Make Beats - Songs In Depth

8 Mile Road an In Depth Look by producer and engineer Pete "Jazdout" Weis

Short SFX Intro of train or subway going by. (Its about 3 bars.)
Before the loop comes in the train sfx in the background play. They also play during the loop in the beginning. The SFX are also tuned to the track.

The Form of the song.

Intro 8 Bars | Verse 1 – 16 Bars (A) | Chorus (B) | Verse 2 – 28 Bars (A1) | Chorus – 8 Bars (B) | Verse 3 – 44 Bars (A2) | Chorus – 8 Bars (B) | Outro 12 Bars

The intro is short, we get a feel for the loop and the groove, t hen before we’re bored Eminem starts the verse. The 1st verse is only 16 bars. Eminem gets some lyrics in. We get an idea what the songs about but he keeps it to 16 bars so this way the 1st chorus isn’t to far away.
After the first chorus Eminem hits us with a 28 bar verse. Really giving us a lot a lyrics to digest and keeps us listening by varying his flow here and there slightly. He switches up his flow here and there with hints of the chorus melody and rhythms.

The chorus comes in again then were led into the third last verse in which Eminem lets loose with a final 44 Bar verse. In this verse he does the same thing s he did in the 2nd verse switching up his flow and using hints of the chorus melody to keep it in our ears.

The Loop

Kick hits on beats 1 and 3 for the first bar with quarter notes. In the second bar it hits on the first beat with a quarter note then on beat 3 with two swung eights. There are also lighter kicks in the beat to help it move, but the main emphasis is in the 1st and 3rd beat. The hi hat goes through the loop in eight notes, in t he third bar of the loop the downbeat is left out adding more of a syncopated feel to the hi hat line. Because that downbeat is left out it makes the up beat of the one a little more accented, moving the loop. Bass hits on beats 1 and 3 accenting the kick. The bass is also doubled by the same notes in the piano. Snare hits on beats 2 and 4 with a little accent snare hit before and on the off beats leading into the 2 and 4.
The Piano is the main melody for the loop. The left hand doubles the pedal bass figure. The right hand plays the melody with simple harmonies of the notes. There is also a French horn melody that swells in the 3rd and 4th bars of the loop. It comes and goes in 4 bar sections during the longer verses softly in the background.

There are little hits mixed in to blend with piano part. Its not a strong sound that should be heard by it’s self, but it adds to the texture of the piano and also fills some of the spaces in the loop, helping it move and breath a bit.

There is also a whip like sound fx added to the downbeats of the loop. Depending where you are in the arrangement it is on every 1st beat of the bar or it is left out in some bars or every 2 bars or so. Sounds like it might be just a little louder on the first down beat of the choruses… It also sound like it might have been tuned or pitched up to sit better in the track.
It also sounds like in some parts there is a sfx from a train going over tracks or something in coming in and out that gives sort a shuffle feel.

The Melody in the intro, chorus and outro has two parts.. The first is panned to the left side and is more longer and more midrange. The 2nd part in the same melody doubled with a shorter sound that occupies more of the top end of the spectrum. This makes the sound cut through the mix ver easily with out it needing to be loud. The sound cut through because of its placement sonically not because of its volume level.
There is also some kind of wood wind line nestled deep in the track during the 3rd verse around 4:12 listen real close and you’ll here something moving around.

The Vocals

All Eminem’s lead lines of the verse sound pretty much completely doubled. The double is very, very tight. In places the double is so tight its almost seamless. In places were adds a lot more accent and energy you can here the double begin to be slightly different and separate. Rhythmically though they still stay extremely tight.

He uses the words “8 Mile Road” To end all the different sections of the song. “8 Mile Road is heard at the end of all the verses and all the choruses. This is important because it makes the words “8 Mile Road” stand out from the song. This repeating element in the track is the real hook or catch of the song. Although the chorus repeats its wordy and almost like a short verse that doesn’t change… After hearing the chorus you don’t remember much but the words “8 Mile Road” stand out because of how they are repeated and sung differently from the rest of the chorus. Its clear that they were meant to stand out. The words “8 Mile Road also don’t appear any where else in the song except in the important places placing more emphasis on them.

Through out the verses he uses two different flows. One flow just rides through the beat. The 2nd flow is the same flow he uses for the chorus. He switches up to the second flow every once and awhile during the longer verses especially using this flow to break up the verses a little bit and also to keep the melody of the chorus fresh in our ears and never to far away.

During his rhymes he goes into sections where he just keeps killing rhymes with the same vowel type sounds for as many as 8 bars at a time. In bars 9 through 16 he uses the words “like, might, fight, write, life, mics, like ect..” Keeping all the rhymes with “I’ sound for 8 bars. This effect is used in the chorus as well in 4 bar section with “plan, land, hand ect..” then the next four with “alone, own , road ect..”
There re also small and large phrases of rhymes through out the verses. In bar 9 he rhymes “like” and “might”, Making a rhyme in the first line we’ll call this a small rhyme. Then the next line he does another small rhyme with the words “fight” and “write”. On a larger scale the word “might” of bar 9 rhymes with the word “write” on bar 10. In bars 11 –13 he uses one line rhymes were only the words at the end of the line rhyme. In bars 15 and 16 he switches back to the same rhyming patter as bars 9 – 10. Making rhymes with in the line and then at then end of the lines on a micro and macro scale. Another person that did this a lot was Biggie.

The way he groups his rhymes it keeps you listening and keeps the rhymes coming and going from one to the next. The amazing thing about the way he puts everything together is that he manages to continue to use all these patterns and actually uses sentences talking about something consistent from line to line but also verse to verse.

1 – 2 Loop Starts – [ 0:07 ]
3 – 4 The loop continues with a French horn line that last to bars, kind of pad like. Helps bring the 4 Bar Loop back around and stay interesting. It put very low in the mix, not meant to stand out but to add to the texture of the track. There are other places with in the song that this melody gets used again. The high string line during the chorus seems like a variation of this melody but expanded or doubled in length.

5 – 8. Eminem sings something with the melody real low in the background almost like an adlib but it adds to the texture to the track and also helps lead into the first verse. Chorus Violin Melody also comes in for 4 bars and then drops out when the first verse comes in.
Almost sung/whispered …
Its Okay
Its Okay
Im gone make it any way
(Something not exactly clear)Verse 1 - 16 Bars [ 0:28 ]

9. Sometimes I just feel like, quittin I still might
10. Why do I put up this fight, why do I still write
11. Sometimes it's hard enough just dealin with real life
12. Sometimes I wanna jump on stage and just kill mics
13. And show these people what my level of skill's like
14. But I'm still white, sometimes I just hate life
15. Somethin ain't right, hit the brake lights
16. Case of the stage fright, drawin a blank like

Eminem sings these 2 line with the lower middle piano melody.
These lines also sound tripled at a minimum. He also sings this part in a lower voice then he normal rhyming voice. This kinds of helps to break up the verse and make things more intresting by keeping things changing here and there.

17. Da - duh - duh - da - da, it ain't my fault
18. Great then I falls, my insides crawl
19. And I clam up (wham) I just slam shut
S
lamming Door Sound FX at end of the bar followibng his lyrics.

20. I just can't do it, my whole manhood's
21. Just been stripped, I have just been whipped.
22. So I must then get, off the bus then slip
23. Man fuck this shit yo, I'm goin the fuck home
24. World on my shoulders as I run back to this 8 Mile Road

Eminem’s doubles to the words “8 Mile Road” double the piano lines. It helps bring the verse to a close and to a cadence.

Chorus 1 – 8 Bars [ 1:11 ]

25. I'm a man, I'ma make a new plan
26. Time for me to just stand up, and travel new land
27. Time to really just take matters into my own hands
28. Once I'm over these tracks man I'ma never look back
29. (8 Mile Road) And I'm gone, I know right where I'm goin
30. Sorry momma I'm grown, I must travel alone
31. And go follow the footsteps I'm makin my own
32. Only way that I know how to escape from this 8 Mile Road

Verse 2 [ 1:33 ] 28 Bars

33. I'm walkin these train tracks, tryin to regain back
34. The spirit I had 'fore I go back to the same crap
35. To the same plant, and the same pants
36. Tryin to chase rap, gotta move ASAP

Flows changes up a little to almost follow part of the piano line . This is the same flow he uses for the chorus.

37. And get a new plan, momma's got a new man
38. Poor little baby sister, she don't understand
39. Sits in front of the TV, buries her nose in the pad
40. And just colors until the crayon gets dull in her hand
41. While she colors her big brother and mother and dad
42. Ain't no tellin what really goes on in her little head
43. Wish I could be the daddy that neither one of us had
44. But I keep runnin from somethin I never wanted so bad!
45. Sometimes I get upset, cause I ain't blew up yet
46. It's like I grew up, but I ain't grow me two nuts yet
47. Don't gotta rep my step, don't got enough pep
48. The pressure's too much man, I'm just tryin to do what's best

Flows changes up a little . This is the same flow he uses for the chorus.

49. And I try, sit alone and I cry
50. Yo I won't tell no lie, not a moment goes by
51. That I don't pray to the sky, please I'm beggin you God
52. Please don't let me be bitchin holdin no regular job
53. Yo I hope you can hear me homey wherever you are
54. Yo I'm tellin you dawg I'm bailin this trailer tomorrow
55. Tell my mother I love her, kiss baby sister goodbye
56. Say whenever you need me baby, I'm never too far
57. But yo I gotta get out there, the only way I know
58. And I'ma be back for you, the second that I blow
59. On everything I own, I'll make it on my own
60. Off to work I go, back to this 8 Mile Road

Eminem’s doubles to the words “8 Mile Road” lead bring closer to the verse again the same way they did the first verse.Chorus 2 - 8 Bars [ 2:47 ]

61. I'm a man, I'ma make a new plan
62. Time for me to just stand up, and travel new land
63. Time to really just take matters into my own hands
64. Once I'm over these tracks man I'ma never look back
65. (8 Mile Road) And I'm gone, I know right where I'm goin

The words 8 Mile Road sound the same as the 8 Mile background that ends the verses.

66. Sorry momma I'm grown, I must travel alone
67. And go follow the footsteps I'm makin my own
68. Only way that I know how to escape from this 8 Mile Road

Eminem also uses this “8 Mile Road” double part to end the chorus.Verse 3 – 44 Bars [ 3:08 ]

69. You gotta live it to feel it, you didn't you wouldn't get it
70. Or see what the big deal is, why it wasn't the skillest
71. To be walkin this borderline of Detroit city limits
72. It's different, it's a certain significance, a certificate
73. Of authenticity, you'd never even see
74. But it's everything to me, it's my credibility
75. You never seen heard smelled or met a real MC
76. Who's incredible upon the same pedestal as me

Flows changes up a little. This is the same flow he uses for the chorus. He also doubles the lines from bars 77 to 82 with a lower voice to exten harmonizing the lines.

77. But yet I'm still unsigned, havin a rough time
78. Sit on the porch with all my friends and kick dumb rhymes
79. Go to work and serve MC's in the lunchline
80. But when it comes crunch time, where do my punchlines go
81. Who must I show, to bust my flow
82. Where must I go, who must I know
83. Or am I just another crab in the bucket
84. Cause I ain't havin no luck with this little Rabbit so fuck it
85. Maybe I need a new outlet, I'm startin to doubt shit
86. I'm feelin a little skeptical who I hang out with
87. I look like a bum, yo my clothes ain't about shit
88. If the Salvation Army tryin to salvage an outfit
89. And it's cold, tryin to travel this road
90. Plus I feel like I'm on stuck in this battlin mode
91. My defenses are so up, but one thing I don't want
92. Is pity from no one, the city is no fun
93. There is no sun, and it's so dark
94. Sometimes I feel like I'm just bein pulled apart
95. I'm torn in my limbs, by each one of my friends
96. It's enough to make me just wanna jump out of my skin
97. Sometimes I feel like a robot, sometimes I just know not
98. What I'm doin I just blow, my head is a stove top
99. I just explode, the kettle gets so hot
100. Sometimes my mouth just overloads the ass that I don't got
101. But I've learned, it's time for me to U - turn
102. Yo it only takes one time for me to get burned
103. Ain't no fallin no next time I meet a new girl
104. I can no longer play stupid or be immature
105. I got every ingredient, all I need is the courage
106. Like I already got the beat, all I need is the words
107. Got the urge, suddenly it's a surge
108. Suddenly a new burst of energy is occured
109. Time to show these free world leaders the three and a third
110. I am no longer scared now, I'm free as a bird
111.Then I turn and cross over the median curb
112. Hit the verbs and all you see is a blur from 8 Mile Road

Chorus 2 - 8 Bars [ 5:05 ]

113. I'm a man, I'ma make a new plan
114. Time for me to just stand up, and travel new land
115. Time to really just take matters into my own hands
116. Once I'm over these tracks man I'ma never look back
117. (8 Mile Road) And I'm gone, I know right where I'm goin
The words 8 Mile Road sound the same as the 8 Mile background that ends the verses.
118. Sorry momma I'm grown, I must travel alone
119. And go follow the footsteps I'm makin my own
120 Only way that I know how to escape from this 8 Mile Road
Eminem also uses this “8 Mile Road” double part to end the chorus.

Outro 12 Bars – Fades out

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