Eminem is one of the most prolific performers to ever get behind a mic, with his acute lyricism present in both polished studio tracks and off-the-cuff freestyles. The SoundScan Artist of the Decade with 32 million albums sold in the past 10 years, Em has revelled in both critical and commercial success since the release of his 1996 debut album, Infinite. Revered for his lyrical acrobatics and unrelenting flow, Rolling Stone's "King of Hip Hop" boasts talent that translates into record-breaking album sales. Eminem is the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the United States, with 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 - marking Slim as the sixth best-selling artist in the United States and the best-selling hip-hop artist.
The continued success of hip hop's reclusive genius stems from both a deep devotion to his craft and Em's unmistakable, innate talent (he can rhyme anything with orange!) “The writing process, the way I go about it is I do whatever the beat feels like, whatever the beat is telling me to do," Em revealed of his track formation. "Usually when the beat comes on, I think of a hook or the subject I want to rap about almost instantly. Within four, eight bars of it playing I’m just like, ‘Oh, OK. This is what I wanna do’.” The rapper's dedication to his grind has resulted in an impressive discography, decorated with dozens of features - and everyone knows when Em hops on a guest spot, the track is his.
Some of his latest beat and lyricism madness was witnessed at this year's BET Awards where Eminem stepped back in the spotlight to deliver a chill-worthy cypher on his opinion of the U.S. President, Donald Trump.
“But we better give Obama props, ’cause what we got in office now is a kamikaze that’ll probably cause a nuclear holocaust/And while the drama pops, and he waits for shit to quiet down/He’ll just gas his plane up and fly around until the bombing stops," Eminem rapped.
He's also featured on P!nk's track "Revenge" after receiving a drunk email from the singer. As for news on his own album, that we're all kind of patiently waiting for, rumours have been stirring that a project may be dropping on November 17th. With confirmed collaborations from Dr. Dre & 2 Chainz in the bag, it shouldn't be much longer until we got more than just a few features from Marshall Mathers.
Over the next few weeks, HotNewHipHop is going to revisit each and every guest appearance Slim Shady has taken part in during his lengthy career.
Here's every Eminem guest appearance in the year 2006 to 2009.
This series will be ongoing, keep it locked on the site for the next four years' worth of Em features.
Previously:
2006
Akon - Smack That (feat. Eminem)
Just in case you forgot since Akon's last "convict" shoutout, the singer was still trying to make pop radio hits and he brought Em on his 2006 track, "Smack That" for a verse that delivers more top-40 pandering than actual impressive bars. The club hit boasts more from its beat than it does from Em's lyrics, a reality he seems to be aware of in lines like: "Ooh, looks like another club banger/They better hang on when they throw this thang on/Get a lil' drink on, they gonna flip for this Akon shit/You can bank on it."
Busta Rhymes - Touch It (feat. Mary J. Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliot, Lloyd Banks, Papoose, DMX & Eminem (Live at BET Awards)
While Busta Rhymes' "Touch It" Remix featuring Eminem's verse was never officially released, footage from the 2006 BET Awards is forever. Despite the rapper's personal struggles at the time, (second divorce from wife Kim and an Ambien addiction) Em's reps revealed that he "wrote his new rhyme specifically for the awards show out of love for Busta." Busta returned the sentiment in his praise of Em's prolific tenure, adding: "Eminem is one of my favourite artists. To be able to have him on the same stage with Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Rah Digga, Papoose, Lloyd Banks, Will.I.Am, Kelis and Spliff Star for my performance was one of the biggest highlights of my career."
Watch the energetic performance from these hip hop heavyweights below.
Obie Trice - There They Go (feat. Big Herk, Eminem & Trick Trick)
Before Obie Trice's departure from Shady Records, the rapper showed love to his label mates on the track "There They Go" off of his sophomore album, Second Round's On Me featuring Detroit rappers Eminem, Big Herk, and Trick Trick. With its gloomy production and mellow beat, Em's verse nods to the streets that saw their come-up, exercising a double-time flow in contrast to the repetition of the ultra-mellow hook.
2007
50 Cent - Peep Show (feat. Eminem)
Slim hopped on yet another club banger in 50 Cent's "Peep Show," off of his 2007 album Curtis. In this four-verse nod to what the two rappers have planned for the beautiful women drawn to their wealth, Em offset's 50's sexually explicit promises with a usual injection of humour in his off-the-wall rhymes. While 50 starts off the track with lines like "We be getting it in, come on, we getting it in" Em closes in the last verse with the out-of-place but-it-still-somehow-works:"We don' fuck, I just popped this little blue pill/You can leave but wait, I gotta shit on you still."
Ca$his - Pistol Poppin' (feat. Eminem)
Staying in line with his penchant to appear on tracks put out by rappers on his own label, Shady Records, Slim delivered a verse on Ca$his' "Pistol Poppin" from his solo debut EP The County Hound. Eminem's flow fits in perfectly with Ca$his' aggressive flow in the song dedicated to the finality of gun violence, "Militant in a sense, I don't really give a shit/Call up, Eminem, I gotta plead innocent." Eminem doesn't miss a chance to shout out his friend Proof, a Detroit rapper who shot and killed during a 2006 altercation at the CCC nightclub in Detroit. "I already seen two friends get shot in the head/And lay on the ground this year and, one didn't make it/Proof, you are the truth."
Helleva - I Can Be (feat. Eminem)
Eminem dips back into the ever-populated pool of Detroit talent to guest on rapper/producer Helleva's track "I Can Be." Em takes control of the song, featured in multiple verses and the hook, outshining Helleva's repetition and bars that lack the punch of Shady's delivery.
Obie Trice - Shady Baby (feat. Eminem)
Unfortunately, Em's feature on one-time label mate Obie Trice's "Shady Baby" is limited to just the hook. Em uses the hook as a platform to shout on the boys on his label, "You can’t stop us Shady baby/So come party with my crazy group" while giving Obie space to rap on all three verses.
T.I. - Touchdown (feat. Eminem)
"Touchdown," T.I.'s song off of his fifth studio album T.I. vs. T.I.P. features Em in the roles of both (guest) rapper and producer. While "Touchdown" was never released as a single, the song's catchy beat secured significant radio play and commercial success. Em's adopted southern twang opened up the track to significant criticism and his lyrics proved predictable and uninspired. Shady himself calls the track "horrible."
2008
Trick Trick - Who Want It (feat. Eminem)
Few rappers have the rap sheet to match their bravado behind the mic but in the case of Detroit native Trick Trick, run-ins with industry enemies like Trick Daddy and Yung Berg prove he truly lives what he spits. Trick's gritty, angry flow is complimented by Em's addition to the song, echoing Trick's shoutout to their shooters while injecting levity, rapping about "dancing with a fat girl" in the club.
2009
50 Cent - Psycho (feat. Eminem)
Lauded as one of the tracks that features 50's smoothest flow of all time, "Psycho" is a classic collab between the two rappers. Em slips into his verse without skipping a beat, mirroring 50's lyrical density while keeping his syllable punches crisp and clean. Despite the fact that 50 keeps the hook to himself, Em spits on nearly half of the track.
Black Thought, Eminem & DJ Jazzy Jeff - Rock The Bells
At 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors, Black Thought, Eminem, and DJ Jazzy Jeff honoured Def Jam with this collab tribute to LL Cool J. One of hip hop's biggest classics, the crowd went wild for this fire tribute, with no one from the trio missing a bar or a beat.
Dr. Dre - Topless (feat. Eminem, T.I. & Nas)
Another version of Dre's "Topless" (first heard with verses just by T.I. and Nas) includes Dre's protege, Eminem. While Nas' verse lights up the track with its dense flow and lines that keep your head spinning long after the first beat drops (Your skin's your travelin' bag of your existence/Yours is shabby and scabbed while mines glistenin') Em's verse is certainly a worthy addition.
Drake - Forever (feat. Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem)
In one of the most notable collabs between hip hop all stars, Eminem joined Lil Wayne and Kanye on Drake's lengthy track, "Forever." While Drizzy has top billing on the track, the rapper was thrown completely out of his league with these heavyweight features. Eminem's closing verse quickly emerged as the top addition, relentlessly and furiously attacking the mic with the fervor of his "3 AM" bars.
Lil Wayne - Drop The World (feat. Eminem)
Eminem, known for owning the tracks he's featured on makes no exception for Lil Wayne's drop the world. His verse cuts like a knife through Wayne's drippy-synth hybrid sing/rapping that gets lost on the sleepy hook. Until Wayne picks up again with his echoed "pick the world up," you'll forget it's not Em's track to begin with.
Mos Def, Black Thought & Eminem - BET Cypher 2009
At the 2009 BET awards, the Mos Def, Black Thought & Eminem cypher was a big-league collab that lived up to its name. Shady brought the rapid-fire, pill-popping, anarchistic flow and pop culture references that populated Relapse, name dropping Osama, Obama, AND the Dali Lama all in one bar (as only Em can).