Eminem has one of the most expansive and intriguing discographies out there... but what are the stories behind the songs? Now, thanks to Slim Shady himself and Genius, fans of the rapper don't have to wonder anymore. Yes, Marshall has annotated his own music and explained the stories behind the lyrics to "Lose Yourself," "My Name Is," "Renegade," "Rap God" and more.
Here are the five best revelations that Eminem made in his annotations on Genius:
01. The first time he met Dr. Dre and recording all in one take
In annotating "My Name is," Eminem described the whirlwind of meeting his mentor Dr. Dre, explaining that this cut came from the first words out of his mouth. Oh, and he wrote the song all in one take. "'My Name Is' was the first thing that came out of my mouth that first day I was at Dre's house. I don't know if we released what I did the first day or if I re-did it, but it was basically the same. I didn't understand punching, or believe in it. So I would just go from the top of the song all the way down. I was never flying in hooks. Everything was live, one take. If I got all the way to the f*cking end, and messed up the last word, I'd be like 'Run it back, let's do it again.' I remember Dre was like 'Yo, are you f*cking crazy? Let's just punch.' I didn't like that concept because I wasn't used to it. When we were recording here in Detroit, in the beginning, I was saving up my money to go in. We only had an hour, you know? I'm like 'One take down, alright, let's go to the next song. F*ck it.' That's what I was used to.
02. He doesn't necessarily remember writing and recording everything he's done...
In an annotation of a demo of "Lose Yourself," Eminem described how his drug use led to him forgetting writing this early version of what became one of his biggest hits. "This is going to sound stupid, but I have no recollection of the demo version on Shady XV. Paul remembers me doing that but I don't know where I recorded it, I don't even know when I recorded it. I did a lot of drugs, so my memory is all over the place," he wrote. The line he does remember penning? "Cause when we descend together, we begin to move as one in perfect unison just like the moon and sun."
03. That infamous "mom's spaghetti line" in the final version of "Lose Yourself" is not about himself.
"The first verse is all about Jimmy Smith Jr. It's me talking about Jimmy Smith Jr. - like, I'm not saying my sweater, I'm saying his. I'm trying to show you what his life is about," Eminem wrote. Too bad...
04. He doesn't ever want to brag too much... and maybe the criticism of his personality gets to him.
Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP 2 single "Rap God" may seem braggy, but Eminem may or may not know his place... "I don't ever want to be too braggadocious. If I'm going to brag, let me pull it back with lines like "school flunky, pill junkie." I'm a f*cking waste of life. I'm a waste of sperm. I am a f*cking outcast of society, I am a piece of sh*t. But I know how to rap. Other than that, I'm a f*cking scumbag. I'm worthless. Or this is what I've been told," he joked about his persona.
05. He was really inspired by Dido for his major hit "Stan."
Eminem noted that he never anticipated that "Stan" would be such a big hit, but he always knew what the song was going to be about after hearing Dido's "Thank You." He wrote, "When I heard 'your picture on my wall,' I was like 'Yo, this could be about somebody who takes me too seriously.' So I knew what I was going to write about before I wrote it. A lot of times when I'm writing songs, I see visions for everything I'm writing. This was one of those."
