Eminem Says Rap Music Is ‘Therapeutic’ for Him: ‘That’s How It’s Always Been for Me’

Eminem is talking candidly about the therapeutic value of art.
The 49-year-old, 15-time Grammy Award winner was recently asked about how singing about mental health and addiction changed his life when he appeared on Sirius XM Radio channel 45’s Sway in the Morning program.
Over the phone, Eminem stated, “I think that’s one of the great things about rap music… is that you could put so much of your life in it.” “It’s therapeutic, and that’s how it’s always been for me.”

Through his songs, Eminem—real name Marshall Mathers—has let his fans in on some of the most private aspects of his life. In his 2010 album Recovery, he also composed multiple verses discussing his addiction to pharmaceutical drugs.Eminem talked about his 2007 drug overdose and how he overcame his addiction by working out a lot in a 2015 interview with Men’s Journal.Never miss a story by subscribing to PEOPLE’s free weekly newsletter, which will arrive in your inbox every Friday with the biggest stories of the week. 

“I went into the hospital in 2007 after taking too many drugs. I weighed almost 230 pounds. “I have ideas, but I’m not sure how I got so big,” he said to the newspaper. “The coating on the Vicodin and the Valium I’d been taking for years leaves a hole in your stomach, so to avoid a stomachache, I was constantly eating — and eating badly.”