How Dr. Dre Became the Co-Producer of Eminem’s ‘The Slim Shady LP’
Eminem emerged on the hip-hop scene in 1996 with his debut album Infinite. The album failed to make a splash, and the Detroit-bred rapper was left wondering where to go from there. His sophomore album, 1999’s The Slim Shady LP, became his breakout, thanks in part to the production of legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre.
Eminem released ‘The Slim Shady EP’ before recording ‘The Slim Shady LP’
The failure of Infinite sent Eminem into a dangerous spiral. At the time, he was broke with no job and his girlfriend Kim Scott left him and took their new child with her. He attempted suicide and felt like there was nowhere left to turn. He eventually started writing music again, which resulted in his 1997 EP The Slim Shady EP.
“After that record, every rhyme I wrote got angrier and angrier,” Eminem told Rolling Stone in 1999. “A lot of it was because of the feedback I got. Motherf***ers was like, ‘You’re a white boy, what the f*** are you rapping for? Why don’t you go into rock & roll?’ All that type of s*** started pissing me off.”
The Slim Shady EP differed from Infinite in that he rapped about violence and poverty in new and inventive ways. After the EP’s release, he put together what little money he had to fly to Los Angeles to participate in the Rap Olympics, an annual nationwide competition that searched for the greatest new MC. Ultimately, he placed second, but his performance caught the attention of an Interscope Records employee who sent a copy of The Slim Shady EP to Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine.
Dr. Dre and Eminem collaborated on ‘The Slim Shady LP’
While Eminem was still in L.A., Iovine played The Slim Shady EP for Dr. Dre, who had founded his own imprint, Aftermath Entertainment, through Interscope. Dre immediately knew he had to work with Em.
“In my entire career in the music industry. I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, ‘Find him. Now,'” Dre told Rolling Stone.
As a longtime fan of N.W.A., Eminem was starstruck to be working with Dr. Dre. They quickly got to work, and were able to bang out many songs with ease. Eminem’s breakout hit “My Name Is” was recorded in an hour, while three other songs, including the single “Role Model”, would be recorded the same day.
Dre and Eminem became frequent collaborators. Dre has been an executive producer on every one of Eminem’s albums since then, from his Grammy-winning The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP to Eminem’s most recent album, 2020’s Music to Be Murdered By.
Dr. Dre and Eminem performed at the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show together
Dre and Eminem teamed up once again in February 2022, this time on stage. The two rap icons were joined by Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar for an unforgettable Super Bowl halftime show that paid homage to hip-hop.
The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show ended up making history as the first Super Bowl halftime show ever to win Outstanding Variety Special at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
