On Saturday night, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame admitted its class of 2022, including Eminem, Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton, and others.
Dr. Dre, who signed Eminem in 1998 alongside Jimmy Iovine, CEO of Aftermath’s parent company Interscope, gave a speech during the Detroit rapper’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that included reflections on his relationship with Eminem.
Jimmy Iovine, one of tonight’s inductees and also one of my closest friends, played me a demo tape from a man who went by the name of Eminem more than 20 years ago, Dre said. “When I initially heard it, I exclaimed, ‘What the fuck did he just say?'” ‘I couldn’t stop listening to it because I loved it so much.
Jimmy called me a few days later and said, “You realize he’s a White person, right?” I’m screwed! Dre went on. “Now that I think about it, I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it. Especially considering what he was saying, he clearly didn’t sound like a Black rapper. At the time, I was probably ignorant when I assumed that being a really talented rapper implied being Black.
Eminem gave a medley of classics, including timeless songs like “My Name Is,” “Forever,” and “Not Afraid,” after Dr. Dre finished his acceptance speech.
So, for a few reasons, I’m probably not supposed to be present here tonight. Eminem said after his performance, “One of them that I’m a rapper, and this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And there are just a small number of us who have already been admitted, but there are only a small number of us.
“Secondly,” he continued, “I almost died from an overdose in 2007, which was kind of a bummer. “Hailie, shut your ears: because drugs were so great, and I thought we had a nice thing going, man, but I had to go screw it all up and take too many. Oh my God. OK , Hailie.
Eminem continued by attributing his early career influences to a large number of hip-hop musicians. He began by saying, “I put this list together yesterday,” before listing the artists on it, some of which included 2 Live Crew, De La Soul, Public Enemy, 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., and Ice Cube, and many others.
“I know this induction is supposed to be me talking about myself and shit man, but fuck that,” he concluded. “I would not be here without them. I’m a high school dropout man, with a hip-hop education, and these were my teachers. And it’s their night just as much as it is mine. So thank you.”
On November 19, HBO will broadcast the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
