For whatever reason, the fact that we almost got a Rakim and Dr. Dre album has been hitting harder these days — perhaps the legendary emcee has been feeling the same way. Today, Rakim linked up with KXNG Crooked for an extensive episode of Crook’s Corner, and it didn’t take long for the fabled project to come up. 

“Everybody want to know, how was your time on Aftermath, man?” asks Crook. “It was ill, man,” replies The God Emcee. “I learned a lot sitting with Dre and being around for that little bit of time. Being in Cali too. I lived in Cali for three years. Dre, still one of the best producers ever. I was about to do a deal with Dreamworks, and one of the people called Dre up [for some beats]. Long story short, Dre called me and was like, ‘If you’re about to sign, sign with me directly.” 

“Me and Dre spoke, and we had an idea of what we wanted to do,” he continues. “He knew there was big expectations on it, I knew there would be big expectations on it. I knew Dre would bring the best out of me. Dre knew he had to make some spectacular shit. I think what we didn’t realize is we were so different. Even our process. Dre already has his formula that worked with everything he did. I was growing from what I been through, trying to leave a lot of stereotypical things that people assumed about me and what I was doing behind.”

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“Everybody thought I was selling cocaine,” says Rakim. “They see you in the hood, dressed a certain way, and they think Ra selling drugs…It definitely affected me for a while, everybody thinking I’m a drug dealer. I don’t get down like that. I was trying to leave the negativity behind and make good music. Dre, that’s his ingredient. Of course he wanted me to talk about what I’ve been through, and I was over that. That was our misunderstanding. We couldn’t really get on the same page. I think if we could have balanced it out, we could have made an incredible album. Again man, Dre — I don’t know if he ever missed.”

“I think we knew what it could have been, but again he was dealing with some things in his camp and the stars didn’t align. That would have been a crazy album,” says Rakim. Crooked brings up “The Watcher 2,” sparking a wave of nostalgia in both parties. “I remember when I first started working with him he gave me a couple of his producers to work with til he moved some things out the way to get in the studio with me. I told him, I had no problem working with them, but how do you tell a person I’m saving my best shit for you, bruh? When I hear a Dre beat…I knew I had to step my game up.” 

While the fabled Dre and Rakim album never came to fruition, perhaps there is still hope. Rakim took a moment to address Dre directly, inviting the good Doctor to reconnect for a bucket list project. “Whatup baby!” says Ra, sending his message into the ether. “Let’s get back at it man. I don’t want to hang my mic up and look back like there’s some things I should have did or could have did and never did, and that’s one of them. I always wonder how that would have turned out. Blessings.”

It’s official —  Eminem has officially sat down with KXNG Crooked for a conversation on Crook’s Corner. The opening moments find the two lyricists nerding out over each other’s bars, with Em marveling at Crook’s “Abraham Lincoln” scheme and Crook returning the favor with Em’s “Ohio/Since-An-Addy” scheme. As the conversation progresses, Em reveals that Dre originally sent him a link to Alfred Hitchock’s original Music To Be Murdered By record, which Em proceeded to use as the inspiration for his own project. He even confirms that there were a few moments that had to be cut over sample clearance issues, leaving us all wondering whether a deluxe version is indeed in the cards.

Despite being an elite emcee, Em tells Crooked that he and Royce make “untoppable” verses. “I can only hope to tie at best,” marvels Em, reflecting on Crook’s scheme from “Our House.” “Being able to keep it going is something the average listens might not understand,” explains Em. “Some people might not catch the syllables.” On that note, he reveals that he first discovered Young M.A. through “OUUUU,” and proceeded to keep a watchful eye on her trajectory. “She carried herself like a star. Charisma, but she also had the bars. She’s really got bars. I just went down the wormhole.”

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On Black Thought, Em explains that he never quite felt he had the right song to send the legendary Roots lyricist. Breaking down the process of “Yah Yah,” Em reveals that Q-Tip‘s “my era” hook might be enough to lure Black Thought into the fold. “I hit him up through Royce, asked Royce to send him the track. His Funk Flex freestyle was…Oh My God. It’s what we love about this music. Especially as a competitive rapper — It’s inspiring to hear that shit, but it also gets you like aw fuck. It gives you anxiety and it pumps you up at the same time.”

Marveling at how his career has led him to meet many childhood idols, Em remembers driving around with LL Cool J, showing him Relapse in its entirety. “Before he got out the truck I was like yo man, I just want to say what you mean to me,” reflects Em. “I’m a Stan of you.” One has to wonder how LL Cool J reacted to “Stay Wide Awake.” Later, Em maintains that he thoroughly enjoyed watching J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar rise to greatness, confirming that he does indeed keep an eye on the game at large. “All the new shit, I try to stay up on,” he says. “Whose doing what. Flow patterns. Like DaBaby — I never know where his rhymes are gonna land. That shit is so interesting to me cause he does it so well.”

Without saying his name, Crook inquires about Lord Jamar’s infamous “guest in the house” of hip-hop accusation. “I don’t know if I’ve got a chance to say this yet, but the funny shit is with the whole beef with a certain person, I never said I wasn’t a guest,” responds Em. “I’m absolutely a guest. I never said I wasn’t. I never said I was king of anything…I never want to be the king of hip-hop. Who the fuck is the king of hip-hop?” Bringing things full circle, Em claims that he judges hip-hop greatness through lyricism above all. 

Check out the full interview below — plenty of gems to be found here. 

Following a standout collaboration on the gold-certified Music To Be Murdered By, Eminem and KXNG Crooked will be reuniting once again -- albeit in a different capacity together. This Friday Slim is set to sit down for a conversation on Crook's Corner, marking his first major interview since 2018's four-part Kamikaze talk with Sway Calloway and his lengthy conversation with LL Cool J on Rock The Bells Radio. 
 

In many ways, Crook's Corner is the perfect platform for Eminem. A place for two rap nerds to discuss the craft free from ulterior motives. It's clear that Crook holds Em in high regard, having defended his honor during the infamous Joe Budden beef, and the pair have been steadily building on their collaborations. Following "I Will," we've already seen songs like "Loud Noises," "Session One" "Psychopath Killer," and "Our House" showcase their chemistry on wax.

As of this moment it's unclear as to what the interview will cover, but fans of both artists and hip-hop as an artistic medium will likely want to catch this one on Friday. As far as technical ability is concerned, Eminem and Crook are elite in every category, ranging from flow to punchlines -- it should be interesting to hear their thoughts on the current state of the game. It's going to be a big day for Slaughterhouse fans, who can check this out before or after peeping that new Royce Da 5'9" album The Allegory, on which Crooked himself is set to appear.