Eminem Has Dissed These 14 Rappers

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An Eminem name-drop can be a compliment, a cheap shot, or the beginning of several very unpleasant weeks. While Eminem’s favorite rappers have earned plenty of public praise, his critics have sometimes received entire songs picking apart their careers. Others barely had time to register an insult before he moved on to the next target. From personal grudges to passing jabs, these 14 rappers have all given Slim Shady something to write about. | © Travis Shinn

1. Tyler, the Creator

Criticizing “Walk on Water” helped turn Tyler, the Creator from an Eminem admirer into a target on “Fall.” Unfortunately, Em reached for a homophobic slur, giving everyone a much better reason to criticize him than a disappointing single. He later acknowledged that the wording went too far and hurt people beyond Tyler. For a rapper so invested in winning arguments through technical skill, this was an unusually clear case of sabotaging his own rebuttal. | © Happy Place

2. Diddy

Diddy wasn’t even the main target of “Killshot,” but Eminem still dragged MGK’s label boss into the crossfire with a provocative Tupac murder allegation, immediately framed as a joke. On “Fuel,” the attack became an elaborate spelling gag connecting Diddy’s name to sexual-assault allegations. That distinction matters: these were inflammatory lyrics, not revelations. Eminem’s talent for making a secondary target dominate the conversation, however, was working exactly as advertised. | © Dennis Van Tine

3. The Game

Ten minutes is a substantial amount of your afternoon to spend insulting someone who might never reply. The Game committed anyway with “The Black Slim Shady,” questioning Eminem’s reputation and mocking his music’s absence from clubs. Em’s apparent answer arrived on Ez Mil’s “Realest”: certain rivals only get played in clubs because they’re still performing there. He didn’t name Game, but the callback was pointed. An entire diss-track marathon had apparently earned a few bars. | © Alberto E. Rodriguez

4. Snoop Dogg

Apparently, even the Dr. Dre connection doesn’t come with permanent immunity. After Snoop Dogg said he could live without Eminem’s music, Em answered on “Zeus,” sounding wounded before turning Snoop’s name into a punchline. The sting came from hearing that dismissal from someone he considered part of his camp. Snoop subsequently apologized, giving this dispute something rap beef rarely prioritizes: an actual conversation between adults instead of another increasingly expensive round of insults. | © Jerod Harris

5. Joe Budden

A bad review gets considerably more awkward when the critic’s group signed to your label. Joe Budden’s demolition of “Untouchable” helped sour his relationship with Eminem, who answered on “Fall” by attacking Budden’s career and invoking abuse allegations. Budden took his response to the podcast microphone, insisting he had been the better rapper for years. Underneath the insults sat a disagreement neither format could settle: did their Slaughterhouse connection demand loyalty, or simply make honest criticism uncomfortable? | © Noam Galai

6. Machine Gun Kelly

“Not Alike,” “Rap Devil,” “Killshot”: the Eminem–Machine Gun Kelly feud practically comes with its own listening syllabus. MGK’s comments about Hailie supplied the notorious backstory, although Eminem also cited alleged blackballing accusations and a perceived sneak diss as reasons for retaliating. “Killshot” then attacked Kelly’s sales, image, and position beneath his former idol. The cleverest move was turning MGK’s age jokes around: being younger means little when your opponent makes you sound like the understudy. | © Romain Maurice

7. 6ix9ine

For 6ix9ine, the insult on “Zeus” was almost insultingly economical: Eminem dismissed someone’s criticism of his music because she listened to Tekashi. No elaborate setup, just the assumption that the name settled the argument. His appearance on Cordae’s “Parables” remix added a jab about 6ix9ine’s plea deal and cooperation with prosecutors. These weren’t rounds in a heavyweight rivalry; Eminem was using another rapper’s reputation as material, without granting him the prestige of a dedicated response. | © Jose Devillegas

8. Ja Rule

Dragging a child into an argument was never going to improve Ja Rule’s relationship with Eminem. Already caught up in the wider 50 Cent–Murder Inc. conflict, Ja made things intensely personal by mentioning Hailie on “Loose Change.” Eminem’s attacks across records including “Bump Heads” and “Hail Mary” combined ridicule with open hostility. The later reflection on “Like Toy Soldiers” gives this feud its uncomfortable aftertaste: even someone exceptionally good at escalating an argument could recognize the danger. | © Paras Griffin

9. Earl Sweatshirt

Mountain Dew deserves a footnote in Eminem’s feud history. Earl Sweatshirt mocked his latter-day fanbase by associating it with the soda and telling listeners to come home from the army; Eminem eventually answered on “Fall” with the nickname “Earl the Hooded Sweater.” It was a remarkably elaborate route from an interview joke to an album grievance. “No Regrets” later brought a more reflective reference to Earl and Tyler, suggesting Em recognized that his anger had been misdirected. | © Ryo Tanzawa

10. Iggy Azalea

Iggy Azalea answered her “Killshot” mention by criticizing the writing itself, arguing that celebrity name-drops padded out lazy bars. Considering that the track was supposed to target Machine Gun Kelly, she had an obvious opening. Their history was uglier than that exchange, though: Eminem’s verse on Bad Meets Evil’s “Vegas” had already directed sexually violent lyrics at her. Her objections challenged the premise that being a famous woman automatically made her fair game for his shock routine. | © Steven Taylor

11. Benzino

Owning part of a rap magazine added an extra complication to Benzino’s feud with Eminem: the man attacking him also had influence over how hip-hop was covered. “The Sauce” challenged The Source’s credibility, while “Nail in the Coffin” went after Benzino’s own credentials as a rapper. Decades later, “Doomsday Pt. 2” returned to the dispute with jokes about his appearance. Whatever else changes in Eminem’s career, apparently some grudges remain available for a follow-up verse. | © Benzino

12. Melle Mel

Respect for hip-hop’s pioneers collided with Eminem’s intolerance for being dismissed when Melle Mel attributed his lofty placement on a greatest-rappers list to being white. On “Realest,” Eminem acknowledged Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five before aiming steroid-related insults at Mel himself. Mel’s response track drew ridicule, and he subsequently admitted its execution had fallen short. A disagreement about historical standing had become a demonstration of how little your résumé can protect a poorly received diss. | © Melle Mel

13. Everlast

Eminem practically changed genres to insult Everlast on “I Remember,” parodying the former House of Pain frontman’s guitar-led reinvention while attacking his singing and career. The exchange escalated through Everlast’s “Whitey’s Revenge” and Eminem’s vicious “Quitter,” which borrowed from Tupac’s “Hit ’Em Up.” Accounts trace the hostility to a perceived snub, making the resulting catalog of personal attacks seem spectacularly excessive. B-Real later described intervening because he knew there was mutual respect underneath all that noise. | © Everlast & Danny Boy

14. Lord Jamar

Who gets to decide whether Eminem belongs in hip-hop? Lord Jamar’s repeated criticism turned that question into a feud, with “Fall” answering his guest-in-the-house argument through an aggressively extended domestic metaphor. “I Will” added another direct attack on the Brand Nubian rapper. The interesting wrinkle came when Eminem told KXNG Crooked that he did consider himself a guest in the culture. Accepting hip-hop’s origins, it turned out, didn’t mean accepting Jamar as the person authorized to evict him. | © Johnny Nunez