Eminem’s latest single, “Beautiful,” sounds more like the theme song for a mid-life crisis than his usual attack on pop culture. The track left some fans wondering if the brutal Eminem of yesteryear has left along with his prescription drug addiction, but the recent “Warning” suggests otherwise. The song is his response to Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed,” in which she denies she and the person she’s singing to ever had a relationship. In her video, that person is Carey dressed as Eminem, who gets hit by a bus during its finale. Her song and video prompted him to give his side of his current feud, saying, “How many times you fly to my house? Just tryin’ to count / better shut your lying mouth if you don’t want Nick findin’ out!” He then gets graphic and intense in a way that he never does on his new album Relapse: “Listen girlie, surely you don’t want me to tell the public how I nutted early / and bust all over your belly and you almost started hurling.”
It’s not uncommon that beefs bring out the best performances in hip-hop. Since the prehistoric days of the culture, some of the greatest lyrics ever composed were made during times of lyrical warfare. The art of the battle can be traced back to inter-borough competitions between New York City’s hip-hoppers. As the art form spread across the city, so did the need for its artists to be respected. One of the most famous beefs was the Roxanne Wars, which pitted Marley Marl, the late DJ Mr. Magic, and Roxanne Shanté against U.F.T.O. after U.F.T.O. failed to appear at a concert. Their hit at the time was “Roxanne, Roxanne,” and Marley Marl and Mr. Magic crafted a plan to get retribution—”Roxanne’s Revenge.” In it, the woman U.F.T.O. said in song was stuck-up calls them out, voiced by a 14-year-old MC taking on the name Roxanne Shanté. She dissed U.F.T.O. members with rhymes like, “He wears a Kangol and that is cute / but he ain’t got the money and he ain’t got the loot.” The song spread through the city like wildfire and is believed to have sold over 250,000 units. Marley Marl and Queens native MC Shan would also feud with B.D.P. and a young KRS-One over the birthplace of hip-hop in the Bridge Wars. KRS-One’s career continues, but he was never more dynamic and inspired than he was during that period.
As hip-hop went national, beefs went nationwide. West Coast artists such Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and Tupac Shakur crafted their best work while attacking their arch-enemies. The East Coast-West Coast dispute in the mid-’90s created tension that may have caused Tupac and B.I.G.’s untimely deaths. Their deaths slowed beefs, but in 2001 Jay-Z took on Nas to wear the title of King of New York. On Jay’s second response track, “Super Ugly,” he even mentioned an affair with the mother of his rival’s child with the lines: “I came in your Bentley backseat / skeeted in your jeep / left condoms on your baby seat.” The last several years have seen the emergence of even more intense beefs with 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule, 50 Cent vs. Rick Ross, and T.I. vs. Shawty Lo, all grabbing the national spotlight.
So what is it about beefs that energizes an MC? Perhaps the fact that no matter how famous rappers become, they are still human. After selling millions of records, can one really expect artists to be as passionate as they were when they were starving for success? But when artists are presented with a challenge that calls their heart and creativity into question, it gives them a deeper reason to take their craft seriously. In times of beef, all fans are concerned with is who lands the hardest punch. Past record sales, awards and accolades almost become obsolete. The soul of an MC is exposed for better or for worse. Some, such as KRS-One, step up while the Ja Rules of the world become distant memories.
This is clearly the case in the Eminem and Mariah dispute. After having his manhood and credibility attacked by the diva, Marshall Mathers left his mature, celebrity persona and attacked in an effort to expose and annihilate. Slim Shady was reborn, the man who rapped, “Christina Aguilera better switch me chairs / so I can sit next to Carson Daly and Fred Durst / and hear ’em argue over who she gave head to first.” This is what great hip-hop is all about; making music to express your feelings instead of just getting money—even when the feelings are vengeful.
Who’s telling the truth? Did anything actually happen? Who knows, but people are talking about both Eminem and Carey more than they have in a long time. And history shows that beefs pay.
Eminem performs Friday, October 30 at 9:30 p.m. on the Voodoo Stage.
