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After poking and prodding the Detroit legend on podcast interviews for months now, Compton’s own The Game released his 10th studio album on Friday entitled DRILLMATIC: Heart vs. Mind. With 30 tracks and plenty of recognizable features, it’s his 10 minute-long diss to Eminem that is getting the most attention on the new project.
“The Black Silm Shady” leaves no stone unturned, going through a modern day Uber skit while also dropping references and beats that nostalgic hip hop heads immediately trace back to Marshall Mathers. The Game holds no punches, as a matter of fact, he even states he’d “love to put these hands up” in the diss track along with the blatant disrespect for another emcee that is reflective of the era in which The Game, a self-proclaimed hip hop nerd, grew up in.
In the history of rap music, beef has always been there, but in the spirit of competition. Strip away the chains, lights, and stages and all you’re left with is a man or woman with a microphone expressing themselves and their experiences. Emcee’s once challenged each other verbally in the same good-hearted way Black folks crack jokes on each other. Yet, when the music stops, rap beefs all too often spill outside of the studio and threaten the lives of not only the rappers themselves but their most loyal and closest supporters.
Eminem speaks of lost loved ones to rap beef in “Toy Soldiers“
Feeling abandoned by many hip hop titan Dr. Dre, The Game also samples Jay-Z hits throughout the album while reflecting on his own career’s missteps. Back in 2006, The Game believed Dr. Dre chose Eminem over him, and for over 15 years he’s kept that to himself until recently; he’s also taken lyrical jabs at Jay-Z after a conversation went left many years ago between the two.
Never one to shy away from controversy, The Game started to cook up this beef way back in March after he questioned Eminem’s relevancy in todays music. “Eminem is Eminem, I like Eminem,” he said. “He’s one of the f–king good MCs, great MCs. I used to think Eminem was better than me. He not, he’s not. Challenge it.”
Months later, The Game would continue his criticism of Eminem, saying “When have you ever heard Eminem in a club? When have you ever heard it in the locker room? And I’m not taking away from that, I don’t hear Eminem in the streets. I just don’t.”
Calling out Eminem’s family, career, addictions and lack of culture awareness and penetration, The Game is all but inviting a response from Eminem who too has never shied away from lyrical swordsmanship when he’s felt disrespected.
While both emcees have demonstrated their mic skills and expert penmanship over the longevity of their careers, many listened to The Black Slim Shady with a skeptical ear, citing that the name-dropping rapper often looks for attention and Eminem is merely his latest fascination. Whatever the motivation, The Game has clearly drawn a line in the sand with viciously personal and professional attacks and only time will tell if Eminem responds to the call out.