Carol Fenelon (executive producer): We went to Detroit three months before we started shooting. Although Jake Gyllenhaal was brought in as a replacement, the entire potential 8 Mile sequel subplot was nixed. Mekhi had his dreads on I know them things was itching. And although re-created on a soundstage in a warehouse for the movie, the Shelter was and still is a real place, where real, sweaty battles takeplace. /. Strike: It was funny because I was on the run from the feds at that time. The "seven digits" line was given after the host called time, but again most judges in this era would count an extra line if if someone squeezed it in. Before that it was only known as UDP: Untitled Detroit Project. But we mentioned how Eminem dropped a few pounds before taking on this role, but that wasnt the only change. Marvin MarvWon ONeal (local MC;8 Mile cast member): That was real cool. Keep in mind this is the same year Mac Lethal vs Dos Noun happened, which really pushed the envelope as far as back and forth rebuttals and personal material. I think he had this shit already wrote for me, honestly. Everybody gave up one of their free days to come over and do rehearsal. But he cut it back on. Strike: That was it. He then overdosed later in that period. On August 12, Latto announced the release of her debut project through RCA, titled Queen of da Souf; it was released on August 21, 2020. Gerald L. Strike Sanders (Lyckety-Splyt): Half of Detroit hip-hop was in line for that role. Do you ever wonder what an 8 Mile sequel would have looked like? What is surprising is how quickly it picked up such a loyal fan base because when it was first sent out to theaters, the film was under the name The Mars Project in order to keep the project a secret before it was released. The atmosphere in the rap battles was so intense and went on for so long that several extras passed out or threw up during filming. Instead of giving himself a break, overworking himself only made his substance abuse issues worse. He also has absolutely no problem calling himself out, which is evident in 8 Mile. Trying to define himself. 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". That shit you spit was written.. People ask me what its like to work with him. We would have some more fun for sure, the actor added. Lose Yourself was the first rap song to ever win an Academy Award. Back then you would lose if you went a cappella. Knowing how demanding and hectic life was for the rapper while filming the movie, Eminem decided to never take a starring role in a movie or show since 8 Mile. Hes up there making jokes nonstop, about everyone, keeping the crowd hype. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Latto, under the stage name "Miss Mulatto" at the time, was the overall winner of the competition. There are a lot of things you can say about Eminem, but a liar is not one of them. He was a natural on screen and didnt go unnoticed. Unfortunately, the club became a nice place, and it didnt fit the vision for the scene. [8], In January 2019, Latto released the song "Bitch from da Souf". Rosenberg: Im pretty sure Ox [who played Lotto, Eminems second-round battle competitor] was brought in by Steve Stoute. Byrd: That was unplanned. He shared details of his life through his lyrics, but fans were excited to see it on screen. The reason his character is nicknamed Bunny Rabbit is that Eminem has pretty big ears. HIPPITY HOOPLA" is just bad lol. In addition to his demanding movie work, Eminem was getting ready to launch 50 Cents career and recording his own album, The Eminem Show. It was crazy insane. Furthermore, when Em was a kid, people used to call him Mickey (aka Mickey Mouse) for the exact same reason. His father was an English teacher, he was raised around poetry. Just months later, Simon was found dead under the same mysterious circumstances. Make everybody laugh at the other guy. He wasnt supposed to be using his voice. Eminem lost 24lb for the role. By the time Eminem (AKA Marshall Bruce Mathers III) came around to creating his feature film, 8 Mile, he had already propelled himself towards stardom as one of the biggest recording artists in history. Fenelon: I thought it was one of the most magical moments Ive ever been a part of. Latto received nominations for Best New Hip Hop Artist at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards and Top Rap Female Artist at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. The makes sure those number combinations never come up. Although he looked just like the Eminem we all know and love, he went through an extreme transformation for the movie. Yikes! However, Em managed to work around the rivalry between the heavyweight rappers so that they would both be featured on the 8 Mile album soundtrack. One of the major sets for 8 Mile was the trailer park, and that kind of life was depicted extremely well on screen. He was reading for Cheddar Bob, Eminem's mate in the movie. Although his career gained him respect, recognition, fame, and wealth, things werent always easy for the aspiring rapper. Because thats what I actually did in battles to try and take peoples ammo away. Mekhi Phifer: A lot of that stuff was off-the-cuff improv. Eminem was so busy while working on 8 Mile that he had to write the songs for the movie in between the takes and scenes he was shooting. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The fire was started by unknown causes. Coincidence? [Rap] I'll spit a racial slur, honky, sue me! It says in that big paragraph "Mr. Mozart has also worked with many other artists along the way such as Koffee Brown, Nashawn Ox Breedlove, and . [Laughs.] Jones: It was tough Detroit. For me, getting to see Eminem the battle rapper who Id always heard about but I never got to watch that was electric. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. She was also the voice behind Luanne Platter on the animated series King of the Hill. [19], In January 2021, it was announced that Latto would be changing her stage name from "Mulatto" following the controversy of the term being deemed as colorist. He was modestly successful too. Strike: I was punch-lining, punch-lining, punch-lining him to death Elvis will start turning in his grave?! 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. Director Curtis Anderson and Eminem agreed that it would add a unique authenticity to the movie if they would shoot the final rap battles at The Shelter, the club where Eminem got his start. Latto's mainstream breakthrough came with the release of "Big Energy", the lead single from her second studio album 777 (2022). Proof was really kind of the king of battle rapping back then. He said his rhymes weren't as good during this drug period because his mind was sluggish. It was also, in no uncertain terms, a love letter to a scene. Rosenberg: [Hanson] wanted someone that had a lot more experience, especially because he had to balance off of Marshall, who had no experience. And sometimes that was followed, and sometimes it was discarded by the rappers who were actually going to be doing the scene. Its usually considered a good thing when an old, dingy, run-down place is able to turn itself around and become a respectable place of business. 8 Mile featured a lot of great freestyle raps but which one among the group is considered the best? And, you know, he had a few choice words for me. The rhymes were dope, but the extras were They made it hype. First World Lottos Exposed Good on Paper, Shady in Real Life. 8 Mile Drama 2002 1 hr 50 min English audio R CC Buy or rent Rap icon Eminem stars in this semi-autobiographical tale of a white kid struggling in the hip-hop scene of 1995 Detroit. But Marshall didnt wanna give up what he was doing. I havent had the opportunity to wear them as much. And Paul Rosenberg was conducting [audition] battles out and about in the cold. You not on his level.. 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? I remember smoking cigs with Mekhi [Phifer], and were freezing but we gotta be there to listen. Her death was caused by a combination of pneumonia, iron deficiency, and multiple drug intoxication and was officially ruled accidental. It caught me all by surprise. The same week the rapper dropped the Marshall Mathers LP (featuring a photo of Marshalls now-abandoned childhood home), that same house in Detroit caught on fire and caused major damage. Their love story is a little bit different than the one depicted on screen. In hindsight it makes sense, but back then we were bummed. . [7], Stephens' second mixtape, Latto Let 'Em Know, was released in April 2017. We had all been in the scene for a moment. Once I saw the battle scenes assembled, I knew. Jones: Even if you had heard it before, the bars were so complex that you were reacting every time you heard it. From 8 Mile movie. I remember him saying in a magazine interview (I think Vibe magazine), he was doing a ton of pills during 8 mile filming and also around the time of his Encore album. These are the best war movies of all time, The 13 best horror movies on Netflix - scary Netflix films, The 50 best movies on Netflix: this is what to watch, Best Star Wars characters, ranked: 27 to choose from, The 35 best '80s movies: the greatest films of the 1980s, The best 90s movies: fantastic films of the 1990s, ranked. I was fucking terrified: I mean, who the fuck am I to pitch a hip-hop movie to Dr. Dre? Just like Marshall Mathers, B-Rabbit worked odd jobs in order to pay the bills while he was pursuing his music-making dreams to become a rapper. Except for Anthony Mackie, whos, like, from Juilliard. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information/Your California Privacy Rights/Children's Online Privacy Policy are applicable to you. We got together over the weekends before we actually started shooting the scenes, to fine-tune it. That was kind of like, Wait a minute this is a movie moment. Jigga teams up with State Property frontman Freeway for "8 Mile and Runnin'" while Nas's song, "U Wanna Be Me . 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. Marshall Mathers got his rap moniker in a pretty simple way, from his initials, M.M., or more famously, Eminem. Strike: I didnt know anything he was gonna say. Hed done Amores Perros, and thats the kind of kinetic energy and naturalism and realism that Curtis wanted to have in the movie. Fenelon: We wanted the feel of a boxing match, or some kind of underground sporting event. If you ever want to pump yourself up, just play the song. DeShaun Dupree Holton (October 2, 1973 - April 11, 2006), also known as Proof was an American rapper and actor from Detroit, Michigan. B-Rabbits freestyle battle against Lotto. 8 Mile was actually DeAngelos feature film debut. Her mother is white and her biological father is African American. 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.) The Oscars are coming: this is who is in the running, all you have to do is vote A new millennium meant new classic films with these best movies from the 2000s. Silver: The challenge with any sports movie is, whats that last competition gonna be? Detroit. That was stuff people actually used to freestyle over in 95. Or, I should say was.. He is also seen punching B-Rabbit in the stomach during the fight. Prints of the film were sent to cinemas labelled as The Mars Project. Quentin Tarantino was also approached. Maurice Malone (proprietor, the Hip Hop Shop): I get a call from the director, Im thinking this a low-budget movie. Jones: Malik [Barnhardt, who played Free World member Moochie] hated what I was wearing. However, some of the details are a little iffy. In real life, neither Eminem nor his friends ever burned a house down. Infidelity certainly plagued Marshalls real-life relationship with Kim Scott, so its easy to draw parallels. We were freezing our balls off and having so much fun. But being older and watching them now he didn't say anything special. He completely overworked himself and admitted to working 16 hours a day because of how hectic of a year it was for the rapper. Every scene. These kids were in there for two weeks! 2014s Something Wicked was the starlets last movie. How are you gonna win? [33], In May 2019, Latto was arrested for theft when she was mistaken for another woman. Rappers today dont even really battle. In the original script B-Rabbit worked at a hotel carrying rich peoples bags and had a lot of problems with his boss. She released a new single titled "The Biggest", to go with the announcement of her new name. UPDATE: Seth Rogen has revealed that he once auditioned for 8 Mile but ended up not getting the part. But those crazy hours didn't matter because "8 Mile," a film that celebrates its 13th anniversary Nov. 8, was an important . It was cold outside in Detroit. We were going to do a rhyme here but any attempt at rapping would have just been mortifying for everyone, so lets just get on with the list shall we? Those startling battle rap scenes were faithful re-creations of the actual battles Em came through on his way to the top. Rodrigo Prieto has become one of the top five cinematographers working today. Strike: Nobody knew what he was gonna say. Rosenberg: It was all a hundred percent real. After 8 Mile, Mekhi starred as Dr. Gregory Pratt on the medical drama ER from 2002 to 2008. All he wants is to make it in the music business, but the only way he achieves real success is through his rap battle performances, at work, and at The Shelter. Someone would have to talk about what Im wearing or whatever so that I could counter with such-and-such. That instinct, Eminem saysof his will to battle, never goes away.. Ohhhhhhhhh!, Strike: Em said, How you gonna get up here with some shit you wrote in your no. He didnt know what hed be wearing. I sent him a bunch of clothes, a bunch of footage of the parties. Being up there hosting and feeling that energy, it just felt special. Id just stack a few punch lines up and mostly freestyle about the guy in front of me. Rendered in muted blues and grays, obsessively authentic, and boldly understated, the result was, quite possibly, the best rap movie ever made. Jones: Its funny, some of the best times of my life was in the middle of winter in Detroit. But they had me in the VIP entrance to go straight in. Mackie: Im supposed to play a rapper, and there were all these real rappers on set. Lottery payouts are the way lottery winnings are distributed. Whether he is making music or doing drugs, Eminem doesnt mess around; its all or nothing with this guy. The title was only decided on at the end of filming. Tha Free World gang appears briefly for the first time at the beginning of the movie during the cypher at The Shelter when Future's boy . This is the most closely contested battle in the movie, but nonetheless B-Rabbit moved on.