“TRACKS”, the weekly TV programme about pop culture, introduced Eminem to German public almost 25 years ago. Now, on the same programme, celebrities mention Marshall when talking about music that has shaped them.
Recently, Ed Sheeran was a guest on the programm. He going through a vinyl collection, sharing its highlights. For Ed “The Marshall Mathers LP” is one of those high treasured possessions with a story behind. Pooling the record out of the box, the pop star explained:
This is definitely one of my favourite records, if not my favourite record. This is what helped cure my stutter. I’ll get it to the actual verse that cured my stutter.
And having placed a tonearm exactly where the needed part of “Criminal” was, Ed Sheeran started rapping along with the record:
Windows tinted on my ride when I drive in it
So when I rob a bank, run out and just dive in it
So I’ll be disguised in it and if anybody identifies
The guy in it, I hide for five minutes
Come back, shoot the eyewitness
Fire at the private eye hired to pry in my businessSo, that is what cured my stutter, learning that rap. Just because is so wordy.
It was actualy my uncle Jim, I call him Jim Shady, who bought me a cassette of this record/ And my dad supprted it because my uncle said, “This guy is the new Bob Dylan”. I don’t think my dad actually listened to what was on the record. I went over and played the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently with Eminem, the song “Stan”. And my dad listened to this record, he’d never heard it before. You know that one of the first lines is:
“Oh, now he’s rapin’ his own mother
Abusin’ a whore, snortin’ coke and we gave him the Rollin’ Stone cover?”And my dad was like, “Oh. You were listening to this when you were nine”.
It is unlikely that Ed made it to a school talent show with this number. But he’s made much further in life at the end of the day.
Watch the video below:
