Till I Collapse - Intellectual

Penicillin is used to treat infections caused by bacteria, or to make you less ‘ill’, or sick. It was the very first antibiotic to be discovered and widely used, to cure bacterial infections. Amoxicillin is a sort of upgrade to Penicillin, also known as “broadband antibiotic”. It is effective against a wider variety of bacteria.

In this context, Eminem is also using the word ‘ill’ to refer to being ‘sick’ or ‘cool’, which he has referenced on tracks such as ‘No One’s Iller Than Me’.

Adrenaline is another thing that is used to momentarily stop pain, and is naturally produced by your body whenever something extremely exciting/stimulating or painful happens.

Adrenalin Shots are also given only in life threatening emergencies, such as cardiac arrest or anaphilactic shock.

Ever since his debut, there have been various people who have regarded his lyrics to be harmfull to society.

This metaphor summarizes Em´s harshest opponents and their atempts to stop, ban or condemn his music and its popularity.

The line “Amocicillin is not real enough”
Could also be interpreted as Eminem telling these people that future attempt to discredit him are bound to fail as well.

Eminem is always looking for problems

He continues to say he’ll “rip this shit”, meaning go through all the pain, until his bones collapse, and his body can’t function anymore. He’s just saying he’ll go until he physically cannot anymore. It’s also working with the line just before it about him going until the smoke clears out – he’s gonna rip this shit, as in the joint/blunt/bong/other vessel for his marijuana, until the bones of his chest collapse.

This is likely an interpolation of Rakim’s “Real Shit”:

Explain the feeling you get when you hear a smash hit
When the track hit, it’s classic, yeah, that’s it

If he isn’t killing shit he isn’t doing hip-hop justice and he wouldn’t be his true self. So out of respect for hip-hop, Eminem promises to put the mic down if his skills decline.

In a roundabout way, he kind of took his own advice in this regard after Encore… for a little while, anyway.

He says “I am not hip-hop and I’m just not Eminem”. But of course he is Eminem, so he’s saying He in fact IS hip-hop.

Eminem here is basically saying how shocked he is since listeners and critics used to and people still take his lyrics way too seriously or at face-value.

Eminem is mostly known for his transgressive and shock-value lyrics, but these lyrics are obviously not meant to be taken seriously, but people still did and do.

Image description

Reginald “Reggie” Noble, better known by his stage name Redman, is one of Eminem’s favourite rappers, with his horrorcore style being a significant influence on him.

Redman later stated he felt Eminem was one of the greatest of all time, also stating in an interview with Complex that:

His “favorite Eminem song [was either] “Just Don’t Give a Fuck” or “My 1st Single"
His favorite Eminem album was the “The Marshall Mathers LP”, and that
His favorite Eminem moment was “being at Eminem’s studio doing [their collaborative track] “Off The Wall”. We was goin at it on the mic!"

He often likes to offend people, but they often diss him back for being unable to take whatever he’s dished out. Eminem even talks about this on tracks such as:
Guilty Conscience 2, where he says: ‘Matter of fact, ain’t you the same one who hated bullies calling you bad names? (Yep)
Then you turned around and did the exact same (So?)’
and Fine Line, where he says:
“Because all’s I ever did was just say
The shit I would’ve wanted to hear”
In this line, though, he’s saying that he can indeed take that stuff and not be offended.

Em refers to the list he’s about to go through in the following lines. This is Em’s list of the greatest rappers in the game (or more accurately his list of favorite rappers in 2002, seeing as both 2Pac and Biggie were already deceased when the song was recorded). Since this song’s release, Eminem has expressed that he is unsure if he put the rappers “in the correct order” and if he “should have even made an order”.

However in June 2020 he expanded on the original list with a “greatest of all time” edition, adding longtime friends and Slaughterhouse members Royce Da 5'9'’ and KXNG Crooked, as well as Treach, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane and LL Cool J.

He also added several newer rappers (relative to his original list), namely Lil Wayne, J. Cole and fellow Dr Dre protégé, Kendrick Lamar.

Eminem is driven by the same goal as most great rappers: to be the best. As such, he wouldn’t be able to stand another rapper getting the best of him due to his own inadequacies.

If he dies (leaves Earth), that would be his first death, since his music is so good it will live on, rather than his music becoming shitty and dying

He will “never be served” meaning no rapper will ever beat him and “his spot is forever reserved” meaning his spot in rap and hip hop will be known as one of the best forever. Dying will be his first death before his music dies.

A small reference to the hook in “Hail Mary” by Pac, in which he says, “come with me”.

Em didn’t give a fuck about not being in a list of GOATS

Em took 2Pac’s audience after he died, with only a minimal swap (his skin color)

Of course, 2Pac had much more muscle-mass as well, but we won’t quibble…

This line may also be referring to how his first album, Infinite flopped, forcing him to ‘swap’ personas; turning him into Slim Shady. This is what made Pac listeners listen to his stuff.

Maybe Eminem is sending subliminal messages through his lyrics that we don’t even understand

But in this case, the subliminal thought he was refering to was the previouse line.

And I am not hip hop and I’m just not Eminem

He is in fact Eminem though, so he is saying that he is hip-hop.

Til the roof comes off is a phrase used to say when someone’s performing or a partying with maximum energy

Right off the bat, Eminem’s killing his opponents.

What he’s also referring to is that as soon as he starts spittin', any MC facing him is discouraged and disheartened by Em’s masterful delivery… his verses “eat at an MC’s heart” in the same way that termites eat away wood.

There is possible word play here, as “eating an an MC” could be a play on “eating at a McDonalds.” Eminem used to love eating at McDonalds, as he stated in his book The Way I Am.

Eminem has always been critical of “finished rappers” saying that he’d rather quit when he’s at his peak, in this bars he’s inviting mcees to admit when they have nothing to say anymore and when they can end their career.
Eminem himself was about to quit, respecting his beliefs, with his following project “Encore”.

Between smoking crack and Bobby’s abusive habits, the Browns were every newsman’s orgasmic dream come true

Eminem is in the newspapers a lot too…

Completely devoted to rap, until death do them part, he will always be killing raps, spilling their blood until he dies himself.

Married to the Game

“’Cause I’m at the end of my wits with half the shit that gets in”

This line has two meanings. First, he’s saying he’s tired and frustrated with all the nonsense around him.

But “half the shit that gets in” can also connect to his “list.” He’s saying that out of everything that enters the conversation, he decides what is actually great and what is not.

So the line is both about being fed up and about leading into his ranking of the best.

Loads of rappers are jealous of his skill
While Eminem is saying this, he using more of a figurative point of view. An “industry” is a labor force, a systematic work field. When Em says that he is the cause of envy in this industry, not only does he say that others are jealous of him, but that he is the BEST in the work force. He’s saying that he is the top dog in the company. As we all know that this is true due to his multiple albums reaching platinum.

Eminem paraphrases Snoop’s -izzle (“wizzle” instead of “nizzle”, since Eminem doesn’t want to use even the -izzle version of “nigga”) as a symbol of pop-rap crossover-ism.

Eminem is reflecting on the brief nature of pop stardom by comparing it to the bubbles that form soda fizz but quickly disappear when they reach the top leaving the actual soda behind. Artists like N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, dominated the airwaves for years until the early 2000s when hip hop and R&B took over mainstream music. This shift coincided with the 1999 release of Eminem’s “Slim Shady LP” and his subsequent rise to fame. Now Eminem can’t figure out whether he rode that wave or it was just an independent miracle that led to his success.

Eminem has tried to avoid pop music for most of his career – to no avail

The first line can also be interpreted as a play on words. Pop is a word for a carbonated beverage (a soft drink or a soda) that is especially common in the Midwest, where Eminem is from. When you open a bottle of pop, the liquid inside will sparkle and bubble to the surface, that is, fizz up.

“Static” is an old phrase that means beef, as in fight or grudge. This was explained by Nas in a verified annotation here.

Now that this track is doped up on “Battlin' raps”, who wants to beef with Eminem? If you ask me, no one.

“You bizzels (bitches) forgot, Slim Shady (Slizzel), aka Eminem, does not give a fuck!”

How would you know this? Well his previous tracks “Just Don’t Give a Fuck” and “Still Don’t Give a Fuck” should’ve given you an indication.

Fun Fact: During his come-up his phrase of choice, especially in the late ‘90s when he was battling, was “I don’t give a fuck”. These extracts from the ‘97 Rap Olympics will give you an insight.

Nate Dogg is giving motivating statements, saying to continue even when times are tough, like “the roof comes off”, or if “the lights go out” and even if his “legs give out”, he’ll keep fighting. This chorus really sets the scene and introduces the style of the song, as its motivation is similar to Em’s song “Lose Yourself”.

Some critics attacked Eminem’s lyrics and image, such as Ray Benzino. Many also assume that, since Eminem is a successful white artist in a mostly black genre, his success is due to his race. He knows he’s a dope rapper, and feels that many people will never realize this.

Eminem discusses the the media, music critics, politicians, activists and the general public rambling about his “shocking” lyrics and questioning why is a man with such “disgusting” lyrics so popular. Eminem has narrowed down the answer for them to two choices. The line is to be read in tandem with the following line,
‘is it a miracle or am I just a product of pop fizzing up?’. Em is asking whether or not he is the only person (the miracle) rapping with the content that he does (lyrics to shock), or whether in fact what he raps is just a natural progression of the way pop music is/was becoming edgier and more controversial in itself.

Eminem considers himself a “Criminal” (a fact of which all Marshall Mathers LP fans are aware), as he makes it his mission to kill all of hip-hop’s villains, these being less “ill” rappers – although that’s not really fair as no one’s iller.

As he stated earlier on the album his aim is to “get rid of these rap criminals” or, as they’re otherwise known, less-lyrically gifted emcees.

This could be a reference to Body Count’s (Ice-T’s group) track “Cop Killer”.

Em raps about the “constant controversies' he finds himself in and the beef he is always engaging in. He doesn’t want to keep being angry and lashing out at people.

He continues to say he’ll “rip this shit”, meaning go through all the pain, until his bones collapse, and his body can’t function anymore. He’s saying he’ll go until he physically cannot anymore

“(Yo, left, yo, left) ’Cause sometimes you just feel tired (Yo, left, right, left) Feel weak, and when you feel weak (Yo, left, yo, left) You feel like you wanna just give up (Yo, left, right, left) But you gotta search within you (Yo, left, yo, left) Try to find that inner strength and just pull that shit out of you (Yo, left, right, left) And get that motivation to not give up (Yo, left, yo, left) And not be a quitter (Yo, left, right, left) No matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse”

👍 213

“‘Till I Collapse” opens with some simple keys and a motivation message, much like his October 2002 hit single “Lose Yourself” did. This similarity is likely due to The Eminem Show and the 8 Mile soundtrack being produced concurrently.

Interestingly, that isn’t the only common thread this song shares with another that was recorded and released during the same period. Eminem also performs his own military cadence for the outro of his The Eminem Show track, “Soldier.” This may be because both songs share similar themes; exploring his handling of the pressure that comes with the “rap game.”

The end of this line shows that while Eminem thinks he’s a great rapper, he’s still humble enough to acknowledge those he considers above him. Recently, however, Em showed a less humble side on the last song off of The Marshall Mathers LP 2, while rapping as both Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers in the verse:

Fuck top five, bitch, I’m top four
And that includes Biggie and Pac, whore
And I got an Evil Twin
So who the fuck do you think that third and that fourth spot’s for?

Also more recently, on February 21st, 2020, during an interview, Em was asked if this list is still the same to which Marshall said “yes” but adding J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Joyner Lucas to the list. Eminem has collaborated with both Kendrick and Joyner Lucas on “Love Game” and “Lucky You” respectively.

Note for commenters: remember that this list could hardly be considered comprehensive (in the context of 2 lines in a single song) before you get butt-hurt that Em didn’t include your favorite MC. He put these names in here because he likes their flows, BUT ALSO because they fit the meter / inflection pattern of his own flow in this verse. Now, if this whole song were about Em’s favorite rappers (see “A Star Is Born” for a song like that), then you’d have cause to worry…

Em is using a play on words with his nickname/alter ego Slim Shady. While Slim usually means small, weak, frail, futile, etc., it doesn’t matter. Em will not collapse. Or he could be saying that it doesn’t matter if he is Slim Shady and that he is great even without the alter ego and the horrorcore gimmick.

Also, a play on “Slim” Mathers and matters

Kurupt is one half of Tha Dogg Pound duo.

The previous year, he had shouted out Eminem in the first verse of his song “Just Don’t Give A Fuck”:

Don’t say shit about Eminem or Snoop or Dre, feel the fire this way, yeah

In 2004, after Eminem’s song “Foolish Pride” where he disses black woman, was released by Benzino and The Source magazine. Kurupt gave Eminem a warning not to do so again, in his diss track “One Thangs Fo Sho’”:

Eminem, I love yo raps, you my nigga
But don’t talk about blacks (why)
Cause then I'ma have to respond
And knock all the tadpoles outta the pond

In a 2015 on Vladtv, Kurupt spoke on being mentioned in this track, claiming that when he heard the mention, it had him “smiling for a month”.

People have to give respect or props to Em even if they hate him

His thoughts are all over the place. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Eminem shows Anderson Cooper how he has pages and pages of rhymes, not even full songs, that he’s waiting to put down in tape. His rhymes are scribbled everywhere.

He’s going all out and murdering other MCs.

Full blown attack draws a direct link with the previous line about bombing rappers, as bombs typically ‘blow up’ when they are dropped.

“At ‘em” could also be a homonym for “atom,” aka the atomic bomb, which also ties in with the “bomb some rappers” line.

Nate Dogg – Golden voice of Hip-Hop

He delivered great hooks for Aftermath and affiliated artists. R.I.P.

Nate, sing the chorus (note that this is a continuation of the Bobby/Whitney allusion since Bobby literally used to hit Whitney)

You had to expect a weed reference somewhere in a Nate Dogg song.

There has been much debate over what Nate sings in this line. According to the album booklet he sings “Till the smoke clears out and my high burns out” but it appears he actually sings the transcribed lines, this corroborated by the song’s acapella version.

Similar to the sentiments expressed in “Lose Yourself”, Eminem is saying you only get a small chance to shine in this game, so do whatever you can to stay in the spotlight.

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime

Em is also extending the simile he used in the previous lines. Because music is like magic you should try live in the moment or it’ll disappear – a trick magicians have performed for centuries.

This metaphor alludes to Eminem’s misogynistic lyrics. Like a spider, Eminem uses webs and venom to catch women and make them his preys.

He uses the slang “hock a loogie"—which means to cough loudly and spit out phlegm—replacing the phlegm ("loogie”) with venom. This references the venomous lyrics he spits about women. The way he pronounces “hock” also sounds a lot like coughing phlegm.

Another interpretation is that he is referring to rival MCs as “women,” not an uncommon metaphor in the rap world at the time.

Nas is a rapper from Queensbridge who influenced many artists including Eminem. Nas is not only a big influence to Eminem and many others but is also considered to be one of the greatest storytellers hip-hop has ever produced. Nas’s genius storytelling on Illmatic might have influenced Eminem’s attempt of telling stories as well.

Eminem was supposed to be featured on Jadakiss’s debut album “Kiss Tha Game Goodbye” the previous year and the year before that Eminem was supposed to be featured on Jadakiss’s Ruff Ryder label’s compilation album “Ryde Or Die Vol.II”

In 2004, Jadakiss received a phone call from Eminem about a line in his song “Time’s Up”, Jadakiss spoke about this during an interview with XXL

XXL: And “Time’s Up” has the iconic brag, “Fuck riding the beat, nigga/I parallel park on the track.”

Jadakiss: I knew that was a great one when Em called me to talk about that line. That’s when I knew that was a good one. He felt that line just as well as you felt it. This is when I was thinkin’ about it. That was a pat on the back for me. I felt good getting a call from one of my colleagues that I got a lot of respect for to feel that bar right there. That probably helped to get him on there, liking that joint. That’s how you gotta be in the rap game. Back then—not to take [away] nothing that’s going on now—you had to have lyrics to even get into a certain realm. To get Big’s attention and be recognized by Hov, to Nas, to Wu, to Redman, Eminem, all of these dudes. Snoop. You had to have some lyrics.

That same year Eminem featured in Jadakiss’s song “Welcome To D-Block

In 2011, Jadakiss said that Eminem is in his Top 6, stating it consisted of:

Biggie, 2Pac, Jay Z, Nas, Eminem and Styles P.

Em’s behavior in the studio looks like that of an addict—involving sleep deprivation, anger, and an inability to relax.

However, at this time he was an actual drug addict – he discussed this issue in many of his songs, including “Deja Vu”

Andre 3000, one half of the Atlantan duo OutKast, is considered by many to be the Best Rapper Alive due to his sick flows and punch lines. (See “Rosa Parks” for a perfect example)

But what, no love for Big Boi?

“Smack” is street slang for heroin.

Eminem’s second divorce proceedings determined that his ex-wife, Kim Mathers, was addicted to cocaine—no word though on whether she did heroin, as Eminem claims here. “Smack” could also be a reference to domestic abuse.

Plaques for platinum albums and awards don’t matter to Eminem if he is not the best rapper in the game. He is in the game to be the best not to win the awards.

Amoxicillin is a generic relative of penicillin, tying in with the previous line. The mocks/mox sound might also bring to mind a “mockup” (an inferior copy of something)

Eminem is basically saying he is going to lyrically inflict fear into you like God smited you down from the heavenly gates.

Easily three of the greatest rappers of all time, who Eminem acknowledges above him.

Eminem started his career as a battle rapper so it is a smart idea for MCs to avoid going against Eminem because he will win every time.

Em has also acquired quite a reputation in the industry. Having been involved in beefs with everyone from Everlast to The Source Magazine, he always seems to annihilate his opponents.

Here’s what Game had to say about going against Em':