In the latest episode of Paul Rosenberg’s Paul Pod: Curtain Call 2 podcast, released on Thursday, the former president of Def Jam Recordings and longtime manager of Eminem revealed how he became increasingly concerned after the “8 Mile” rapper was hospitalized following an overdose on methadone in 2007. The situation appeared to have been so bad that Rosenberg feared Eminem may have even suffered from brain damage.
Slim Shady himself appeared on the podcast alongside his manager to discuss the events that followed after his overdose, which were severe enough that the Detroit native needed to “relearn” how to drive a car and rap. “It took a long time for my brain to start working again,” he told Rosenberg, before the latter added, “I mean, you literally were coming off of an overdose and they had to sort of stabilizing you with a few medications. And some of them took you a minute to adjust to – let’s just leave it at that.”
Paul @Rosenberg ‘s guest on this week’s episode of his podcast, PAUL POD is @eminem himself! Check out part 1 of the 2 hour interview tonight on @shade45 9PM EST and following on all podcast platforms way past midnight! pic.twitter.com/5u9lJd3kL9
— Doc Hicks Hip-Hop News (@dochickstv) September 7, 2022
The drug overdose had affected Eminem to the extent that writing rap lyrics no longer came at ease for the 49-year-old, who remains one of the best-selling Hip Hop artists of all time. When he commenced work on new music, it was also challenging for him, considering Em was no longer under the influence of substances. “Because it’s the first time probably you were creating without having substances in your body in however many years, right?” Rosenberg asked, adding that he had to ask doctors after Em’s release whether he had suffered any brain damage from the overdose. “I thought you might have some permanent problems. Yeah, I was concerned, for sure.”
Back in 2010, Eminem spoke candidly about the ordeal which had left him in a dire state as the Grammy winner was also said to have struggled with prescription sleeping medication. He later began working on his sixth album, “Relapse,” following a four-year hiatus while dealing with his addiction — but even while recording this project, Eminem said he had given into temptation and was no longer sober while working on the album.
Listening to this new Paul Rosenberg/Eminem interview and it’s like Eminem doesn’t realize he’s Eminem. Lol Humble AF. #PaulPod
— Matt Moon 👻 (@MattMoon500) September 8, 2022
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Needless to say, though, it was after the release of “Relapse” that the “Beautiful” hitmaker decided he wanted a clean start. “I had to learn to write and rap again, and I had to do it sober and 100 percent clean,” he told MTV in 2010. “That didn’t feel good at first … I mean it in the literal sense. I actually had to learn how to say my lyrics again; how to phrase them, make them flow, how to use force so they sounded like I meant them.
“Rapping wasn’t like riding a bike. It was [as much] physical as mental. I was relearning basic motor skills. I couldn’t control my hand shakes. I’d get in the [recording] booth and tried to rap, and none of it was clever, none was witty and I wasn’t saying it right.”