Eminem offers a tour of his hometown in the new virtual reality film, Marshall From Detroit. The project premiered at Sundance and is now available for free on Oculus Go, Oculus Rift and the Samsung Gear VR.
Caleb Slain directed the 21-minute film, in which Eminem travels around Detroit and discusses his career and connection to the city with radio DJ, Sway Calloway. In a preview clip, Eminem drives past the legendary Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit and reminisces about his earliest attempts at music and how they were influenced by outside perceptions of his hometown.
“I don’t think we really knew who we were yet, as far as what’s gonna be our style, what’s gonna be our sound,” Eminem says. “Especially back then, we used to think, ‘Man nobody comes to Detroit – they look at us like a ghost town.’ We want to be somebody, we want to stand up.”
In a statement, Slain said of the project, “In Marshall From Detroit, we sought to explore the city impressionistically: Detroit as a memory, a feeling, a dream. With a front row seat down memory lane alongside Marshall and Sway, this lyrical experience offers an unprecedented glimpse into its eponymous titans. We all have a home. And the extent to which it shaped us is one of life’s great mysteries. But as any native would tell you, Detroit, Michigan is one hell of a place to call home.”
Eminem released his latest album, Kamikaze, in 2018. Along with his new VR project, the rapper recently served as a producer on the new battle-rap comedy, Bodied.