Eminem says that he was grateful to be able to work on some of Tupac’s posthumous material.
“When his mother, Afeni [Shakur], let me produce one of Tupac’s albums — the Loyal to the Game album — I wrote her a letter thanking her for letting me do it,” Eminem, whose given name is Marshall Mathers, writes in PAPER’s “Nowstalgia” issue. “You wouldn’t be able to tell the 18/19-year-old Marshall that he would ever be able to get his hands on some Tupac vocals and have that opportunity. It was such a significant piece of history for me and so much fun. I’m like a kid in a candy store; going nuts with the fact that I’m putting beats under his rhymes.”
Eminem says that listening to Tupac was a different experience than listening to other rap.
“The school I come from growing up, we spent a lot of time studying rappers, everyone from N.W.A to Public Enemy to Big Daddy Kane to Kool G Rap to Rakim to Special Ed, taking all these bits and piece from each one,” Eminem writes. “Tupac was the first one to really help me learn how to make songs that felt like something.”
That quality enables Tupac’s material to remain relevant longer, Eminem says.
“When you make songs like Tupac did, songs that feel like something, that feeling never goes away. I can put ‘If I Die 2Nite’ in and want to fight somebody the second it comes on. That’s the kind of emotion he sparked. I could put ‘Dear Mama’ in and damn-near be in tears. He was just so good at evoking emotions through songs and I picked up so much from that.”
For additional Eminem coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
Who really could outdo tupac when it comes to story telling rap,I fell in love with “my block” like that song was a woman,true word Em
Ay Em you need to get Slim JEsus. Yall gotta be related. Either that or white people still look alike
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Get the fuck outta here that kids killing the craft what us hiphop artist live for. This slim jesus kid needs to dissappear asap he’s making true white artists lok foolish
Ahhh look at ya’ll mentioning him though. Boom! He won. He might be corney, look like a dumbass, and his flows off. But look at him go… Everyone talking, Diddy offering money to the kid. Everyone bringing him up,, even here on a Em thread. Ya’ll bringing him up in the same category as Em? Ya’ll helping make him famous. Keep talking shit on him and mentioning his name.. Act like it aint helping this kid get attention.
Eminem also.thinks that Me Against The World is a classic hip hop album, if not the best hip hop album.
So does the sauce, it’s a 5 mic album but I don’t think it’s the best album all time
Well that’s his best album, at least lyrically.
The main criticism is that it gets redundant, but if you’re in the right mood there’s no better.
Dear mama has got to be the worst Tupac song, dont understand how anyone can appreciate that whack flow and beat
You must be out of your mind
you obliviously dont got no respect for your moms.
Tupac is the GOAT!
Respect to Em too. Hes my older brother’s favorite rapper. Hes not my favorite but he is dope af and definitely is a legend.
I couldnt have said it better myself.
Tired of white people in the rap game.
bruh
If we got a listen to Hooty’s black ass singing country. Your gonna hear some white boys rapping. And dont get mad, but white people are starting to get on.
Bitch dont comment shit here, Talkin all that Bullshit bout Pac..Respect the nigga he done did so much for the world than u ever could in your miserable life
I can tell you’re a youngin that wasn’t listening to music when Pac was alive. He was alright, but the East Coast niggas were the ones keeping the rap game afloat. West Coast was full of corny gangster clones of one another by that time.
But Em’, you totally ruined that Loyal to the Game album with your wack beats and features
Correct. It was a logical step from Afeni and could have turned out good, but Em produced a Shady Records album instead of a 2Pac. He aligned 2Pac to his sound not the other way round, and shit just didn’t work. Afeni should have gave the project to DJ Quick as exec-prod, then involve Johnny J and Dr. Dre to co-produce the album.
@anonymous. lol at you talking like you know what would make it better. yet you’re sitting in your room with wearing crusty jordan 1s, waiting for the restroom to open up because there are eight people living with you. you fake as fuck, boa
eminem the best alive 2 pac the best forever
Im pretty sure Soren Baker is a woman. A white woman. She used to be on MTV back in the day. Do the knowledge you fuckin asshole
Im just kidding. Hes a white guy lol
Didn’t need a corny white washed up rapper to explain this