Eminem is back to his old ways of not holding back any punches when it comes to his opinions on the rap industry. It seems no one is safe on his latest album, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” including some of the most beloved and controversial figures in the industry.
Diddy, Kanye West, and hip-hop’s reigning golden boy, Kendrick Lamar, all caught rounds. In fact, Em may be coming off as a little too brazen on the new album.
On the opening track, “Renaissance,” he raps, “Now just travel inside the mind of a hater/Cause I don’t see no fans, all I see is a bunch of complainers/Kendrick’s album was cool but it didn’t have any banger/Wayne’s album or Ye’s, couldn’t tell you which was lamer/Joyner’s album corny/Shady’s new s**t is way worse.’”
Obviously, Em isn’t taking shots at those rappers — he’s mocking contemporary hip-hop fans and how they are so quick to hate on every album before it’s been digested for multiple listens...which is a fair criticism.
But Slim Shady’s commentary did not stop there, as he had a lot to say about Diddy, especially relating to the disturbing security footage showing him assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
In the song, “Antichrist,” Em says, “Next idiot ask me is gettin’ his ass beat worse than Diddy did/ But on the real, though/ She prolly ran out the room with his f****n’ dildo/ He try to field goal punt her, she said to chill/ Now put it back in my a** and get the steel toe.”
Those bars against Diddy feel light compared to what he said about the controversial hip-hop mogul on “Fuel.” He takes more shots at the Bad Boy Records founder by insinuating that he’s the reason that both 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. are dead.
He raps, “I’m like a R-A-P-E-R/ Got so many S-As, S-As/ Wait, he didn’t just spell the word ‘rapper’ and leave out a P, did he?/ R.I.P., rest in peace Biggie/ And ‘Pac, both of y’all should be living/ But I ain’t tryna beef with him/ ‘Cause he might put a hit on me like Keefe D did him,” which is a reference to the man charged with the murder of Pac.
Ye didn’t escape Slim Shady’s rage either, as the Detroit rapper makes a reference to his public outburst and struggles with mental health issues.
On “Antichrist,” he says, “Say they wish that I wasn’t so angry/ They wanna see me goin’ off the deep end like Ye, aye/ Rather see me do like Kim Kardashian they say, yeah/ And find a way to get rid of all of this rage, aye.”
Em directly talks about Ye’s mental health issues on “Bad One” when he raps, “Brain is dead, space cadet/ Like when Ye forgets to take his meds.”
While Diddy and Kanye were the biggest targets on this album, the Detroit rapper also took some jabs at some old foes — most notably Ja Rule on “Guilty Conscience 2.” He even takes some questionable digs at Lizzo on “Road Rage.”