Eminem is getting ready to drop his much-anticipated sequel to the Marshall Mathers LP next week, but we still haven't heard very much about the process behind the album. In a new interview with Billboard, Eminem opens up about his approach to recreating the vibe and feel of the 2000 project, his struggle with addiction, and his confidence in what Kendrick Lamar is doing right now.
Read some excerpts from the interview below.
On his early media frenzy:
"I remember it felt like shit was just flying by me and nothing really seemed real. When I was making records, I would just take my frustrations out about that. I mean, fuck, here it is 2013 and I still don't really have a total grasp on it yet and understand it."
On making sure the project lived up to its title:
"I kind of just make what I make and however people take to it is how they take to it, or don't take to it. I knew that it would have to match a certain intensity and vibe and feel in order to call it [The Marshall Mathers LP 2]. I want to say I'm confident that I've done that, but it's up to the listener to decide."
"One of the things I thought might be cool to try to accomplish was to see if I could bring it back and remind people of the first time they ever heard me on a record. I wanted to try and recapture that nostalgic feeling."
On overcoming addiction, and re-grasping his passion for rap:
"Things are a little more calm for me now. There was a time when everything was kind of flying by the seat of my pants and I kind of didn't know what was happening to my life. That certainly did get the best of me, with drugs and the pressure of all that shit. I'm at a different point now, but I still want to rap with the same energy and intensity and passion as before because, at the end of the day, this is what I love."
On Kendrick Lamar:
"What he's doing right now, it's pretty fucking incredible. He seems like this kid that's just full of life and happy to be here. The impact he's had over just the last couple of years. it's been really fun for me to watch."
On a possible 'Marshall Mathers LP 3', 10 years down the road:
"I hope not. I don't know what I'll be doing as far as whether I'll still be making music-I'd like to keep doing it as long as I still have the passion for it. But I hope to always be involved in hip-hop in one form or another. Because when it comes down to it, this is really all I know."
Stream MMLPII in it's entirety here.