Eminem’s manager talks about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction.
Eminem is one of the artists that will be honoured with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction this year, at the ceremony that will take place next month on November 5th at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. The rapper’s longtime manager Paul Rosenberg had an interview with News-Herald to reflect on the induction.
“We were like, ‘Wait a minute — eventually this could be you,” Rosenberg recalled the time when Eminem inducted Run-DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. “I didn’t even think about something like (the Rock Hall) until probably three, four years ago; somebody mentioned to me that eligibility for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is 25 years after you release your first album. I was like, ‘Wait a minute — that’s not too far away.’”
He continued and called the induction “Hugely significant.” “It’s part of somebody’s legacy, to get that recognition. And this is the first time on the ballot, so that’s a big honor. It’s one of the big trophies in the case.”
“Marshall is an extremely humble guy, and he doesn’t love people fawning over him in that way. But like anybody else who works hard at what they do, he appreciates being recognized for it. What it means to him.. you’ll have to hear him when he gets up on stage” at the induction ceremony.
Paul Rosenberg calls it “sort of a big, celebratory, legacy year,” but says that Eminem is only interested in new music. “It’s a little strange; you don’t want to look like you’re looking back when at the same time you’re trying to create and move forward,” Rosenberg explains. “It’s a little bit of a difficult balance, figuring out the right way to walk that line, and for him it can get a little frustrating. He doesn’t want to seem like he’s done being a currently recording music artist, because he very much is.”
“He’s very consumed with the process of creating, and he never really stops recording. I don’t think he really needs a reason to continue. It’s just what he does.”
The “Lose Yourself” rapper who rarely makes public appearances, has been active throughout this year, and he also made a surprise appearance at Rock Hall last year, where his idol LL Cool J was inducted.
His induction, however, comes amid ongoing debate around whether hip-hop artists should be admitted to the Rock Hall. He is not the first; after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were admitted as performers in 2007, LL Cool J, The Notorious B.I.G., N.W.A., Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Tupac Shakur, and Jay-Z have already joined the list.
