It’s become a running joke online, where in someone posts a photo of a blank piece of paper and calling it a complete list of those who beefed with Eminem and their careers survived. While the joke is a bit heavy-handed, there is no denying that there is a large body of evidence that supports the main premise. Eminem is known for ending careers, and many in the industry silently hope that they never become one of his targets. However, like most memes, there is a level of dishonesty here. While Mathers’ hit rate is impressively high, it isn’t perfect (only Floyd can claim that!). Only one man stands alone and unscathed at the top of the mangled pile of Eminem’s former opponents.
But first, we need to take a look at the non-exhaustive list of Marshall Mathers’ career trophy hunts. One of the most recent examples is fellow Caucasian rapper Machine Gun Kelly (MGK). MGK and Eminem had been trading verbal blows back and forth for several years, with the newcomer claiming that MGK is named after a gangster while Mathers is named after a candy. The Detroit native did not take kindly to this jab, and responded with an absolute killshot. The fallout was so bad that MGK left hip-hop entirely in order to go pop with Halsey or to do punk rock covers of Paramore.
However, MGK is hardly the only tally marked carved into a concrete wall by Mr. Mathers. The early 2000’s band Insane Clown Posse (ICP) had a feud with Eminem that didn’t turn out so well. The Michigan rapper and the failed KISS-impersonators traded barbs at each other, though this ended shortly after Eminem utterly wrecked the pair of jokers. Since then, their careers have taken very different trajectories; Eminem has risen to the top of his industry, with many listing his name among the greatest ever. On the other hand, ICP has floundered to the point of not being relevant since 2012.
Will Smith is yet another rapper who has left the field entirely since being throttled by Eminem. The former Fresh Prince threw a potshot at Mathers by stating that he didn’t need to use profanity or threaten violence in order to sell records. Of course, Eminem’s response was worthy of hip hop legend with his line Will Smith doesn’t have to cuss to sell records, well I do, so fuck him and fuck you too. Will Smith left music entirely after this lambasting to further his acting career. To his credit, Will Smith’s acting career absolutely slaps!
Everlast is another musician who has crossed paths with Eminem, only for the interaction to have severe consequences. The man of What It’s Like fame (read: his only notable song) reportedly passed by Eminem in a lobby. The up-and-coming Mathers did not acknowledge the elder statesmen, to which Everlast took deep offense. Everlast opted to air grievances all over the microphone. However, Eminem had the last word in the interaction. Everlast’s career has sputtered since then, with his most recent major studio album occurring the same year as the Detroit Pistons last won the NBA Finals.
Christina Aguilera is a pop star that had her career sidelined by Eminem. Mathers had proposed to his longtime love interest (read: future lyric fodder) and attempted to keep the ceremony as private as possible. However, The blonde Genie in a Bottle felt the need to out Eminem on national television, much to the dismay of the newlyweds. Mathers decided to sound off about his grievance in one of his early classics, The Real Slim Shady. Aguilera’s album sales have since tumbled off a goddamn cliff.
While Eminem can only take credit for leaving Ja Rule in the dust (R.I.P Paul Walker), it’s still worth discussing. Ja Rule reportedly missed the memo of leave children out of professional rivalries and took aim at an underage Hallie. Ja Rule quipped that Eminem’s mother had a drug problem and his wife was promiscuous, and then rhetorically asked what Eminem’s daughter would turn out to be. Understandably, Em didn’t take kindly to the verbal potshot, and countered with an absolutely ruthless takedown. Ja Rule’s music career never truly got back on track after that. Years later, he got caught up with Billy McFarland and the infamous Fyre debacle.
However, there is one man who stands above all else. Despite his most passionate diss track yet, Eminem could not end the career of one Donald J. Trump Sr. I can practically hear everyone sharpening their pitchforks now. “Donald Trump isn’t even a rapper!” one might proclaim, and that is true. However, we have seen that is hardly a requirement for earning Eminem’s scorn; seriously, not even Debbie Mathers was safe from Eminem’s wrath! However, the 45th President finished the rest of his term, and is poised for another run at the White House as Trump just won the New Hampshire Republican Primary, and the bombastic Republican looks primed to storm the capital this November.
You know you’re resilient when not even Eminem can end your career…
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