10 Essential Eminem Videos You Probably Haven't Seen

As you may know by now, it's Eminem Week over here at Complex. With the Detroit MC featured on the cover of our latest issue, and his newest album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, now in stores, we put the spotlight on Eminem's past to see how it shaped him into the man he is today. In Em's career, he's had more than his fair share of buzzworthy moments, and has never been one to back down in the face of cameras or controversy. And with that attitude has come a vast archive of unforgettable moments over the years, whether he's putting out a jaw-dropping freestyle or clowning yet another reporter during an interview. Eminem brought a completely unique face to the rap game when he first blew up in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP and, though his public persona has softened somewhat since then, his lyrical prowess has only grown sharper with each successive release. In order to showcase all his talents from then to now, we found the 10 Essential Eminem Videos You Probably Haven't Seen. Whether it's #veryrare backstage footage or a vintage performance at the mic, these are some of Em's best, but least heralded, moments in his lifetime as a Rap God.

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Date: 2000

"The world does not like to see Slim Shady's ass, but I'll show it every chance I get." There you have it, guys. Never has any rapper so blatantly not given a single fuck about what the world had to say about him than early-era Eminem. Before he entered the more reclusive, elderly statesman stage of his career, Em was a rock star in public: brash, unrelenting, and totally who he wanted to be, 100 percent of the time.

Date: 2001

The other members of D12 have always had to take the backseat to Eminem during their careers, but in this clip with London DJ, Tim Westwood, in 2001, everyone got a chance to flex their lyrical muscles. Many of us have already seen the insanely dope Westwood clip featuring Mr. Porter, Em, and Royce Da 5'9", so we wanted to hit you guys with something a little rarer. Whenever the time period—whether late or early in his career—Eminem always seems to bring his best when he steps to the mic for Westwood. The rest of D12 follows suit here.

Date: 2000

You had no idea that Eminem could bust a move like this, did you? Apparently, before he was a rapper, Marshall Mathers actually spent most of his time breakdancing with his Uncle Ronnie, and in this clip, Em let fellow D12 member, Kuniva, know that he could still dust off some of the old routine when he felt like it.

Date: 1998

Can we please just get a mixtape of Eminem rapping over every classic beat that we can think of? The verse he drops here on Biggie's "Kick in the Door" is just nasty. We want more, Em!

Date: 1999

For years, Proof was Eminem's right-hand man in the Detroit rap scene until the former D12 member was gunned down outside of the CCC nightclub one tragic night in the D. The two had known each other since childhood, and that chemistry is clear in this video of the duo trading bars in the car during the early days of their careers.

Date: 2012

For those of you who haven't seen Ice-T's Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, change that ASAP. As a primer, check out Eminem's segment in the documentary, where the Detroit MC explains his process behind his craft, along with delivering a tongue-twisting verbal assault on-camera. Em easily has one of the best appearances in the film, and that's saying something for a movie that featured heavyweights like Nas, Kanye, and many, many more.

Date: 1996

Em back in his B-Rabbit days. Even after he had dropped his debut album, Infinite, Slim Shady still found himself needing to earn his status as a legitimate rapper in the industry. But thanks to freestyle battles like these, Eminem was eventually able to gain the attention of Dr. Dre who, after having The Slim Shady EP passed his way, immediately signed the Detroit rapper to Aftermath Entertainment.

Date: 2001

This interview is worth watching on the strength of Eminem's "stale, suburban white guy" voice alone, but the shirt calling out Christina Aguilera doesn't hurt either. Low-key, the Chrisinta Aguilera/Eminem beef was one of the best of its era. You heard her diss track to Em, right?? Easily deserving of classic status.

Date: 1999

Have you ever wondered what Eminem's favorite song to "make love" to would be? Of course you have! What's your first guess, though? Don't worry: J-Lo wasn't ours either. Oh, and apparently when the situation is right, Em can even get down to Barbara Streisand. This guy is just full of surprises.

Date: 1998

All he needs is one word. "Freestyle" has become a pretty loose term these days, with most rappers opting to spit a pre-written verse when put on the spot, instead of actually coming up with anything in the moment. But in this clip, Eminem's approach feels authentically off-the-top. When it comes to raw, verbal materials, few have a book of rhymes as deep as Eminem's.