Written alongside producer Boi-1da, the song was originally released on August 27, 2009, as the third single from the soundtrack to LeBron James's More than a Game documentary, and was placed on the Refill re-release of Eminem's album Relapse (2009).

LeBron James appears in the opening of the music video in the back seat of a Maybach playing online poker on PokerStars on his customized Beats by Dr. Dre's laptop.

Birdman makes a cameo appearances in the video on Lil Wayne's verse, sitting next to him in the VIP section of the club.

[12] Jason Thurston of Allmusic.com marked the song as one of the standout tracks of the album, writing: "The record hits a high point early on the six-minute epic 'Forever,' a convention of rap's wordsmiths as Kanye West, Drake, Lil Wayne, and Eminem pass the baton over a dark, soulful, slightly mournful beat, separated by an echoing modern R&B Auto-Tune hook.

"[13] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic.com also highlighted the song, and commented: "['Forever'] is none too coincidentally the one track in the entirety of Eminem's 2009 comeback that feels utterly modern.

"[14] Entertainment Weekly was positive: "Those who frequent hip-hop blogs will already be acquainted with the strongest material, like Drake's Forever — where the rookie teams with all-stars Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Eminem" and it was also on Download This list.

[17][18] "Forever" failed to enter the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart, but did manage to peak at number 43 after strong downloads.

The song then began to drop out of the UK Singles Chart, but on January 10, 2010, "Forever" climbed 7 places from number 49 to 42, marking its highest peak to date.