Eminem has managed the type of career that will be studied by both music fans and scholars for decades to come. His demeanor, lyrical content — and especially his longevity — all make him a titan of Hip-Hop. While all of his material seems to have been examined extensively, there are guest verses that even his most ardent Stans might not be aware of. We're certainly not saying these are never-before-heard tracks, we mean to say these are Eminem guest verses that might not have been on your radar before now. Enjoy a trip down memory lane with some of his absolute best hidden gems.
DJ Spinna featuring Thirstin Howl III & Eminem "Watch Dees"
DJ Spinna's early work with Rawkus Records is severely underrated. Pulled from his Heavy Beats Volume 1 compilation — which also featured an early Rawkus appearance for Talib Kweli — he scored an Eminem verse before he dropped The Slim Shady LP.
Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap featuring Eminem & Dr. Dre "If I get Locked Up"
In a pre-Napster era of music, if you didn't have Funkmaster Flex' The Tunnel, you wouldn't have ever heard this song because it didn't get national radio attention. While Em primarily rocked over Dre beats in his early years, he sounded just as phenomenal over Rockwilder production.
Shabaam Sahdeeq featuring Kwest Tha Madd Lad, A.L. Skam & Eminem "5 Star Generals"
Recorded at DJ Spinna's Thingamajig Lab — which was inside his Brooklyn basement — it's another example of Eminem providing a verse for a Rawkus-affiliated artist.
Soul Intent "Unrealistically Graphic"
When he was still a high schooler in Detroit, Eminem — then spelling his name M&M like the candy — formed Soul Intent with Chaos Kid. "Unrealistically Graphic” is from 1992’s Still in the Bassmint which serves as some of Eminem's earliest recordings that can be found on the internet. Unfortunately, Chaos Kid committed suicide in 2011.
OldWorlDisorder featuring Eminem & Skam "3hree6ix5ive"
On Eminem's ode to rap fanaticism, "Stan," he raps, "I even got the underground shit you did with Skam" — referencing his early work with the Miami-based artist. Written on the record is "Eminem appears courtesy of WEB Entertainment," which if you remember from this pre-fame Eminem press release, was the production company Eminem was signed to before meeting Paul Rosenberg.
The Anonymous featuring Eminem "Green and Gold"
A year before Eminem released his debut, he partnered on Good Vibe Recordings "Green and Gold" with trio The Anonymous (Vesuveo, Able, and Zinndeadly)
As Vesuveo tells it, he met Eminem's manager on the Venice Beach boardwalk where he would set up a makeshift booth to hawk his music wares. They hooked up a few weeks later when Em was in town for the Rap Olympics.
"He came to my studio at the Villa to record," he said. "We only had a few hours to finish it so we were ready with a few options for him. He picked a new beat of Zinn’s while Able and I adapted a hook, verses, and concept we’d already recorded as a duet to another beat. Em spent about two hours penning his verse and not long to lay it to tape. The song dropped a few weeks before his major label debut, and climbed to #9 on the US Rap radio charts. We had a music video planned but the day of the shoot Dr. Dre squashed it because he didn’t want anything taking eyeballs away from Em’s debut."
Outsidaz featuring Eminem "Rush Ya Clique"
Eminem never shied away from shouting out his early click, Outsidaz, who were comprised of himself, Pacewon, and Young Zee. On their debut EP, Night Life, Eminem gets the only guest verse.
Masta Ace featuring Eminem and J-Black "Hellbound"
Game Over was an ahead of its time compilation where all of the beats were built around video game samples. The standout track, "Hellbound" is a perfect representation of why Eminem credits Masta Ace for a lot of what makes up his style.
Indigenous Tribe featuring Eminem "Drastic Measures (Microphone Autopsy)
Indigenous Tribe was also an underground Detroit act. As Eminem was garnering attention attention at regional events like the Rap Olympics and Scribble Jam, he provided the third verse on "Drastic Measures." Of note, Eminem takes a shot at fellow MC Cage who he famously dissed on “Role Model” off The Slim Shady LP.
Da Ruckus featuring Eminem "We Shine"
Utilizing a Preemo-esque vocal scratch from Jeru the Damaja's "Come Clean," Eminem partnered with Da Ruckus — who were made up of Detroit MC's Hush and Uncle ILL — for a Federation Records release.
The Madd Rapper featuring Eminem "Stir Crazy"
For those of you opining for the days when Eminem and Kanye West will link up, it actually already happened on the song "Stir Crazy" from the Madd Rapper (a.k.a. Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie from Puff Daddy’s Hitmen squad).