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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eminem out of rehab, recording songs for new album

Detroit Free Press

Eminem stepped back up to a microphone last week, nearly two months after entering a drug rehabilitation center for an addiction to sleeping pills.

The hip-hop star is producing a pair of songs with longtime collaborator Dr. Dre. Interscope Records will feature the two tracks as new bonus material on Eminem’s upcoming greatest-hits compilation, “Curtain Call,” scheduled for release Dec. 6.

The rapper, whose given name is Marshall Mathers, had admitted himself to Brighton Hospital in Michigan on Aug. 16 seeking help for a dependency on sleeping medication.

Eminem’s rehab decision followed a six-week tour in the United States that found him struggling to sleep and forced the cancellation of several European stadium concerts. Interscope Records officials cited exhaustion and complicating medical issues.

The two new cuts with Dr. Dre will appear on “Curtain Call” alongside what Eminem casually described in a statement as “some songs that a lot of people like,” including the Oscar-winning hit “Lose Yourself” and his debut national single, “My Name Is.”

It could mark the last release under the Eminem name. Mathers reportedly has been planning a career shift that would include more behind-the-scenes production work, with 2004’s “Encore” standing as the final original Eminem album.