Marshall was using it as a weapon. Jones: Its funny, some of the best times of my life was in the middle of winter in Detroit. An oral history of the 8 Mile rap battles. Some unlikely facts about the 2002 Eminem film. But for the most part they wrote their own verses. [6], In 2016, Stephens became a contestant on the Lifetime reality series The Rap Game, produced by Jermaine Dupri and Queen Latifah. Miz Korona (local MC; Vanessa in the lunch truck scene): A lot of the actors were active on the scene. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1800-GAMBLER . Jones: When we were shooting, Em was working on the album in his trailer. You not on his level.. Being up there hosting and feeling that energy, it just felt special. But according to police reports, the paintball didnt even break anything, and Eminem didnt even shoot it; his friend did. Thanks to Detroits economic turndown, the place closed down in 1980, two decades before the filming of the movie. A followup single, "Soufside", was released on November 5. Before that it was only known as UDP: Untitled Detroit Project. MarvWon: He wasnt supposed to rap against [me]. No way. However, when Southpaw was eventually made in 2015, Antoine Fuqua was brought on as director and Jake Gyllenhaal, not Eminem, took the lead role. His journey to fame was a little different than that of his 8 Mile counterpart, who was far from famous, in 1995. his real name is Jimmy Smith Jr., though we never . Every scene in the movie, everywhere [Rabbit] goes, someone reminds him of that failure when he chokes at the beginning. As much as its a title his mother gave him, his friend Future seems to have other ideas as to why he got his name: So why do they call you Rabbit? And then when he got mad, he knocked it out. I dont know about todays battles, but usually its not a very female-oriented genre. 3. One of the major sets for 8 Mile was the trailer park, and that kind of life was depicted extremely well on screen. Personally I think he lost to Lotto but I gave him the rounds against Lyckety-Splyt and Papa Doc. 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. Mekhi Phifer almost didnt take his role in 8 Mile. On September 4, Latto was featured on the remix of the Chloe x Halle song "Do It", alongside Doja Cat and City Girls. In gambling terminology lottery payouts are the equivalent of RTP (Returns To Players). Eminem: I dont know if Papa Doc was always going to end up speechless. They told them the nicest rapper can rap against Em, blah blah blah. All the previous three months, he would say he didnt know if he was gonna have it. Lotto was wearing the tank top, so he picks on him about the tank top. Its production budget was $41 million. Marshall Mathers has always been the kind of guy to say it how it is, which you can tell just by listening to his lyrics. Fenelon: Curtis assembled an amazing crew. He was reading for Cheddar Bob, Eminem's mate in the movie. And he turned on his microphone and killed him! [30] On February 17, 2023, Latto released her new single "Lottery". As we mentioned, Mackie went on to have an impressive acting career in Hollywood, and it all started with Slim Shady. But being older and watching them now he didn't say anything special. People was actually scared. The films infamous hangout spot, Chin Tiki, has been abandoned. He is a staff writer for Grantland. {lotto} I'll spit a racial slur honkie sew me. But he showed them, with a critical hit, a box office smash and an Oscar. She was named MTV Global's Push Artist of the Month in February 2021, and won the BET Award for Best New Artist in 2022. Marshall was very instrumental in the lyrics. But how the battle actually went and what rhymes were used was pretty much open. [31], In 2021, Latto founded the Win Some Give Some Foundation to to empower at-risk young women by providing them resources and support to achieve a lifetime of success.[32], In 2017, Latto opened her own store, Pittstop Clothing, in Jonesboro, Georgia. Or some real shit, though . As it turns out, the real-life Bob never actually shot himself. Those startling battle rap scenes were faithful re-creations of the actual battles Em came through on his way to the top. It had a more down-and-dirty look, a more rough warehouse look than the actual Shelter. And, you know, he had a few choice words for me. He didn't want people thinking he was just playing his stage persona. At the time, the automotive industry was mostly viable in Detroit. November 8, 2014. Strike: It was times where the crowd would try to heckle Em. I was like, I need this all the time, the rapper told Rolling Stone. Lotto is seen again when his crew is in the Parking Lot, heckling the rappers there. The remainder is then kept for administration costs and charitable donations or tax revenues. The film was a financial success, was well received critically, and won an Academy Award for the Best Original Song for Eminem's "Lose Yourself", becoming the first rap song in a movie to win an Academy Award. And, uh, he didnt take too kind to the reaction that I got. Can you say intimidating? He is also seen punching B-Rabbit in the stomach during the fight. Everyone was under the weather. Eminem was clearly a draw in 2002. The role was won by Michael Shannon. He needed a movie makeover that required physical changes in order to play the down-and-out Detroit native living in a trailer park. The title was only decided on at the end of filming. Let me have this!. Fenelon: Everyone was encouraged to write their own words a little bit. In the original script B-Rabbit worked at a hotel carrying rich peoples bags and had a lot of problems with his boss. The actress continued to act in numerous projects throughout the years, including the films A Lot Like Love and Cold Mountain. He didnt want anyone to know what he was gonna say. HIPPITY HOOPLA" is just bad lol. This works better than anything I could have dreamed of. That rap was so much better than anything that I wrote. The place to battle was really the Hip Hop Shop. Idk he did decent and i think he won them but not by much, what ould have happened is the footage would have gone viral with some cringy title like "white guy embraces the negativity and captures the crowd (emotional". According to the script and director, Eminem was meant to write a freestyle, which would be dubbed over in the film as he just mimed some words to the camera. I wrote the lyrics and faxed them over. Im thinking, This guy is good he just gotta slow down! On September 29, it was announced that she had been nominated for Best New Hip Hop Artist at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards, where she was also a performer. Instead of giving himself a break, overworking himself only made his substance abuse issues worse. But unfortunately, DeAngelo Wilsons career was cut short. I had to leave him how he left Rabbit earlier in the movie. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SApMrvgGd2M. Here are 15 things to know about 8 Mile Eminem was asked by director Curtis Hanson to dye his hair back to its natural brown. American singer Mariah Carey appeared on the official remix, which was released in March 2022. One of the most successful recording artists in the world is undoubtedly Marshall Mathers. Jones: The actual guys who battled were obviously rappers. On his next record, Encore, Eminem sounds exhausted, and it feels like a desperate cry for help. There was a brief chase, but luckily, Rabbit managed to elude the cops. Byrd: The energy was electric. I feel bad that I gotta murder that dude from ", I used to like that show, now you got me in fight-back mode, But oh well, if you gotta go, then you gotta go, I hate to do this, I would love for this shit to last, Ward, I think you were a little hard on the Beaver. Tough. You had to battle people for the montage. Or maybe they couldnt explain how the poor trailer park kid could afford all that ink. Honky, sue me. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. On May 18, it was reported that on streaming platforms, Mulatto's name had been changed to simply Latto, a change first reflected on her guest appearance on Toosii's album Thank You for Believing, where she was credited as Latto. Although the gender of the sibling differs, this comes really close to Eminems real family dynamic growing up. TIX ON SALE FRIDAY t.co/SPJv0LcGLz t.co/1RcKvvsSvN", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Latto&oldid=1142459249, Episode: "Take It to the House"; credited as "Miss Mulatto", Episode: "Can Tokyo Save The Day With This Look? Byrd: Em was sick. When I say Eminem was under a tight schedule during the movies production, Im not kidding. This shit is a horror flick, But the black guy doesn't die in this movie! We went to the basement at [music venue] Saint Andrews: the Shelter. But the actual building itself was demolished in 2009, seven years after 8 Mile came out. Hollywood Gossip alluded to the fact that the costars had a more than a professional relationship during production, but the rapper shot down these allegations saying, [That] was completely untrue, emphasizing that I would not tell a lie. I believe him. She credits Clayton County as the place that gave her street credibility. And you got people saying, Why yall n-s around the white rapper? I got the mark of stitches on my hand to this day that I had from slapping some dude in the face that said, Fuck the white boy. Proof hit him, and he swung, and then I hit him! I just never thought her character would show up to that battle, and she wouldnt show up dressed like that. Well, that thought came to the mind of highly sought-after director Kurt Sutter (who created the Sons of Anarchy series). Byrd: Em was complying for the most part. 8 Mile can be described or thought of as a semi-autobiographical account of Eminem in a 1995 Detroit setting. Fenelon: In the original script, in the rap battles throughout, itd kind of describe what the gist of it was. Mekhi Phifer nearly passed on the movie because he was asked to fly to Detroit two days after the 9/11 attacks in New York. That instinct, Eminem saysof his will to battle, never goes away.. All rights reserved. Growing up with a drug addict for a mother in a dangerous neighborhood, Eminem never felt safe at home and spent his time rap battling on the streets. Tha Free World are a group of battle rappers (six rappers). But he didnt spend too much time in trailers like his character did in 8 Mile. Discussion, Battles and Media for the international battlerap community, Press J to jump to the feed. My high school basketball team loved to play it before games. Miller: That movie is permanently etched in my mind. I got a betta chance joining the kkk. Make everybody laugh at the other guy. Although Jake Gyllenhaal was brought in as a replacement, the entire potential 8 Mile sequel subplot was nixed. In the film, Cheddar Bob is depicted as a dumb but lovable friend who is also an aspiring artist. But the thing was, Id lost my ID the night before. Silver: A success story, that just wasnt interesting to me. There are nearly a dozen instances in 8 Mile, where Jimmy B-Rabbit Smith Jr. shows off his lyrical genius, but one scene, in particular, was never meant to come out as authentic as it did: the freestyle battle in the parking lot. And Paul Rosenberg was conducting [audition] battles out and about in the cold. The reason Phifer almost passed up the role was that he was required to travel to Detroit for the audition two days after the 9/11 attack, and Phifer was residing in New York City. Rosenberg: Im pretty sure Ox [who played Lotto, Eminems second-round battle competitor] was brought in by Steve Stoute. And Rodrigo shot the movie himself he was working handheld cameras in the middle of the crowd. Latto's highest-charting single to date, the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. He actually started working on a second 8 Mile where a boxer loses custody of his daughter and tries to get her back. The iconic beats used in the scenes Showbiz & AGs Next Level (Nyte Time Mix), Onyxs Last Dayz, and, in the climactic battle, Mobb Deeps Shook Ones (Part II) were selected by Rosenberg. It's been nearly 20 years since Eminem starred in 8 Mile, a sideways take on the rapper's life. Her latest role is the title character in the upcoming film Karen. Danny Boyle was in early discussions to direct but his vision for the film didn't match Eminem's as well as Curtis . Fenelon: We did the casting out of Detroit. Interest-Based Ads. That movie changed my life. Quality-wise, I think this battle is comparable to the ones in 8 Mile (to be fair, if you can't write as well as someone else can freestyle, you're a really lousy writer.). And they had to get excited every time. Paul Rosenberg (Eminems manager and executive producer): Before we put the camera up to shoot one frame, we took everybody around the city, to all the spots that the story was based on. Alyssa Michelle Stephens (born December 22, 1998), professionally known as Latto or Big Latto (formerly known as Mulatto), is an American rapper and singer. Weve got some behind-the-scenes facts about the rap movie and its accuracy in relation to Marshall Mathers real life. But Em wasnt supposed to talk because his voice was raw. Rosenberg: We didnt do anything in L.A. We shot the whole thing in Detroit. He turned his pain into incredible lyrics, which led to wealth and success. Jones: I think Em kind of came up with a lot of his stuff last-second. It was gonna be impossible to have them be truly live. And if they were over-rehearsed, or if people knew too much about what the other person was gonna say, it would affect the immediacy of the reactions. Wilsons final film role was in Falling Away. But I knew what Marshalls favorite battle rap beats were. It didnt feel actor-y. Bro you're actually kind of right lol I remember watching 8 Mile for the first time in 2013 and I thought Eminem won the final 3 battles, no debate. People are naturally inclined to root for the underdog, and things are no different in 8 Mile. He didn't want people thinking he was just playing his stage persona. Whenever hes on the screen, you cant take your eyes off him. Im thinking, OK, they really mean this, or they blowing smoke up my ass? Unfortunately, the club became a nice place, and it didnt fit the vision for the scene. After the success of 8 Mile, he landed roles in Antwone Fisher, The Salon, and Mercy Street. So I just jumped on a bus from New York to Cleveland to Detroit. In the documentary Eminem: Diamonds and Pearls, one of the rappers childhood friends, Robert Claus, claims to be the guy who inspired Cheddar Bobs character in 8 Mile. Eminem: Writing for the movie was very different because not only did I know who I was facing, but I knew the scenario and how Rabbit would have to come at people in each round. Lotto is also there to beat up B-Rabbit with his crew because Jimmy has beaten up Wink for having sex with his girl Alex Laterno. They sent me the script and pretty much outlined where they needed rhymes. After 8 Mile, Kim starred in films like Cellular, The Sentinel, The Nice Guys, Fifty Shades Darker, and plenty more. Cookie Policy. It cant just be about, Hey, Im doing it better than him. I wanted to do something different. you think these niggas gonna feel the shit you say. Do they look like the people thatd be watching this battle?. Eminem was supposed to play the role of the boxer. So far, this is pretty close to Eminems real life. She was already a huge star before appearing on 8 Miles, thanks to her roles in movies like Batman and L.A. Strike: That was it. And if they did, they didn't get caught. Amos Barshad has written for New YorkMagazine, Spin, GQ, XXL, and the Arkansas Times. They were passing out Black &Milds and Swishers to the extras to have them smoking.