t watch the middle, you gotta listen from start to finish. And I feel like The Death of Slim Shady is one of those projects that you have to listen from start to finish.

Dutch: He always brings out great bodies of work to me. It’s like he has a strategy with that s–t. To me, he’s not just going in there just rapping. He’s saying form beginning to the end, this book has to be a novel that people are going to read from beginning to end and get something out of every record. It’s never just going to be a throwaway with Em. Because he got ni–as like Royce around. You play your records for Royce and ni–as like him, they gonna tell you that ain’t it. I ain’t never heard Em spit a verse that wasn’t ‘that ain’t it’ verse. I’m being honest. The guy is on top of the f–king line.

You can watch the episode below:

Joe Budden podcast discuss Eminem’s “The Death Of Slim Shady”

In the latest episode of Joe Budden Podcast, Joe Budden and the crew discussed Eminem‘s new chart-topping album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). You can check out the conversation below:

Parks: I love it man. It feels refreshing to hear the s–t he’s talking about on this album. Like, anti-cancel-culture s–t. All that. It felt good to hear him have fun with the music. It seems like everything since Recovery has been very serious or anthematic, which is cool but I liked the silly s–t.”

Officially Ice: This album made me fully understand, like you said anti-cancel-culture s–t, I look at Em, when he does this, as like rap’s Dave Chappelle, where the real message is Free Speech. I listened to the album in order because I did see his post about this is a conceptual album and listened to it in order and I understand what he meant. It’s Slim Shady getting his s–t off and then it’s Eminem or Marshall or whatever, kind of fighting back. That Guilty Conscience 2 record, really breaks it down. It’s a conversation between Slim and Em. One record and I know y’all gonna kill me, is a record that’s called Temporary. He’s literally talking to his daughter how to proceed when he leaves here. I was driving in a car. I listened to the album, I was on a road trip for two hours, I played it, I had lyrics on the screen and I did cry, no bulls–t. He got audio clips of his daughter when she was little playing throughout the song. He literally said, play this after I die. It sneaks in the album. You are not ready for that record. He really really smoked the album. I look at Em’s career as pre-Recovery and post-Recovery. This is number 2 in his post-Recovery albums. Right after Music To Be Murdered By which is still amazing. A lot of people like that f–ked up comedy style. Even if it’s not politically correct to admit today, you like offensive comedy, you like offensive jokes, we all like it. So when he’s doing it, and anybody could get it, he talked about little people, fat people, deaf people. He talked about everybody in this songs, everybody that you are not supposed to mention. He has brought the R word back. Em really smoked the album. I like its concept and it makes me want to see where he goes next after that. Shouts out to everybody on there. That Jelly Roll record is crazy.

Joe Budden: I’m sorry, y’all talked enough. I will eventually listen to this album but I have not yet. I ain’t even thought about it yet. If I went on a road trip I would have heard it also but maybe my life is litter than you guys is. In my younger years I could not imagine a day where I didn’t run to an Eminem project, excluding him dissing me on Kamikaze album. I know where he stands as an MC. I know what he does. But I didn’t feel that urgency. I don’t care about none of the Slim Shady s–t. I don’t care about Jennifer Aniston or whoever he’s dissing, Nick Storm or whoever he’s dissing. For me, Slim Shady helped me to live and stay alive and deal with depression. Back then, that’s what he did for me. I was never into that funny s–t but he caught one with GUESS WHO’S BACK, BACK AGAIN. I like that one. I’m going to check out the Em album but I felt good that I have outgrown the urgency of having to rush to it.

You can watch the podcast below:

Joe Budden reacts to Eminem’s new single “Tobey”

Eminem has recently released second single “Tobey,” featuring Big Sean and BabyTron from his upcoming 12th solo studio album “The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace).” The Detroit legend was planning on dropping the Cole Bennett-directed video for it but ran into a delay. On Friday (July 5), he updated those awaiting its arrival with a tweet, writing, “The Tobey video is not completed- new date Monday 7/8. Here’s a peek in the meantime!!! Sorry 4 the delay.”

Eminem released the audio for “Tobey” on July 2, 2024. He revisits the 2023 controversy involving Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five member Melle Mel. “Yet here I sit on your list though at five (Hm), which still was fine/But just know inside, to me, that s–t’s hilarious, so when I (Haha)/Get dissed though and by a pioneer/Who was one of the reasons why I am here/They tell me I should just let that s–t go and slide (Why?)/’Melle Mel shouldn’t get no reply’ (Why?) ‘That man is a legend,’ b–ch, so am I (Haha, yeah).” he raps. 

The feud between Melle Mel and Eminem escalated last year, when Em responded to Melle Mel’s previous comments in which he suggested that Slim Shady’s success was largely due to his race. In a scathing verse on the track “Realest” featuring Ez Mil, Eminem addressed these claims head-on, stating that while his skin color has been a topic of discussion, it hasn’t guaranteed his success. He also took a direct jab at Melle Mel, referring to him as a “juice head” whose “brain is half destroyed” due to steroid use​.

Melle Mel didn’t take the comments lightly and fired back with his own diss track, but it was met with mixed reviews. Critics and fans alike felt that Melle Mel’s response lacked the punch and creativity needed to effectively counter Eminem’s sharp lyrics. The back-and-forth not only reignited discussions about race and recognition Hip-Hop but also highlighted the generational divide within the genre.

The song was recently discussed in the newest episode of Joe Budden podcast. “They smoked that s–t. I know its an Eminem record so most people would look at it as a necessary a sleeper but Em is slept on today. They cooked that! Em’s album comes out next Friday actually.” Joe Budden added: “They smoked it though!” You can watch the reaction video below:

Lil Wayne includes Eminem in his top 5 rappers of all time

In a new interview with Cam Heyward for his podcast Not Just Football, Lil Wayne was asked who are the Top 5 rappers of all time and he did not hesitate to put Drake up there with some notable Hip-Hop heavyweights, not mentioning Kendrick Lamar.

“My Top 5 rappers of all time, Lil Wayne, Weezy Babu, Tunechi…Nah, I’m f–king s–ting. My top 5 are JAY-Z, Missy Elliott, Eminem, ummm… The Notorious B.I.G. — oh, and this is no specific order right here — and Drizzy.” said the New Orleans native.

In an August interview with Billboard last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Lil Wayne said his favorite rappers were Missy, Hov, Biggie, Goodie Mob, and UGK. He shared that same list on What’s Wright? with Nick Wright in 2022. But I guess there is a difference between “Top 5 rappers of all time” and his “Top 5 favorite rappers.”

Elsewhere in the interview with Heyward, Wayne provided an update on his next major studio album, Tha Carter VI. “Carter VI when? I don’t remember that, actually. It’s soon, though, because it’s what’s next from me. It’s coming out next, actually. I’m not sure of the actual date but it is my next project.” Later on he said the record is complete and he’s editing it down now. “It’s been done,” Lil Wayne said. You can watch the video below:

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