Eminem is taking a walk down memory lane.
More than 25 years after the premiere of “My Name Is,” the Detroit-born rapper reflected on the hit single and shared some interesting tidbits about its official video. Directed by Phillip Atwell, the visual marked Em’s first major-label visual and the second video he had ever done.
“We shot this video a few months after recording the song…” he said in a recent installment of Vevo Footnotes. “This video was the first big budget thing I had ever done. It was such a big deal to experience a soundstage, a film crew, and all the things that come with shooting something at that scale. It was such a huge learning curve to see what a big Hollywood production looked like.”
Em also took some time to debunk a longstanding theory about the video and how he might’ve been under the influence while portraying a former president.
“If you look closely at my eyes during the scene where I was dressed like Bill Clinton, it may look like I was high on ecstasy during that part of the shoot… but that’s just a rumor,” he said.
Related Stories
Dr. Dre and Eminem Look Back on Their First Studio Session and the Creation of "My Name Is"
Eminem and Dr. Dre look back on the creation of the 1999 hit "My Name Is."
Riz Ahmed Accidentally Recorded Eminem's "My Name Is" Over His Parent's Wedding VHS
"They didn’t know until now, so hopefully they don’t watch this," Ahmed joked on 'The Late Late Show.' "Mommy, Baba, I’m really sorry, it’s Eminem’s fault."
Eminem Annotates "My Name Is," "Lose Yourself," "Rap God," and More
Em breaks down how some of his biggest songs came together.
Eminem credited Atwell and Dr. Dre for creating the “vision,” and said it was hard to “imagine the song existing without that video.” He also said the song was “like a perfect introduction to the world, and a perfect first single for [his] major label debut.”
“I don’t think I would have done it any differently, but I certainly had no idea how big it would become,” he continued. “I don’t think I could write an update in 2024, but I’ll have them write ‘Bye, My Name Was’ on my tombstone.”
You can check out all of Em’s footnotes in the video above.
