Eminem's new album, Marshall Mathers LP 2, may not have been what everyone expected. It definitely was not an obvious reminder of its namesake, the first Marshall Mathers LP, but as Eminem explains in his interview with Zane Lowe, he was going more for a "subliminally nostalgic" record-- not just a "blatant throwback." Was he successful?
During the first part of a four-part in-depth interview with Eminem and BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe, the two talk about the similarities between MMLP2 and MMLP, how his latest album came to be a follow-up record, and how working with the founder of Def Jam, Rick Rubin, came about.
"Some of the themes and topics and things like that are re-visited on this album, but at the same time I feel like it's kinda a 2013-version," Em said of the comparisons between MMLP2 and MMLP. "All my albums, I think for the most part, pretty much tell where I'm at, at that time period. So on this there's a lot of reflecting on everything that was happening during that time. So it's kinda like me reflecting on it and getting to the point where I am now with it."
On how the idea to do the album came about, Marshall reveals it happened early on during the recording process, and so they just went with it. "For the most part I just felt like it might be fun to re-visit the overall vibe of the album. It kinda started to go there early on, during the recording process," Eminem said.
The rapper explained, "I had started making a few records for it, and the tones of the records kinda were heading towards that way. And once I figured out what direction it should go in, kinda started gearing everything that way. And a lot of the times making an album I don't have the direction or concept early on."
The Detroit native went on to explain how "Bad Guy" followed up with the story of "Stan" from the first Marshall Mathers LP. "I knew that obviously "Stan" off the first Mathers LP was a big topic. And I had heard a lot of chatter right around the time of the Recovery record that I should do "Stan 2." And all I kept thinking was, well, Stan's dead. He died in the story. So in the back of my mind I kinda had an idea of who could be left from the story, but I needed to get the right beat and be able to.." Eminem said, trailing off at the end.
Finally Eminem shed some light on how he linked up with Rick Rubin, who also worked on Kanye West's Yeezus album this year.
"I've always been a fan of Rick. And my manager, Paul, had been talking to him, and Rick had expressed that he had interest in working with me. And when Paul brought it to my attention I was super excited, just honored at the fact that he was even thinking about it. I had my reservations just because I'm a super-fan of Rick so I'd probably be a little nervous and I didn't know what the vibe would be just because I'd be wanting to impress him. So it was very much kinda like the feeling I got early on with Dre," he said, once more indicating the idea that MMLP2 follows up MMLP on the level of feeling and vibe.
Check out the first part of Eminem's interview below, and stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.