How to Rap

In the book How to Rap, Guerilla Black notes that Eminem studied other MCs to create his rapping technique – “Eminem listened to everything and that’s what made him one of the greats”. Eminem is praised there for various aspects of his rapping technique by numerous other MCs – these techniques include: his varied and humorous subject matter, connecting with his audience, carrying a concept over a series of albums, complex rhyme schemes, his ability to bend words so that they rhyme, his use of multisyllabic rhymes, fitting many rhymes in each bar, complex rhythms, clear enunciation, use of melody, and syncopation. He is also known to write the majority of his lyrics down on paper, as documented in his book The Way I Am, as well as taking a few days or a week to craft lyrics, being a “workaholic”, and “stacking” vocals.

Eminem has spoken openly about his prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Ambien, Valium and Methadone. But he did turn to zolpidem sleeping pills for relief from sleeping troubles. This caused Eminem to cancel the European part of the Anger Management Tour in August 2005 and eventually go into rehab for treatment for a “dependency on sleep medication”.

In the interview with British talk-show host Jonathan Ross, Eminem admitted that at the height of his addiction, he considered suicide, saying that “I just wasn’t taking care of myself, at times I wanted to just give it up.” He also confirmed that he is now sober, commenting that “Rap was my drug … Then I had to resort to other things to make me feel that. Now rap’s getting me high again.”