Everything we learned from Eminem’s ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ 20th anniversary livestream Q&A

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Eminem‘s ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ turned 20 at the weekend. To celebrate the milestone, the Detroit rapper hosted an online listening party where he invited fans to ask him questions during a live chat through a special platform hosted by Spotify on his website. Some were geared towards the making of the album, while others were a little more… shall we say…  unique? Here’s what we learned.
Read more: Eminem’s ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ at 20: why it’s a misunderstood masterpiece

There were “one or two” tracks that didn’t make the final version of ‘MMLP’

Not much is known about what tracks were left on the cutting room floor during the recording of ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’, but according to Em “one or two didn’t make it”.

His favourite verse on ‘MMLP’ is the second verse on ‘I’m Back’

‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ is packed full of superb verses, but Em’s favourite is the second verse on the album’s fourth single, ‘I’m Back’, which starts: “I take each individual degenerate’s head and reach into it / Just to see if he’s influenced by me, if he listens to music / And if he feeds into this shit, he’s an innocent victim / And becomes a puppet on the string of my tennis shoe.”

Em preferred an early recording of ‘Stan’ but his engineer accidentally recorded over it

Recalling the story a few years ago for Genius, Eminem said that when he was recording the final few lines of the third verse on ‘Stan’, the sound engineer he was working with – who he had never worked with before – accidentally rewound the tape back too far and recorded over the beginning of the verse. The rapper had previously stated that he felt like the original version was “way better” than the one that was released, so a fan asked him why. “It just sounded better to me,” he replied.

He has boring taste when it comes to cereals

He could have picked anything: Captain Crunch, Cinnamon Grahams, Wheetos, Sugar Puffs, or even Frosted Shreddies. But no, Eminem’s favourite cereal is Raisin Bran Crunch.

He likes 2Pac… a lot

Earlier this month, Em hailed 2Pac as the “greatest songwriter” of all-time. Mentioning the legendary rapper on several occasions during the ‘MMLP’ livestream, he said that ‘Pac is among the MCs who have inspired him the most, and although his favourite record by him is ‘Str8 Ballin” the truth is “all of them” are his favourite.

He has a fear of giraffes

Em has previously spoken about his bizarre fear of giraffes – and owls – saying he doesn’t like their necks, and one of Em’s fans told him that they sympathised. “Thank you for understanding,” the rapper replied.

Andre 3000 is the artist he would most like to collaborate with

There aren’t too many rap greats that Eminem hasn’t shared a mic with. However, he is yet to collaborate with Outkast’s Andre 3000, someone he famously name-checked on 2002’s ‘Till I Collapse’. Now he’s put it out in the atmosphere via the livestream, perhaps Three Stacks will answer the call. Well, we can only hope.

He’s a big fan of watching TV

Em was asked several questions about TV shows during the livestream, the first being what show he’s been watching during quarantine. His answer: docu-series Accused: Guilty Or Innocent. He also mentioned that he’s a fan of Stranger Things, and revealed that he prefers The Wire to The Sopranos.

He has four favourite actors

Asked to name his favourite actor, Em struggled to name just one. Instead he listed Denzel Washington, Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino, and Mark Wahlberg, with whom had a decade-long beef with before squashing it in the early 2010s.

His favourite Batman is Christian Bale

Correct answer, Marshall! Okay, so perhaps he might have gotten away with saying Michael Keaton, but true fans know that when it comes to the Defender of Gotham the actor that best portrayed him is the same guy who chopped Allen’s head off in American Psycho. Em also added that his favourite Avenger is The Hulk.

Apparently he writes his raps while in the nude 

Asked if he has ever written a song while being naked, Em replied: “every single one.” You’d hope that he’s joking, but with Eminem you just never know.

His favourite 50 Cent album is ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin”

After signing 50 in 2002, Eminem worked closely with him to complete his major label debut ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin”, which saw the pair team up on the tracks ‘Patiently Waiting’ and ‘Don’t Push Me’, both of which Em produced. So it’s no surprise that it’s his personal favourite from the G-Unit rapper’s catalogue.

He thinks KXNG Crooked is the world’s most underrated rapper

Em and KXNG Crooked, a member of rap supergroup Slaughterhouse who were once signed to Shady Records, have always shown admiration for one another. Most recently, the pair discussed being a fan of each other’s work on Crooked’s Crook’s Corner interview series. But not only is Em a fan of the former Death Row Records rapper – he also thinks he’s the most underrated.

His favourite rap album right now is by Young M.A.

Em has never been one to feature artists he doesn’t like on his own music. So it’s no surprise to learn that his favourite album right now is Young M.A.’s ‘Red Flu’, given that she delivered a stellar verse on Em’s ‘Unaccommodating’ from ‘Music To Be Murdered By’.

‘Fack’ is his favourite of his own songs – and he thinks it’s a lyrical masterpiece

“I like boobs, boobs, boobs / Now see that gerbil, grab that tube / Shove it up my butt / Let that little rascal nibble on my asshole, uhh.” Just like a modern-day Shakespeare.

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