Did Eminem Diss JAY-Z on His New Song?

Em isn’t talking, but Royce Da 5′ 9″ has something to say.

Let’s dive into this. First, Billboard magazine released a list of the best rappers with the Top 4 rappers being 2Pac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, and JAY-Z, in that order. Eminem has collaborated with all of them, including a posthumous collaboration with Pac. It’s clear he believes he deserves to be ranked higher. Here’s what he said in his new song “Tobey”:

“Ain’t feeling your top five favorite rappers (Woo)
So I know they ’bout to be p##### at me (Why?)
But this, to me, is a mystery
How rappers I’ve already ripped could be (What?)
Higher up on a list than me (Ha)”

So, who could he be talking about? This is quite specific! There are only a few possibilities. At this point, I don’t think Eminem wants to beef with Kendrick, because they are cool. Also, Dot is a monster. Tupac is no longer with us. Nas is super relevant at the moment, but I don’t get the sense that Eminem “ripped” him. By the way, some folks are saying LL smoked Eminem on their new song, but I digress. That leaves us with JAY-Z and “Renegade.”

Most people feel like Eminem outperformed JAY-Z on that song. Personally, I never thought so, but everyone else seems to, and I’m OK with that. I believe that most lists are based on bodies of work and overall legacy, not on a particular song or verse. Eminem is a constant observer of the culture. It’s pretty clear he sees everything that’s going on and took exception to this particular list.

Although Eminem hasn’t said anything directly, his buddy and fellow goat Royce Da 5′ 9″ did. I have to admit it’s time for Eminem to start talking to us directly, and not through his friends. Even though I trust Royce’s views and what he says, he stated online that Eminem is not dissing JAY-Z. It’s not a diss, but it’s pretty clear. It’s a subliminal message to somebody. And when you identify that somebody, it becomes clearer that it’s not a couple of those names. It gets closer to someone regarded as the greatest of all time.

When you talk about the greatest of all time, we have to narrow it down to JAY-Z, who is all but inactive. Again, there is a full denial from someone close to Eminem, so what do I know? I know almost nothing. However, it would be cool to hear from Eminem directly.

I also think culturally, it’s a bad look to diss JAY-Z. For the sake of the culture, he wouldn’t go there. Someone like Grandmaster Melle Mel, who also got some smoke on that song, is a much easier target.

What do you think?