Eminem created ‘My Name Is’ in mere seconds after Dr. Dre hit the drum machine during their initial studio session together.
In footage shared by Dr. Dre, Eminem’s rapid-fire rapping is remarkable, and the producer, whose full name is Andre Romell Young, disclosed that it took Slim Shady almost no time to craft one of his iconic tracks.
The Netflix documentary The Defiant Ones, a four-part series exploring Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre’s monumental influence on music, features Eminem reflecting on Dre as one of the ‘biggest influencers ever in life’.
Dr. Dre reminisced about their first studio collaboration, noting how Eminem walked in wearing a ‘bright yellow f**king sweatsuit’.
“I went and I put some samples together, did a couple of things in the drum machine, and I invited him over,” Dre recounted.
“I was like, ‘Man, listen. I put this sample together. Tell me if you like it.’ And I hit the drum machine.”
Within ‘maybe two or three seconds’, Dre said Eminem immediately started with: “Hi! My name is…my name is…”‘
“That’s what happened our first day in the first few minutes of us being in the studio,” Dr. Dre added.
And thus, a hit was born.
The former NWA member signed Eminem to Aftermath Entertainment and produced his debut album, The Slim Shady LP.
Since then, Dr. Dre and Eminem have collaborated on numerous tracks, including ‘Forgot About Dre’, ‘Guilty Conscience’, ‘I Need A Doctor’, and ‘Say What You Say’.
Before their meeting, Dr. Dre admitted he had no idea Eminem was white.
Speaking at Eminem’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2022, Dr. Dre recalled: “Over 20 years ago, Jimmy Lovine played a demo tape for me from a guy who called himself Eminem.
“The first thing I said when I heard it was, ‘What the f**k did he just say?’ I loved it so much, I couldn’t stop listening to it.”
“A few days later, Jimmy called me and said, ‘Hey Dre, you know that’s a white guy, right?’ That completely f**ked me up… it didn’t even cross my mind.”
He continued: “Each of us was exactly what the other one needed – and I was willing to bet my entire career on it.”
It’s clear that Dr. Dre’s gamble paid off tremendously.