Rick Rubin Opens Up About Eminem’s Obsessive Writing Process And Studio Work Ethic.
Legendary producer Rick Rubin recently shared new details about what it’s like working with Eminem and JAY-Z in the studio.
During an appearance on the Founders podcast with David Senra, Rubin explained how both rap legends create music in completely different ways, even though they both became some of the biggest artists in hip-hop history.
While talking about Shady, Rubin described him as extremely focused, hardworking, and obsessed with improving his craft every single day. “It feels like his entire life is centered around writing words,” Rubin said during the interview. “He’s totally preoccupied with that. He always has his notebook. He’s always making little notes.”
According to Rubin, the Detroit rapper constantly writes lyrics and ideas down, even when he is not actively working on an album. “He’s got notebooks and notebooks and notebooks,” Rubin explained. “I asked him, ‘Are you working on new songs?’ He said, ‘No, I’m just keeping active in the skill set.’”
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Rubin also revealed that most of what Eminem writes never even becomes music. “He told me 90% of it will never be in a song,” Rubin said. “He’s just writing. That’s what he does.”
The producer explained that Em’s perfectionist mindset also shows up heavily during recording sessions. “He does a lot of his production,” Rubin shared. “He’s obsessive. That’s what makes him great.”
Rubin said Eminem pays attention to every small detail while making music, often recording multiple takes of the same verse until he feels everything sounds perfect. “Em is much more studious in the way he works,” Rubin explained. “He writes down his lyrics and records take after take after take.”
Rick Rubin then compared Eminem’s style to JAY-Z’s much more relaxed and spontaneous recording process. “Jay is much more spontaneous,” Rubin said. “It all happens in his head.”
According to Rubin, JAY-Z can hear a beat, think quietly for a short time, and then record an entire song from memory without writing anything down. “He’ll get up and say it once or twice and that’s it,” he explained. “He’s the only person I’ve ever seen do that.”
Rubin also described how different both artists behave inside the studio. “Em is totally involved in every aspect of everything,” he said. “Jay will only be there when he needs to be there.”
The producer recalled moments where JAY-Z would sit quietly listening to beats for around 30 minutes before suddenly saying:
“I got it!” Rubin said Hov would then quickly enter the booth and record the full song directly from his head.
Even though Eminem and JAY-Z work completely differently, Rubin made it clear that both artists achieved greatness through their own methods. “Two very different styles. Both amazing,” he explained. “Eminem is obsessive, hardworking, and perfectionist. Jay is much more relaxed.”
Rubin has worked closely with Shady for many years, especially on albums like ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2’ and ‘Revival.’ Together, they created songs like “Berzerk,” “Rhyme or Reason,” “Walk on Water,” and “Arose.”
Fans online quickly reacted to Rubin’s comments, with many people praising Eminem’s dedication and discipline when it comes to writing and recording music.
Watch the interview below.
