Tyler, The Creator has never been shy about his influences, and in a recent interview, the Odd Future frontman gave The Eminem Show its flowers, expressing deep admiration for Eminem’s 2002 classic. The album, widely considered one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time, played a significant role in shaping a generation of artists—including Tyler himself.
Tyler had a nostalgic moment during his latest interview with Nardwuar, reminiscing about “The Eminem Show” — and some unexpected merch inspiration from it.
Nardwuar, known for his deep-cut gifts and obscure finds, surprised Tyler with the same Eminem Show urinal mat he first showed him in 2011. Back then, Tyler was ecstatic, exclaiming, “We are making this!” Fast forward to today, and it seems like he might have kept his word — his latest album, “Chromakopia”, brought to life some merch that looks suspiciously inspired by that very moment.
But the real nostalgia kicked in when Tyler started recalling details about “The Eminem Show”’s release, debating whether it dropped on May 23 or May 28, 2002. He even remembered that Interscope had to move up the release date due to leaks, proving just how deep his fandom runs. Even if he did not get every fact exactly right, his enthusiasm showed that he is a true fan — not just of Em’s music, but of the kind of trivia only hardcore stans would care about. “Wow, what a great album”, Tyler said, as if a conversation about merch and interviews could not distract him from thinking about Marshall’s classic.
So, did Eminem’s old urinal mat joke inspire Tyler’s latest merch? Nardwuar thinks so. And honestly, we would not be surprised.
