Eminem. Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Eminem has just signed a new artist called EZ Mil to his label Shady House. He’s also featured on EZ Mil’s new song “Realest.” If you know anything about Eminem’s diss tracks, you know that they have a tendency to get a whole lot of attention. So, if you’re Em, what better way to get the word out about your new artist than to diss two rappers who have targeted you in the past and throw a few shots at Gen Z? You’re a shrewd one, Mr. Eminem.
The rappers facing Eminem’s wrath on the song are The Game and Grandmaster Melle Mel. The Game dropped a 10-minute Eminem diss called “The Black Slim Shady“ back in August, and said during a podcast appearance that Eminem’s music is never played in the clubs. Melle Mel said in a Vlad TV interview that Eminem’s skin color has contributed to his success. I didn’t even know that the latter point was controversial with Eminem, considering he acknowledged it himself on his 2002 hit “White America.” But in 2023, Eminem has had enough.
His verse on “Realest” begins with a reference to Mel’s comments followed by some Tom MacDonald-ass lines: “My skin color’s still working against me / ’Cause second I should be to none /
Being white ain’t why they put me at five / It’s why they can’t put me at one.” Kinda hits different in a post-affirmative action world, doesn’t it? Later on, he raps: “I am a guest in this house but I turned this bitch to a mansion” which seems to be an acknowledgment of his advantages. Still, I have a feeling that the former excerpt is going to be a hit on the Jason Aldean side of TikTok.
Then, it’s time for the main event. He directly addresses The Game’s comments (“Only reason they still play your shit in the clubs / Is ’cause you still perform in ’em”) and takes shots at the youngers: “Gen Zers actin’ like rap experts / Zip up your gaps and close your mouths / Bitch you ain’t been on this planet long enough to tell me how rap’s supposed to sound.” He closes things out with some lines about Melle Mel’s physique: “And I’ll be the last to toy with a juice-head whose brain is like half destroyed like a meteor hit it / Well, there went Melle Mel, we lost his ass to ‘roids.”
