Marshal graces the cover of Complex this month. Here are some highlights from the interview:
On Relapse 2:
Well, when I finished Relapse, I had a whole album of material that didn’t make it that I wasn’t ready to throw away, so that was going to be Relapse 2. But then I got with Dre in Hawaii and started recording more, and now the new material has knocked out all the old songs. But yeah, the new material is definitely different. 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.
On who had the best verse on “Forever”:
Who had the second-best verse? [Laughs.] I don’t know, I like everybody’s verses—but I like Drake’s verse a lot. I wouldn’t say I had the best verse; everybody approached the beat different. Kanye was crazy, too, and Wayne. I just saw the beat differently than anybody else did; for some reason, I felt like the beat was a double-time beat, so I rapped faster.
On Michael Jackson’s death and whether he saw any parallels to his own life:
Oh, 100 percent. When you read things about Michael Jackson it’s hard to decipher what the fuck is true, but there’s the story of how he woke up at whatever time and he needed something to go back to sleep because he had this or that and it didn’t work. That’s exactly what used to happen to me: I would take a couple of pills and I would be up an hour later and I’d want more. Then I’d take more and that would be enough to maybe get me back to sleep for two more hours. Then I’d be wide awake again. So I definitely can relate, and it’s a shame if he didn’t have anybody there to just say, “Michael, you’re an addict, you need help.” It’s one of the pitfalls of fame. I could just say, “Yo, I need this and this and this,” and they’re going to give me whatever I want because [complex: because you’re Eminem]. Exactly, it’s fucked up. The worst thing that could have happened to me as an addict was having money.
On being excluded from MTV’s Hottest MC’s List:
You know, when I heard that the other day, I didn’t really think too much of it. 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.
19. December 2009 at 9:57 am
People say that rap is a dead form. I tend to believe different, I believe it’s just evolving, and staying current. Prime example is what we’ve been doing over here… Check out Kryptik – V.I.P ft. Crooked I. Just google it, I don’t wanna spam a link. poor mother
24. February 2010 at 12:48 pm
Look out.. Eminem or should I say Marshall Bruce Mathers III. Lately I’ve become his number 1 fan and can never get too much gossip or comments about his activities. Have to admit that the mention of Eminem caught my attention as I have not checked your blog previously. As his father abandoned his family when he was a child the internet age has been opportunity for large earnings and media exposure which he has understood well, staving off the downfall with too much reporting and pressure experienced by different famous people. Admired his releases although the contents sometimes are worrisome. Bad overtones and not making for a cheerful planet.