Eminem Says His New Song “Phenomenal” Reminds Him of One of His Old Ones

Apple is pulling out all the stops for the release of its digital streaming service. Apple Music, the culmination of more than a year of research, development and market testing after the electronics giant acquired Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine's Beats brand. There was the Drake launch, the Taylor Swift promotional stunt and now, with the service finally available to the public, an interview with Eminem. The famously reclusive rapper spoke today (July 1) with Zane Lowe on the service's new Beats 1 Radio. Southpaw, the Jake Gyllenhaal boxing drama due out July 24, was originally set to star Eminem, but he backed off due to scheduling conflicts.

Still, Em wanted to be involved, so he helmed the movie's soundtrack, which features music from Slaughterhouse, Action Bronson and others, alongside new songs and verses from Mr. Mathers himself. Speaking to Lowe, he says that he crafted "Phenomenal" to replace "Til I Collapse" during one of the film's montages. Marshall and Zane go on to discuss some of the most famous music-backed montages in film history, including those from Rocky, The Karate Kid and, yes, Flashdance. "Til I Collapse," the Nate Dogg-featuring song appeared on the rapper's 2002 album The Eminem Show, and is beloved by his fans (including swimmer Michael Phelps, who said he used it to warm up before Olympic races). The pair also spoke about Em's boxing training, what it's like to perform "Lose Yourself" on stage and more. Listen to the interview in its entirety below. After that, check out the preview for the "Phenomenal" video, to be released exclusively through Apple Music.

Hey Marshall, you film an action movie and not tell us? @Eminem's #Phenomenal vid coming soon http://t.co/ynk2wDIdJI https://t.co/k52ipzcqkZ

— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) June 30, 2015