Eminem popped up for a rare appearance on the Clubhouse app over the weekend in support of his latest endeavor ShadyCon. Alongside longtime manager Paul Rosenberg and DJ Whoo Kid, Eminem wound up talking about his vast collection of memorabilia.
“I’ve been collecting since I was a kid, everything from comic books to baseball cards to toys, as well as every rap album on cassette I could get my hands on,” Em shared in a statement prior to the Clubhouse event. “Not much has changed for me as an adult.”
Once in the Clubhouse room, Eminem was asked to expound on the topic and he happily obliged, but one particular piece of memorabilia stood out — a unopened cassette tape of Nas’ classic debut Illmatic, which Eminem said he bought for around $500 or $600.
“I think it’s backstock from what records stores had in the back storage,” he explained. “The tapes that never sold and they just kept them. That’s the only thing I can think of. Cause nobody’s going to have a fucking Illmatic tape and not open it.”
Along with NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway, Eminem officially stepped into the non-fungible token (NFT) game with ShadyCon on Sunday (April 25), just a few weeks after Saturday Night Live used his song “Without Me” to try to explain what exactly they are.
For Eminem’s particular event, some of his original instrumental beats were up for grabs as well as Eminem comics and action figures. The virtual figurines include three different personas of the multi-platinum MC: Eminem, Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady.
“I’ve attempted to re-create some of those collections from that time in my life and I know I’m not alone,” he said. “I wanted to give this drop the same vibe of, ‘Oh, man I gotta get just that one or maybe even the whole set!’ It’s been a lot of fun coming up with ideas from my own collecting passion.”
As explained on Eminem’s website, ShadyCon was “born from the convergence of blockchain technology, creative enthusiasm, and pandemic doldrums, this drop was inspired by Eminem’s passion as a vintage toy, comic book and trading card collector that traces back to his childhood days as just ‘plain old Marshall.’
“Make no mistake, this is a digital festival…but it’s modeled after the traditional ‘Con’ gatherings where fans come together and trade their wares. You may not be able to get together with thousands of Stans in a poorly ventilated convention center somewhere on the outskirts of 8 Mile Rd., but this weekend you can rub elbows with each other on Nifty Gateway and own a piece of the collectible, non-fungible action!”
