While Eminem is as much a rap legend as anyone, he is among the few that frequently gives flowers to his own formative influences -- many of whom hail from a rap era long forgotten by today's modern listener. Yet Em has made a point of highlighting the voices that shaped the culture, whether sporting classic rap t-shirts, amassing a gargantuan collection of hip-hop cassette tapes, or simply name-dropping his hip-hop heroes in his own music.
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It's gotten to the point where many of those very same legends have begun to take notice. Treach of Naughty By Nature recently reached out to Eminem, inviting him to executive produce his first solo album on Shady Records. Rakim also connected with Eminem, a meeting of the minds that instantly sparked collaboration speculation. And most recently, Eminem and Big Daddy Kane were seen connecting in the studio, furthering the narrative that Em has been steadily working on some new music with some of the game's most respected OGs.
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Kane shared an image of the link-up on his Instagram page, sharing a few words on what went down. "Chopping it up tonight with this great lyricist @eminem," he captions. "We spread a lot of love in this convo." Though there's no indication that actual music was manifested, though it's certainly feeling like something is going down on Eminem's side of things. Either way, it's refreshing to see a pair of elite lyricists chopping it up as equals, a reminder that those who shaped culture's history continue to impact the game in unexpected ways. Keep an eye out for further news on Eminem and Big Daddy Kane's potential development.