Eminem visit ‘life-changing’
‘‘Keep on going, you got it’’.
Those were the words of international rap star Eminem, after hearing Canterbury’s teenaged wheelchair rapper Joe Ward perform one of his original raps.
Nineteen-year-old Joe Ward is still buzzing after returning from a ‘‘life-changing’’ trip to meet his idol in the United States.
Ward, who has muscular dystrophy, spent 13 days in the US, where he visited Eminem in his home city of Detroit.
The trip was organised by Make a Wish New Zealand in conjunction with Make a Wish America.
Travelling with his sister, her partner and a caregiver, Ward also visited Houston, Texas and Los Angeles.
The night before he met Eminem, Ward struggled to sleep because he was so excited.
‘‘The morning was taking so long it come,’’ he said.
After being transported to Eminem’s private studio, he said, ‘‘I felt like I was still dreaming.’’
Once inside the group was taken to meet Eminem and his close friend and producer Denaun Porter.
Ward said his first words to Eminem were ‘‘Sup bro’’.
Eminem then walked up to him and went to shake his hand, however due to his condition Ward couldn’t raise his hand enough to shake Eminem’s so the rapper gave him knuckles instead, he said. ’’I wish I could’ve shook his hand instead,’’ he said.
Eminem spoke to the group about his personal life and the hardships he had endured to get to where he was today.
Ward asked what a line from his favourite Eminem song, Beautiful, meant. Eminem replied that he was in a terrible state of mind at the time he wrote the song and hated it because it reminded him of his bad times.
Ward said he told Eminem the song was very special and sentimental to him, and had helped him get through bad days.
‘‘When I listen to that song on my bad days, it makes me feel great again,’’ he said.
Having initially felt he did not deserve the trip, Ward said he now saw the trip as a sign that anything could happen and he was inspired to keep ‘‘pushing for more’’.
After having photos taken, Eminem asked Ward to rap for him.
Ward’s nervousness caused him to forget a line of his own song Hater, Hate on Me. As he paused, hands trembling, Eminem told him ‘‘come on man, you got it’’ which gave Ward the courage to finish the rap. ‘‘I killed it,’’ Ward said. An impressed Eminem told Ward to ‘‘keep on going, you got it’’, he said. The rapper also organised a tour of places in Detroit, including an arcade and restaurant.
"I felt like I was still dreaming.'' Joe Ward