Eminem‘s major-label debut single, “My Name Is,” turned 25 this week, so in honor of the occasion, he provided facts about the song’s origin and its music video via the latest installment of Vevo’s Footnotes.
The track was the second song recorded during his first studio session with Dr. Dre. He specifically recorded the “Hi, my name is” line over a little snippet while Dre recreated Labi Siffre‘s song “I Got The…” to make the beat. Later that night, Em returned to his LA apartment and “wrote some dummy verses” that he and Dre believed “would be a good way to introduce me to the world.”
The video for “My Name Is” was shot months after recording the song and “was the first big budget thing I had ever done.”
“It was such a big deal to experience a soundstage, a full crew, and all the things that come with shooting something at that scale,” Eminem shared. “It was such a huge learning curve to see what a big Hollywood production looked like.”
He credited the vision to Dre and Phil Atwell, who would later work on music videos for “The Real Slim Shady,” “Stan,” “Lose Yourself” and “Just Lose It.” He also denied the rumor that he was high on ecstasy in the scene where he dressed up as Bill Clinton.
In hindsight, Em says “My Name Is” “seems like the perfect introduction to the world, and a perfect first single for my major label debut.”
He continued, “I don’t think I would have done it any differently, but I certainly had no idea how big it was going to become.”
“My Name Is” peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Eminem his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
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