Interviewee: Eminem
Interviewer: Jimmy Kimmel
Date: June 3, 2009

Marshall Mathers III, also known as the multi-awarded rapper and actor Eminem, is one of rap’s most preeminent names. Eminem, who also goes by the name Slim Shady, rocketed to international fame in 1998 when his second album The Slim Shady LP was launched. The Slim Shady LP became certified triple platinum by the end of 1999. The Slim Shady LP features the songs My Name Is and Just Don’t Give a F***.

But what really defined Eminem as a legitimate non-African American rapper is The
Marshall Mathers LP album, Eminem’s magnum opus. The album gained a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s fastest selling rap album, having sold 1.76 million copies in its first week. It went on to sell a total of 21 million copies worldwide.

Despite his success in the music scene, Eminem has had his shares of misfortunes: he is not in good terms with his mother, his marriage fell apart, and he is getting critical flak from music critics, purists, and moral conservatives for the brand of violence his music represents. In spite of all these, Eminem keeps his humor still.

In his first talk show appearance ever for the promotion of his music video “Ass Like That,” Eminem’s sense of humor was plainly evident. Interviewed three years ago by funnyman Jimmy Kimmel of the ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, Eminem was very game with the comical inquiries of Kimmel, though most of Kimmel’s questions were really irrelevant to some point. In the opening segment of the interview, Eminem made a loud burp.

During the course of the interview, Eminem answered all question asked by Kimmel, no matter how immaterial they were. The humorous questions included: why was Eminem a failure with men, or how did he keep it “real” with actor Jamie Foxx, why is Woody Harrelson so restless and bald, and how does he feel being a former member of the 80’s boy band Menudo were thrown by Kimmel. Eminem went with the flow to the joy of the audience.

In a joking gesture, Eminem said he hoped the interview cleared the air regarding the issues that surround him. Kimmel previously commented that he and the whole world now realize that they know Eminem a lot better and the whole interview was a fascinating and an enlightening experience.

Kimmel ended the mock interview asking Eminem to say something to the audience, to which Eminem gladly obliged. While most people would have thought that Eminem would say something nice, he revealed that he practices touching himself a lot. In light of this revelation, Kimmel ended the interview shaking Eminem’s left hand instead of his right.

Eminem has recently announced that he will be releasing his 6th studio album later in 2008. The said album, if successfully released to the market, will be his first album since 2004. He is also currently making a motion picture with Paramount Pictures about a cowboy named Paladin. The film’s is set to launch in 2010.