Eminem may not be in his prime, but he remains one of the biggest rappers of all time. In terms of album sales, he's still the biggest. He defined pop culture in a way that few artists have, and will always have an impact on those who grew up listening to him. Jelly Roll is one of those people. The breakout country star got a chance to perform alongside Eminem at the Michigan Central concert on June 6. It was the meeting beforehand, though, that Roll will most remember.
There was video taken of the moment Roll got to meet Eminem, and he was visibly starstruck. He takes off his hat as soon as he sees the Detroit rapper. They dap each other up, and Jelly Roll starts to talk to Eminem while their respective entourages surround them. There's no audio footage of the video, which was posted on TikTok. Instead, the Eminem song "My Name Is" plays over the interaction. Jelly Roll daps up Eminem once more before the video ends. The two of them went and deliver a killer live version of the Eminem classic "Sing for the Moment." The rapper handles his verses (obviously), and Jelly Roll sings the chorus that samples Aerosmith's Steven Tyler on the recording.
Jelly Roll Cites Eminem As A Musical Influence
The meeting and the collaboration were a long time coming for Jelly Roll. The "Son of a Sinner" singer has gushed about Eminem's influence on multiple occasions over the years. During a 2023 interview with Detroit Free Press, Jelly Roll actually made the case that Em should be appreciated more than he already is. His reasoning? The impact that the rapper had on emotional storytelling within the genre. "Once he got past his first album," Roll asserted. "He just opened up the super-emotional side of him, and I think it’s changed the game for everybody. And he was one of the first rappers who did that."
Jelly Roll also cited Eminem as an influence on his own melding of musical styles. "He inspired kids like me," the singer noted. "He was early to fuse rap and rock, and I remember early thinking you could mix genres based solely on what [he] did. So he’s always been a big pivotal thing on what we’ve done." Em has definitely kept the rap and rock influence alive. His new single, "Houdini," is a throwback to the very kinds of songs Roll described. It features dense rapping over a Steve Miller Band sample. It's safe to assume the singer is excited for Em's upcoming album.