The King of Hip-Hop has compared himself to the King of Rock and Roll, with Eminem reimagining Elvis Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’ as part of new single, ‘The King And I’.
Released ahead of its appearance on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, ‘The King And I’ sees Eminem collaborating with CeeLo Green as the pair vocalise atop an instrumental which heavily utilises Elvis’ 1957 single, ‘Jailhouse Rock’.
While the chorus echoes the lyrics of Elvis’ original (“It goes one for the trailer park, two for my baby-ma/Three for the tater tots, four if you ate a lot,” it begins), further lyrics sees Eminem drawing comparisons between himself and the titular King.
In addition to noting their pale skin, their global acclaim and statuses as ‘kings’ of their respective genres, Eminem also touches on the criticism both he and Elvis received for their perceived theft of Black music to succeed in show business.
The forthcoming soundtrack to Elvis is set to release on 24th June alongside the wider release of the film. In addition to numerous originals from Elvis, the soundtrack also features more contemporary artists such as Doja Cat, Kacey Musgraves, Denzel Curry, and lead actor Austin Butler.
Meanwhile, the soundtrack also sees a number of artists either remixing or duetting alongside Elvis, including Tame Impala, who provide a remix of 1968’s ‘Edge Of Reality’, while Jack White’s 2019 cover of ‘Power Of My Love’ is interspersed with the original.
