Eminem Says When He Heard Nas And Treach Records He Almost Quit Rapping

Eminem credited his Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Edna for fostering his rap stan-dom and remembered being enamored by LL Cool J, Run-DMC and Kool G Rap all of whom eventually inspired him to rap. But when Nas and Naughty By Nature hit the scene in the early '90s, Em says he became unsure of himself and almost quit the dream that made him a legend. Em says he bumped NBN's self-titled debut album all summer, so much so Treach's rhyme skills gave him a serious case of writer's block. When Nas' debut, "Illmatic," dropped a year later, Em memorized it front to back but, again, he says the Source's "5-mic" rating gave him anxiety he worried he'd never measure up. Em recalls being jaded about rapping for several years before he started crushing local open mic nights in Detroit and obviously went on to sell a bazillion records.