Eminem's Role in 50 Cent's Shady Records Signing and Bang Em Smurf's Encounter with Suge Knight
Reflecting on the moment, Smurf revealed, “When we got signed, before we actually secured the deal with Eminem, DJ Clue tried to come with a better deal than Eminem, but we declined that too. We declined all of them top executives. 50 wanted with Em and Dre. Eminem had to convince Dr. Dre to sign that deal. It was Em who really wanted Fif.” The decision to align with Eminem and Dre, even in the face of tempting alternatives, underscored the strategic vision behind G-Unit's trajectory.
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Detailing the recording process, Smurf shed light on the geographical diversity of their creative endeavors. “We recorded in the west coast, but all the recording was not in the west coast. Eminem signed, so we used to go to Detroit a lot too. We used to go to Eminem’s personal studio in Detroit. We go to LA cause that’s where the Interscope office was. I was in Dre's studio. We were back and forth, we were everywhere with Fif. I was his right-hand man, me, YaYo, before he went to jail. We were the ones who were making the moves. I’m the ni–a holding them down.”
Being signed to Eminem, the colossal figure in the music industry, was a monumental achievement for G-Unit. Smurf emphasized, “We were signed to Eminem, the biggest artist, that’s the great accomplishment. Eminem is still the biggest thing to this day. Ain’t nobody bigger than Em. Shout out to Eminem. That was a great feeling, great experience, thankful for being part of it. It was dope man, to see your dreams actually come true and unfold in front of you. Some dope s–t.”
Delving into an intriguing chapter of their journey, Smurf recalled the shooting of the 'In Da Club' video, the lead single from the iconic 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin' album. Describing a tense encounter with Suge Knight, Smurf recounted, “You know Suge pulled up. We were not going for it, we backed him down and he came with some Mexicans. Suge tried to press the video shoot but ain’t nothing happened. We held it down. Suge seen all them New York guys out there and they wanted no problem. He just dropped his cigar on the floor, stepped on it and left. That’s how Suge was.
He’ll come to check the temperature, dig, so if he feels he could bully, he going to bully. He couldn’t bully that day but his presence was definitely felt cause all the executives and staff were going crazy all over the place. They scared to death. That was another dope experience. Eminem was inside at the beginning but then he came out outside, he ran and grabbed the vest and came outside with it.”
The resilience of G-Unit in the face of challenges, even from formidable figures like Suge Knight, showcased the grit and determination that defined their rise in the music industry.