Songfacts®:

• Eminem recorded "The King And I" for the soundtrack to Elvis, a movie that chronicles the life and career of Elvis Presley. The song title references Elvis' moniker as the "King of Rock & Roll." There is also a famous 1950s Broadway musical and film titled The King and I.
• Em spits three verses. The first two are standard Slim Shady fare; his rise to stardom and affinity for prescription drugs, albeit with a few Elvis allusions thrown in.
• It's only in the last verse that Eminem speaks explicitly about Elvis. He starts off by admitting to cultural appropriation.
  
  I stole black music, yeah true
  Perhaps used it as a tool to combat school
  
  Like Em, Elvis garnered criticism for stealing and profiting from African-American music. Marshall Mathers previously referenced this in his 2002 single "Without Me."
  
  I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley
  To do Black music so selfishly
  And use it to get myself wealthy
  
  Later in the verse, Eminem breaks down the parallels between the two Caucasian superstars.
  
  Between Elvis and me, myself
  It seems obvious: one, he's pale as me
  Second, we both been hailed as kings
  He used to rock the Jailhouse, and I used to rock The Shelter
• Cee-Lo Green croons the chorus where he talks about not giving a toss about what his naysayers say. He will continue to live his life as he wants to.
• While Green and Em have been friends for years, "The King And I" marks the first time that both have appeared on wax together. "I've longed for an opportunity to work with him," Green told KTLA morning news. "He said 'hey man can you do this for me? I need it really quickly, I need it tonight.' So when Eminem says he needs something tonight, you deliver."
  
  The pair did work together on one previous occasion. Back in 2012, Green supplied vocals for the hip-hop group Slaughterhouse's song "My Life." The track features co-production by Eminem.
• Eminem and Green co-wrote the song with its co-producer, Dr. Dre. Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber also receive credits because the track samples their song written for Elvis, "Jailhouse Rock."
• Eminem also included the song on his second greatest hits collection, Curtain Call 2.