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Eminem Tracks ‘Castle’ And ‘Arose’ Reveal Depth Of Rapper’s Drug Addiction

Eminem Tracks ‘Castle’ And ‘Arose’ Reveal Depth Of Rapper’s Drug Addiction

He suffered a near fatal methadone overdose in 2007 and these songs reveal what happened and the effect it had on his family

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Eminem recently shared a photo of him celebrating 10 years being drug free. It was a healthy reminder that the 45-year-old has worked hard to battle his inner demons for a decade and has still managed to release a bevvy of incredible songs and albums, as well as turning in plenty of memorable concert performances.

He's been open about his addictions to painkiller and anxiety medications including Vicodin, Ambien and Valium. The 45-year-old was using them to treat insomnia, which started during the production of his 2002 movie 8 Mile, but he was taking up to 60 pills a day while making fifth album Encore, which was released two years after the fim.

Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, ballooned to 100 kilograms thanks to a diet of fast food.

But his lowest point came just before Christmas 2007 when he nearly overdosed on methadone - doctors told him that he had ingested the equivalent of four bags of heroin.

Those who listened carefully to his latest album Revival will have heard the legendary rapper reveal what was going through his head when he nearly died, a little more than 10 years ago.

Two songs, 'Castle' and 'Arose' (the final two tracks on the album), detail that near-fatal overdose as well as the effect it had on his family.

On 'Castle', Em says: "I can't stomach, they can take this fame back, I don't want it / I'll put out this last album then I'm done with it / One hundred percent finished, fed up with it / I'm hanging it up, fuck it."

The song highlighted how Marshall and his ex-wife Kim struggled with the fame game and how difficult it was to keep family matters private.

He then finishes the song with: "If things should worsen, don't take this letter I wrote / As a goodbye note / 'Cause your dad's at the end of his rope / I'm sliding down a slippery slope / Anyways sweetie / I better go, I'm getting sleepy / Love, Dad... shit, I don't know."

Then you can hear the sound of a bottle of pills being opened before someone collapses to the floor.

In 'Arose', Eminem deals with the aftermath of that methadone overdose, saying: "Just heard that nurse say, my liver and kidneys aren't functioning / Been flirtatious with death, skirt-chasing, I guess it's arrivederci / Same nurse, just heard say they're unplugging me."

He sings to his daughters to open their Christmas presents as he's too sick to come home. Em then expresses his fears about not being around to walk them down the aisle or see them graduate from high school and college.

Marshall continues: "Excuse the cursing, baby, but just know / That I'm a good person, though they portray me as cold / And if things should worsen, but I bet you they won't / I'm pledging to throw this methadone in the toilet."

He continues: "Consider the last four minutes as / The song I'da sang to my daughters/ If I'da made it to the hospital less than two hours later, but I fought it / And came back like a boomerang on 'em."

When Eminem arrived at the hospital on the day of his methadone overdose, doctors said his condition meant he'd had about two hours left to live before his body would have given out.

That last verse shows how much that brush with death affected Em and how he wanted to turn his life around. Ten years sober proves he's done pretty well.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: rap, Entertainment, Celebrity, Music, Mental Health, Eminem