Tyler, The Creator has recently appeared on the new episode of De La Soul‘s Apple Music 1 show Art Official Intelligence Radio this week to celebrate the 35th anniversary of De La Soul’s
classic debut album, titled 3 Feet High and Rising. Tyler opened up about the inspiration behind his former Odd Future, naming Eminem, JAY-Z and Nas as guiding lights for the movement.
During the interview, the Hawthorne, California-born hip-hop artist reflected on coming of age in the early 2000s and how Roc-A-Fella and Shady Records subconsciously laid the blueprint for his own future hip-hop collective: “Man, I grew up in the year 2000, I was eight turning nine, So I’m looking at like eight, turning nine. So let’s say it’s 2002, 10 turning 11. You’ve got Jay with the whole Roc-A-Fella, you’ve got Eminem’s Shady, Aftermath, you have all these different crews that felt like family. Nas was bringing Queensbridge group like Jungle and them out. N-ggas had this thing. So in my formative years, I’m just watching these crews.” said Tyler, The Creator.
Then he continued: “And I’m from Los Angeles, so gang culture is already a prevalent thing, but I feel like just the main layer of that is a family-knitted thing like, ‘No, these are my boys, you come with me’…So when I was making Odd Future, outside of the magazine thing, it just actually felt like family for a bunch of outcasts,” he said. “Everyone in Odd Future was the black sheep of their family. So us coming together and just like, ‘Nah, f–k y’all.’”
“Who’s getting the opportunity first? It’s the person right next to me. It’s the family right next to me. And I was really on that for a while, and a lot of that is just because of growing up with the idea of rap crews. I was too young for the Native Tongues, all of that stuff in real time. I had to learn about that as I got older. So seeing people get Roc-A-Fella chains was like, ‘Oh, you’re part of the family.’ So I think just subconsciously emulating the sentiment that they held was easy.” Tyler, The Creator added.
Ez Mil releases his Shady Records debut album DU4LI7Y: REDUX, featuring Eminem, 4 The Brotherhood and MBNel. The album is entirely produced by Ez Mil himself, curated by his boss, Slim Shady.
Last month, Ez Mil signed a contract to Shady Records, Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment.
“We’ve never been out there signing a lot of artists, and one of the great things about how we built Shady is how selective we’ve been,” commented Eminem at that time. “And it’s even rarer that Dre and I sign something together – but I heard Ez’s music and was like, ‘this is really special” so I took it to Dre. We both agreed it would be a great fit and we wanted to work with him right on the spot.”
Dr. Dre added: “I’m really only interested in working on shit that sounds different from anything else going on out there, and only then if I feel I can really bring something to it. Em played me Ez and I had that feeling…that thing that happens when we both know we’ve found something special. And that was it….let’s get to work.”
You can stream the new album below:
Ez Mil has also dropped the lyrics video of his latest single “Realest,” featuring Eminem. You can watch it below:
GRIP makes his directional debut as he drops the music video of the song “Numbers” from his latest project STILL (5 & A F*** You) Deluxe.
“My directorial debit! “Numbers” vid OUT NOW! S/O @95ekbgod for helping execute the vision and many thanks to everyone that played a part. Go run this s–t up!” the Shady Records artist tweeted.
“STILL (5 & A F*** You)” is the follow-up of GRIP’s 2022 project “5 & A F*** You.” Unlike the first installment, the new project comes with no features.
“STILL (5 & A F*** You),” which is a deluxe version, includes 11 tracks. Production is done by Scalez, TU!, DG, Super Myles, Swoope, Came One, Leon Michels, Marco Benevento, Reggie Gordon, Tae Beast and Chris Keys.
You can stream the new album here and watch the new music video below:
Eminem’s Shady Records roster has just got bigger with the addition of new Olongapo, Philippines-born rapper who goes by the name of Ez Mil.
On the Shady Records website, we read: Welcome EZ Mil to the Shady Records family! Shady, Aftermath and Interscope partner once again signing EZ Mil to all 3 labels. His next project DU4LI7Y: REDUX drops August 11th!. Read all the details below.
July 26th, 2023 – Santa Monica, CA –Today, Las Vegas’ Ez Mil announces his signing to Shady Records/Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records. He joins the likes of 50 Cent as only a few of the artists signed to directly to all three labels. The singer-songwriter-producer-rapper also reveals the release date DU4LI7Y: REDUX (Virgin Music), the forthcoming deluxe edition of his 2022 LP. The project, which is set to drop on August 11, includes “Realest”, an intense new single featuring Eminem, who first heard Ez Mil’s music online and brought him to Dr. Dre, resulting in the co-sign.
Powered by lithe, expressive vocals, dexterous raps and songwriting know-how, Ez Mil’s latest level up is the product of talent, hard work and a keen knowledge of his own audience — in this case, that crowd happened to include Slim Shady himself. In February, Ez Mil released the video for his DU4LI7Y single “Up Down” on Virgin Music. Noting the similarities in their percussive flows, Em fans quickly picked up on the new release. About a month later, Eminem heard the song, and Ez Mil drove from Vegas to Los Angeles where he met Dre and Em for the first time. From there, Ez and Eminem stayed in contact and recorded “Realest,” a certified showcase of rap acrobatics.
For the track, the two bludgeon a pulsing beat with a barrage of multisyllabic rhyme schemes and the sorts of quippy wordplay that made Shady a legend. Now, having signed Ez Mil to his label, along with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope, Em’s in position to help push Ez to the same heights. Some of that work involved curating DU4LI7Y: REDUX, which will be Ez Mil’s final release on Virgin Music.
As a Shady/Aftermath/Interscope artist, Ez Mil is one with one of the music world’s great triumvirates. For his part, Eminem used endlessly personal songwriting and caustic wit to become one of the most defining artists in American pop culture. Before him, Dr. Dre pioneered the sound of West Coast hip-hop twice, first as a member of the seminal group N.W.A., and a few years later by infusing street music with soulful melodies to soundtrack a new generation of low-riding cool. Together, Eminem and Dr. Dre have made timeless music. They co-signed 50 Cent in 2002, whose music broke Billboard records while crystallizing him as a rap immortal. Building off the work of Virgin, Ez is poised to let his singing-rapping talent help him follow in those footsteps. Today is the first step.
“We’ve never been out there signing a lot of artists, and one of the great things about how we built Shady is how selective we’ve been,” commented Eminem. “And it’s even rarer that Dre and I sign something together – but I heard Ez’s music and was like, ‘this is really special” so I took it to Dre. We both agreed it would be a great fit and we wanted to work with him right on the spot.”
Dr. Dre added, “I’m really only interested in working on shit that sounds different from anything else going on out there, and only then if I feel I can really bring something to it. Em played me Ez and I had that feeling…that thing that happens when we both know we’ve found something special. And that was it….let’s get to work.”
Throughout the 5 seasons of the hit television series, “Breaking Bad,” we were introduced to countless iconic characters. Every character in the show was incredibly well-written and usually served as one of many cogs that advanced the plot further.
In case there was ever any doubt, it should be said that every member on our Southpawers team is a huge fan of the series and the characters it contained. The first character that comes to mind might be Walt, the scientist teacher that snaps (or “Breaks Bad”) and unleashes his evil, alter ego, Heisenberg. This may remind you of a certain Detroit battle rapper that sometimes lets his evil twin out of the box to do his evil deeds. This got some of our Southpawers writer’s wondering, “What if Shady Affiliates were Breaking Bad Characters”?
Walter White/Heisenberg Eminem/Slim Shady
Walter White is a perfectly normal guy on the surface, much like Eminem. However, once the Fedora or bleached blonde hair is applied, they become an evil version of themselves. This evil version serves as a vehicle they can use to blame for all their murders and misdeeds. Some could argue they’re stronger and more powerful when their bad half is in control. However, it’s usually at the cost of inflicting pain on anyone and everyone within the crossfire.
Skylar White Kim Mathers
The wives of both Eminem and Walt often disapprove of the way they choose to earn their money. Both on again and off again relationships, eventually wind up ending permanently with Walt/Eminem. The only difference is between divorce and death. The troubled relationships with their husbands both resulted in self sabotage. Kim would attempt to end her life via self-harm, while Skylar was shown smoking cigarettes while pregnant as a way to deal with the stress. The majority of both Eminem and Breaking Bad fans also seem to generally dislike each of the protagonist’s wives.
Saul Goodman Jimmy Iovine
They’re not usually directly involved in the front lines of any real action, but through wit and the will to survive, they seem to have a role in everyone’s business. Both men are very good at taking the bare materials they have, and finding a way to use them to their benefit in tight situations.
Mike Ehrmantraut Dr. Dre
Mike and Dre are both strictly business, at least on the surface. They both have a history of committing questionalnl, even criminal deeds, but mostly for the sake of supporting their family. Mike/Dre work very closely with Saul/Jimmy within the same business. They don’t always agree with each other, but they need each other to become Moguls in the Crime/Hip-Hop industry. Mike/Dre are also responsible for cleaning up the messes often made by Heisenberg/Slim Shady. Walt/Eminem always wanted to become as successful as Mike/Dre, no matter what they have to sacrifice to get there.
Gus Fring Paul Rosenberg
If it wasn’t for Gus Fring, Walter White would have never been able to make as much money in the business as he did. The same goes for Eminem needing Paul Rosenberg as his manager to take care of the business side of things. Both Gus and Paul are very smart men who know how to run a business, even if it means being a little shady sometimes. Deep down, both Gus and Paul have emotions, but the bottom line is, if it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense.
Jesse Pinkman Proof (Of D12)
Jesse and Proof both came from the streets. Proof was running the streets of underground Detroit Hip-hop, while Jesse was well known in New Mexico for his “Chilly P” brand of methamphetamines. They were both masters of their craft, but didn’t break into fame until they teamed up with someone who balances them. Proof met Eminem who would help launch Proof into fame with the success of D12. Walter White helped Jesse perfect his formula and they built an methamphetamine empire together. In both cases, Proof and Jesse were doing well, but they needed to find someone with a similar skillset to maximize their full potential.
Badger Bizzare (Of D12)
Badger/Bizzare is a longtime friend of Jesse/Proof. They came up together in the rough streets of Albuquerque/Detroit. Badger/Bizzare are both known to be pretty unorthodox and strange individuals. One thing you have to give them credit for, though, is the strong loyalty they have for their friends. Until the very end, Badger can be seen providing a safe house for Jesse while he was on the run, being one of the most wanted criminals in the country. Badger even provided Jesse with a car while he was wanted by police. Bizzare is also known to always have his friend’s backs until the very end. Even very recently, Bizzare has shown support for Eminem during his beefs with Machine Gun Kelly and Lord Jamar. Despite D12 having disbanded years ago, Bizzare has shown that friends are forever.
I had a lot of fun writing this article, and I hope Southpawers enjoyed reading it just as much. This is just the beginning. We have tons of creative ideas just like this queued up and coming down the pipeline very soon. What Breaking Bad Characters do you think we should have included as Shady Affiliates? Let us know in the comments!
Shady Records’ Westside Boogie drops new 3-track EP, titled Live At The Novo, to promote his Los Angeles show, scheduled for March 16, 2023.
Each of the tracks are inspired by Boogie’s three personalities: “Cold As Love” is inspired by Superblood Boog, “Tell Me” inspired by Anthony and “Mood” inspired by Ratchet Boog.
Live At The Novo is the follow-up to Westside Boogie’s recent “Headhunters” single with Dreamville from Creed III: The Soundtrack.
In the first ever episode of The Southpawdcast, Marshall Mann discusses The Slim Shady LP 24-year anniversary, Eminem performing with Elton John at the 2001 Grammys, The Eminem Show winning Best Rap Album at the 2003 Grammys, leaking Straight From The Vault in 2011, Megan Fox following and then unfollowing Eminem and much more!
Earlier this month, Yelawolf showed off his Elvis ring on Instagram, gifted by former professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker Bam Margera. In the caption, the former Shady Records artist wrote:
“Priscilla gave Bam one of Elvis’s robes and a ring of his as well the other night in L.A .. Bam gifted that ring to me .. it popped on my finger like it was made for me and I can’t lie it was a bit emotional .. Elvis was my first piece of vinyl .. it was also a gift when I was only 7 years old .. some things are just too amazing not to share with you all .. thank you Priscilla and thank you BAM I love you bro .. I’ll cherish this forever !! … TMZ hit BAM about it all .. I added that and a rad selfie of BAM and Priscilla he sent me in the scroll .. I love y’all !!”
Some of the fans questioned the authenticity of the ring. One user commented: “That’s a david Yurman ring (don’t think he was making rings when Elvis was alive).” Another replied: “Not even Elvis’s ring. Lmao! That shiz belongs to bam and so did the robe. Priscilla said she would never disrespect Elvis by giving his stuff away especially to somebody like bam. You got bamboozled bro. Lol!” One user said: “Take this down it’s embarrassing Priscilla issued a statement denying it that’s Bam’s ring he gave u.”
Yelawolf responded to them in an another Instagram post, where Gadsden, Alabama-born rapper and singer revealed a story of Bam confronting Eminem in Germany because he thought Slim Shady signed Yela to keep him down.
In the caption, Yelawolf writes: “All this talk about the Elvis ring gifted to me from Bam .. is it real , fake , stolen ? .. all that’s just making the ring more epic for me .. the one simple fact is my really good friend Bam gave me the ring as a sentiment and as a fan and that’s that .. and trust me it’s not the first time Bam’s done something insane for me .. like rushing Eminem’s Hotel room in Germany cause he thought Shady signing me was a conspiracy to keep me down hahaha .. ( he’s banned permanently from that town for that btw ) point is we got a long history of stunts and for the record, I think he’s a genius .. so look I understand why y’all are mad … But Me and ELVIS AINT !! The rings mine now it’s a wrap”
For some, a casino visit is a chance to escape struggles or celebrate successes through a sea of games, bright lights and recklessness. But for Westside Boogie, a recent night of gambling saw him confronting nearly two decades of trauma — trauma that eight years of music and a couple of years of therapy haven’t quite fixed yet.
Boogie, 33, grew up in Compton, California, with his father largely absent from his life. His mom told him that she dumped him because of his debilitating gambling habits, and he later deserted his son’s life when he was 3 or 4 years old. And while Boogie has earned a career as one of the most insightful young rappers in the game, he can see the same flaws in himself as well.
“I’ve noticed I have similar gambling problems. The rush I get from it, or it’s been times I felt like that was a short way out,” he explained. “I found myself at the casino, betting money I shouldn’t have even been betting. I look up, and my father was just staring at me.”
He hadn’t seen his father in person since he was 7 years old, but here he was, exactly where his mother’s stories would have stated that he’d find him.
“I’m grateful for the lessons that the universe gives you,” he continued, adding that our phone conversation was the first time he’s shared this story. “You gotta be aware that it’s a lesson in that, and don’t ignore it.”
Through his intensely personal and vulnerable lyrics, Boogie is continuously working to process life’s lessons and make the most of them. The title of his latest album, “More Black Superheroes,” is a reference to what he feels is a litany of obstacles that Black men must hurdle on a regular basis.
“We go outside in the world and we survive situations, and we just look at it as a norm,” he said. “I think we need to start giving ourselves more credit, because we deserve it.”
For the full interview and photoshoot, visit HuffPost.
Back in 2015, Eminem’s The Shady Music Publishing roster got bigger with the addition of Saginaw, Michigan rapper who goes by the name Astray. According to the multiple reports, he was once an intern at Eminem’s recording studio. Astray made the announcement via his official social media accounts and was later congratulated by Slim Shady’s long-time friend and manager, Paul Rosenberg on Twitter.
“ANNOUNCEMENT!! After countless meetings, conference calls, and contract drafts, it is finally 100% official. I am extremely pleased/blessed/thankful to say that I just signed a deal with SHADY MUSIC PUBLISHING/UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP!! I am very excited to be working with these two titans in the music industry and can’t wait to show you what we do from here!! I would like to thank my brother “DRO” for putting me and my music in all the right places and believing in me. I would also like to thank PAUL ROSENBERG for giving me this huge opportunity to better my life and showcase my music on a worldwide scale. Thanks to my brother Nic Spaulding. We started this musical journey quite a long time ago and I swear we’ve been through it all. It feels great to see one of the main goals we had finally being achieved. Last but not least, thank you to all the fans and supporters through the years that made it easy to keep going and never give up. I love y’all. Couldn’t wait till 3pm.” said Astray on Facebook.
“Pleased to welcome our new writer ASTRAY to Shady Music Publishing with UMP. Keep an eye out for him!” Paul tweeted. Later in his tweet, the Michigan emcee also cleared things up by clarifying that he is signed to Shady Music Publishing and Universal Music Group not Shady Records label. Eminem’s publicist Dennis Dennehy told MLive that the deal means “they are going to work with him on songs.”
Yesterday Astray shared “Give Me Five Minutes” freestyle and in the caption he wrote: “Eminem reached back into Detroit and signed this guy, Astray!” One of the fans commented: “What I’m confused about is you got signed a few years ago to the publishing deal. But I haven’t heard anything since. But Em put Royce and Slaughterhouse, Griselda etc on a pedestal,” on which ASTRAY replied: “Yeah I got signed as a songwriter/producer not as an artist. But he signed me nonetheless ya dig?”
Westside Boogie‘s “More Black Superheroes” album has made into Complex’s 50 Best Albums of 2022 list at No. 16.
“Maturation is impossible in an echo chamber. Westside Boogie breaks a cycle of trauma and repeated mistakes on More Black Superheroes, an album dedicated to Black mental health. Beyond repeatedly advocating for more Black people to go to therapy (!!), Compton-born Boogie uses his second studio album to tell the story of how he reached this point, against all odds. In beautiful fashion, Boogie strings together stories about his upbringing and dealings with love to prove that anyone can heal, no matter where they’re from.” — Jordan Rose (Complex)
“More Black Superheroes” album is a second release under Eminem’s Shady Records, a follow-up of Boogie’s 2019 project, Everythings For Sale. The 12 tracks-project features Storm Ford on an intro track “Killa Mode,” Mamii on “Nonchalant,” Soulja Boy on “Can’t Even Lie,” Shelley FKA DRAM on “Aight,” Smino and Teezo Touchdown on “Can’t Get Over You,” Kalan.FrFr. and Mamii on “Something Strange,” and Snoop Dogg on “Windows Down.”
Later this year, Boogie also dropped the deluxe version of the album, adding six additional tracks, three out of which was completely new records and three was the audio version of his live performances.
“Super proud of this ..another win because of YALL ..I know y’all tired of me saying I love u but damn ..Now my next s–t betta be number 1 or I’m tripping. thank u Complex.” wrote Boogie on his Instagram.
Former Shady Records artist Conway The Machine also made into the list. His first and only Shady Records release God Don’t Make Mistakes occupied No. 41 spot.
“With critically acclaimed albums like La Maquina and From King to a GOD under his belt, Conway had already reached the upper echelon of rap lyricists before making God Don’t Make Mistakes, and he could have coasted if he wanted to. But he’s not the kind of guy to take it easy. Instead, he pushed himself to go even harder and made the most introspective, well-rounded album of his career. Throughout the project, he peels back the curtain on his personal life, sharing stories about getting shot (“Guilty”) and grappling with the deaths of family members (“Stressed”). He mixes this in with the usual hard-edged grit we’ve come to expect from Griselda (“Bruiser Brody”) and even throws in some streaming-friendly gems (“Scatter Brain”). His Shady Records debut has it all. — Eric Skelton (Complex)
The critically acclaimed project was commercial success for Conway. The album debuted at No. 175 on US Billboard 200 charts and reached No. 30 on UK’s Official Chart.
For the full list of 50 Best Albums of 2022, visit Complex here.
Shady Records’ signee shares visuals for “Cook Up” song, produced by Latrell James and Tedd Boyd, from his latest project called “5 & A F*** You.”
In the song, the East Atlanta emcee raps: “Paint the Sistine wit 16 bars / Wit 32 I’m magic / My first 48 will do you tragic / A 64 it’s caskets / Perhaps its taken it too far / I’m 2pac in a 2022 car.”
A typical rap verse contains sixteen bars (lines). GRIP compares his sixteen bars to the amazing work of art on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City. Doubling up to thirty-two, GRIP describes his lyrics as magical, while referencing Magic Johnson, a former NBA player who played for the LA Lakers while wearing the number #32 on his jersey.
The Markee Ruffin-directed music is a standard affair, following the ATLien throughout his travels on the road. You can watch the clip below:
