Most of the rappers whose names come up in Mount Rushmore debates are Black. As far as white hip-hop stars go, Eminem is almost always at the top of everyone’s list. For decades, the Detroit-born creative has kept us entertained with his cleverly penned verses, which have only evolved in poignancy as he’s gotten older. When he first came up, Slim Shady was known for splitting crass bars about women and drugs, but on “Lose Yourself,” he tapped into his more vulnerable side while converging his own personal life with the one he played out on-screen in 8 Mile as Jimmy.
“His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy / There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti,” the multi-talent’s famous first verse begins. Of course, those lines have gone on to become some of his most famous, with Eminem even opening up a restaurant in his hometown to pay homage to them.
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“Lose Yourself” Was Just the Beginning for Eminem
As Genius notes, engineer Steven King previously asserted that Slim “laid down all three verses” of “Lose Yourself” “in just one take.” Though impressive, the “Mockingbird” hitmaker has hinted that there’s no truth to the rumours in the past. During his 2008 autobiography specifically, the recording artist recalled the time he spent writing his bars between taking care of his then-adolescent children and filming scenes for 8 Mile.
Revisit one of Eminem’s earlier performances of “Lose Yourself” above, and find the song on Spotify/Apple Music if it’s not already part of your playlist. How old were you when 8 Mile first came out? Let us know in the comments, and find more HNHH release recommendations on our Fire Emoji update at the link below.
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Quotable Lyrics:
He’s dope, he knows that, but he’s broke, he’s so stagnant
He knows when he goes back to this mobile home, that’s when it’s
Back to the lab again, yo, this old rhapsody
Better go capture this moment and hope it don’t pass him
[Via]
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