Eminem reflects on battle rapping being the greatest thing in his career.
The hip-Hop genre celebrates its 50-year anniversary in 2023, and New York Times connected with 50 rap artists who represent different generations, regions and styles and asked them to share their personal stories, focusing on musical upbringing, influences and career arcs. The Detroit rapper also shared his story to the platform, when he reflected on how battle rapping changed his career.
“Tuesday night I would go to the Ebony Showcase on Seven Mile. Wednesday night would be Alvin’s. Friday night would be Saint Andrew’s. And then Saturday would be the Hip Hop Shop,” he said. “Proof was hosting open mics at the Hip Hop Shop, and they started having battles.
“The first one that I got in — it was actually the first battle there — I won. And then the second battle, I won it again. I realized maybe I should try to go out of state. So I would hop in the car with friends and drive down to Cincinnati for the Scribble Jam.”
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He continued: “Coming up in the battle scene was the greatest thing to happen to me because I knew what lines were going to get a reaction from the crowd. That’s what I would focus on. So when I got signed with Dre, I was trying to translate that to record, to get that reaction. I would picture the listener sitting there and what lines they might react to. I just used that as a formula. Like, ‘How you gonna br–stfeed, Mom?/ You ain’t got no t–s.’”
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In an interview, Ice Cube said that he would pick Eminem and Lil Wayne as his partners for a rap battle. “Eminem is one of the best rappers that’s ever blessed the mic, and I feel the same way about Lil Wayne,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind going into battle with those two.”
