Eminem is no stranger to some legends of hip-hop. Aside from his obvious association with artists like Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, he's brushed shoulders with many of the genre's greats. According to HipHop DX, in a new story done by The New York Times, they gathered stories from 50 different rappers in celebration of the genre's 50th anniversary. One of those was Eminem who took the opportunity to tell how much one album in particular influenced him. That album is Nas' classic debut Illmatic.
“I remember The Source gave Illmatic five mics," Eminem began his interview. While the perfect score did get his attention, he didn't believe it at first. “I already knew I liked Nas from ‘Live at the Barbeque’ with Main Source, because his verse on that is one of the most classic verses in Hip Hop of all time. But I was, like, ‘Five mics, though? Let me see what this is," he continues. “And when I put it on, he was going in and outside of the rhyme scheme, internal rhymes. That album had me in a slump, too. I know the album front to back.” It's not the first time Eminem has praised the project. In the past he's called the album "essential" and "a classic."
Eminem Is All Love For "Illmatic"
Eminem's last new album dropped in 2020 with Music To Be Murdered By. While he hasn't been quite as prolific in this stage of his career, last month two of his albums celebrated their anniversaries. His absolute classic 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP which spawned some of his most well-known songs like "Stan" and "The Real Slim Shady" turned 23. Fittingly, it's follow-up from a year later The Eminem Show celebrated its 22nd birthday.
On the other hand, Nas has some new music coming out soon. After a few weeks of leaks and teasers, a sequel to his 2021 album Magic will officially drop later this week. What do you think of Eminem praising Nas' debut album? Let us know in the comment section below.
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