NEW YORK -- What do you get when you cross the rap game's most lyrically equipped group with hip-hop's most celebrated lyrical tactician? Shady Records' next sonic gem, the Slaughterhouse album [article id="1689004"]Welcome to: Our House.[/article]

Eminem, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden and Crooked I converged on Sirius' Shade 45 radio station and sat with morning show host and MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway for a special interview and listening event to promote SH's major-label debut on Thursday evening (July 9).

"I feel like hip-hop needs this," Eminem said while perched on a stool, wearing a gray Nike hoodie pulled tight over his head.

Em didn't create Slaughterhouse, like some reality-show assembled boy band of rap assassins. No, Slim Shady started out as a fan of the hip-hop supergroup that formed in 2008. SH's self-titled first LP was recorded in about a week and was independently released. With Welcome to: Our House, however, the battle-ready squadron took their time crafting each track after Marshall signed them at the top of 2011. From the album-opening "Intro" to middle-finger-waving "Our Way," Em was hands-on with every track, sometimes spending weeks mixing one song.

For Slaughterhouse, the Shady Records CEO used tricks that were passed on to him by his mentor.

"All of Dre's little tricks, I've stolen over the years," Em said on-air and to the intimate room filled with music journalists and bloggers.

Though Crook, Joey, Joell and Royce pride themselves in their verbal abilities, for this LP, which seems to have so much riding on it, they weren't trying to best each other. They opted to make the best songs instead of having the best bars, even if that meant sacrificing individual time in the spotlight. "Nobody's in there trying to compete," said Budden, who later joked that he was left off of a record or two so Eminem could drop guest verses.

"It's about making songs now, trying to take that next step," Em added.

Crooked I agreed, noting that the group aimed not to just spit their most gruesome bars, but to also give fans insight on who they are personally. "When you have a great album, you should know that artist a little more from the intro to the outro," he said.

Are you ready for Slaughterhouse's Shady Records debut? Let us know in the comments!