Rick Rubin explained why working with Eminem stood out even among legends like Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys.
Far Out recently revisited Rick Rubin’s 2016 Rolling Stone interview to highlight just how intense Eminem’s creative process really is and how much it impressed even a hip hop pioneer like Rubin.
Known for shaping the sound of everyone from Run-DMC to the Beastie Boys, Rubin described Eminem as “maybe the most obsessive artist I’ve ever worked with”. He emphasised that Em is constantly writing rhymes, “It’s what he does”, and praised his encyclopedic knowledge of hip hop history.
Rubin recalled the making of “Berzerk”, which was built around a clip of someone yelling “go berserk” on the news. From that moment of inspiration, they constructed the beat using an 808 and a liberal sample of Billy Squier’s “The Stroke”. Rubin played guitar himself, but once the track was ready, Em recorded his vocals alone, and once they were down, there was no changing anything. “He writes into the music”, Rubin said. “He uses his voice as another instrument”.
That relentless focus can come with drawbacks, as Far Out noted. Em’s intensity and control over his music meant that leaked tracks from Encore led to rushed replacements like “Big Weenie” or the delightfully absurd “FACK”. But Rubin’s view is clear: Em’s devotion is the price of genius.
As Rubin put it, “Once he raps to a beat, you can’t change anything”. That precision, bordering on obsession, helped Eminem create some of the most technically sharp and culturally resonant records in rap history.
Watch Eminem – “Berzerk” below:
