In an interview with MTV News Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks talk Eminem‘s success with his number one record Recovery.

Tony Yayo: Eminem is like the godfather of the hip-hop game. In a time like this, when records are not selling, he’s the only one that is selling. You know, Drake and all the other ones [did well], but Em did [close to] 800,000 his first week, and he’s #1 for the fifth week. It’s incredible. I think he has a faithful fan base of people who have been following him for years. They’re not going to stop following him and not stop listening to his music. Em said he didn’t like his last album as much as this one. You can hear the difference. I like both of the albums. ’3 a.m.’ is one of my joints. But Eminem has followers that’s gonna mess with him until the day he dies.

Lloyd Banks: I feel like his music is getting more and more powerful, the messages are a lot bigger now, especially the first single [Not Afraid]. I just hope I get a record with him, real real soon… [laughs]

Days before his seventh album, Recovery, dropped, Eminem sat with VIBE for a short convo to talk about his rehab back in ’05, being snubbed by MTV and not competing on the “Forever” track. Check out the full interview after the jump!

VIBE: How’d you feel about the response to “Forever”?

Eminem: The response was great. I didn’t really look it like I’m competing against these guys. I’m on a record with them, but I just wanted to make a good song. Certainly, the response helped, as far as me being able to feel good about myself again. It took me so long to just even be able to do that. I was pretty down for a few years. I went through some things and not just with addiction, some personal setbacks and I was down. Just being able to get back up again feels good. I think everything played a factor of where I’m at now.

On Recovery, you have this one line on “25 to Life” where you talk about taking control of your relationship with hip-hop. How have you done that?

What the whole song is saying is that I have a strange relationship with hip-hop because I love it so much. I go through this thing in my head a lot, which I’m sure every rapper does, where you give your life to this thing. You literally give everything that you got. I come to work some days wearing the same thing two days in a row—baggy sweats—just dedicating my life to this. And there are times that I feel like I get the respect that I deserve and there are times where I feel like I don’t.

Like when MTV excluded you from their Hottest MCs of 2009 list?

That hottest MC list that I was left off, it was one of those things that I was glad that I am at where I’m at. I’m glad I’m in this place now, because a few years ago I would’ve let it bother me more than it did. I took it not as a slap in the face but more so like, “Maybe I’m not on that list for a reason. Maybe I’m not doing the things that I need to be doing. Maybe I need to look at myself and step it up.” I don’t know what I would have thought being in the mind state that I was in. I just felt like maybe I need to do better.

As a person, are you proud of yourself?

I handle things a lot differently now. I’m proud to be able to say that I’m an addict without any shame in it. I’m proud that I’m able to admit that I have a problem with a certain thing and I have to leave it alone and accept it. I’m proud that I’m strong enough to be able to walk away form those things.

When did you realize that? During rehab? Therapy?

I got some tools in rehab when I went in 2005. I got the tools that I need, I just didn’t use them. I got the information, the analysis—I don’t know if that’s the word—of my personality. What type of person I am, why I have this addictive behavior, why I need instant gratification from certain things, why I feel a certain way because my childhood was this way or that way. I got all of those tools, which made me understand why I had to leave that stuff alone. But I didn’t use it and that’s why I went back to it.

Why did you decide not to release the songs you’d planned for Relapse 2?

On a record like the new record, when I mention the third verse of “Talking to Myself,” I try to sum up the last two records in a nutshell. Mr. Porter, who produced “On Fire,” had this analogy of Encore and Relapse that stuck with me: “Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushing them out.” His view on Relapse was that I was flushing the drugs out my system and looking back at it, I probably was. My mind was coming back, my writing skills were coming back, so I was able to write again because I had writer’s block from the pills. I was backed up. I was writing so much and so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to stop and say, Are these good songs? Are they great songs? I was just going. I was like, ‘I got so much material for three albums, but let’s narrow it down to two. Let’s put out Relapse 2 months later. That was the original plan. There are so many drug references on the last album; that’s just where my head was at. I came to life again and everything was like new. When they say ‘in recovery’ or ‘in rehab’, it’s like being born again when you get clean and sober. You start appreciating shit that you never thought you would appreciate, like, ‘Wow, look at those trees. Look at nature.’ Before, it didn’t matter. I just started appreciating things more. I got happy when I got sober, broke free from the chains—not to sound corny. I broke free from the chains of addiction and it was just like ‘Ahh, I’m happy again. I’m not a prisoner.’ I was just happy to be back.

This monday, The New York Times released an interview they did with Marshall Mathers. Eminem speaks on soberness, his Artist of The Decade Award, why he doesn’t like to tour and more.

Does Slim Shady, your raping and killing alter ego, still exist? Or have you split with him?
Shady still exists. But I don’t think the subjects on this record call for, you know, bring the chainsaws and axes out and murder everyone on this record. There was so much stuff like that off the last record that I felt like I was starting to run it into the ground. I think consciously I went in a different direction with this record.

What does the title of your album refer to? What exactly are you recovering from?
Vicodin, Valium and Ambien, and toward the end, which caused my overdose, methadone. I didn’t know it was methadone. I used to get pills wherever I could.I was just taking anything that anybody was giving to me.

Where did you go to rehab?
The first time I went it was in Brighton, Mich. The second time I didn’t go to rehab. I just went to a regular hospital. I detoxed in the hospital, and then I came home. I couldn’t go back to rehab. I felt like I was Bugs Bunny in rehab.

What does that mean?
When Bugs Bunny walks into rehab, people are going to turn and look. People at rehab were stealing my hats and pens and notebooks and asking for autographs. I couldn’t concentrate on my problem.

Billboard magazine has ranked you as the best-selling artist of the past decade.What do you do with all your money?
Save it. I save a lot of money by not buying drugs anymore. I invest. I always try to be smart. I try to treat all the money I’m making like it’s the last time I’m going to make it.

Do you think rap has peaked creatively?
No. Hip-hop right now – there are certain artists who put hip-hop in a good state. There are a lot of talented people, and there’s a lot of young talent coming up, like B.o.B, Jay Electronica, Lupe Fiasco and Drake.

Why haven’t you planned any kind of big tour for your new album,other than two concerts with Jay-Z in September?
Touring is hard on the body.It used to be a big trigger for me with drinking and drugging.

Full story.

Guess what? 50 Cent looks actually normal! In the interview above Big Greg caught up with 50 Cent backstage at his Detroit show to talk about his weight loss and his interest in films.

In related news, the G-Unit general talked about his upcoming project, Black Magic. Although he isn’t sure that the album will be called Black Magic hundred percent, he says that the project got a “soulful vibe”.

Full Rap-Up interview with 50 Cent

Props to Raphael from France!

Check out Eminem‘s interview with Skyrock FM from France below! He talked about the features with Lil Wayne, Pink and Rihanna on Recovery, the “Not Afraid” video and more.

Skyrock interviews Eminem

In a recent interview with XXL Tony Yayo talks about being independent, 50 Cent planning a comeback for G-Unit and more.

Yayo said when he first got the news, it hit him hard. “When we got dropped from Interscope it was like, ‘Aww, man,’ “ he shared. “It was like you know a crushing thing. You know, when you used to being on top and now you feel like, for me, you’re feeling like you on the bottom.”

The G-Unit soldier revealed that 50 Cent is prepping a comeback. “God works in mysterious ways and good things is happening now,” he said. “The new opportunities are coming. I don’t wanna talk too much about them either ’cause I don’t wanna ruffle any feathers or anything, but 50 is definitely bringing G-Unit back to where it needs to be.”

“We was gonna go the independent route, ’cause we put out ‘Beamer, Benz or Bentley,’ all that’s independently,” he added. “That’s with no machine.” But it seems like Fifty has something else up his sleeve.

Meanwhile, Yayo says he didn’t leave Interscope empty handed. “When I got dropped, I’m not gonna front. I was a little down about it,” he explained. “It’s not like it was because of the money, because Interscope, they advanced me for my second album. So I got money that I didn’t even deserve…but it’s just the whole thing of being dropped and everybody looking at you.”

Thisis50 recently sat down with D12‘s Bizarre.

He talks about his funny sense of humor, speaks on his new album Friday Night At St. Andrews, Will we see the comedy side of Bizarre on his new album? Will there be a new D12 album? He also speaks on how the Proof situation affected him and the group overall and much more!

Also Bizarre says what he would do in certain bizarre/wierd situations… “That’s Bizarre!”

Eminem discussed his new single “Not Afraid” from Recovery and speaks on becoming artist of the decade with Shade 45‘s Angela Yee.

He confirmed producers such as Just Blaze, Dr. Dre, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Boi-1da, Jim Jonsin and what’s new: Mobb Deep‘s Havoc, for his new album. According to Em, there will be just music on the album, no skits.

Download: Eminem Interview + “Not Afraid” On Shade 45

Lloyd Banks recently sat down with Philadelphia Power 99 for an interview. They talked about the G-Unit family, Rick Ross, Young Buck, Fat Joe Joey Crack, and of course the remix for Beamer, Benz, Or Bentley. Banks also revealed that he flew to Detroit to meet Eminem, so there’ll probably be a collaboration track for Banks‘ upcoming album H.F.M.2 (Hunger For More 2).