Eminem Ponders Retirement To ‘VIBE’, Says He’s “Better Than Ever”

Kanye West might call Eminem the “number one rapper” of all time, but Em doesn’t look at himself that way. “I don’t rap to be the absolute best rapper in the world because I think there is no such thing,” he tells VIBE in an introspective new interview. Jump below to hear a self-aware Marshall Mathers look back at his career and how much he and his music has changed since going sober.

Speaking of many of his tracks recording when he was still using drugs, Em realizes much of it was far from his best material. “Looking back on it now, there was some pretty mediocre things that I was putting out… when I was making Encore, my addiction took on a life of its own. I remember going to L.A., recording with Dre and being in the studio high, taking too many pills, getting in this slap-happy mood and making songs like ‘Big Weenie’ and ‘Rain Man’ and ‘Ass Like That.'”

“[Dre] would just laugh. He didn’t understand what was going on,” adds Em. “Nobody understood what was going on with me or why I was acting so fucking goofy.”

Now that he’s off drugs and has scored a #1 album for a sixth week, the oft-tracksuited rapper has a new uplifting outlook on life. “I feel stronger than ever, better than ever, nothing is going to stop me. That is the undertone of [Recovery]… by me putting out a record like this, it can show people that no matter how down you are, it does get better.”

As to why there’s no jokey, pop-culture-referencing lead single on Recovery like there had been with his previous albums, Em explains, “One of those singles isn’t going to make sense… [I’ve] grown up so much just in the last couple of years since I’ve been sober. Relapse didn’t reflect that [or] where I really am mentally.”

Even Eminem doesn’t know how much longer he’ll be releasing records, although he concludes that he may retire sooner than later. “Honestly, I don’t know how much longer I have in this game. I’m always going to love hip-hop. But how much longer am I going to still do it? I couldn’t really give you an answer. But the day that this is not better than the last will probably be the day I stop… realistically, if I don’t rap, what the fuck am I going to do?”

Any suggestions, folks, what Eminem can do once he stops rapping? How about judging a televised reality competition? We’d watch!

Read the entire interview over at VIBE.