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10 Times Eminem Used T-Shirts To Support His Favorite Rappers

Eminem has likely never cared to be a style icon, though he certainly convinced a lot of white teenage boys to bleach their hair in the 2000s. He's also known for his exquisite collection of Air Jordans and Nikes, and had at least a couple of us wearing Shady Ltd. Clothing a couple decades ago. But he was never celebrated for his fashion sense in the same way that so many other rap legends have been.

Still, the Detroit rapper has found a way to use his wardrobe to spread a message. Throughout his career, Eminem has frequently rocked T-shirts calling out other hip-hop icons from across the genre's five-decade timeline. In 2019, he reportedly almost even named his tour the "Rap Shirt Tour." During a stop in Wellington, New Zealand on the eight-show run, he let the crowd know that it was meant to be a teaching moment.

"There's a reason I do this, every single night on stage man," Em said. "Hopefully, some of ya'll might go buy their albums, might go look 'em up. Maybe you don't know who Masta Ace was, or Kool G Rap. I feel like you need to know because what they did for hip-hop is so fucking incredible because they made it go to that next level. These are the rappers that inspired me, man."

While there are dozens of examples of Eminem sporting rapper T-shirts, here are 10 of our favorite instances of him showing love to his peers.

Read our July 2024 Slim Shady vs. Marshall Mathers cover story here.

Tony Yayo Where: GrammysWhen: 2003 Before Eminem made a habit of wearing white and black T-shirts featuring hip-hop album covers, there was this T-shirt that he performed in during the 2003 Grammys. The heather grey tee featured "Free Yayo" written across the chest. At the time, G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo was serving a one-year prison sentence for bail jumping. During a 2022 interview with DJ Vlad, Yayo reflected on the moment saying, "I'm always gonna show him respect and love and salute him." The "Free Yayo" shirt has also resurfaced in 2024. Drake posted a photo on Instagram wearing the piece of hip-hip history. But nothing will ever top Em, arguably the biggest rapper in the world at the time, rocking it on stage at the Grammys back in '03. Slick Rick Where: Reading FestivalWhen: 2013 Eminem may be known for his storytelling, as off-putting as it has been at times, but there is arguably no better storyteller in hip-hip history than Slick Rick. Em decided to show some love to The Ruler, while playing a festival in his home country back in 2013. The white T-shirt featured an iconic photograph of the UK-born rapper taken in 1989 by Janette Beckman to promote the album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. Em has gone on record about the influence that Slick Rick had on him. On the 2020 track "Godzilla," he starts off his second verse rapping, "I'm just a product of Slick Rick." Run DMC Where: Hollywood Walk of FameWhen: 2020 In January 2020, 50 Cent was immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with his own star. Eminem showed up in support of his longtime friend and made sure to shed even more light on rap history with his outfit. His black T-shirt featured an image of Run DMC decked out in their signature Adidas shell toes, Kangol hats, and gold dookie chains. Em's love for the trio is well documented. In 2009, he even inducted them into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "I was only 11 years old when I first heard their hard beats and bold rhymes," said Eminem. "There was something about the big drums and strong raps that grabbed hold of my ears and changed my life." LL Cool J Where: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame InductionWhen: 2021 To celebrate LL Cool J's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, Eminem joined the rap legend on stage to perform one of his biggest songs, "Rock the Bells." For the occasion, Em wore a tee featuring the cover art for LL's "Going Back to Cali" single as he rapped alongside one of his idols. In a 2010 interview on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, Eminem discussed the influence that LL Cool J had on him saying, "Hearing him rap actually made me want to rap. That was what did it for me." Black Sheep Where: Eminem x Rag and Bone Launch PartyWhen: 2018 Eminem isn't always repping the all-time legends. He also shows love to some of hip-hop's best acts that didn't have the same type of longevity. One example of this came in 2018 when he decided to wear a tee with an image of Black Sheep's 1991 debut album, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, to a release party for his collaboration with Rag & Bone. If the name Black Sheep isn't familiar to you, you've definitely heard their most famous song, "The Choice Is Yours." Paris Where: BonnarooWhen: 2018 We'll just be honest, we weren't as familiar with Paris and his 1990 debut album The Devil Made Me Do It as some of the other line items on this list. Paris was a San Francisco-based emcee known for his politically-charged lyrics. The messaging was deemed too controversial by some. The video for the album's title track was banned by MTV. Now we know. Eminem's master plan was to teach the masses some hip-hop history with his T-shirts. It worked. N.W.A. Where: Austin City LimitsWhen: 2014 Of course, Em's T-shirt collection includes a nod to his mentor, Dr. Dre. At Austin City Limits 2014, Eminem hit the stage representing the iconic West Coast group that helped bring gangsta rap to the mainstream. His white tank top featured the iconic image of Ice Cube, MC Ren, Eazy E, Yella, and Dr. Dre. Considering the group was what put Dre on the map back in the '90s, the Eminem that we all know may not have ever come to fruition without N.W.A. In 2015, Ice Cube tweeted about the influence that the West Coast quintet had on the Detroit emcee's signature edgy raps. "We let the world know that you can be just as famous doing it hard and rough and taboo and dirty, and all the stuff they call our music and our art," Cube wrote. "We just wanted to be ourselves — that opened up a door for artists like Eminem, for people to produce things like South Park, where it's raw and edgy." Eric B & Rakim Where: MTV Movie AwardsWhen: 2014 When Eminem hit the stage at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards with Rihanna to perform one of his biggest commercial hits, "Monster," he made sure to show love to two hip-hop legends. The white T-shirt under his olive green bomber jacket featured an image of Eric B and Rakim. The duo has had a big inspiration for Eminem. His tracks "The Way I Am" and "I'm Back" interpolate two tracks from Paid in Full "As the Rhyme Goes on" and "My Melody," respectively. "When people make these [greatest of all time] lists, he's always on the list. He's also always on my list," said Eminem on an episode of Crook's Corner in 2021 when speaking about Rakim. "He single-handedly pushed the genre forward to be more complex lyrically." 50 Cent Where: Final Lap TourWhen: 2023 Eminem decided to pull up to the Detroit stop of 50 Cent's "Final Lap" tour in 2023. When Em hit the stage, he made sure he was showing love to the artist that he helped mentor so many decades ago. The white T-shirt featured an image of 50 Cent's classic debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The bond between Em and 50 is no secret. The two of them have also appeared on numerous records over the years including "Patiently Waiting" and "You Don't Know." In a 2023 interview with XXL, 50 Cent spoke about the impact that Eminem had had on him and his career. "He was always a place where I could go and just talk to him, and know that he has my best interest at heart," said 50 Cent. "I would gather whatever I felt like was dope and then I'd come and just press play and I'd watch him. If I didn't get no response out of him, I would really scrap the record." Redman Where: N/AWhen: 2023 Eminem has always held Redman in high regard. Remember the line in "Till I Collapse" where he raps, "I got a list, here's the order of my list that it's in/It goes: Reggie, Jay-Z, 2Pac and Biggie/André from OutKast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas, and then me." That "Reggie" he is crowning with the top spot is Reggie Noble, better known by his stage name, Redman. Em's particular shirt in this 2023 photo features Redman's fourth studio album Doc's Da Name 2000. Em hasn't just been vocal about his admiration for Redman on songs. In an interview with Zane Lowe in 2020 he said, "Redman was, to me, one of the most consistent artists. Still rapping to this day, he's one of the most consistently dope rappers."

Eminem Ends Taylor Swift's Blockbuster Billboard Reign

It turns out that Eminem's The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) was indeed aptly named. In a coup of his own, the rapper has dethroned Taylor Swift for the number one spot on the Billboard 200 album chart. The Tortured Poets Department debuted at number one and stayed in the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks. She surpassed the record set by Whitney Houston for her self-titled album, which held the title after debuting for 11 weeks. Swift fell just short of the record set by Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life, which debuted at number one and held the spot for 13 weeks, according to Forbes. 

The accomplishment marks Eminem's 11th number one album. Per Billboard, he's now tied for fifth-most number one albums with Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, and Ye (Kanye West). The Beatles still hold the number one spot for number ones (19), followed by Jay-Z and Taylor Swift (14), and Drake (13). 

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 albums this week are K-Pop group ENHYPHEN's Romance: Untold debuting at number two, and Zach Bryan's The Great American Bar Scene at number three. TTPD fell to number four, followed by Morgan Wallen's One Thing At A Time, Billie Eilish's Hit Me Hard And Soft, Chappell Roan's The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, Clairo's Charm (debuting at number 8, her highest-charting album), Megan Moroney's Am I Okay (also her highest-charting album to date), and Noah Kahn's Stick Season. 

Over the weekend, Swift—who has broken all sorts of records, some significant and some obscure—shared photos from her latest Eras Tour stop in Germany on Instagram with an extra note of gratitude for TTPD's success. "I also wanted to say to everyone who's supported The Tortured Poets Department, I am completely blown away by what you've done—it stayed at #1 for the first 12 weeks of its release and that's never happened to an album of mine before, not even close!!" she wrote in part. "You're just the greatest."

Twice Wraps Up World Tour, Draws 1.5M Fans

1 of 4Twice has finished its world tour. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPILicense Photo

July 30 (UPI) -- K-pop girl group Twice has successfully concluded its fifth world tour, drawing a total of 1.5 million fans worldwide over the past year and three months, the group's agency said Tuesday.

The tour, which kicked off in Seoul in April 2023, spanned across Japan, Australia, the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany and other Asian countries.

The group performed 51 shows in 27 regions worldwide during the tour, according to JYP Entertainment.

The final performances were held at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, on Saturday and Sunday, where the group drew a total crowd of 140,000. This achievement made Twice the third K-pop act and the first female foreign artist to hold individual concerts at the iconic venue, JYP said.

Twice expressed its gratitude to its fans, known as ONCE, for their unwavering support throughout the tour.

"Thanks to the nine members and ONCE, we were able to reach our dream stage, Nissan Stadium," the group said at the end of the final concert in Yokohama. "We will continue to work hard and look forward to the day we can meet you again."

Twice has secured five top-10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, including the No. 1 release earlier this year, With YOU-th.

The nine-member girl group also has 24 music videos with more than 100 million views each, the most by any girl group.

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