In a recent in-depth interview with Complex Magazine, Eminem spoke on the evolution of his music, gave personal details about his past addiction to pain killers, and offered his thoughts on being left out of MTV’s Hottest MCs list.
“The new material [on Relapse 2] is definitely different,” he shared. “Making Relapse, I was still working the drugs out of my system, so there was a lot of…just jokey shit. It was a lot of punchline-y, funny, shock value—kind of going back to The Slim Shady LP. And that was cool, but I’ve kind of flipped the page. Now I’m going for songs instead of one-liners. I don’t want to make shit that you hear once and then the joke’s over; I want to make records that you could play a hundred times, a thousand times.”
He added that, looking back, the decision to release “We Made You” as the first single from the Relapse album may not have been the best choice, but that it was the only option that was clean enough for radio. “[Am] I going to go that direction again?” he said. “Probably not.”
Although Em pushed 1.5 million units of his last album, the veteran rapper was not included on MTV’s Hottest MCs list. Eminem responded to that in a way that reflects a growing confidence in his abilities and position in Hip Hop music.
AD LOADING...
“I didn’t really think too much of it,” he told Complex. “My only comment was, ‘That’s some peoples’ opinion.’ It’s their opinion, and opinions can’t be wrong. As long as I’m comfortable with what I’m doing and I’m comfortable in my zone, then that’s that.”
The interview with Complex Magazine also included Em’s thoughts on who had the best verse on the collaborative effort “Forever,” comments on what he thinks is his addictive personality, and how long he believes he’ll be able to use shock value in his music.
