Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesEminem might not be gracing us with his presence on the big screen in Southpaw, but he will be present in the movie by way of the movie's soundtrack.
The rapper's "Phenomenal" dropped Tuesday morning and it has all the makings of a classic pump-up song. Think a combination of "Till I Collapse" and "Lose Yourself" with a hint of "Mockingbird's" realness. The lyrics alone will have you going for a 10-mile run or hitting the gym with the utmost intensity (or, in this case, getting back in the boxing ring).
"I am phenomenal / However long that it takes / I'll go to whatever lengths / It's gonna make me a monster though / I am phenomenal / But I would never say, ‘Oh, it's impossible' / Cause I'm gonna be phenomenal," he raps in the hook.
The lead role of Southpaw, which now stars Jake Gyllenhaal, was originally offered to the 8 Mile-starring actor, but he turned it down to focus on his music. The screenplay is said to be loosely based on Eminem's struggle throughout his early career. The story follows Gyllenhaal, a left-handed boxer at the height of his fame, as he works his way back to the top after his wife (Rachel McAdams) is killed and he loses hid daughter to child services.
He turns to boxing trainer Titus "Tick" Wills (Forest Whitaker) to win back his titles and his daughter.
Antoine Fuqua, the director behind Training Day and Olympus Has Fallen, also takes the helm of this redemption story. Screenwriter Kurt Sutter told MTV News when Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) was still set to play the lead, "I love that the title refers to Marshall being a lefty, which is to boxing what a white rapper is to hip-hop; dangerous, unwanted and completely unorthodox.
"It's a much harder road for a southpaw than a right-handed boxer."
With "Phenomenal" as the motivational song guiding Gyllenhaal, we have no doubt that he will persevere.
What do you think of "Phenomenal"? Sound off in the comments below!