My palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. Wait, no, I’m not ill — I’m just excited that 8 Mile is now on Netflix. Released in 2002, 8 Mile quickly became one of the best drama movies of the year, opening at No.1 in the US Box Office and amassing 32 award nominations in total — of which the film won eleven.
The film stars Eminem as aspiring rapper, Jimmy ‘B Rabbit’ Smith Jr, and follows his journey in trying to make it on the hip-hop scene. In part, 8 Mile is a movie based on a true story, as it includes semi-autobiographical elements of Eminem’s real life.
But what was perhaps most impressive about 8 Mile, which has made its way onto several lists ranking the best movies of 2002, was its soundtrack. As well as being certified quadruple platinum, the lead single, ‘Lose Yourself,’ won Best Original Song at the Oscars.
While Eminem was already proving to be a hip-hop success at the time of making 8 Mile, he shared in an interview with Spin that he had to get back to an earlier, “hungrier” mindset in order to fully inhabit the role of Jimmy.
“It reminds me of me before ‘Eminem,’ before I started making a name,” he said. “I had to strip myself of all ego and really be me before I made it. Yo, it was a trip! I was recording The Eminem Show, and I put it on hold for three or four months and did the songs for the movie. When I was done, it took me a few weeks to get my ego back, to get my confidence back, and to be Eminem again.”
Nonetheless, the rapper told Beats 1 Radio that the film came at a perfect time in his life. “I needed that movie,” he said. “That movie gave a little different, a slight edge of inspiration that I don’t think I had at that particular time. It was good because doing that movie put me right back in certain elements. It made me for some reason feel hungry again, just the whole Battle Rap scene, the whole everything.”
If you want to see the Battle Rap scene in action, sit down with some of Mom’s spaghetti and stream 8 Mile on Netflix now. You can see how it compares to some of the best Netflix movies and best Netflix series on the platform.
If you’re still eager for more, check out our guide everything new on Netflix this month, including new movies and some more old classics we can’t wait to rewatch!