Eminem has always cited the Beastie Boys as one of his biggest influences, and a close affiliate of the group has now revealed that the Detroit legend was inches away from making a track with the two surviving members a few years back.
In an interview with AllHipHop published on Saturday (August 19), longtime Beasties collaborator Mix Master Mike revealed that he was close to orchestrating a collaboration between Slim Shady, Mike D and Ad-Rock following the 2012 passing of MCA.
“I actually reached out to Eminem,” he said. “I called him and Paul [Rosenberg], and I pushed for a song. I had the beat made and everything. It was gonna be Beastie Boys, Eminem and a Mix Master Mike track. Eminem was like, ‘Let’s fucking go.’ I was spearheading this, so I brought it to Mike and Ad-Rock’s attention.”
However, both Beastie Boys members were hesitant to seal deal, Mike explained. “They were like, ‘It’s kind of weird we don’t have Yauch anymore, so we feel a way that out of respect of Adam that we don’t do it.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? Adam would love this.’
“I was really trying to push this. It would have been fucking insane. I was like, ‘Mike just give me 32 bars. Just rap.’ But I respected their wish to not do it. Our captain is not here anymore. But maybe if I push it again, who knows?
“I was in the process of getting bars from Eminem. He was so pumped cause these are his heroes. I was kind of fulfilling his dream. I’m the gatekeeper of his dream. I felt that was a responsibility on my behalf to present that to him. The great white hopes of Hip Hop [laughs].”
Eminem’s status as an elder statesman of Hip Hop cannot be denied, but his music is still being used by out-of-touch politicians trying to get “cool points” with Gen Z in an attempt to gain their votes. This was proven by GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, who tried to convince the crowd of his viability as a candidate during a campaign stop in Iowa last weekend and that he was fit for the job of the highest office in the land.
Ramaswamy attempted to prove he was fit to be president by spitting a few bars from Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” the classic song from 8 Mile that won Slim Shady an Oscar.
Pitiful performances from presidential hopefuls aside, Eminem still knows how to smoke the competition behind the mic, as he proved with his recent roasting of Hip Hop legend Melle Mel in his special guest appearance on an Ez Mil track.
Though officially released on August 4, the track leaked a few hours early on Reddit — much to the delight of Slim Shady’s fanbase, as well as those wanting to hear what his new Shady/Aftermath/Interscope signee had cooked up.
“Hip Hop has been good to me, huh/ But when they say that I’m only Top 5 ’cause I’m white, why would I be stunned?” Eminem spits on the track. “My skin color’s still working against me/ ‘Cause second, I should be, to none/ Bein’ white being why they put me at five (Nope)/ That’s why they can’t put me at one.”
Continuing to stare down his critics, he adds: “And that is the only retort, is I’m not played in the clubs/ Muthafucka, put a cork in it/ Only reason they still play your shit in the clubs is because you still perform in ’em/ I am a guest in this house, but I turned this bitch into a mansion.”
Then turning his attention to Melle Mel, Em raps: “Shoutout to Furious Five and Grandmaster Flash, but boy/ There’s someone who really is furious/ Stay out his path, his wrath avoid/ I’ll be the last to toy with a juice head whose brain is half destroyed, like a meteor hit it/ Now with Melle Mel, he lost his ass to ‘roids.”
Melle Mel issued a response that received mixed reviews and has since apologized for the initial comments made on a podcast which prompted Eminem’s scathing reply.
Depressing how Mike D and Adrock pretty much gave up on music altogether once MCA died.
Mix master Mike is not “a close affiliate” of the Beastie Boys. He is a bonafide member of the group. Get your facts straight. This site is a joke. You let anyone write for your site now? Not to mention this happened nine years after MCA died, acting like it go shelved because he died. Did you even read the original story you ripped off?
He wasn’t a member. He was just their DJ. Stop being loud and wrong. Beastie Boys is MCA, Ad Rock and Mike D and they’ve had a few DJ’s throughout the years.
They all considered Mixmaster Mike a member. Hurricane was their only official DJ other than Mike. Mike is the only one they considered a member. Their own words. So stop being wrong yourself. Dork.
Mix master Mike is not “a close affiliate” of the Beastie Boys. He is a bonafide member of the group. Get your facts straight. This site is a joke. You let anyone write for your site now? Not to mention this happened nine years after MCA died, acting like it go shelved because he died. Did you even read the original story you ripped off?
Yep. And at least one member of the group rolled their eyes and went along with an appearance or whatever, but they think he’s juvenile and disgusting.
wbrab gets no ass, lol.
Mix master Mike is not “a close affiliate” of the Beastie Boys. He is a bonafide member of the group. Get your facts straight. This site is a joke. You let anyone write for your site now? Not to mention this happened nine years after MCA died, acting like it go shelved because he died. Did you even read the original story you ripped off?
Great journalism Karen. Shit in a POC presidential candidate. It would be racism if a right wing site did that to a left wing POC though. Keep politics out of art. Just write your horrible hearsay article that you copy and pasted from a real mag.
No one cares psycho MAGA homo
Same racist garbage you see in everything in life, and they don’t even realize how racist they sound because that’s how racist they are.
You can hear that hunger: Black people dominate this music. We gotta take it over. We gotta be victims and prove that we’re the best at this, too.
Someone needs to tell them all that using an industry to line your pockets isn’t the same as respecting it. I’ve heard nothing but Eminem attacking black teenagers and young musicians for the last 5 years. His voice is toxic to the genre and makes a person want to vomit just hearing it anymore.
His latest temper tantrum is not being listed in the top 5, even though he wasn’t even top 5 on his own last album. He got whipped by everyone who rapped alongside him. People started rolling their eyes at his part. And he had some of the most incredible modern beats thrown at him and all he could come up with was howling, bizarre temper tantrum about his step dad (two years before he turned FIFTY).
You can see how insincere he is, though, through his music. On his own album years ago, he listed himself as top 8 only. Now he’s demanding the top spot from… I have no idea who, people like him have destroyed modern rap, it’s garbage.
He is top 5 garbage though.
Touch grass, weirdo