Eminem Books Three Nights on Kimmel, "Relapse" Radio Special

David Letterman nabbed U2 for a week-long residency on his show in March, and now Jimmy Kimmel's getting one of rap's biggest and most reclusive stars to hype up his late-night program. Nine-time Grammy winner Eminem, who releases his new LP, Relapse, on May 19th, will be performing (albeit in pre-taped fashion) on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 15th. According to a press release, the rapper will be debuting new material from the album, his first in four years. The following week, Eminem will be back for two more appearances, booked for May 19th and May 22nd, when Em will perform two tracks live from Detroit.

In related news, more information is surfacing regarding some of the special guest appearances we might expect on Em's new one. According to NME, one of the more unusual guest spots comes from Dominic West, the actor best known for his role as sullen detective Jimmy McNulty in HBO's defunct cop drama The Wire.

West appears in the album's opening skit, called "Dr. West," as a doctor who discharges Eminem from a rehabilitation clinic. Of course, West's medicine man tries to facilitate the rapper's relapse, by advising him to "take a drink" to "take the edge off" if he finds himself tempted by booze outside of recovery.

On Thursday, Sirius XM announced that it would be airing a three-hour with Eminem called "Shade 45 Presents...Eminem: The Prelapse Special." It will air May 15th at 8:00 p.m. on Sirius channel Shade 45, and, according to a press release, Em will take listeners on a guided tour through the making of his album, and will give a track-by-track analysis of the record.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter