New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Dr. Dre and Eminem recall their first meeting and the origins of their first hit together in a clip from the new HBO documentary, The Defiant Ones. Both remember a sense of awe permeating that initial encounter: For Eminem, it was meeting one of his idols. For Dre, it was seeing his new protégé show up in a bright yellow sweatsuit.
One of the key moments in the series takes place when Dre hits the studio with Eminem for the first time. A teaser from the episode 4 moment is now available online. "I'm looking at Dre like, 'Dude, I see you on TV all the time. You're one of my biggest influences ever, in life,'" says Marshall Mathers.
Dre was also down to get started on what would become Em's debut album, The Slim Shady LP. "I'm like, 'Listen, I think this shit is fuckin' incredible and I'd love to work with you,'" he said. "I had a studio in my house at the time and I went and put some samples together and did a couple of things in the drum machine. I invited him over and I was like, 'I put this sample together. Tell me if you like it.' I hit the drum machine and maybe 2 or 3 seconds went by and he was like, 'Hi, my name is!' My name is!' I was like, 'Yo! Stop! Shit's hot.' That's what happened our first day in the first few minutes of us being in the studio."
That song would become "My Name Is," the lead single off 1999's The Slim Shady LP.
While the docuseries shines a light on Dre's triumphs, it also analyzes his low points. One such moment in "The Defiant Ones" takes place in episode 2, when he discusses the time he infamously assaulted music reporter Dee Barnes, something he deeply regrets.
"Any man that puts his hands on a female is a fuckin' idiot," he said. "He's out of his fuckin' mind. I was out of my fuckin' mind at the time. I fucked up. I paid for it. I'm sorry for it. I apologize for it. I have this dark cloud that follows me and it's gonna be attached to me forever. It's a major blemish on who I am as a man."
Part 3 of "The Defiant Ones" airs tonight at 9 p.m. on HBO.
