In an age of cutting-edge smartphones and digital assistants, it’s easy to forget the humble BlackBerry ever existed. But not if you’re Marshall Mathers—better known as Eminem. Despite the global BlackBerry network shutdown nearly two years ago, the rap icon still carries one everywhere he goes.
Fans have spotted the outdated device in his pocket during interviews, studio appearances, and even red carpet events. At first, many assumed it was just another quirky habit from the famously private star. But according to insiders close to Eminem, there’s a deeply personal, and frankly heartbreaking, reason he refuses to let it go.
“He’s not clinging to a gadget,” one source revealed. “He’s holding on to memories. That phone holds messages, photos, and voicemails from a time in his life that he can’t bring himself to erase.”
The phone, reportedly powered off for nearly 18 months, is said to contain a final voicemail from someone Eminem lost—a friend, family member, or possibly even his late best friend Proof. Whatever is on the device, it’s not just sentimental. It’s sacred.
What makes this even more haunting? Eminem hasn’t spoken publicly about this BlackBerry, not once. He’s never rapped about it, never acknowledged it in interviews. Yet it’s always with him. A silent witness to everything he’s become—and everything he’s lost.
