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Slim Shady will be bringing a very hip-hop feel to this summer’s V Festival; the Detroit born MC has dragged himself to the top of the rap summit since signing with the good doctor way back in ’98.
Always quick with a lyric, the Not Afraid man rose to fame on the back of his freestyling and battle rapping, including winning the Wake Up Show’s Freestyler of the Year and placing second in the 1997 Rap Olympics.
As is the nature of rap, Em has battled numerous artists on wax over the years. Just like boxing, in order to hold the belt you’ve gotta knock out the champ. Slim has more than held his own over the years, chewin’ up and spittin’ out all challengers.
Critics will latch onto the fact that the pedigree of his adversaries has never been particulary frightening, the likes of Jigga, Nas or Weezy never stepped into the ring with Dre’s prodigy. But with the ability to literally end careers with a few strokes of his biro, maybe the big boys just never fancied the twelve rounds…
Ahead of Mr Mather’s headline appearance at V Festival in August, Purple Revolver has compiled the top five Eminem battle tracks to sink your teeth into and help you remember what the 8-Mile star does best.
Click the links in the titles to listen to the tracks and let us know what you think of Slim Shady’s battles throughout his career in the comments box below.
5. The Warning – vs. Mariah Carey
Em takes some shots at the diva and her hubbie Nick Cannon on this track. The three have had a very public beef, with Mariah denying ever having a relationship with the bleach haired spitter. Em responds to her claims in his own very unique way.
4. The Sauce – vs. The Source/Benzino
When Hip-Hop publication The Source, which helped launch the rappers career by featuring him in their Unsigned Hype column in ’98, and co-owner Benzino started hurling abuse at Em through its pages and on wax, Slim replied. The result was a loss of readership and advertising for the mag and the end of Benzino’s rap career.
3. Can-I-Bitch – vs. Canibus
A beef that dates back to before Marshall was even signed. Spitting over Slick Rick’s Children’s Stories, Em gives a humorous, quick-fire diss track aimed at the Queens, NY rapper. Jermaine Dupri and The Pet Shop Boys get caught in the crossfire too.
2. Hail Mary Feat 50 Cent & Busta Rhymes – vs. Ja Rule
Starting as a feud between Fiddy and Ja, this beef quickly escalated into one of the most hyped battles in years. Ja called out Em, Dre and, most importantly Em’s little girl, Hailey. The gloves were off after the Murder Inc man dropped the lyric, ‘Em you claim your mother’s a crack head/and Kim is a known slut/so what’s Hailey gonna be when she grows up?’ Hip-hop heads still debate over who won this beef, but when was the last time you bought a Ja Rule record….?
1. I Remember – vs. Everlast
This one got down, dirty and personal over the years. Em and the former House of Pain man traded blows over various songs and freestyles until Cypress Hill legend B-Real stepped in to squash the beef. Em shows us why he’s the master of turning an artists strengths against him, using Whitey Ford’s move into blues singing and guitar playing to his own advantage and craft a kick-ass diss record.