Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller recently opened up about his collaboration with Eminem, revealing how their unexpected musical connection came together — and how it gave him a whole new perspective on today’s music industry.
In an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, Miller talked about how Eminem’s latest chart-topping single “Houdini” heavily samples his 1982 hit “Abracadabra.” The track has already surpassed 355 million streams on Spotify, showing the powerful impact of blending classic rock with modern rap.
“It’s a Good Use of It!” — Steve Miller on Eminem Sampling “Abracadabra”
When asked whether he talks about the Eminem collab during his shows, Miller responded:
“Yeah. I tell a little story about putting the song together, we vamp a bit and then go into it. I feel really great that Eminem used ‘Abracadabra.’ It’s a good use of it!”
How the Collab Happened
Miller shared that Eminem personally reached out to ask permission to use “Abracadabra” in his track.
“He called and said he’d like to use ‘Abracadabra.’ He told me, ‘I’ve written a bunch of verses and we’ve done a track. I’ll send it to you.’”
After hearing the song, Miller approved it immediately and even sent Eminem the original audio stems from his 1982 hit to use in the production.
A Wake-Up Call About the Power of Social Media
Miller was stunned by the instant global impact of Eminem’s release:
“When I released ‘Abracadabra’ in 1982, it took 12 months to become No. 1 worldwide. But Eminem dropped ‘Houdini’ at 12:01 a.m. on a Friday, and 60,000 people had already watched it within 30 minutes. By 10 a.m., it was 3 million. In one week, nearly 50 million people streamed it.”
He admitted that seeing how fast music travels today was a huge lesson, calling it “crazy, just instantly.”
Miller’s Appreciation for Eminem
Steve Miller praised Eminem for how respectfully and professionally the collaboration was handled.
“Eminem was very cool. I put out a little release saying I appreciated that it was legit. It feels good that a whole other group of people are listening to my music through Eminem — and digging it.”
It’s a powerful moment where classic rock meets modern rap, and a new generation of fans gets introduced to timeless music in a fresh way.
