Eminem recently opened up about the artists who shaped him long before he became one of rap's biggest names. Looking back at his childhood, the Detroit rapper traced his love of rap music to records he played endlessly and techniques he later studied closely. 

LL COOL J provided the first spark, while artists such as Rakim, Kool G Rap and Redman showed him how far rhyme and delivery could be pushed. His memories reveal a young rapper who listened, copied, practiced and gradually found a voice of his own.

LL COOL J Sets the Spark

During SiriusXM Shade 45's *Back to School (Da Ol' Skool Way)* special, hosted by D-Stroy, Eminem credited LL COOL J with making him want to rap. LL's 1985 album *Radio* became his first complete rap album on cassette after he received it for Christmas at age 11.

Eminem said LL COOL J was the artist who first made him want to rap. The cassette rarely got a break. Eminem remembered playing *Radio* from front to back repeatedly, then taking a boombox outside and performing the songs as cars drove past, immersing himself in the hip hop culture that was shaping his ambitions.

Hearing "I'm BAD" at 13 pushed things further. The track inspired one of his first raps, which Eminem admitted sounded a lot like LL COOL J. Years later, he would credit the rapper with teaching him "everything to do with music".

Decoding Complex Rhymes

Other artists soon showed Eminem another side of rap music. Rakim caught his attention with multisyllabic rhymes that sounded noticeably more complex, even though a young Eminem initially struggled to understand exactly why. Kool G Rap offered another lesson. Eminem admired how he could rhyme inside a line and then return to the rhyme he had started with, adding another layer to the structure.

Figuring it out required practice. Eminem began writing words and groups of rhyming phrases on paper, working through them until the connections between three, four or even five syllables started making sense. Detroit's underground scene also became part of that education, giving him room to develop like an independent rapper learning through practice while he absorbed ideas from different corners of hip hop music.

Redman Shatters the Rules

Redman changed Eminem's thinking again when *Whut? Thee Album* arrived in 1992. Eminem described the debut as a classic, praising its different sound along with Redman's deep voice and captivating delivery.

More important was the wordplay. Redman demonstrated that words that did not naturally rhyme could still be pulled together through pronunciation and enunciation. Eminem recalled feeling as though the usual rules no longer applied.

That discovery opened what he called a whole new world. Rather than simply following established rhyme patterns, he realized language itself could be stretched and reshaped, an approach that would eventually become a recognizable part of his own hip hop music style.

The Full-Circle Evolution

Years later, Eminem found himself on the opposite side of that relationship. Following the release of *The Slim Shady LP*, he began noticing newer rappers adopting elements of the style he had developed. He said it surprised him to realize that other artists were starting to sound like him, describing the experience as remarkable.

No new rap collaboration was being announced during the conversation. What emerged instead was a picture of influence passing through hip hop culture from one generation to another, with Eminem going from a kid studying his heroes to an artist other rappers would study themselves.