Eminem insists on having jumbo shrimps and peanut butter in his dressing room at SA shows

Johannesburg - American rap superstar Eminem has ditched drugs and is likely to tuck into quality German pickles and low-fat yoghurt before taking to South African stages next week.

The 41-year-old singer from the US city of Detroit, who once nearly died of a drug overdose, now has a squeaky-clean and booze-free backstage rider.

However, the razor-tongued musician, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, refuses to compromise on the quality of his pickles.

Eminem advises concert promoters that only pickles by the premier German brand Gundelsheim will suffice in his backstage dressing rooms.

Other items required by the rapper include low-fat yoghurt, peanut butter, jumbo shrimps and Swiss mild cheddar cheese. He also insists on dumbbells backstage.

Eminem has refused media interviews in the run-up to the SA leg of his Rapture 2014 Tour, which kicks off at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday, 26 February before heading to Joburg’s Ellis Park Stadium on Saturday, 1 March.

The singer, who also goes by the alias of Slim Shady, won various awards for his 2010 album Recovery, which is about escaping excess.

Rolling Stone magazine has chronicled his struggle with substance abuse, including various prescription drugs including Vicodin and Valium.

He collapsed in his bathroom after overdosing on methadone in December 2007.

He was rushed to hospital where doctors informed him that he had taken the equivalent of four bags of heroin, and was “about two hours from dying”, reported the magazine. Eminem has a teenage daughter, Hailie Jade.

Rolling Stone ranked Eminem 82nd on its The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list.

He will be supported in South Africa by Jack Parow and DJ Ready D, said local spokesperson for the tour Penny Stein.

Concert promoters Dainty Group marketed the shows as "game-changing hip-hop events curated by Eminem, with ears tuned to the streets, and eyes locked on rap’s future".