Mike Tyson to Eminem: ‘You’re the Only White Guy That Knows What It’s Like to Be a N***a’
Written by SOURCE on March 20, 2020
On the latest episode of Hotboxin with Mike Tyson, the boxing legend sat down with Eminem to discuss a wide range of topics, including family life, their love for hip-hop, and the rapper’s latest album Music to Be Murdered By. However, the most viral moment came toward the end of the interview, when Tyson praised the Detroit rapper for all his success, stating it was especially notable because nothing was ever handed to Em.
“Everything you got was, fuckin’—not even given to you,” Tyson said (45:55). “You fuckin’ slaved for it, you know what I mean? You’re the only white that knows what it’s like to be a n***a.”
“Not sure how to answer that,” Em responded with a nervous laugh. “But, uh, nah man. It’s uh … I mean, you know, we all got our story.”
Em then immediately turned to conversation to his new video for “Godzilla,” which included cameos by Dr. Dre, Mr. Porter, and Tyson. Directed by Cole Bennett, the video shows Tyson mistakenly sucker punch Em in the face, resulting in the rapper’s hospitalization. Thankfully for Em, the punch wasn’t real and he lived to see another day.
“If you’d hit me, I’d probably die. Like, right now,” Em told the former heavyweight champion during the sit-down. “I still feel like you can still get in there and fuck people up.”
Em also discussed his surprise appearance at the 92 annual Academy Awards, where he performed his 2002 hit “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile. Co-host Eben Britton asked Slim what it felt like performing the track nearly two decades after it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Em shook his head and let out a sigh of disappointment. It turns out there was a little problem that most viewers probably didn’t notice.
“I’mma tell you why I’m making that face. Because when I went there, everything was cool, right?” he explained (31:07). “I go through the first verse, and they had the mic pack that you wear on your belt … and I’m rappin’, and all of sudden I see between my legs, the motherfuckin’ pack swinging.”
Em said he immediately tried to grab the mic and stick it in his back pocket—but, for some reason, he was unsuccessful.
“So I’m rapping the lyrics while I’m doing this, and then I’m like, ‘Man, I’ll just put it in my front pocket. Fuck it,” he continued. “By that time, the song’s over, and I’m, like, ‘Man, what the fuck?’ We rehearsed for that shit—I know the words to ‘Lose Yourself,’ right—but we rehearsed that shit extra, extra, extra just so we didn’t fuck that up. And then that was the one thing we didn’t plan for, and of course it went wrong … I haven’t watched it.”
You can check out Em’s full Hotboxin interview above.
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