It was on this day in 2002 that the movie 8 Mile, loosely based on the life of Marshall Mathers, AKA Eminem, hit theaters.
When first announced there was plenty of skepticism about the project, a lot of it centering around the doubt of whether or not the rapper could carry a movie.
Turns out, he could.
It didn't hurt that some heavy-hitters were also part of the production.
Curtis Hanson, who was behind the critically acclaimed L.A. Confidential, directed, while Kim Basinger— who snagged a Supporting Oscar for her work in that very film— played Eminem's mother. Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Michael Shannon and Anthony Mackie are also in the cast.
The film was a smash with both fans and critics, eventually making over $242 million worldwide and garnering multiple nominations and awards.
Which brings us to the music, in the form of the compilation 8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture, which was certified quadruple platinum and would spawn a second release, More Music From 8 Mile.
But I'm focusing on the first one, which naturally features plenty of Eminem, as well as Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Nas, Rakim, Macy Gray, and Xzibit, to name a few.
But none of them are the stars of the movie. And none of them won the Oscar for "Best Original Song."
So for today's SoundTRAX selection I'm going with the film's theme song— albeit a slightly sanitized version— because you know, FCC.
For the 21st anniversary of 8 Mile, it's Eminem with "Lose Yourself."
