Summary
- Eminem doesn't care what anyone thinks about him, he's here for the fans who understand and relate to him.
- Early in his career, fans criticized his interview skills due to his verbal tics that took away from his message.
- Eminem has evolved, speaking in a quieter, calmer manner in interviews, and fans now praise his advice, knowledge, and experience.
Eminem has had an incredible career and is still going strong despite being in the public eye for over 20 years. The rapper came onto the scene as a young man with strong opinions that he not only put in his lyrics but also expressed freely in interviews.
Much like his music, his interview skills have improved with time. However, back in the day, Eminem often interviewed poorly and fans criticized the way he came across when he spoke. This happened because of a few particular verbal tics that he has since abandoned.
Eminem Has Never Cared What Anyone Thinks About Him
Despite the many antics that he's done throughout his career, Eminem is not extroverted and doesn't like speaking in public. He rarely does interviews and prefers not to be recognized when he goes out.
However, despite being introverted, the star has one thing that he's willing to speak about loudly and clearly. He doesn't care what anyone thinks about him.
Early in his career, he was very direct about it, as he was about his all-encompassing ambition to leave his mark on hip-hop. Speaking to MTV News in 1999, when he had just become the latest hip-hop sensation, he talked about his ambition and expectations he had of himself.
"I want to accomplish a lot of things and I want to be a voice in hip-hop. I want to speak and have people listen," he said. "So, when I get to that certain level where I get to speak and people will listen, then I'm going to tell my side of the story."
He knew already that fans were going to talk about him whatever he decided to do, so he decided to play it cool and let everyone have their own opinion about him.
"You know people are going to pass judgment, people are going to say what they want to say, and they're going to make their own conclusions of whatever. And they're more than welcome to do it," he told MTV News.
His wisdom is true today perhaps more than ever. As is another statement he made in the interview which identifies what he really cares about in life.
"I'm here for the fans, for anybody who understands me and relates to me. Anybody who doesn't can kiss my a**, I don't care," the rapper concluded.
Fans Had This Long-Standing Criticism Of Eminem In Interviews
However, some of Eminem's most dedicated fans were also his biggest critics early on in his career. While they were amazed by his music and lyrics, they hated how their idol sounded in his interviews.
Eminem employed a lot of verbal tics when speaking in public, making him sound less knowledgeable than he was and taking away from his message.
When he told MTV News, "Slim Shady won't make it... I'm a failure," he was referring to his career as a rapper, and he couldn't have been more wrong.
However, fans were quick to point out how difficult to follow his interview was because of falling into the trap of saying "you know," "you know what I mean," and "you know what I'm saying" in almost every sentence.
One YouTube comment summed it up.
"This man has the biggest vocabulary of any other rapper, but he says 'you know' like thirty times per interview," the anonymous commenter wrote.
Other commenters agreed, while some put it down to Eminem's difficult upbringing and the Mid-Western dialect he has as a Michigander. While they definitely have an influence, as does his tumultuous relationship with his mom, a lot of it boiled down to the rapper's persona at the time.
Eminem Interviews Far Less These Days, And He's More Humble
Many things have changed for Eminem since 1999, including how he speaks in interviews. In a 2023 interview with ePro Team, the rapper appears to have entirely dropped his verbal tics. He also speaks in a quieter and calmer manner that shows how far he's come from his earlier persona.
However, some things haven't changed. He still loves to surprise his fans with new albums and write music despite how long he has been in the industry. As he promised in 1999, he's still in it for the music, not the money.
"If I had all the money in the world, I'd still wanna do it. I'm not in this for the money," he told MTV News back then. "I said that from the very beginning, and I'll say that til the day I die."
The fans' reactions to his new, soothing voice and lack of mannerisms are overwhelmingly positive. Comments on the ePro Team video praise not only his voice, but also his advice, knowledge, and experience.
In fact, more than one fan is begging Eminem to start his own podcast, saying that they "could watch him talk all day" and praising his "calming voice."
This comes a long way from criticizing his stilted speech and mannerisms in his old interviews and shows that both Eminem's talent and his communication style have benefited a great deal from his experience in the industry.
