Accidental deaths involving drug use have sky-rocketed around the world. This tragic epidemic has been especially noticeable in hip-hop. On Saturday, December 16, Eminem and Benny Blanco latest single, which features a posthumous feature from the late Juice Wrld, dives into this heartbreaking reality.
On “Lace It,” the musicians paint a picture of drug addiction’s lethal grip worldwide that led to Juice WRLD’s death in 2019. Eminem has spoken about his recovery across several projects, and in his verse, he turns his attention to the younger generation seeking help:
“Tried to kill me then you murdered Jarad didn’t you / Piece of sh*t thanks to you now we lost Gangsta Boo and Pimp C, Prince, and Michael / Mixing Nyquil with prescription Vic’s addiction’s like a f*cking vicious cycle / Juice we will forever miss you / To the younger generation, I ain’t lecturing you but man just be careful when you.”
Benny Blanco took to his official Instagram to share a touching note about the track. “People always say things like ‘This song means a lot to me’ or ‘It changed my life’ when discussing a piece of music they’re listening to,” he wrtoe. “‘Lace It’ truly gives that a new meaning to me because the day we recorded was also the last time I ever saw Juice. Every day, that moment gets further away, and I’d trade this or any other song we did to have him back.”
Listen to Juice WRLD’s song “Lace It” with Eminem and Benny Blanco above.
Wow. Not many were expecting this. Juice WRLD, Eminem, and producer benny blanco have just stunned the music world. Back in 2020, the legendary artists from Chicago and Missouri united (in a posthumous manner) for “Godzilla.” That track calls Music To Be Murdered By home. However, this single, fresh off the presses may we add, belongs to Juice and his team.
All three have just come together for “Lace It,” presumedly the second single from Jarad Higgins’ last album, The Party Never Ends. According to the Genius page, there is also an unreleased song with Kid Cudi, “All Life Long (Good Time),” that will land on it. There is no release date for the LP but is expected sometime next year. On the annotation for “Lace It,” the single was supposed to be released on Friday, December 15. However, there were issues with the legal team.
Listen To “Lace It” By Juice WRLD, Eminem, And Benny Blanco
Then, Juice’s co-manager, Lil Bibby sent this message out the same day of the initial drop date on Instagram. He said, “200 phone calls to get this song to y’all!! Hope you appreciate it cuz I hate talking that much…. The Party Never Ends coming soon!! Big Thank you to Eminem and Benny on this one!! Let the Party Start.” The song has nearly 100,000 views on YouTube in its first two hours and there is good reason for that. It is a very deep cut about struggling with drug addiction, which as we well know, took Juice’s life at the young age of 21. Juice’s final lyrics are very chilling and emotional but also have us excited for his last body of work. “Me? I can never ever die, can never ever die.”
What are your initial thoughts on this brand-new single, “Lace It,” by Juice WRLD, Eminem, and benny blanco? Is this the better of the two collaborations between Juice and Eminem? Are you excited for the final record from Juice, The Party Never Ends? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your hottest takes in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with Juice WRLD, Eminem, and benny blanco. Furthermore, stay with us for all of the best song drops throughout the week.
Quotable Lyrics:
They call it, “lean,” ’cause you gravitate and lean towards the Perc’ The blessin’ or the curse of fame? ‘Cause now you can afford to serve (Damn) Percocet and percodan But that ain’t what you meant when you said that You’re in it for the perks (Nah, damn)
In a year filled with untimely artist deaths, one major hip-hop star is very much alive and well, despite a massive rumor that went around online over the weekend. Contrary to the unfounded misinformation, Eminem is not dead.
The bizarre rumor began late Saturday night and early into Sunday morning with the hashtag #RipEminem trending on social media. Apparently, a hacker had changed the artist’s Wikipedia page to state that Eminem had died in the early morning hours of December 10, 2023, in Madison, Wisconsin. Several small blogs picked up on the change and other pages and social media accounts began repeating the story, which spread like wildfire over night. His representatives quickly issued a statement assuring his fans that he was indeed alive and well. (His Wikipedia page has been corrected.)
This is actually not Em’s first brush with fake death. An earlier rumor caused a small frenzy in August of this year and in 2020, a Twitter user wrote: “I killed Eminem,” sending the internet into a tailspin until it was confirmed that once again, the multiplatinum artist was alive and well. A more bizarre theory began circulating the internet in the early days of social media. Back in 2006, a conspiracy theory began circulating that claimed Em had actually died in a car crash and had been replaced by a robot. Bearing in mind that this rumor took place before the release of the first iPhone, it was quickly debunked due to the impossible technology that would have been required for such a feat. (However, he did embrace some technology at his virtual Fortnite concert last weekend, proving that technology can be amazing, but will never replace the Real Slim Shady.)
Once users realized that Mr. Mathers was not dead, many began making jokes about his non-death. Check out this Newsweek article for some of the best social media comments about Em being alive and well.
Real Housewives of Potomac (RHOP) stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon have requestedEminem to sit for a deposition as part of their ongoing court battle. The Bravo reality show personalities face legal opposition from the legendary rapper, who claims they ripped off his “Slim Shady” trademarks.
‘Reasonably Shady’ Vs. ‘Slim Shady’
In December 2023, Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon, known for their appearances on Real Housewives of Potomac (RHOP), formally requested Eminem’s deposition. Their action came after the iconic rapper accused them of infringing on his “Shady” intellectual property.
Eminem, who has been using the “Slim Shady” and “Shady” trademarks since 1996, asserted that he invested significant time and money in establishing his brand name. The rapper expressed concerns that people might perceive a connection between his work and the podcast Reasonably Shady, hosted by the two reality stars, leading to potential exploitation of his efforts.
In response to Eminem’s claims, Gizelle and Robyn contended that no one would mistake their podcast for being linked to the musician. They filed a motion with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, insisting that the “Lose Yourself” rapper appear for a deposition and answer questions.
Where’s The Confusion?
Interestingly, Eminem suggested that a representative from his company, who possesses a better understanding of the documents, marketing, and advertising, should attend instead, claiming that his appearance would be burdensome.
The RHOP stars found this suggestion unconvincing, arguing that Eminem doesn’t have a “significant understanding of his reputation, the significance of his marks, and why he believes there would be a likelihood of confusion between the marks at issue.” Gizelle and Robyn further emphasized that if Eminem had the time to oppose their trademark, he should have time to attend a deposition.
Their plea seeks to undermine the rapper’s opposition to their use of the term “shady” in their podcast name, which he filed on February 14.
Updated By: Yasmine Duhé (12/5/23 at 3:31 pm)
Eminem Files Opposition For “Reasonably Shady” Trademark Filed By “Real Housewives of Potomac” Stars
Eminem filed an opposition to prevent Real Housewives of Potomac stars, Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon from using his brand “Shady” as a name for their “Reasonably Shady” podcast. Em said the wives using the reference could “damage” his brand.
The “Lose Yourself” rapper has filed an opposition that could prevent Real Housewives of Potomac reality stars, Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon from using “shady” as a name for their podcast, “Reasonably Shady.” Eminem filed the opposition on Feb. 14.
Will the real “SLIM SHADY” please stand up? Rapper Eminem is opposing Robyn Dixon & Gizelle Bryant from Bravo’s Real Housewives of Potomac’s, trademark application for “REASONABLY SHADY”, the name of their new podcast. #RHOPpic.twitter.com/YvOofwIKvH
The Detroit-bred rapper said that he believes the usage of “shady” which he’s used since 1998, could “damage” his brand and confuse.
Eminem also has his hip-hop radio station, Shade 45 which started in 2004 and broadcasted on satellite radio, SiriusXM.
Bryant and Dixon intended to also sell products such as socks, sweatshirts, lip gloss, hats, and more for their “Reasonably Shady” brand. Speaking of “Shady,” Eminem also has the 8 Mile series in the works put together by 50 Cent.
Diddy + 7
Recently, Diddy tried to make his way back to reality television, and this time he’s bringing his family to the spotlight. A recent trademark filing, “Diddy +7,” was filed in May 2022 and published for opposition on Jan. 3.
Eminem rolled out a new chapter this week, but it wasn’t an album or even an autobiography. Instead, the rapper became the latest major artist to hold a virtual concert in Fortnite, this time in conjunction with the game’s upoming Chapter 5 release (which is slated for December 3).
The event, which was called the “Big Bang Event,” lasted around 10 minutes on Saturday and combined Em’s musical performance with teasers for the game’s upcoming release. Before the event, Epic teased some upcoming features of Chapter 5 including a new island, a new train, revamped movement mechanics, new weapon mods and attachments, even more cross-overs, and the ability to heal andmove at the same time.
The “Big Bang Event” started on Fortnite OG island, where viewers caught a quick highlight reel from the game’s past including a rocket launch and meteor crash before everything was sucked into a black hole, which transported players to a variety of themed portals including an island with Lego characters, a car race, and finally a stadium in which Eminem appeared to perform “Lose Yourself” as the screen showed players hitting notes in time to the music (a la Guitar Hero). A giant hand crushed the set and a larger-than-life Eminem appeared to perform “Godzilla,” all while showing the new graphics capabilities that Epic has rolled out for Chapter 5.
Chapter 5 is expected to demonstrate how Epic hopes to take Fortnite from a battle royale game to one that is more creator-focused similar to Roblox. Epic has also added more partnerships including one with Lego (Lego Fortnite is expected to debut December 7th), Rocket Racing (developed by Rocket League creator Psyonix and expected to debut December 8th), and Fortnite Festival (developed by Rock Band studio Harmonix and expected to launch on December 9th).
Eminem’s virtual concert marks the fourth major in-game musical experience, coming on the heels of performances by Marshmello, Travis Scott, and Ariana Grande.
Fortnite players recently had a field day, after someone turned Eminem’s rap battle from 8 Mile into an actual in-game experience. Recently, the rapper collaborated with the video game to offer users the chance to play as him with new skins being added — and they sure got creative.
In the clip, Eminem faces off against Marvel’s The Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie, who was the same actor he rapped against in the actual movie. So, it’s close enough.
It’s also worth noting that the turnaround to do this was incredibly fast, as the Eminem skins only went live on Fortnite yesterday (November 29). This offered three choices of outfits for players, including one of him as Slim Shady, “a Rap Boy costume, and a Marshall Never More” one, according to HipHopDX.
“B just like me,” Eminem captioned with a preview of the Shady look on Instagram.
As a partner with the company, he will also be appearing at Fortnite‘s Big Bang event, where fans can catch a virtual concert — putting him among previous ones like Travis Scott and more.
Check out the Fortnite recreation of Eminem’s 8 Mile rap battle above.
It’s been a minute since Eminem has put out new music — but the Detroit rapper has had quite an eventful past few weeks. Earlier this month, he made his Mom’s Spaghetti sauce available for purchase from online retailers, just two years after the namesake storefront opened in his hometown. Today (November 21), the “Lose Yourself” hitmaker announced he would be stepping into the video game realm.
In a teaser shared to Em’s Instagram account, the rapper teased involvement with the upcoming Fortnite finale event. The video clip shows an old-style television screen with the Fortnite logo flashing, then flashing Eminem’s signature backwards “E” logo.
The post’s caption reads “calling all grandmas 12.2.” alluding to a lyric from “Tone Deaf,” a song from his 2020 album, Music To Be Murdered By.
A snippet of the song plays in the video clip, specifically a line in which Em raps “I can make ‘orange’ rhyme with ‘banana’ /
Ornana / Eating pork rinds, sword fightin’ in pajamas / At the crib, playin’ Fortnite with your grandma.”
Though neither Fortnite nor Eminem have revealed the capacity to which the rapper is involved with the December 2 finale events, some leaks (per Forbes) have shown that Eminem skins will be available for players of the game.
On this day in 1999, legendary super-producer Dr. Dre put out Chronic 2001, his last album before a 16-year hiatus. Containing some of the most known tracks in rap, Chronic 2001 has been extremely successful over the years. As of July 2013, the album has been certified septuple platinum, selling 7,664,000 copies in the United States alone and with the recent success of the film Straight Outta Compton, one can only imagine the increase in its sales that is to come. Dr. Dre is an artist known for the breaks he takes between albums. Chronic 2001, the follow-up to The Chronic, came seven years after its predecessor and although it may have been an excruciating period of time to wait, each project he’s delivered has been more than worth the time spent wondering what it would consist of.
The quality of work that makes up Chronic 2001 is epic. Of course, the production of this album is more solid than most coming from Dre himself along with Mel-Man and Lord Finesse, but the vocal features that were at Dre’s disposal due to his success at the time also helped to make this project such a classic. Rappers such as The D.O.C., Hittman, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, and Eminem made appearances on this album. It would be an understatement to say that this project was an influential part of west coast rap and culture.
As previously stated, this album was widely regarded and critically acclaimed. It debuted in 1999 at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart where it peaked and sold 516,000 copies in its first week. The album also claimed the #1 spot on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, #4 on the UK Album Chart, and #17 in the Dutch Albums Chart. As far as its legacy, the album has made its appearances on music charts worldwide since its release and is #17 on the Billboard 200 chart for the 2000s. Its hit single “Still D.R.E.”, is certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA and is a household name in the Hip Hop world.
Dr. Dre’s successes following this album are enough to make a second movie about. His influence on rap and rap culture spans a generation and his place in pop culture as a whole has been cemented due to what he has accomplished. We can only sit back and watch what the mastermind that is Dr. Dre has in store for us in the coming years.
2013 was a year for a lot of standout rap records. Drake’s Nothing Was The Same, Kanye West’s Yeezus, ASAP Rocky’s LONG.LIVE.A$AP, and Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP2. In fact, it has been almost 10 years to the day that the Detroit icon made his return. He took a three-year hiatus even after fans were enjoying his 2010 record, Recovery.
Of course, LP2 is a sequel to arguably Eminem’s best album, The Marshall Mather LP from 2000. It was the record that featured the classics like “Stan,” “The Real Slim Shady,” and many more. While the follow-up is not as iconic as the original plenty of quality landed on it too. To celebrate its 10th birthday, Em decided to add an exclusive song and instrumentals of all the singles for the project.
Listen To The Marshall Mathers LP2 (Expanded Edition) From Eminem
According to Southpawers, the additional track, “Don’t Front” featuring Buckshot, was only available to those who ordered the Call of Duty: Ghosts and the album bundle. Eminem’s ties to the video game come from the trailer for it, which included “Survival” as the theme song. Furthermore, the game also came out the same day MMLP2 dropped. On top of the song, Eminem also provided instrumental versions of the singles. Those being “Berserk,” “Rap God,” “Survival,” “The Monster” with Rihanna, and “Headlights” with Nate Ruess.
What are your initial thoughts on this updated version of The Marshall Mathers LP2 (Expanded Edition) from Eminem? Do you think it was worth it to add one song and five instrumentals? Or, should have he added some unheard material instead? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around Eminem, as well as all of the hottest album drops.
The Marshall Mathers LP2 (Expanded Edition) Tracklist:
DJ Akademiks has been making commentary on Hip Hop culture for years. As a result, he’s ruffled more than a few feathers in the rap industry. He frequently makes headlines for his controversies and is now widely known for that as well. Moreover, DJ Akademiks has picked beef with multiple artists, typically leading to heated exchanges and negative publicity.
Now, Saucy Santana is the latest artist to pick a bone with the media personality. Santana is beefing with DJ Akademiks over comments the latter dropped about Yung Miami. It is a still-developing story, but the two have taken shots at each other non-stop over the past 24 hours. This particular beef may grow to become one of Akademiks’ most prominent feuds. In the meantime, however, here is a list of seven of the biggest beefs he has been involved in so far.
NAV
Akademiks hop on and off dick so much he prolly got STDs
DJ Akademiks and NAV got into a heated online fight on the last day of 2019. Seemingly unprovoked, NAV tweeted, “Akademiks hop on and off d**k so much he prolly got STDs.” In no time, DJ Akademiks responded, taking rapid-fire shots at the rapper on X (formerly Twitter). “Imagine being rich asf driving to where paparazzi is at in a half a million dollar car and a million in jewelry and catching feelings cuz no one noticed u,” he said, addressing NAV.
Ak wrote further, “Seems like you d**k riding the media. U hid ya face for the first year u blew up now u desperately want attention. Answer that.” The exchange continued for a while, with DJ Akademiks calling NAV a “cold” rapper and saying he’s only interested in “covering who is hot.” Over a year later, in March 2021, the two ended their beef on a Twitch livestream where they were both present. Subsequently, in September 2022, NAV was featured as a guest on an episode of Akademiks’ podcast, and they hashed things out completely.
DJ Akademiks began his beef with Erykah Badu in 2017 when the singer appeared as a guest in an episode of Everyday Struggle. Although he didn’t show it then, the podcast host did not like being likened to Jerry the Mouse by Badu. In August 2023, years after Badu made the hilarious comparison, Akademiks finally let the words off his chest. Unfortunately, he did not do so in a very dignified way, going on a distasteful, misogynistic rant.
While addressing her and telling her to keep his name out of her mouth, Ak further stated, “I never f***ed with Erykah Badu after she came on my show and she was trying to be funny.” He insulted her, and Badu, in turn, responded to him via a video she posted on her social media accounts. In the video, Badu sarcastically apologized for vexing Akademiks.
Furthermore, she acknowledged that the words she said to him hurt him and had him “out in the streets acting real p***y.” Finally, she advertised her new incense, which featured a photo of Jerry the Mouse wearing a gold chain that reads “Livingston.” Livingston is Ak’s first name, so that’s a very direct jab at the media personality. Badu captioned the post, “Badu P***y on sale today!”
Yung Miami
The City Girl and DJ Akademiks have never really seen eye to eye. Moreover, the two have been at each other’s necks at every opportunity since 2022, when Akademiks referred to Miami as Diddy’s side chick. That comment from the podcast host set off a viral social media exchange between the two. It probably wouldn’t have stopped at all if Diddy didn’t step in.
Subsequently, Akademiks retracted his statement, and for a while, there was a period of peace between the two. However, that is no longer the case, as things have recently heated up between them. In May 2023, Akademiks told Diddy to “check ya gyal,” referring to Yung Miami. Earlier, during an interview on The Jason Lee Show, Miami used the f-slur to refer to Akademiks as a gay man. Following AK’s clapback, the duo has continually fired shots at each other, and Miami’s BFF Saucy Santana has joined in to diss Akademiks.
Happy 41st Birthday to my former Opp @FreddieGibbs … I aint know they had a whole shirt selling of u showing ur a**hole to ur ex before u got PEGGED.. Yall go cop a t shirt of Spreadie Gibbs…go help suppport his BABY… them records aint finna do ithttps://t.co/2TcIj4WDsK
Freddie Gibbs and Ak began their beef in 2020 when the rapper called Ak a “b*tch.” The insult came following DJ Akademiks’ criticism of Gibbs’ comment, where he indirectly called Gunna a snitch. It all went downhill from there, and their relationship has progressively deteriorated since then. In 2020, when Gibbs appeared on Bootleg Kev, he called Jeezy “musically irrelevant.” Akademiks disagreed with that comment and clapped back at the rapper, saying, “If Jeezy is irrelevant, Freddie Gibbs, you’re absolutely irrelevant as well.” Afterward, a viral war of words on Twitter (now X) ensued between the two.
Vic Mensa
On June 19, 2017, Vic Mensa appeared as a guest on an episode of Everyday Struggle. The rapper wasted no time in expressing his displeasure with DJ Akademiks’ War in Chiraq YouTube series, which covers the Chicago rap scene. Mensa openly criticized both the show and Akademiks. Additionally, he said he wanted to slap Akademiks in the face but refrained from doing so. For the most part, Ak handled the situation without aggravating Mensa. As a result, things did not escalate any further. The two decided to clear things up in September 2023. Following their decision, they documented their reconciliation on episode 209 of Off the Record.
In 2020, Megan Thee Stallion was involved in the infamous shooting incident. DJ Akademiks, an avid supporter of Tory Lanez, was very vocal about his support for the rapper. In an interview with Vlad TV, Akademiks shared that he was still “kinda a little doubtful” about Lanez shooting Megan. Subsequently, AK faced backlash from fans of Megan, and he and the rapper are not on speaking terms.
When Eminem released Revival in December 2017, Akademiks was not a fan of the album, and he made it very clear. He gave the album a negative review, and Eminem did not appreciate that. Months passed without Eminem addressing it, and DJ Akademiks had probably even forgotten he reviewed the album. That is, of course, until the lead single from Kamikaze dropped on September 14, 2018. On “Fall,” Eminem name-dropped Akademiks, rapping the lyrics, “Don’t make me have to give it back to Akademiks. Say this sh*t is trash again, I’ll have you twisted.” Evidently, Eminem did not take the criticism of his ninth album very well. While Akademiks was surprised by Em’s lyrical attack, he stood by his word, calling Revival “light sauce.”
