Eminem says that he isn’t really interested in going into the business world as 50 Cent and Dr. Dre have.
He remembers being hesitant when Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine came to him with the idea for Beats headphones.
“It came out of nowhere,” Eminem says to the New York Times. “I remember we were in Hawaii, and we were recording songs for Detox and for Recovery. Jimmy [Iovine] wanted us to do a photo shoot with the headphones on. Of course I’m gonna do it. It’s Jimmy and it’s Dre. But I’m thinking, ‘All right, can we get to the music?’ I just want to get back and record. I remember thinking like, ‘How big is this thing going to be? It’s headphones.’ But man, I should’ve known just based on Dre’s name alone. And Jimmy’s like the Great Gazoo, from ‘The Flintstones.’ Somehow he has the foresight to always know what’s up. Sometimes I just don’t know what’s up. It blew my mind.”
The Detroit rapper also shares that he learns about new music from other people. He listens to Lil Wayne, Drake, Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q and Kanye West.
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“I just try to pay attention to what’s out,” he says. “Wayne puts out a new song, and my ears perk up. There are certain artists that make me do that just because of the caliber that they rhyme at. It’s like candy to me. Kendrick, the way he puts albums together, front to back, they’re like pieces of art. But Hip Hop needs Drake, too. Hip Hop needs Big Sean. I feel like Hip Hop is in a good place right now. There’s this balance of things going on, and it feels like some of the best rappers are the most successful. Sometimes that’s not the case.”
Eminem is the executive producer for theSouthpaw soundtrack. The film comes to theaters July 24.
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