Meeting Marshall Mathers: The Relapse Era

Chapter 34

For the next 6 months Eminem was constantly in the studio, working to get the album finished and now his part was done and the release date was set and announced to the world, now it was left to the sound engineers and so on to finally polish it up.

Despite the leak two months before Marshall had released the release dates, his new single "Crack a Bottle" was eventually released for legal paid digital download as well as a promotional single on February 2, 2009, and also reached the number one position on the US Billboard Hot 100. Paul also announced that the video for the song had been produced and directed by Syndrome and was released in several parts of the world from May to early June. At the time of his freestyle The Relapse, various contradicting reports disputed whether the song would be included on Relapse, but a press release from head label Universal Music Group confirmed the single's inclusion on the album. In similar press statements after March 5, Universal made public the regional release dates for Relapse: as early as May 15, 2009 in Italy and the Netherlands, most other European countries and Brazil on May 18, and the following day in the United States and Australia. Additionally, the record label also announced a second album called Relapse 2, Eminem explained that he and Dr. Dre had recorded a considerable amount of music and by releasing two albums, would allow listeners to have access to all of his music.

After the release of "Crack a Bottle" the music video of the single "We Made You" was aired on April 7. On April 28, the third overall single for the album 3 a.m. was released again for paid music download. A music video for "3 a.m." was directed by Syndrome and filmed in Detroit. It premiered on May 2 on Cinemax, several days after a trailer for the video was posted online.
Two more singles were distributed prior to the album's release, as "Old Time's Sake" and "Beautiful" went on sale on the iTunes Store on May 5 and May 12 respectively. "My Darling" and "Careful What You Wish For" were made available upon purchase of the Premium version of the album. The track "Insane" peaked at position 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on the album's release via iTunes.

On April 4, 2009, CBS featured Eminem during the network's coverage of the 2009 NCAA Final Four in a segment where he recited the message "Love Letter to Detroit". Later on the same day, he was inducted the hip hop group Run-D.M.C. to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He then appeared on the covers of hip hop magazines Vibe and XXL in their respective issues in June 2009, the latter was created by a deal struck with Eminem and Marvel Comics, where he would pose as Marvel's main vigilante The Punisher. Marvel created an issue of the comic co-starring himself.

I'd supported Marshall through his release of the most anticipated album for this year and he'd been so busy flying around for press and performances that I'd actually not seen him for a good couple of months on and off. I'd been on the up and up with my modelling and my fashion, so much so that I was going to my own red carpet events and rubbing shoulders with the best in the business.
The world had gone Eminem crazy, and literally he was everywhere I looked or in anything that I read on the Internet or in the papers and magazines, it was chaos everywhere he went so I chose more often than not to let him go places by himself, I couldn't handle all the mayhem it was pure bonkers.

I was getting ready to meet Marshall after an interview he was doing in his own studio and I was parked up waiting for the journalist to leave, the last thing I could be fucked with was being stopped for a chat.

I watched the unknown face leave with a briefcase type bag and then turned off my engine and got out. I flicked my hair and locked my car as I made my way into Effigy Studios,

"Afternoon" Marshall's loyal bodyguard Big Sam let me in to the room,

"Fuck, hey" Marshall spun around from the mixer in his big chair with a huge smile on his face, it felt so good to see him,