Eminem and New Def Jam CEO Paul Rosenberg on Early 'Broke Days,' Courting Controversy and Hip-Hop's Future
Perched in the lofted second floor of a photo studio, Eminem leans over the balustrade to address his longtime manager, Paul Rosenberg, who’s down below, trying out his best angles while having his portrait taken. “Yo, Paul! Can you sign a CD for me when you’re done?” he calls out, face obscured under a baseball cap. “You’ve got the streets on fire right now!”
The room ripples with laughter, and Em disappears back into the loft.
![image](data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEABQODx4bGSAdGx0iHx8gJSYnJSUlJTElJSYmPTVAPz01OjlFTmdWRUlhSjk6WHxZYWtvdXZ1QlSBi4BximdydXABFRcXHxsfNSIiL3BNP0dwcHBwcHBwcHBwcHBwcHBwcHBwcHBwcHBwcHBwcHBwcHB8cHBwcHVwcHBwcHBwcHBwcP/AABEIAKkBLAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAaAAACAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBAUG/8QAOhAAAgECBAIHBQcDBQEAAAAAAAECAxEEEiExQVEFEyJhcYGRMqGxwdEUIzNCUnLwBrLhYnOCkqI0/8QAFwEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECA//EAB0RAQEBAAMBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAABEQIDMSESIkH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/APL4aEqs1CKvJ3sttizD0nVbULPLFyeqWiG6GqRhiYynJRjaWrdlsdWVejbtzour1VRZoWUbaWXj/kowvoqtqnDa9+0uV+fIx25M9J9vpZ399Ttme8k17CKFi6Ol50PtGR/eJfdrX42A4ea24VJPid+GKw7k+rqUIvPHrHJWUlbXKSriaGamn1coOpNyejtrePlewHFdCXVqpbsNtJ34iWOr0pVzUIR6ylOaqNvq9rWdvkcxJ8UAEhmiWHaIFtsJFdp+CLmtvESPty8EA1g2Jdc0HPHmvUCJC27a/a/ihusjz+IvWLNx2fDvAoxS7XkVJF9fV3KYnSM0Uj0/Rv8ATUZRTrNuT/KnZL6nnsMn1kLavNF+89tSxkqbinTlLNb2bvf+czj2crMkdevjLtrgdMdDLDxz028t7NPW3gcdHqun6s5xnTjRnZbz4aau3ceVNddtn1nskl+GSGsLFjXOrmEogsNcjACAwksRStC2HsWRogZ8pHA05ASiEZJIUunEqaKIhrAQ72IqJO25Ld4vWonWoy0ykIQCEJcgEsNGTWzFIBcq74o0Up5tbWMRswi7HmyUXJDtASHkviZAa28SiclGbbdtPqauXiYsfpLy+pYDGrC26H+0U1xXoc+xC4Oh9rp8/cxHilfNrbb5mIua+4T51H/avqMFznnV17yoegux6is3GV2HqunOE1vCSl6M9XS6TWRRTy3vo7K0d7+B49M2UsamoP2KkFlstYy4bHPsmunC47GI6UkqNaM6im5pWata+1lbuRwLD4zHTqzTlsuCVkgLXYvCYzzuokFINi+lBWudGFDRTOsk7GyvpBsz9G4GVeVo347dy4meVxqTVUaveWwd0aKvQeIis2R256GTDO78SSyrZY00ocS5ipWEk23ZFYSTEZ0MNgW1dj1MIkNHImiqUToV6FjJKJoUpBnsNlFrbEVnIAlyKQhCGVQhAwV5Jc2kACEIUMzbg/Y82Yjbg/Y82SjQkNWbUbpXIkWtGQtNN72MfSTtJd6+pvpoxdKWWV8015iejnNkuAhsE0S/+aH+7U/tgZjTUt1FO36pt+No/T3gSm+wlzuNZC0/ZQ6CBYGXW60as0+8cAExteVeo6k7J2StFWSFj2dtBpREbAvp1buzNdOelmc2m+2vE3JGolPiHeEkt7HR/p/FRjhJRjJU6im7ytG+V8ddNjmWM8JypV06UrSbXlczz47GuFyvZY3Hxhh2pO7y9l/q03PF4TdfzgdulgauIvPETlLLGTyvnY4FN5cr47nPr/rfY6b2Bh49q7K41k1roPTlZnRxbZ4iWy0Hw7ck7mRzRcsUoxsgg4haGCUNS+dZyegyhZGorFKJmr7G2puYcR8wsUEIQikIQhFQak+3H9y+IpFuiCMJJbsBQ50MNbt/7kjnm/B6qf72SjTFFzRVFGixhS046GDpdfh/8vkdOmtDD0tC+S3BSb9wno5LiCw0gG0KXS/Bh++p8IFTRdJfdU++dT4QAtitEDiM/wCaiLcqHFYSAFbXKZsvjs0Zqm4Ai9V3NHTizlpaG+U7Qb7ixKszt3tpFbyfyM9VPdvirc1/NCyNa6t+Va27xavC++7/AJ6kU8sVWqWjKrNp2TWZq67+ZU4drvLMKvvF4SfpFs108HlknJ/mitOTJ4vrHCm3fT2VqGV4te8txryTnGPGa9NX8ymrd69wRcu4eFNsooT7PgaY1TTLRCmooqq1BJVmUSmWCSZjxD1RpuZK+4qxWANiEaIyEIQQhCARkIyAPqbsB7Mv3fJGJG3o72JePyRKNkTSzOjQ9mYU0Njm9L3bil+VSb8NDqQWhzulqmVx0veM4+FxPRypW4CgYDaDcuf4dL90374/QoNdfE5qFCnd/d536yKGsJHdjiLdhDIICARcTO9i531KmA8Y9ksm+zFLd28xeCA37PclryKDdZtNr6eBZUd5P09Cq/av3tsZEGnB/iLwl71b5m11ePKSOdRlZt93zRpqTWSNvzO7JVUYx3nKXen8iO7iuLvZFeIleT8jRhlrFvhtw1KKqSs5LkWlTnerPvb+I9zUZqNlcmNJlbZUMjLVfaNPAyVH2mSrAIAhFKQZU5PaL9Blh5/pZFVkLlhp9y8ZIaODk+K97+RBnIa1gX+r3Fi6P/1P3DRkRt6N9mXiRYGK3v8A9v8ABZShGGkWtd1e4o0o0cGZFUXf6MudZKN9fQxitMI3jZ8VY43SOFhQUVC9pX31OzRldIw9MP2PZ2nur8OHeJ6VxXEmUsbA2joyTKGWy8PmNcWQGlbC8X5DW1stXwS1ZJ05Rl2oyj4poABARuyAWeW14t38yu5I7AYFqfZQ9K6vNcFbhb4AdKUYRlKEoqWzcWk/B8R8Pbq6nkBXHtPybCLT2fgviEC2C7M3yS+KGqS08/kiqPsy8l/PQlSXZCg59p96kvd9R6cpRV7cNCiOrtzL68ssVHR237mEV023Jtl1yils3zLLmolM2KRgNIbgY5bvxNd9DIZqxCACRp0VJcpP1+YU/wDR8CrrVwB9o7jI0XlyXqMs3Nehl+0vkDr5cyYNmV/qfuJaPFvzbMTqN8WLcuDc5U1yEniI20MgRgveI5IsjjHa1jKkNYYNkMelwfqZcVUU3dZrve7ulpwFsLJDBRkfcTI+RaS5RTlfJka28Pmy64X+Xw+bA9F/TdWMM97Zm1yvaxd/UlqtJta9Xkn32bcW/Baep51TcWnF2aFr4uVbLncrxUlrxTdzF4ftrU5T8cIJVeluZJLk2UyfM2wbgCSCCZR6nH4xLBVYSV4xlGlDim8qv6O55yL+7e/fbZArYlzjCFlGEFaMVtfi/FnV6E6LhiYyz1csdG1FdpPXnoc5nGfW7fyvxyYO0Xzdkvd8rkL8ZhJ0JSjKOkZWjLhNO9pLndWM2bxNsrpfhLvm/cl9SmcuBeknRXtX62ysr7pGvEdDVqNJVKkFGMpKNm7z120Ww0xjwsNU9H3PkVVZ5pabX9wak1+XTwEirFRamG5XcNzTJ7kFuS4DPYzWL5PR+BnJWohCXDcyqy5CBKiDIWwUiAgGsSwUBooiQ8UAUg2GSHSArSFlEvyiyiBRlJlLMoXGyvv5MCrIScbKLbjtolJOS14rgK5rkhZcX/NjWM6tbKNmxlIXiKRJsqGmwIiiSexCTAVFkKko3yycbqzs2rrkytDAXTxU5U40pO8YO8brVd1+XcVXaFARW/AdI/Z1JxgpVH7E5S0g+eW2r1eppo9Oy6mVGunVjK7UlK04u97rwexx7hJeMqy2HxFfrJZmkm92tMz5vvBcRhuajNPcNxEw3KhrhuKQqDN9llJZPYrJWohLBJYyq5IKQUhkihbBQ1g2IASwyiNlASw6iFIeKACQ6QVEZRIAkSQ6iRxApaIkWZRlAChwTv3lcqGiTb3k3/5+hryAlAaMjox5GaaV2kb5ROe3xLEJLclicwsAizGEluUAZMCQ2UBSMjQCKhAtAAhCECCEUNyhgi3CVElsKgsjjoFQgZwatfik/J7CkGpDICHUSKiGyhURsoCpDpEsMkQLYeKCojKJAVEdIiQyiRUUQZR4xuHJYCvKGxZlIkiaK7Ami5QBOA0Y5o5KudurG0W3tb3HCubiUeKQWCO5ZKHZuVCCrUjY9KNwGjAZQL4UyzqhqufVVmIXYpWn5IqW4DMQdiMIhCBCoMkBIZFQMqDkChgBGK4q41Cjnmot2jvJ8oJXb9EwDRm0pJfmWV87XT+SArqVc9SU2rXd7cEuC8loVtljiLlA1wRaiuOw6Ip0PYVBRAyQUghQBSHURYjcUZqikx1C25FwLSKXQIUB+yQFx0C0Kx6uz8gASchiqtw8QMnSf4LtzXpc4jOv0n+F6fE5HI6cfGasowuzdWoWoydtkV4Dc7FPZEtwkeairu21+LNWAp521xRnq+3L9z+Jbgvx4+Zq+DrRoW/wJOHcaSt7HPVcXGr7zyRRcvxv4j/nFmc6IssKxxJbhAGSFHiAUhlEKGRQLEsMQBbAHFABLBIB/9k=)