While Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion took up most of the headlines about rap beef so far this year, they aren’t the only ones taking shots. The same weekend that Megan dropped “HISS,” Lyrical Lemonade dropped their new album All Is Yellow which featured many of the biggest stars in rap. One Of those was Eminem, who jumped on the track “Doomsday Pt. 2.” He used his verse on the song as an opportunity to dig up some old beef with Benzino and even brought his daughter Coi Leray into the flow.
While Coi tried to take the high road and respond by staying above it all, Benz hit back. He dropped a pair of diss tracks pretty much solely aimed at attacking Em. On one of them, he accuses Em of being the “Rap Elvis.“ Included in the song is a reference to Conway The Machine, who was once signed to Shady Records. “Con’ left ya label” the lyric reads implying that the rapper wanted to get away from the label. But not the Griselda rapper is breaking his silence on the matter. He clarified that the story isn’t anywhere near as scandalous as it’s made out to be.
Conway took to Instagram to clear up a few things. “1. I didn’t LEAVE shady records. Also I never wanted to leave the label, My contracts were simply fulfilled,” his response begins. “2. And most importantly, I F*CK WIT @eminem @rosenberg @mikaelheron @shadyrecords @50cent And I could never feel any Ill feelings towards Em and them n*ggas,” his Instagram post continued.
“They gave some 35 year old street n*ggas from Buffalo that’s been shot in the head and did jail sentences a chance and a opportunity to make it out the hood and take care of my family,” Conway explains. What do you think of Conway The Machine clarifying that he has no beef with Eminem or Shady records after Benzino’s claims? Let us know in the comment section below.
On this date in 2003, 50 Cent released his second and most critically acclaimed album to date Get Rich Or Die Tryin on Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.
After his street-certified buzz from his Guess Who’s Back mixtape, a meeting with Eminem eventually turned into a million-dollar deal on Dr. Dre and Em’s Shady/Aftermath imprint. With the album executive produced by Dre and Fif, this project became probably the most anticipated release of any debut Hip-Hop album of the new millennium.
Debuting at the pole position on Billboard 200, GRODT sold almost 900K units its first week and is now certified 6x platinum. The commercial success of the album in terms of radio and video plays as well the movie that launched starring 50 Cent with the same title helped earn the album a Grammy nod in 2004.
Some of the album’s forerunning singles include the ever-popular “In Da Club,” “21 Questions” featuring the late Nate Dogg, and “P.I.M.P.,” which became an international hit.
Salute to 50, Dre, Em, and the entire G-Unit for this timeless piece of Hip-Hop history!
Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″, iconic Detroit lyricists, form the hip hop super-duo known as Bad Meets Evil. Together, the pair have collaborated since the mid 1990s, releasing one full-length LP Hell: The Sequel in 2011 and a host of singles and lyrical outings on film soundtracks and compilation albums. Though Em and Royce had a falling out in the early 2000s, the pair reunited in 2011 when Eminem’s Shady Records signed Royce Da 5’9″s hip hop super-group Slaughterhouse. In the years since, the pair have continued collaborating, and have even teased new projects which may release in the coming years. Here’s a look at the duo and their current projects.
As one of the highest-selling musicians of all time, Eminem likely requires no introduction. The “Evil half” of the Bad Meets Evil duo has sold over 500 million records in nearly three decades of rhyming, and achieved induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2022. Only 10 other hip-hop acts in history share this distinction.
Eminem’s latest studio album, Music To Be Murdered By, was released in early 2020, with a full-length Side B deluxe released later that same year. Since then, Em has popped up on several features with artists including Fat Joe, Skylar Grey and Shady Records signee EZ Mil, with his most recent outing being an appearance on the Lyrical Lemonade album All Is Yellow. Eminem appears on the track “Doomsday Pt. 2” where he proves that his lyrical ability is as sharp as ever, stacking complex multisyllabic rhymes with ease and even reigniting beefs from decades past.
Since deciding to become sober in 2008, the Bad Meets Evil alumni has gained a reputation for being highly reclusive, seldom making media appearances or granting interviews. However, Eminem has been popping up all over the place in recent weeks to celebrate the Detroit Lions in their historic NFL season. Despite the Lions not making it to the Super Bowl this year, Eminem actively cheered the team on during playoff games and appeared in multiple promotional videos to rally team spirit.
Also born of the mid 1990s Detroit rap sound, Royce Da 5’9″ has long held his place as one of the only rappers who can routinely keep pace with Eminem on a track lyrically. The “Bad half” of Bad Meets Evil has also had many successes in his career, with 8 solo albums, as well as a wide array of mixtapes and collaborative works. Obviously, Royce isn’t nearly as big of a rap star as his counterpart, which prompted the rapper to seek solo success in the years following the 2011 release of Hell: The Sequel.
Since then, Royce has released several critically acclaimed albums, and even taken up beat-making, tutored by his long-time friend and collaborator DJ Premier. His most recent LP, 2020’s The Allegory, was entirely self produced. Royce also scored a production credit on Eminem’s 2020 double album, taking to the boards for the track “Darkness.” Royce provided a lyrical back and forth with his Bad Meets Evil counterpart on the album as well, in tracks such as “You Gon’ Learn, “Yah Yah,” and “I Will.”
In 2022, Royce Da 5’9″ revealed that he had been working behind the scenes to get a reunion album off the ground with his supergroup Slaughterhouse, though music industry politics and group in-fighting prevented the album from materializing. Instead, Royce explained to fans during an Instagram live that he would need to take some time off to switch gears before being ready to drop another solo effort. Although neither of the Bad Meets Evil rappers have confirmed new solo albums at this time, it appears evident that both have been actively working on new music behind the scenes.
If you went into a 20-year coma in 2004 and woke up today, you might be forgiven for thinking that no time at all had passed. The economy is still all topsy-turvy, the US is still embroiled in controversial conflict in the Middle East, and for some reason, Eminem is still beefing with Benzino, despite both men being well into their fifties.
The first salvo in their latest skirmish was fired by Eminem on his song “Doomsday Pt. 2” from Lyrical Lemonade’s new album All Is Yellow.
Benzino responded on Wednesday (January 31) with his new single “Rap Elvis.”
Em has yet to respond, but at this point, you kind of have to expect that he will. The real question you might have is… Why? Why do Eminem and Benzino have beef in the first place, and why haven’t they let it go after nearly 30 years?
The answer to the second question is only known to the two rivals, but as to when their feud began and what started it, here’s a short summary. In 2002, The Source was still largely considered “hip-hop’s Bible,” and then-publisher Benzino refused to allow the magazine to give Eminem’s album The Eminem Show a five-mic rating — at least, according to Eminem and widely accepted hip-hop lore. Em criticized the magazine for what he felt was an unfair rating of his best album (to this day), prompting Benzino to respond with the diss song “Pull Your Skirt Up.”
Benzino’s campaign to undermine Eminem also unearthed old recordings using slurs against Black people that the Detroit rapper made when he was a teenager. Eminem apologized for those recordings, but not the scathing diss tracks he unleashed against Benzino, which included “The Sauce” and “Nail In The Coffin.” Since then, you could say the both men’s paths divereged a bit; while Eminem’s legacy as a “Rap God” has grown over the course of seven more albums (arguably a little too much), Benzino has been known in recent years largely for his role as a cast member on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and his fraught relationshp with daughter Coi Leray.
Until this year, the beef was mostly one-sided, with Benzino shading Eminem in interviews and on Twitter throughout the past half-decade or so, and Eminem mostly just ignoring him. That changed with “Doomsday, Pt. 2,” which could mean that 2024 looks like 2004 all over again. Maybe this time, Em and Ben can make sure that the coffin stays closed.
Many a celebrity has felt the wrath of Eminem’s scathing pen, but it looks like the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will avoid such a fate — for now. The coach had potential offers to move up to a head coaching role for teams like the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders, but opted to stay in Detroit for the time being after the historically awful Motor City football club made a respectable push in the playoffs this season, taking it all the way to the NFC Championship, where they were narrowly defeated by the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday, 34-31.
Eminem expressed his relief at Johnson’s decision on Twitter, where he joked that he had been working on a diss track, which is presumably shelved for the time being. He also called back to his earlier joke about joining the team, which he’s supported with his star power for years. “Guess I should stop recording this diss track..!!” he wrote. “@ Ben Johnson Thank you for staying!!! We can’t break this team up ESPECIALLY since I’M on it!!! Coach Campbell we love you bro!!! Let’s run it back next year!!…I’m READY!!!! I promise you I WILL get us to the super bowl!!”
Guess I should stop recording this diss track..!! Lol!! @ Ben Johnson Thank you for staying!!! We can’t break this team up ESPECIALLY since I’M on it!!! Coach Campbell we love you bro!!! Let’s run it back next year!!…I’m READY!!!! I promise you I WILL get us to the super…
The joke played on the media furor surrounding Em’s attendance at the recent NFC Championship, where he prematurely celebrated the Lions’ hefty halftime lead, gloating while flipping off the surrounding Niners fans. Unfortunately, his overconfidence came back to bite him right in the tuchus when the Lions fell apart in the second half, paving the way for San Franciso to stamp their tickets to the Super Bowl. It looks like the Lions will be running it back next year, and Em will have to pick a new target to poke (just as long as it isn’t Taylor Swift, for the love of God).
As of about 13 days ago, Eminem’s last album, Music To Be Murdered By, is four years old, while its deluxe edition, Side B, was released in December 2020. That means it has been about three years since fans received a full body of work from the self-declared Rap God, and the sporadic single releases he’s issued since then — including “Doomsday, Pt. 2” this past Friday — apparently haven’t been cutting it. During a recent radio interview, though, Em shut down rumors that he was working on a joint album with 50 Cent that had begun circulating in the absence of concrete announcements.
“I don’t know whose idea that was, but that’s crazy,” he said, while indicating his receptiveness to the idea. “Whatever he needs from me, I’m here. That sh*t would be crazy. An album with me and him.” With joint albums becoming all the rage in hip-hop lately — recent examples include CollegeGrove 2 from Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz and Too Good To Be True from Rick Ross and Meek Mill — there’d certainly be a welcoming audience for one from the two longtime collaborators.
However, just because Em undermined speculation about a joint album doesn’t mean that he isn’t working on his own solo project. While he still has yet to announce anything, his recent appearance on Lyrical Lemonade’s All Is Yellow definitely whets the appetite, and per his recent history, even guest features from Em usually mean a flurry of activity is on the horizon.
In the past few months, Eminem has done things like show off his award-winning lyrical skills on a posthumous Juice WRLD track. But fans are craving more. A viral rumor suggests that one could be in the works. Alas, during a phone call with DJ Whoo Kid on January 28, Eminem responded to rumors that he and 50 Cent are secretly working on a joint album.
“Where’d that come from?” he said. “I don’t know whose idea that was, but that’s crazy.”
Although Eminem shut down the whispers of a collaborative project, he went on to add that he’s open to it. “Whatever he needs from me, I’m here,” he said. “That sh*t would be crazy. An album with me and him.”
Last year, Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz dropped CollegeGrove 2. Meek Mill and Rick Ross came together for Too Good To Be True. So, there’s a lane wide open and eager to hear Eminem and 50 Cent exchange bars.
Listen to the full interview above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Unfortunately for Detroit, the Lions did crumble. Detroit thoroughly dominated the first half, holding a 24-7 lead at halftime in Santa Clara, California, before San Francisco made the unlikeliest comeback and won 34-31 — and it was cruel, even by Detroit Lions’ standards.
Eminem took the loss in stride, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “So proud of the
@Lions Thanks 4 an amazing season!!!! We’ll b back!!!”
So proud of the @Lions Thanks 4 an amazing season!!!! We’ll b back!!!
For context, the Detroit Lions have, by many metrics, been the sorriest franchise in North American professional sports for the entirety of my life (and probably much of yours, as well). Earlier this month, in the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend, the Lions won their first playoff game in 32 years by defeating the visiting Los Angeles Rams (and former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford), 24-23. Eminem would have been happy to suit up to help the Lions in their Divisional Round matchup against Tampa Bay, as he said in a satirical Instagram video, but the Lions actually could have used him in San Francisco.
At any rate, Super Bowl LVIII will be played by the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, February 11, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
This past week, Eminem re-ignited his 22-year beef with Benzino on “Doomsday Pt. 2” from Lyrical Lemonade’s All Is Yellow. He also mentioned the former Source Magazine co-owner’s daughter, Coi Leray on the track, who later responded to Em’s lyrics on Twitter. Coi wrote, “There’s no way I’m about to entertain these grown ass men and the beef they been having for over 20 years. Lmao it’s so stupid, all I can do is laugh.” Throughout his career, Eminem has been notorious for engaging in beef, sending fiery diss tracks and stray shots at anyone who slights him. His competitive spirit contributed to his ascent as a rapper and still permeates his music today. Today, we are looking into the history of Eminem’s most vicious disses, including particular lines and entire songs. Take a look at the list below.
Eminem’s debut single saw the birth of his Slim Shady alter ego, as well as numerous rap beefs. His second verse on “Just Don’t Give a Fuck” targets multiple white rappers, dissing them in just a few bars. He raps, “I’m nicer than Pete, but I’m on a search to crush a milkbone / I’m everlastin’, I melt vanilla ice like silicone/ I’m ill enough to just straight up diss you for no reason/ I’m colder than snow season when it’s twenty below freezin’.” Eminem cleverly incorporated the names of Miilkbone and Vanilla Ice into cold-blooded punchlines while praising Pete Nice, MC Serch, and Everlast. Before he would beef with the latter, his jabs at Miilkbone and Vanilla Ice on this song led to exchanges of multiple diss tracks.
“Nail In The Coffin” (2002)
One of four diss tracks from Eminem’s feud with Benzino back in 2002, “Nail In The Coffin” was a vicious response to “Pull Your Skirt Up.” The entire song is quite cutthroat, but here are his most scathing bars: “You sit behind a fuckin’ desk at The Source butt-kissin’ / And beggin’ motherfuckers for guest appearances / And you can’t even get the clearances ’cause real lyricists don’t even respect you or take you serious/ It’s not that we don’t like you—we hate you, period.” Though Eminem recently took shots at Benzino, this song spoke true to its title during their beef back in the day.
“Bully” not only fires at Benzino but also at Ja Rule, with whom Eminem was also beefing during the early 2000s. Released during the peak of their feud, Em spits an aggressive diss towards Ja and Murder Inc. In his third verse, he raps, “If Irv really gave a fuck about Ja, like he claims he does / He’d wake him up and make his boy get off them drugs / But he just keeps feedin’ him pills, so if that E doesn’t kill him / Someone from G-Unit will, and I ain’t buzzed.” Eminem backs 50 Cent, who was also aiming disses at Ja Rule. As one of his meanest disses, he declares that he will not back down and “cower to no bully.”
“The Warning” (2009)
Eminem’s tension with Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon is one of his most bizarre feuds, but we got a relentless diss track out of it. “The Warning” responds to Carey’s “Obsessed” song and video, which stems from lyrics on “Bagpipes From Baghdad” and The Eminem Show about the singer. He fires at both Cannon and Carey: “You’re gonna ruin my career, you better get one / Like I’ma sit and fight with you over some slut bitch cunt that made me put up with her psycho ass over six months / And only spread her legs to let me hit once.” A harsh diss, “The Warning” certainly contains some of Eminem’s most disrespectful diss bars.
“Fall” (2018)
Eminem’s 2018 album, Kamikaze took digs at his critics, mumble rappers, and others who have spoken ill of him. Songs like “Fall” respond to his critics, including Pitchfork, Akademiks, Charlamagne tha God, Tyler, The Creator, and Lord Jamar. Most notably, he disses his former Shady Records signee and Slaughterhouse member Joe Budden. “Somebody tell Budden before I snap, he better fasten it or have his body bag get zipped/ The closest thing he’s had to hits is smackin’ bitches (Pump it up!),” he raps. Eminem makes light of Joe’s alleged domestic abuse after Budden heavily criticized Revival on Everyday Struggle. Joe Budden responded on his podcast, claiming to have been a better rapper than Eminem for “this entire decade.”
“Killshot” (2018)
Also on Kamikaze was “Not Alike” where Eminem directly attacked Machine Gun Kelly, which resulted in MGK’s “Rap Devil” diss. In response to the track came “Killshot.” The lethal diss track references the 2008 film in which a man named Colson, MGK’s government name, is targeted by a hitman. The song is riddled with vicious lyrics, including “Younger me? No, you the wack me, it’s funny but so true / I’d rather be 80-year-old me than 20-year-old you” and “as long as I’m Shady he’s gon’ have to live in my shadow.” Eminem also warns MGK: “Kelly, they’ll be putting your name next to Ja, next to Benzino—die, motherfucker! / Like the last motherfucker sayin’ Hailie in vain.” “Killshot” proved once again that one cannot mess with Eminem on a song without consequence.
“I Will” (2020)
“I Will” saw a mini Slaughterhouse reunion without Joe Budden. In the song, Eminem pays respects to his favorite rappers while also poking fun at Lord Jamar. The two have exchanged disses and words outside of music, but “I Will” was Eminem’s most brutal diss against him to date. He raps, “I’m more than you bargained for and I am far more worse than a forty-some bar Lord Jamar verse.”
Eminem responds to Lord Jamar calling him a “guest in the house of hip hop” and calls him the worst rapper in Brand Nubian: “If it was anyone’s house, G Rap and Rakim would be havin’ you mop floors / Run-DMC would be havin’ you cleanin’ sinks / Yeah, your group was off the chain, but you were the weakest link.” Over the span of his career, Eminem has come out victorious in his rap beefs by spitting lethal bars. With his latest verse against Benzino, it still holds true no matter how petty it might come across.
Eminem traveled with his Detroit Lions to Santa Clara for the NFC Championship matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The Lions lost, but Eminem let the 49ers Faithful know how he felt about them by flipping the bird.
Recently, Eminem had time. Dropping off “Doomsday Pt. 2,” Slim Shady launches a full-on assault on Benzino, harkening back to when Benzino once owned The Source.
Now I got a riddle, one condition, you mustn’t laugh What is the opposite of Benzino? A giraffe “Go at his neck,” how the fuck is that? How can I go at somethin’ he doesn’t have? Arm so short he can’t even touch his hands When they’re above his head doin’ jumpin’ jacks Sorry, I don’t mean to upset you, Ben’ When I talk about all the debt you in I hear that you been creepin’ on the low In them cheap hotels, that they catch you in Jesus Christ, dawg, when you said two-ten Never guessed you meant at the Red Roof Inn In a room with one single bed, two men Shady, man, you can’t—, yes, you can Well, I guess then I regret to inform you, hate to spoil the day But this doesn’t bring me no joy to say Guess that Coi Leray feat’s in the toilet, ayy? Damage due to flows, collateral, I s’pose Gat-pointed like mine and Sandra Bullock’s nose Yeah, them bullet holes, have you full of those You’ll catch a stray like animal control, plan a funeral I’ma probably have to plan a few neurological exams Once again, it is off into that damn padded room I go
In April 2023, Benzino reflected on his beef with Eminem. According to the rapper, the late Michael Jackson thanked him for dissing Slim Shady back in the day.
Popping up on The Gauds Show podcast, Benzino claims MJ praised him for the diss after Eminem made light of the situation where Michael Jackson once caught on fire. That moment was in the “Just Lose It” video.
“I met Mike through Teddy [Riley]. He called me and he thanked me. Because when Eminem dissed him with the fire situation, in the video, Mike called and I remember his assistant put him on the phone and I sat there and listened to him. And he thanked me.”
