However divisive his more recent albums may be, there’s no denying Eminem’s technical prowess as a rapper. He’s still unparalleled when it comes to internal rhyming, knows his way around a phrase, and—as exhibited in his final verse on the Juice WRLD collab “Godzilla”—can spit rapid-fire verses faster than ever.
But it looks like his own words may have some competition in the speed department. Enter jazz vocalist Elise Roth, who’s reimagined the first verse of Em’s Oscar-winning 8 Mile anthem “Lose Yourself” in the style of a 1940s race announcer. She’s even got the ensemble to match: fedora, vest, vintage Shure Brothers microphone, and a cigarette hanging off the side of her lip. The audio would fit easily over footage of Seabiscuit, especially if Seabiscuit’s name was Rabbit and he ate Mom’s spaghetti instead of oats.
Scrolling through Roth’s YouTube channel, it seems she has a penchant for mashing up rap music with old-timey aesthetics. She also put a medieval spin on “WAP” (retitled “Well-Armed Peasants”).
In other Shady-related news, Eminem surprise-dropped a deluxe edition of this year’s underrated Music To Be Murdered By just this morning, outfitted with 16(!) new tracks. As far as we can tell, there are no songs about horses.
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