Eminem is addressing his critics—including Furious Five rapper Melle Mel who said he’s only revered in Hip-Hop because he’s white.
While a host of artists jumped to Slim Shady’s defense in March when Melle Mel said the Detroit MC wouldn’t be on any Top 5 lists if he were Black, Eminem remained tight-lipped.
However, he broke his silence in deadly fashion, teaming up with the newest Shady/Aftermath/Interscope signee Ez Mil on “Realest.”
On the new single, which dropped Friday (August 4), Em raps “I’m only Top 5 ’cause I’m white […] my skin color’s still working against me.” He also turned the argument on its head, insisting he’s not given the top spot because of his skin color.
He also addresses the notion his music isn’t played in the clubs and acknowledges he’s a “guest” in Hip-Hop.
“Only reason they still play your s### in the clubs is because you still perform in ’em,” he raps. “I am a guest in this house, but I turned this b#### into a mansion.”
Eminem then addresses Melle Mel directly, claiming his “brain is half destroyed.”
He raps, “Shoutout to Furious Five and Grandmaster Flash, but boy/There’s someone who really is furious/ Stay out his path, his wrath avoid/ I’ll be the last to toy with a juice head whose brain is half destroyed, like a meteor hit it/ Now with Melle Mel, he lost his ass to ‘roids.”
Ez Mil, Eminem – Realest
In a March interview, Melle Mel said that while Eminem is “a capable rapper” who outsold his peers, he only excels because he’s white.
“So now if Eminem was another n####a like all the rest of us, would he be Top 5 on that list?” the Hip-Hop legend asked.