S. Samuel
Detroit rap star Eminem boasts about his relationship with Rick Rubin and being able to snag the music industry veteran for his upcoming The Marshall Mathers LP 2 album in the newest issue of Rolling Stone.
Based on an excerpt from his feature, Em glorifies just how holy Rick’s presence is and how much of an expert he is in all genres of music.
Some tracks, including the Rick Rubin-produced, Beastie-esque single “Berzerk,” draw on old-school hip-hop. Eminem was already headed that way when his manager, Paul Rosenberg, hooked him up with Rubin. “Getting with him was like, ‘Holy sh*t!'” says Eminem. “As many genres of music that he is able to f*ck with, he’s like Yoda. I couldn’t do it. You sit me there with a rock group, I don’t know the first f*cking thing about banging on the drums.” Eminem emphasizes that the album, which includes collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Nate Ruess and Rihanna (again), is “not necessarily a sequel, as much as it is a revisitation. “So there’s not gonna be, like, continuations of every old song on there or anything like that,” he adds. “To me, it’s more about the vibe, and it’s more about the nostalgia.” (Rolling Stone)
Over the summer, Rick talked about his involvement on Jay Z‘s Magna Carta Holy Grail album.
When we recently caught up with Rick over the phone, he explained: “The point of me being in the commercials was that he was filming a documentary and he asked me–I imagine he’s just comfortable talking to me–to come listen to the songs with him and just talk about the songs. Just listen to it and talk about it, and that’s what we did. It was fun.” He went on to divulge what he initially thought of Magna Carta, saying, “I liked what I heard, but it was a little difficult–after just coming from the Kanye sessions–to listen to Jay’s album, because they’re so different. I was in a very alternative and progressive headspace, and Jay’s record is a more traditional hip-hop record.” (XXL Mag)
A week prior, Rubin detailed the grind he underwent to help finish Kanye West’s new Yeezus LP.
“To me it seemed impossible what he was asking. I remember I wasn’t feeling that well that day, and I was thinking, Is the music making me sick? I don’t feel good about this. We ended up working probably 15 days, 16 days, long hours, no days off, 15 hours a day. I was panicked the whole time,” Rubin explained. “There was so much material we could really pick which direction it was going to go. The idea of making it edgy and minimal and hard was Kanye’s. I’d say, “This song is not so good. Should I start messing with it? Can I make it better?” And he’d say, “Yes, but instead of adding stuff, try taking stuff away.” We talked a lot about minimalism. My house is basically an empty white box. When he walked in, he was like, “My house is an empty white box, too!”” (The Daily Beast)
Just a couple weeks away from hitting store shelves, Eminem’s LP tracklisting made its way online earlier this month.
As we get approach the release date to Eminem’s highly anticipated eighth studio album ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2’, the veteran Detroit MC gives us a look at the official tracklisting. The 16-track project will be executive-produced by Dr. Dre and Rick Rubin and will feature artists Skylar Grey, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and Nate Ruess. Arriving on November 5th, ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2’ is led by Em’s hit Billboard single ‘Berzerk’. If you haven’t already, be sure to watch Eminem’s newly released video for his ‘Call Of Duty’-themed track ‘Survival’. Take a look at the tracklist below and give us your thoughts in the comment section. 1. Bad Guy 2. Parking Lot (Skit) 3. Rhyme Or Reason 4. So Much Better 5. Survival 6. Legacy 7. Asshole Ft. Skylar Grey 8. Berzerk 9. Rap God 10. Brainless 11. Stronger Than I Was 12. The Monster Ft. Rihanna 13. So Far… 14. Love Game Ft. Kendrick Lamar 15. Headlights Ft. Nate Ruess 16. Evil Twin (Direct Lyrics)
