Eminem & D12 Go Off During A 25-Minute Previously Unreleased 2004 Cypher (Audio)
Tim Westwood continues his Throwback Thursday series with the release of an epic 25-minute cypher featuring Eminem, D12 and Stat Quo. While portions of the freestyle have surfaced over the years, this is the first time the entire session is being released in full.
Featuring Eminem, Proof, Swifty McVay and Stat Quo, the cypher finds the MCs passing the mic around generously, with each taking multiple turns. The beat selection is on point and liberal, as well, with the DJ dropping records by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Lil Kim, Scarface, The Notorious B.I.G. and many more. Unlike several of the freestyles in Westwood’s series, where MCs spit verses that later surface on future releases, the vast majority of this session is truly off the top. Bound by the restraints of radio regulations, a fair amount of the rhymes, particularly from Em, are tongue-in-cheek direct references to their inability to curse…though they still flow liberally.
Recorded in 2004, when Eminem’s album Encore was released, in many ways, the cypher session sounds like what it must have been like to be in the studio with the crew, late night, when the recording equipment was turned off and the MCs were rhyming just for the love of it.
Related: Eminem & Proof’s Legendary 1999 Freestyle Is Re-Released In Its Entirety (Video)