Apple Music scores another exclusive with Eminem's 'Phenomenal' music video

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited July 2015
Eminem dropped an epic music video-cum-short film for his latest single "Phenomenal" on Friday as an Apple Music exclusive fraught with product placement courtesy of Apple Watch and iPhone.




Coming in at over seven minutes, chock-full of martial arts derring-do, special effects and cameos from Dr. Dre, actor Randall Park and a chow mein-eating John Malkovich, Eminem's "Phenomenal" is more action-packed movie than music video. We even see Em beat down two henchmen with a prodigious fish.

Along with today's fresh catch, Apple product placements are scattered throughout the film. One of the first shots shows Em glancing at his Space Black Apple Watch, a device that pops up again later on the wrist of Dr. Dre. The iPhone 6 also gets some love in a humorous chase scene with Park.

It's not uncommon to see branded tech in music videos -- Beats products are almost mandatory at this point -- but with such prominent placement, and Apple Music exclusivity, it feels like Shady and Apple struck a sweet deal.

The video's release comes days after Eminem participated in an inaugural Beats 1 interview with DJ Zane Lowe, which itself represented the thawing of a cold war with Apple. Eminem and company filed suit against Apple in 2004 after his song "Lose Yourself" was used in an iPod ad without permission. A second lawsuit dealing with distribution rights was lodged in 2007 and later settled out of court.

Em's recent Apple collaborations are likely thanks to a long-standing relationship with mentor Dr. Dre, founder and CEO of Shady's label Aftermath Entertainment. Dre and legendary record producer Jimmy Iovine's company Beats was purchased by Apple for $3 billion in August 2014.

"Phenomenal" is the lead single off the Shady Records-produced soundtrack for Antoine Fuqua's upcoming film Southpaw. Em was initially tapped to play the film's lead Billy Hope, a boxer striking out on a hard-won comeback, but chose to focus on his music instead. Fuqua ultimately signed Jake Gyllenhaal for the role, with Eminem brought on to executive produce the accompanying album.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 77
    jd mbajd mba Posts: 38member
    Oh yeah, that's one to be proud of...../s
  • Reply 2 of 77
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,389member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by JD MBA View Post



    Oh yeah, that's one to be proud of...../s

     

    Whether you like it or not, Eminem is a big name- so yes, this is an exclusive to be proud of. Your personal tastes are irrelevant. 

  • Reply 3 of 77
    chadmaticchadmatic Posts: 285member
    This one goes out to you @TheWhiteFalcon!
  • Reply 4 of 77
    thewhitefalconthewhitefalcon Posts: 4,453member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post

     

     

    Whether you like it or not, Eminem is a big name- so yes, this is an exclusive to be proud of. Your personal tastes are irrelevant. 


    Is he? I didn't even think he was relevant anymore. Not completely gone from history, but I don't see people really lining up for this.

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chadmatic View Post



    This one goes out to you @TheWhiteFalcon!

     

    Not following...

  • Reply 5 of 77
    frankiefrankie Posts: 381member
    Guess they had to make a big deal
    About the video since the song completely sucks. And I'm neutral about eminem, like some dont like some.
  • Reply 6 of 77
    slurpy wrote: »
    jd mba wrote: »
    Oh yeah, that's one to be proud of...../s

    Whether you like it or not, Eminem is a big name- so yes, this is an exclusive to be proud of. Your personal tastes are irrelevant. 

    Granted, but when I look up wigger on a search engine, Eminem's picture comes up.

    Black is beautiful, Rap is raucous, but Pinky is just a punk.
  • Reply 7 of 77
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member
    Not feeling this song; but I don't typically don't care for songs made for a film's soundtrack. Surprisingly there does several seem to be several good songs bubbling up on for the Southpaw (2015) soundtrack. For example, Kings Never Die by Eminem featuring Gwen Stefani is a decent track.

    Is he? I didn't even think he was relevant anymore. Not completely gone from history, but I don't see people really lining up for this.

    Serious?! :\ Recovery was a huge album in 2010 selling 10,000,000 copies worldwide. For comparison, Taylor Swift's nearly year old 1989 has only sold 8,600,000 million copies.
    Granted, but when I look up wigger on a search engine, Eminem's picture comes up.

    How is it that using wigger is acceptable but using nigger isn't?
  • Reply 8 of 77
    This is not funny. But this exclusive stuff is getting out of hand before Apple & tidal it was a competition of features. Now it's a competition of who can get the best exclusives before only the consumer won now no one wins.
  • Reply 9 of 77
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member
    This is not funny. But this exclusive stuff is getting out of hand before Apple & tidal it was a competition of features. Now it's a competition of who can get the best exclusives before only the consumer won now no one wins.

    Getting out of hand? Seriously?! :no:
  • Reply 10 of 77
    solipsismy wrote: »
    Getting out of hand? Seriously?! :no:

    As a lover of video games I can attest this type of exclusive is horrible for an industry. Since Apple and tidal entered this space its been talk of exclusives. Before when it was just Google, Spotify, rdio, and M$ consumers never had to double check how many of their favorite artists they would miss out when choosing one over another.


    Now I am going to most likely pirate this new album.
  • Reply 11 of 77
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member
    As a lover of video games I can attest this type of exclusive is horrible for an industry. Since Apple and tidal entered this space its been talk of exclusives.

    This isn't anything new to music.
  • Reply 12 of 77
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,617member
    Haha, the selfie scene, pmsl.
  • Reply 13 of 77
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member

    As a fanatical, unapologetic, rabid, delusional Apple fanboy shill I’m waiting for Spotify’s next financials to see what happens to their subscriber numbers. Nothing against Spotify. Just because. I want to see the iHaters squirm and wriggle. I want to read their convoluted explanations and diatribes. I love seeing them switch horses in mid stream like they did with Samsung when it started to lose steam. Samsung is no longer their Shining Knight out to slay the Apple dragon, especially since it starting to look like Tizen might make it to their high end phones. Spotify has been their latest hope. These exclusives are icing on the cake. Now we’re starting to see the logic behind the Beats deal and the real influence of Dre and Iovine.

     

    Me? I’ll just keep riding the fruity bandwagon like I have since 1982, come rain or come shine. 

  • Reply 14 of 77
    eliangonzaleliangonzal Posts: 490member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung View Post



    Now I am going to most likely pirate this new album.

     

    Theft. Always the first refuge of the cheapskates we call "techie boyz."

  • Reply 15 of 77
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung View Post





    As a lover of video games I can attest this type of exclusive is horrible for an industry. Since Apple and tidal entered this space its been talk of exclusives. Before when it was just Google, Spotify, rdio, and M$ consumers never had to double check how many of their favorite artists they would miss out when choosing one over another.





    Now I am going to most likely pirate this new album.



    Video games are a rather different proposition, given that development for multiple platforms costs money.  This music exclusive is a purely contractual thing, and more than likely a time-based one, i.e Eminem will be releasing on other services, he's just earned himself a fatter cheque by giving Apple the first look.

  • Reply 16 of 77

    I think an Eminem exclusive is bigger than not having Prince on board at this time, and that seems to have caused a big stir.

  • Reply 17 of 77
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,389member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung View Post





    As a lover of video games I can attest this type of exclusive is horrible for an industry. Since Apple and tidal entered this space its been talk of exclusives. Before when it was just Google, Spotify, rdio, and M$ consumers never had to double check how many of their favorite artists they would miss out when choosing one over another.





    Now I am going to most likely pirate this new album.

     

    Apple's job is to make the best product it can, and do whatever it is able in order to make it attractive to consumer and superior to other competing products. Apple shouldn't give a shit about what customers can or can't get on competitors, or about the fate of other services. By your logic, Apple should offer all their apps/services on Android, and maybe help build some Android phones, so that things are "fair" and "even", and people don't "miss out" if they choose NOT to buy the Apple product. 

     

    Oh, and nice to know you plan to steal and that you're a thief. Glad you've justified that to yourself, no matter how twisted and absurd the logic. 

  • Reply 18 of 77
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    solipsismy wrote: »
    How is it that using wigger is acceptable but using nigger isn't?

    Not sure if you are serious, but just in case you are: young white people who wish they were black have not endured hundreds of years of brutal mistreatment and systematic immiseration. They do get mocked once in a while, but I don't think that is enough to warrant removing any words from common usage.
  • Reply 19 of 77
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member
    quinney wrote: »
    Not sure if you are serious, but just in case you are: young white people who wish they were black have not endured hundreds of years of brutal mistreatment and systematic immiseration. They do get mocked once in a while, but I don't think that is enough to warrant removing any words from common usage.

    If using the word nigger isn't acceptable, then why would be calling someone a white nigger be acceptable? You honestly don't see an issue with wigger? I'd say it's not just offensive to those it's directed toward, but also those that have been, as you put it "endured hundreds of years of brutal mistreatment and systematic immiseration."
  • Reply 20 of 77
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    solipsismy wrote: »


    How is it that using wigger is acceptable but using nigger isn't?
    solipsismy wrote: »
    quinney wrote: »
    Not sure if you are serious, but just in case you are: young white people who wish they were black have not endured hundreds of years of brutal mistreatment and systematic immiseration. They do get mocked once in a while, but I don't think that is enough to warrant removing any words from common usage.

    If using the word nigger isn't acceptable, then why would be calling someone a white nigger be acceptable? You honestly don't see an issue with wigger? I'd say it's not just offensive to those it's directed toward, but also those that have been, as you put it "endured hundreds of years of brutal mistreatment and systematic immiseration."

    I'd say that words which are offensive are in an entirely different category than those which have historically been associated with violence. I believe offensive speech is and should be protected by law. However, in my opinion, there are also laws against "hate speech", because it leads to violence. It is a distinction with which the courts have struggled, but I think it is important to recognize.
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