Videos

Eminem Talks Eazy-E, ‘Encore’ Jordans & More on ‘Sneaker Shopping’

blame it on Meka December 18, 2017

Eminem rarely gives on-camera interviews, but Complex managed to grab the reclusive sneakerhead for an episode of their “Sneaker Shopping” series.

(This likely happened due to Complex’ outgoing editor-in-chief and chief content officer, Noah Callahan-Bever, being named executive VP of brand strategy and content for Def Jam, where he will join and report directly to Marshall’s longtime manager Paul Rosenberg, who will become the label’s new CEO in 2018. But, digressing.)

Heading to Burn Rubber in Detroit, Slim reveals his inspirations from Eazy-E, that his ultra-rare “Encore” Jordan IVs will be re-released in larger quantities in the future (as of now there are only 23 pairs in existence), and also talks Michael Jordan’s influence in the Motor City despite his Chicago Bulls being a longtime rival of the Pistons. He actually ends up spending the least amount of money on the series to date, dropping only $600 on shoes (compared to others who spent college tuitions on kicks).

Revival is out now.

On top of shopping for kicks, Eminem also sat down with Vulture to talk music, his critics, his hate for Trump, and more. A few quotes can be read below with the full piece available here.

On Donald Trump…

“He makes my blood boil. I can’t even watch the news anymore because it makes me too stressed out. All jokes aside, all punch lines aside, I’m trying to get a message out there about him. I want our country to be great too, I want it to be the best it can be, but it’s not going to be that with him in charge. I remember when he was first sniffing around politics, I thought, We’ve tried everything else, why not him? Then — and I was watching it live — he had that speech where he said Mexico is sending us rapists and criminals. I got this feeling of what the fuck? From that point on, I knew it was going to be bad with him. What he’s doing putting people against each other is scary fucking shit. His election was such a disappointment to me about the state of the country.”

Younger rappers with technical skills he admires?

“Joyner Lucas, Kendrick, J. Cole, Big Sean — they’re super complex but also digestible. One of the things that’s so interesting to me about Kendrick is the way he approaches a beat and the pockets he chooses. Tech N9ne is great at that too. They’ll both hit these weird fucking pockets.”

On reaching his peak…

“I am forever chasing The Marshall Mathers LP. That was the height of what I could do. I just don’t have the rage I did back then. If I did, the music would be the same, and I hope it’s changed. And if I still had that rage it would mean I wouldn’t have grown as an artist or a human being. Technically I feel like I’m better at rhyming than I’ve ever been. I have more shit in my arsenal. I’ll go back and listen to old songs and be like, ‘I could have kept that rhyme scheme going for another 62 bars.’ I don’t know, man. I’m not the person I was at 28. The passion is still there but the rage mostly isn’t.”