Listen: Eminem's extensive list of hip-hop heroes, in playlist form

When Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony Saturday night in Los Angeles, he rattled off a list of more than 100 artists from hip-hop's golden age whom he credited with helping him become the artist he became, and with saving his life.

"My musical influences are many, and they say it takes a village to raise a child. Well it took a whole genre and culture to raise me," he said.

"They say success has many fathers, and that’s definitely true for me. So whatever my impact has been on hip-hop music, I never would have or could have done this s--t without some of the groundbreaking artists that I'm about to mention right now."

The list started with 2 Live Crew and wrapped with YZ, and touched on artists both gigantic (2Pac, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy) and lesser known (Merciless Ameer, the Skinny Boys) in between. But all were of importance to Eminem as a hip-hop fan coming of age.

"I would not be here without them," he said. "I’m a high school dropout man, with a hip-hop education, and these were my teachers. And it's their night just as much as it is mine."

Here's a playlist of 100 songs from the artists he mentioned. All but a few were on Spotify; no luck on Alliance or Merciless Ameer, and Tony D is represented by "Rock Dis Funky Joint," a track he produced for Poor Righteous Teachers, who are also on the list.

In some cases, the artist's biggest or most well-known songs are the ones represented, in others, the cuts are a little deeper. All are worth a listen for the impact the artists had on Eminem.

Warning: Explicit lyrics.

PREVIOUSLY: Shady's greatest: Eminem's 50 best songs, ranked, on his 50th birthday

agraham@detroitnews.com

@grahamorama