MGK had a lot to say during his appearance on the Impaulsive podcast. He popped off on UFC star Sean Strickland, which we covered in detail here. The rapper also had a bone to pick with a specific subsect of his fans. MGK feels that white rappers are unfairly stigmatized, and the group of people who are to blame are, well, white. He cited various instances throughout his career in which he was made to feel unworthy or less lyrical than his African American peers. He claimed that the people who made him feel that way were the same color as him.
“I won’t deny that there is a subconscious stigma around that, being white in hip hop,” MGK noted. His answer did catch the Impaulsive hosts off guard, however. “To me, it’s so funny because the streets f*ck with me so tough. It’s honestly from other white people that give me the most sh*t.” MGK then said that his goal was to be able to overcome this stigma. He claims he did, but it did, admittedly, take moving to another genre for a couple of albums before coming back with new bars. “That’s the goal,” he stated. “And to me, I crossed that.”
It’s not an MGK interview if there’s not some mention of Eminem, though. The rapper has a complex relationship with Slim Shady, and it’s safe to say the complexities are reciprocated. Eminem did, after all, reference MGK on his new album. He also joked about the rapper sleeping with his mom. But we digress. MGK pointed to Em as a rare instance of a white emcee being embraced by white and Black fans alike. “The crazy thing is, there’s only been one who’s done it,” MGK asserted. “There’s only been one who’s done it and crossed that line of ‘we accept.’”
This is not the first time MGK has waxed poetic about whiteness in hip hop. During a 2022 interview with DJ Semtex, he pointed to his appearance as a hindrance. “[I] feel like right now, my biggest hindrance in why you don’t hear things like, ‘MGK is lyrically hot’…[is] the white thing,” he claimed. “Mixed with the fact that I don’t dress like the normal Hip Hop person.” The rapper’s recent discussion of the topic on Impaulsive definitely had a bit more tact. Not much, but a bit more.
Eminem is tough as nail when it comes to any rap foe that takes aim at him. However, when it comes to the “Tobey” rapper’s relationship with his daughter Hailie Jade, he is a big ole softy.
On Eminem’s latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), he displayed his vulnerable side as a father on tracks like “Somebody Save Me” featuring Jelly Roll and “Temporary.” Yesterday (August 23), Hailie Jade confessed that each track brought her to tears.
On the latest episode of her podcast, Just A Little Shady, Hailie shared her emotional response after she listened to the records.
Although she admitted that she could only watch the official music video for “Somebody Save Me,” which features home footage, due to the overwhelming feeling it brought forth, the songs are another story.
“I definitely cry every time I hear it at all,” she said. “Between [Somebody Save Me] and ‘Temporary,’… I audibly sobbed I think for both songs but especially ‘Temporary.’”
While Eminem is proudly sober now, things weren’t always that way. One “Somebody Save Me,” Eminem things back on those times. However, Hailie Jade praised her parents for protecting her from truly seeing how difficult their battle with addiction was.
“I feel like my parents did such a good job growing up where I didn’t realize how bad things were,” she said. “But, now as like, an adult in hindsight, it’s so scary to think about. And I think that’s why I get emotional so much, like just thinking that could have happened.”
Watch the full episode of the Just A Little Shady podcast hosted by Hailie Jade with co-host Brittany Ednie above.
John Cena used to rap. It feels like a lifetime ago, and in some ways, it was. In the two decades since Cena dropped his debut album, he’s become a household name and a bankable movie star. He doesn’t need music to bolster his fame anymore. That said, he still has a love for the genre. John Cena recently went on the Club Shay Shay podcast, and was asked to break down his four favorite emcees. His Mount Rushmore. His answers were unexpected, but admittedly pretty airtight in terms of logic (no, Logic is not one of his picks).
John Cena knew his answer would be controversial. He tried to get out in front of the inevitable pushback he’d get for excluding certain rappers. “Everyone has their bias,” he noted. “I know the list is gonna incite riots, [but] we all have our bias, our favorites. That’s what makes music special.” Despite his reticence, John Cena took the bait. He told host Shannon Sharpe that New York artists made up the bulk of his Mount Rushmore: Nas, JAY-Z and Rakim. “But I was brought up in East Coast, boom bap,” he explained. “I love wordplay, I love poetry. It’s what I based my [WWE] character on.”
John Cena’s fourth choice? Eminem. The decision to show Slim Shady love should come as no surprise to longtime Cena fans. The wrestler-turned-actor has been an admirer of Em’s since day one. He even tried to manifest a remix to his iconic theme song with the Detroit rapper. “He’s one of the most gifted, prolific poets I’ve ever had the chance to listen to,” John Cena told Esquire in 2022. “I think if you gave him this music.. I would like to think he would completely put me to shame by giving it his own Eminem touch.”
John Cena is obviously more famous as a wrestler than a rapper. That said, he claims the latter saved his wrestling career. During a 2023 appearance on the Whiskey Ginger podcast, Cena claimed that his raps actually kept him employed. He claimed that Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon, was impressed with Cena’s rhymes and gave him more screen time as a result. “She was the head of the writing team,” the wrestler recalled. “And she was like, ‘Well, make something up about me right now.’” The rest, as they say, is history.
Eminem‘s most emotive Death Of Slim Shady track, “Somebody Save Me” with Jelly Roll, gets a gut-wrenching video. The rap concept album finds the battle-scarred Detroit vet in a contemplative mood, fighting with his vindictive alter ego and the impacts it’s had on his life, so naturally, the “Somebody Save Me” video makes that struggle literal but in a much less jokey way than his prior videos for “Tobey” and “Houdini.”
In the lyrics to “Somebody Save Me,” Em imagines a horrifying alternate timeline in which he succumbs to the effects of depression and drug dependency and how it would have affected his family. In the video, Em is trapped watching such scenes play out in a glass box, seeing himself lose — or throw away — all the good that has resulted from his decision to get sober. The video ends with a call to action, telling viewers there’s help and offering a link to free therapy services. You can check that out here. Jelly Roll, who appears in the video to sing the chorus, makes for a strong choice on the song, as he’s had similar struggles, and that lived experience shines through his performance.
You can watch Eminem’s “Somebody Save Me” video above.
The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is out now via Shady Records/Aftermath/Interscope. You can find more info here.
Eminem is now just over a month removed from his latest album, The Death of Slim Shady. Overall, the record has received lukewarm reviews from critics, although his Stans seem to be enjoying it. Since its July 12 release and debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 200, it has slowly tapered off. It’s now sitting at number 16, and only one track is on the Hot 100. That is the lead single “Houdini”, and it is also beginning to fall down the ranks with it being at 24 as opposed to 20 last week. Regardless, though, Eminem achieving quite a bit of success at this stage of his career is highly impressive. Furthermore, there are still some other tracks to pull from it, including “Somebody Save Me”, the collaborative closer between Eminem and Jelly Roll.
The emotional weight is what makes this song so special, as both respective megastars divulge into the previous battles with addiction. In the case of Eminem, he raps about an alternate reality where he wasn’t able to be there for his kids’ biggest accomplishments. In a cool but gut-wrenching way, Eminem pieces various clips from his and children’s lives together in the new visuals for “Somebody Save Me”. Perhaps the saddest part of the video is at the beginning where a younger Marshall Mathers is on the couch in a slumber (due to his drug intake) and one his daughters imploring him to get up and eat. Instead, she sends her away and tells her to “shut the door”. Thankfully, Eminem was able to fight off his demons and his vices, and it goes to show how he strong he is and how much he cares about his family.
Tyler The Creator isn’t afraid to speak his mind. He’s also not afraid to look back and own up to faults in his past conduct.
In a recent interview on Mavericks With Mav Carter, Tyler spoke about seeing the Netlfix series Painkillers and how it changed his perspective on Eminem’s album Recovery. Tyler said (find the video clip here):
“When [Recovery] came out, I f*cking hated it. Hated it, publicly was like, ‘This sh*t is wack,’ didn’t like it. And after watching [Painkillers], I felt so bad about those tweets and things like that, because thinking from his perspective, someone like me publicly saying that stuff and him getting off drugs and being clean and getting to a point in life where that’s behind him, and me implying, ‘Nah, this sh*t is wack.’ He probably felt like I was attacking him. I thought I was just like, ‘I don’t like the music.’ He was in a different part of his life and probably felt like I was attacking him. And now I feel so bad about saying that stuff because my perspective was so limited. And I love him; That dude taught me how to rap. I learned how to put words together in rhythm because of some of the Eminem stuff I was hearing.”
He added later, “If I ever see him, I want to tell him that.”
Tyler, The Creator and Eminem have a bit of a complicated relationship with one another. Growing up, the former was a huge fan of the latter. In fact, he cites him as one of his influences for getting into hip-hop. During this new interview with Maverick Carter via his show, Mavericks with Mav Carteron YouTube, Tyler talks about how the Detroit legend taught him the basics. “I love Eminem. That dude taught me how to rap. I learned how to put words together in rhythm because of some of the Eminem stuff I was hearing and storytelling and things like that”. While this adoration still remains true, as we learn later in this chat, the last several years would have you thinking otherwise.
One of Em’s biggest supporters has been uber critical over the last several years of his records, especially toward the end of the 2010s. The Death of Slim Shady MC also respected Tyler when he started getting to the industry, so when he heard these digs, Em felt bothered and hurt. It led him to eventually diss the multi-hyphenate on “Fall” which is on his Kamikaze record. Since that time, it seems these two have been pretty silent on each other up until today. After essentially just growing up and being more understanding, Tyler feels really awful and guilty for what he’s said. He specifically cites his initial harsh dismissal of Recovery, one of Em’s most personal records to date.
Tyler credits the Netlfix series Painkillers for helping him realize how unfair he was being to someone who was battling a lot to put out a project like that. “When [Recovery] came out I f——g hated it. Publicly was like, ‘This s*** is wack.’ Didn’t like it and after watching [Painkillers] I felt so bad about those tweets and things like that because thinking from his perspective someone like me publicly saying that stuff and him off drugs and being clean and getting to a point in life where that’s behind him and me implying, ‘Nah, this s–t is wack’”. Later, he adds, “He probably felt like I was attacking him. I thought I was just like, ‘I don’t like the music.’ He was in a different part of his life and probably felt like I was attacking him. Now I feel so bad about saying that stuff because my perspective was so limited”.
Towards the end of the discussion, Tyler hopes that him and Em can meet so he can personally apologize. “I felt terrible. If I ever see him, I want to tell him that in-person”. What are your thoughts on Tyler, The Creator wanting to apologize to Eminem for his destructive critique of Recovery? Did you know he was publicly against the Detroit legend’s project? Do you think this could help repair their up-and-down relationship? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Tyler, The Creator and Eminem. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Eminem is having a good year. The reception to his latest album, The Death of Slim Shady, has been strong. The rapper’s fun promo tour has appealed to fans who’ve long since given up on his non-Slim rebrand, and both helped him reach a major streaming milestone. The blog HipHopAllDay announced that Em has surpassed over 50 billion streams on Spotify. This makes Eminem the sixth most-streamed on the platform, and the second most-streamed rapper.
Eminem is in excellent company in terms of crossover success. The four non-hip-hop artists who are ahead of him include Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Bad Bunny and The Weeknd. The Detroit rapper is closing the gap on Beiber and Sheeran, though, who both have 54 billion streams. If Eminem continues to go strong, he could very well surpass The Weeknd’s 67 billion streams. Ironically, the only other rapper on the list is the artist who tops the list: Drake. The Toronto superstar has a staggering 101 billion streams, making him the only artist in history to cross the 100 billion mark.
Eminem may be team Kendrick Lamar at the end of the day, but he has complimented Drake in the past. He said that he will always respect the rapper during a 2019 interview with Sway. “Drake will always be in my good graces,” he noted. “Because he did something for one of my daughters that I will never forget.” Eminem also predicted that the public would turn on Drake in the 2020 song “Zeus.” He was a few years early, but not incorrect. “Drake, they’re gonna turn on you (You) one day, too (Too),” Eminem raps. “And the more you win, the sooner (Sooner) they do/They’ll be calling you a trash bin.”
Drake may be winning the streaming game, but Eminem has him beat in album sales. The Detroit rapper remains the best-selling artist in the genre’s history. He’s moved over 220 million units since he debuted in 1996, which places him in the company of artists like Whitney Houston and the Rolling Stones. He was the best-selling artists of the 2000s, and the third best-selling artist of the 2010s. Drake, by comparison, has sold 170 million units since 2009. He has time to catch up, but there’s something to be said for the longevity and success that Eminem has maintained. He’s going to be a tough one to topple.
The 2024 MTV VMAs are set to air live from New York’s UBS Arena on September 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Before then, though, there’s one big bit of info that has just been unveiled: the nominees.
Taylor Swift leads the pack with 10 total nods (as Variety notes), while Post Malone has nine and Sabrina Carpenter, Eminem, and Ariana Grande have six each. SZA and Megan Thee Stallion also both have five apiece.
There’s fan voting for 15 categories, and that’s open now until August 30 (although Best New Artist will be open until September 10). More information on voting is available here.
As for what you’d be voting on, find the full list of nominees below.
Video Of The Year
Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Republic Records
Billie Eilish – “Lunch” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
SZA – “Snooze” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records
Artist Of The Year
Ariana Grande – Republic Records
Bad Bunny – Rimas Entertainment
Eminem – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Sabrina Carpenter – Island
SZA – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
Song Of The Year
Beyoncé – “Texas Hold ‘Em” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
Jack Harlow – “Lovin On Me” – Generation Now / Atlantic Records
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us” – pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Island
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records
Teddy Swims – “Lose Control” – Warner Records
Best New Artist
Benson Boone – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records
Chappell Roan – Island
Gracie Abrams – Interscope Records
Shaboozey – American Dogwood / EMPIRE
Teddy Swims – Warner Records
Tyla – Epic Records
MTV Push Performance Of The Year
August 2023: Kaliii – “Area Codes” – Atlantic Records
September 2023: GloRilla – “Lick or Sum” – CMG / Interscope Records
October 2023: Benson Boone – “In the Stars” – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records
November 2023: Coco Jones – “ICU” – Def Jam
December 2023: Victoria Monét – “On My Mama” – Lovett Music / RCA Records
January 2024: Jessie Murph – “Wild Ones” – Columbia Records
February 2024: Teddy Swims – “Lose Control” – Warner Records
March 2024: Chappell Roan – “Red Wine Supernova” – Island
April 2024: Flyana Boss – “Yeaaa” – Vnclm_/ Atlantic Records
May 2024: Laufey – “Goddess” – Laufey / AWAL
June 2024: Le Sserafim – “Easy” – Source Music / Geffen Records
July 2024: The Warning – “Automatic Sun” – Lava / Republic Records
Best Collaboration
Drake Feat. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy ” – OVO / Republic Records
GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion – “Wanna Be” – CMG / Interscope Records
Jessie Murph Feat. Jelly Roll – “Wild Ones” – Columbia Records
Jung Kook Feat. Latto – “Seven” – Bighit Music / Geffen Records
Post Malone Feat. Morgan Wallen – “I Had Some Help” – Mercury / Republic / Big Loud
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records
Best Pop
Camila Cabello – Geffen / Interscope Records
Dua Lipa – Warner Records
Olivia Rodrigo – Geffen Records
Sabrina Carpenter – Island
Tate McRae – RCA Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
Best Hip-Hop
Drake Feat. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy ” – OVO / Republic Records
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
GloRilla – “Yeah Glo!” – CMG / Interscope Records
Gunna – “Fukumean” – Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment
Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions
Travis Scott Feat. Playboi Carti – “FE!N” – Cactus Jack / Epic Records
Best R&B
Alicia Keys – “Lifeline” – AK Records / Gamma
Muni Long – “Made For Me” – Def Jam
SZA – “Snooze” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Tyla – “Water” – Fax Records / Epic Records
Usher, Summer Walker, 21 Savage – “Good Good” – Mega / Gamma
Victoria Monét – “On My Mama” – Lovett Music / RCA Records
Best Alternative
Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things” – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records
Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit
Hozier – “Too Sweet” – Columbia Records
Imagine Dragons – “Eyes Closed” – KIDinaKorner / Interscope Records
Linkin Park – “Friendly Fire” – This Compilation / Warner Records
Teddy Swims – “Lose Control (Live)” – Warner Records
Best Rock
Bon Jovi – “Legendary” – Island
Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove” – Atlantic Records
Green Day – “Dilemma” – Reprise Records / Warner Records
Kings of Leon – “Mustang” – Capitol Records
Lenny Kravitz – “Human” – Roxie Records Inc. / BMG Rights Management
U2 – “Atomic City” – Interscope Records
Best Latin
Anitta – “Mil Veces” – Floresta Records / Republic Records / Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Bad Bunny – “Monaco” – Rimas Entertainment
Karol G – “Mi Ex Tenia Razon” – Bichota / Interscope Records
Myke Towers – “Lala” – Warner Music Latina
Peso Pluma & Anitta – “Bellakeo” – Double P Records
Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment
Shakira & Cardi B – “Puntería” – Sony Music US Latin
Best Afrobeats
Ayra Starr Feat. Giveon – “Last Heartbreak Song” – Mavin / Republic
Burna Boy – “City Boys” – Spaceship / Bad Habit / Atlantic Records
Chris Brown Feat. Davido & Lojay – “Sensational” – Chris Brown Entertainment / RCA Records
Tems – “Love Me JeJe” – Since ’93 / RCA Records
Tyla – “Water” – Fax Records / Epic Records
Usher, Pheelz – “Ruin” – mega / gamma.
Best K-Pop
Jung Kook Feat. Latto – “Seven” – Bighit Music / Geffen Records
Lisa – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records
NCT Dream – “Smoothie” – SM Entertainment / Virgin Music Group
NewJeans – “Super Shy” – ADOR / Geffen Records
Stray Kids – “Lalalala” – JYP Entertainment / Imperial / Republic Records
Tomorrow X Together – “Deja vu” – Bighit Music / Imperial / Republic Records
Video For Good
Alexander Stewart – “If Only You Knew” – FAE Grp
Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For (From the Motion Picture “Barbie”)” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove” – Atlantic Records
Joyner Lucas & Jelly Roll – “Best for Me” – Twenty Nine Music Group
Raye – “Genesis” – Human Re Sources
Tyler Childers – “In Your Love” – Hickman Holler Records / RCA Records
Best Direction
Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Republic Records – Directed by
Christian Breslauer
Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit – Directed by Alex Lockett & Margaret Qualley
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Directed by Rich Lee
Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions – Directed by Daniel Iglesias Jr.
Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Island – Directed by Bardia Zeinali
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Directed by Taylor Swift
Best Cinematography
Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Republic Records – Cinematography
by Anatol Trofimov
Charli XCX – “Von Dutch” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Jeff Bierman
Dua Lipa – “Illusion” – Warner Records – Cinematography by Nikita Kuzmenko
Olivia Rodrigo – “Obsessed” – Geffen Records – Cinematography by Marz Miller
Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment – Cinematography by Camilo Monsalve
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Cinematography by Rodrigo
Prieto
Best Editing
Anitta – “Mil Veces” – Floresta Records / Republic Records / Universal Music Latin Entertainment – Editing by Nick Yumul
Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Republic Records – Editing by Luis
Caraza Peimbert
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Editing by David Checel
Lisa – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records – Editing by Nik Kohler
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Island – Editing by Jai Shukla
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Editing by Chancler Haynes
Best Choreography
Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit – Choreography by Margaret Qualley
Dua Lipa – “Houdini” – Warner Records – Choreography by Charm La’Donna
Lisa – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records – Choreography by Sean Bankhead
Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment – Choreography
by Felix ‘Fefe’ Burgos
Tate McRae – “Greedy” – RCA Records – Choreography by Sean Bankhead
Troye Sivan – “Rush” – Capitol Records – Choreography by Sergio Reis, Mauro Van De Kerkhof
Best Visual Effects
Ariana Grande – “The Boy is Mine” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Digital Axis
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Visual Effects by Synapse Virtual
Production, Louise Lee, Rich Lee, Metaphysic, Flawless Post
Justin Timberlake – “Selfish” – RCA Records – “Selfish” – RCA Records – Visual Effects by Candice Dragonas
Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions – Visual Effects by Mathematic
Olivia Rodrigo – “Get Him Back!” – Geffen Records – Visual Effects by Cooper Vacheron, Preston
Mohr, Karen Arakelian, Justin Johnson
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Parliament
Best Art Direction
Charli XCX – “360” – Atlantic Records – Art Direction by Grace Surnow
Lisa – “Rockstar” – Lloyd Co. / RCA Records – Art Direction by Pongsan Thawatwichian
Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions – Art Direction by Brittany Porter
Olivia Rodrigo – “Bad Idea Right?” – Geffen Records – Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins
Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Island – Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Art Direction by Ethan Tobman
Eminem recently appeared on Complex’s YouTube channel to sit down with an AI-generated version of his alter ego, Slim Shady. The conversation comes just a few weeks after Eminem released The Death Of Slim Shady. The album is one that he also billed as a farewell to the character that helped launch him into superstardom. Eminem and Shady touch on a variety of topics, including Em’s post-Slim Shady career and recovery from addiction. They also deliver a number of barbs at the expense of MGK and Caitlyn Jenner. Here are five takeaways from Eminem and Slim Shady’s conversation.
One might expect a man in his early 50s to not be as in tune with pop culture as he may have been two decades ago. That is not the case with Eminem. “Every other week on TikTok, Gen Z discovers you on Monday and cancels me on Tuesday,” he tells Slim Shady early in their conversation. Later in the video, Em and Shady reference the infamous Drake and LeBron James “am I letting you down?” conversation from The Shop after Pusha T released “The Story of Adidon.”
During a talk about fatphobia and body positivity, Em tells Shady that they “cured fatness” with a shot. He warns him that the shot “comes with a side of jealousy,” referring to a line Drake had for Rick Ross on his “Family Matters” diss track. Em also calls Shady “BBL Slizzy,” referring to Metro Boomin’s response to Drake. When the two of them come to a mutual understanding at the end, they do the “look at us, who’d have thought?” meme from Paul Rudd’s Hot Ones interview. Clearly, Em is still very in touch with what’s going on today, even if his new music doesn’t always suggest that.
Eminem and Slim Shady discuss the creative missteps Em took after his first three albums at length. They argue over “FACK,” which fans and Eminem alike agree is one of his worst songs ever. They blame each other for writing the song. Em then mentions that since it’s on his greatest hits album Curtain Call, the song technically went Diamond. From there, they dive into talking about Relapse, Eminem’s 2009 comeback effort. “I was in recovery. I had to relearn how to rap,” Em tells Shady After Shady makes fun of him for rapping in different accents across the album. “And for what it’s worth, there’s an entire generation of people who think that’s a f***ing classic.” Eminem previously disavowed Relapse and has often called it his worst release. It seems that some reappraisals of his first post-rehab work led to him softening his own stance on the album.
He Knows That Some Of His Early-Career Feuds Were Silly
Eminem just 8 Mile’d himself about always punching down when getting into rap beefs
“Let’s talk about the people you dissed. F**king lyrical titans. Ja Rule, Moby, Frank Durst, who else? Christina Aguilera?” pic.twitter.com/qjd3NZhTRk
“Let’s talk about the people you dissed. Lyrical titans. Ja Rule, Moby, Fred Durst, who else? Christina Aguilera? Who’s really punching down?” Slim Shady asks Eminem about halfway through the conversation. Those few names are only a handful on a much larger list of people Em took shots at over the course of his career. He has the self-awareness to recognize that, in hindsight, many of those feuds were pointless. Most of those he attacked weren’t rappers, and the rappers he did go back and forth with were not comparable to him. He also addresses his one-sided feud with deceased actor Christopher Reeve, whose paralysis is something that Eminem has made fun of for decades. “Yeah, the guy fell off a horse. He’s dead! He’s been dead for twenty f***ing years! Leave him alone,” Em yells at Shady. The segment was not necessarily an apology for his past feuds. Rather, it was more of a backhanded admission that he could have picked better opponents to feud with.
The conversation with Shady serves primarily as an opportunity for Eminem to reflect on his career, as well as the impact that the persona had on it. “If we’re being honest, the music that you’ve dropped since I bounced ain’t it,” Shady says near the beginning of the conversation. Em immediately points out that once he dropped the Slim Shady character, he released his most commercially successful singles ever. Later on, Em criticizes the fame he achieved as Slim Shady. “I invented you because my life was f***ed up […] But you didn’t fix anything, you actually made s**t worse. You’re the reason I had to self-medicate, and you’re the reason I almost lost my career, my family, and my life.” Of course, Shady responds by ignoring Eminem and opening a can of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s new Gin & Juice drink, to which Em mentions that he’s 16 years sober. It is nice to see Eminem in a better mental space, one where he’s able to poke at various parts of his career.
“No one understands how f***ing toxic it is to always be the bad guy,” Slim Shady laments near the end of the video. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, snowflake. We all know you mean well,” Em responds. Eminem has often said that Slim Shady is a character. Fans know that Em is not usually trying to harm people with his words, but that hasn’t stopped him from getting swipes in at everyone he can. By the end of the discussion, after working through everything with Shady, it’s clear that Eminem does not feel much regret at this point in his life. Because of his recovery, he is sober and his relationships with his children are stronger than ever. And, he has both publicly apologized to and forgiven his ex-wife and his mother, two extreme sources of anger for him in his early music and two people who suffered the most from the creation of Slim Shady in the first place. For Em, it seems that the past is the past. The Death Of Slim Shady, as well as this conversation, attempts to put his old persona behind him as well.
(mostly). Check out the full interview on 
