One of the most highly-decorated rappers of all time, Eminem is now guaranteed to be remembered forever as he takes his spot within the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of only ten rappers to have been included. His influence has been felt in every corner of hip hop, and below, we’ve got the moments which inspired Meek Mill to become his own legend.
Finding fame in the late-1990s, Eminem became a household name when he worked alongside Dr Dre to deliver a ream of provocative hip hop and shock pop hits. Songs like ‘My Name Is’ introduced Em to the world, and ever since, he has continued to sell millions of records and fill stadiums across the globe.
It’s fair to say that any rapper finding their feet during the 21st century will have been influenced by the Detroit native. Not only through his music but his film 8 Mile, Eminem turned a brand new generation of would-be rappers onto a unique style of flow and delivery. When speaking with Complex, Meek Mill offered his own favourite moments from Eminem’s impressive career.
“‘Forgot About Dre.’ Can we count that as an Eminem song?” asks Meek Mill as he selects perhaps one of the lasting songs of the 21st century. “‘Nowadays everybody want to talk like they got something to say/But nothing comes out when they move their lips,'” raps Meek, sharing his affection, “The flow is crazy. Eminem is really flow to me, because I couldn’t fully relate to the shit he was talking about.”
The truth is, Eminem’s vision of hip hop was a strange and twisted one, as concerned with deeply traumatic lyrics and violent tendencies as he was delivering syllabic power. “He talking about different shit,” continues Meek. “I ain’t want to kill my mom. My mom loved me, so I couldn’t really relate to him on that, but he had a crazy flow that I fucked with. Real shit.”
When asked to pick a favourite album of the rapper, Meek was honest: “I don’t know. Eminem was out when I was young. My mom was coming in with Eminem albums and shit, and I was just running with them from there.” However, like so many artists, there was still one moment that really stayed with him: “I say 8 Mile. That movie inspired me a lot. When he was killing shit on stage, and he started rapping all the stuff about himself.”
Below, we will look back at the seminal Eminem moment for Meek Mill and the final battle rap scene from 8 Mile.
