Eminem had been awfully quiet ever since he contributed a couple songs to the "Southpaw" soundtrack last summer. He recently went on Genius to annotate a random assortment of lyrics, and today, he has fueled more rumors that he's ready to get back in the game.
While he hasn't confirmed any new music, Em announced today that he's planning to re-release his 2000 album, The Marshall Mathers LP, on cassette. That's right, apparently he's found a manufacturer that still makes cassette tapes, and he's hoping that fans will dig up their Walkmans or perhaps look for an old 8-track player on eBay in order to enjoy the reissue of his classic LP. Regardless if one owns a device with which to play the tape, it's certainly a desirable piece of hip-hop merch, and it will come with "limited edition collectables," according to Em's website. Head here to get the early details on the upcoming re-release.
Perhaps Em wants fans to get back into his early work to gear them up for some new music he's working on. A couple of hours ago, in a cryptic Instagram post, he shared a picture of a bolted wooden door that has been spray-painted with the number "19946." "19946 Dresden," he wrote in the post's caption. Shady fans will likely recognize the image and might be aware that 19946 is the address of Em's childhood home.
The above Instagram photo was likely taken when the house had long been empty. One can see the same part of the house -- albeit with the door intact -- on the cover of The Marshall Mathers LP. Thirteen years after the MMLP, Em used a more recent image of the home, looking especially dilapidated, on the cover of the sequel album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, released in November 2013.
In the same month of the release of the MMLP2, the home at 19946 Dresden caught fire; the cause was unknown. Less than two weeks after the fire, the home was demolished by the City of Detroit and the lot was put up for sale. A damn shame, as it should've been labeled a historic site.
Anyway, it's not quite clear what Em is getting at with his latest Instagram post, though it's obvious that 19946 holds a dear place in his heart. Could it be the title/inspiration for a new project?