Book of Rhymes

About this song

The track was produced by IllaDaProducer, a frequent Eminem collaborator, and features scratches from DJ Premier, known for his work on Nas' 'N.Y. State of Mind' and Biggie's 'Ten Crack Commandments'. It is the fifth track on the B-Side Deluxe edition of Music to Be Murdered By. The song plays off the title of the Alchemist-produced 'Book of Rhymes' on Nas' God's Son, and it appears to contain a sample of that Nas song near the end, in the DJ Premier mixing section. The hook directly references the opening of Eminem's verse on Lil Wayne's 'Drop the World'.

What it's about

Eminem raps about getting his thoughts out of his head and onto the page, and about having more to give in rap. He touches on the effect of the internet and on people thinking he has gone off the rails, with a few nods to his ex-wife Kim.

Fun facts

• Samples “The World Is Yours by Nas” and “Talk Shit Like a Preacher by Future”.
• Sampled in 2 other songs, like “Nothing by TheLad”.
• Written by Eminem, DJ Premier, IllaDaProducer, Luis Resto, Nas and Future.
• Produced by Eminem, IllaDaProducer and Luis Resto.
• Recorded at Effigy Studios in Detroit.