It’s safe to say, Eminem is an enigma in the music industry.
At 42, with millions of albums sold, 15 Grammys and an Academy Award for best original song (“Lose Yourself” in 2002), he is seldom seen – a rare breed in the social media day of age. Yet when he does come up for air, heads pay attention. And such is the case with the upcoming movie Southpaw. Em executive produced the film’s soundtrack under Shady Records. In the new interview, he opened up about putting the soundtrack together, his relationship with 50 Cent, 50 and Dr. Dre’s business acumen, fatherhood and raising his teenage daughters and other artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, Big Sean, and more.
Check out the excerpt:
Q. How did you approach putting together a soundtrack for a film that wasn’t your own?
A. We wanted to make sure that the songs would remind you of the movie years down the road. When you think of “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” you think of “The Breakfast Club.” When you think of “Eye of the Tiger,” you think of Rocky.
Or “Lose Yourself” — did you feel pressure to live up to “8 Mile”?
With this particular movie, I’m not in it, so I couldn’t be [the character] Billy Hope in the song. I tried to make something that was thematic — self-empowering, about being in a corner and fighting back.
Has being a father to teenagers changed how you think about your music?
Not really. I think as you get older, you start — I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t really change. I guess I get more mature, but I don’t feel like I’ve changed much. I’m still a dad. You just go with the flow. But work is still work, and when I’m working, I’m focused on that.
Do you show your kids your music?
I’ve been trying to not focus as much on them, because I’ve done that and I don’t want to hinder their lives. I feel like the more that I talk about that, the harder their lives are.
What’s your relationship like with 50 Cent these days? He’s on the soundtrack and in the movie.
Same as it’s always been, pretty much. I love Fif’, man.
Making albums has taken a back seat for him, and he’s become this celebrity personality and businessman. Dr. Dre is doing something similar. Do you ever think about moving into different worlds like them?
With 50, I could always see that coming, even from the start. He was always so business-minded. He’s always been so in tune with what the next move is, where I may be — I hate to say it — but I tend to be more narrow-minded. Just so tunnel vision with the music.
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