Hip hop legend The D.O.C. reflects on hearing Eminem for the first time: “This motherfucker’s off the chain”.

The D.O.C., a cornerstone of West Coast hip hop, took fans down memory lane during his appearance on All The Smoke podcast. While he covered everything from his NWA days to his car accident to his connection with Erika Badu, his story about first hearing Eminem stole the show. The D.O.C. shared that it happened at the moment when his relationship with Dr. Dre was strained:

You know, brothers, they love hard, and they war hard. So when we get into it, we get into it. It was during one of our breaks that he found him. But he started working on the “2001” record. He reached out to me and said, “I need your help”. It had been three-four years, so I was past my bullshit. And usually, if Dre calls, I’m just gon’ to jump on the bird. I went out there and he said, “I want you to hear something”. He played a song called “I Just Don’t Give A Fuck”, and I was like, “Wow, this motherfucker’s off the chain. He reminds me of that early music we were making because his subject matter is so thrown off”. Dre was like, “Yeah, I think he’s dope”. I said, “Hell, yeah, he’s dope! You got to fuck with this kid!”

The D.O.C. admitted to being caught off guard when Dre showed him Eminem’s photo:

He brought the picture, 8 x 10, and he looked more like an actor than a rapper. “Who is this white boy?!” He’s like, “That’s him”. I was like, “Wow, that motherfucker is off the chain”. I’m a purist in the form, I just like dope shit. I wouldn’t give a fuck who you are. I wouldn’t give a fuck if you were red, black, green, purple, or orange if you’re dope. And if you’re not dope, I don’t give a fuck if you as rig. Eminem is one of the greats in this music, and you can’t take that away from him.

The D.O.C. also opened up about the emotional impact of Dr. Dre’s verse on “What’s the Difference”, where Dre raps, “I love you, Doc”. He admitted that he was not able to process it at the moment, but he knows that Dre meant every word:

I don’t think I made my way through it yet, so I was still just drunk. Eminem wrote that song, but Dre delivered it.

He went on to explain his deep bond with Dre, who had been like a big brother to him through thick and thin:

I know Dre loves me; I don’t question that at all. He’s a big brother, and he’s going to act like a big brother. That means he watched me fall – he helped me get back up, he watched me fall – he helped me get back up. So whenever he calls, I’m gonna go.

Even decades later, The D.O.C.’s words remind us of hip hop’s raw energy and the moments that define legends.