Turns out Eminem isn’t just being cocky when he refers to himself as a ‘Rap God’
Eminem came up with ‘My Name Is’ within ‘seconds’ of Dr Dre hitting the drum machine during their first-ever studio session together.
As if the footage shared by Dr Dre of Eminem rapping at lightening-fast speed wasn’t impressive enough, the record producer – full name Andre Romell Young – revealed it took Slim Shady no time at all to create one of his biggest hits.
As part of Netflix’s four-part documentary The Defiant Ones looking into Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre and their legendary impact on the music scene, Eminem reflected on Dre as being one of the ‘biggest influencers ever in life’.
And Dre then recalled the first time he and Eminem worked together in the studio, the ‘Houdini’ rapper walking in dressed in a ‘bright yellow f**king sweatsuit’.
Dre continued: “I went and I put some samples together, did a couple of things in the drum machine, and I invited him over.
“I was like, ‘Man, listen. I put this sample together. Tell me if you like it’. And I hit the drum machine.”
And within ‘maybe two or three seconds’ Dre says Eminem ‘just went: “Hi! My name is…my name is…”‘
Dr Dre added: “That’s what happened our first day in the first few minutes of us being in the studio.”
And a hit was born.
The former NWA member signed Eminem up to Aftermath Entertainment, and produced his first record, The Slim Shady LP.
Since then, Dr Dre and Eminem have gone on to work on a whole host of tracks together, including ‘Forgot About Dre’, ‘Guilty Conscience’, ‘I Need A Doctor’, and ‘Say What You Say’.
Since their rise to the top, Dr Dre admitted before he met Eminem face to face, he had no clue the rapper was white.
Speaking at Eminem’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2022, Dr Dre recalled: “Over 20 years ago, Jimmy Lovine played a demo tape for me from a guy who called himself Eminem.
“The first thing I said when I heard it was, ‘What the f**k did he just say?’ I loved it so much, I couldn’t stop listening to it.
“A few days later, Jimmy called me and said, ‘Hey Dre, you know that’s a white guy, right?’ That completely f**ked me up… it didn’t even cross my mind.”
He continued: “Each of us was exactly what the other one needed – and I was willing to bet my entire career on it.”
I think it’s fair to say Dr Dre’s bet most definitely paid off.
