Whether you choose to call them ‘disses’ or ‘battle raps,’ it is definite that they have played a significant role in the development of the hip-hop genre. One of the best examples of the most violent diss tracks ever to be released in hip-hop history was indeed penned by Eminem.
Eminem has proven his talent for lyrical creativity during his long career, also approved by the many awards he has received so far. His sharp tongue in criticizing other musicians is one of the most potent tools in his lyrical armory, and he never hesitates to use it.
Machine Gun Kelly, Ja Rule, and even Mariah Carey were some names that fell on his radar. As he was dissing pretty hard in his songs, he also received harsh replies. Limp Bizkit was one of those who got their fair share from this sharp tongue. When it came to them, the reason was a personal conflict they had experienced. The dispute was initially fueled by Everlast – whom Eminem had also dissed in another song.
Eminem’s trouble with Everlast had started earlier. Everlast reportedly felt like he had been snubbed by Eminem after a backstage encounter, after which he dissed ‘Haley’ in a song. Eminem’s daughter’s name was Hailie, and Eminem was really pissed about it. He wrote him a reply, but his anger was not going away. And the story continued.
The Rap God encouraged Limp Bizkit, specifically Fred Durst, to participate in a song criticizing Everlast during the dispute. Limp Bizkit initially concurred but abruptly ended the deal with Eminem and the crew. Not long after, Eminem lost his cool when DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit claimed in an interview that Everlast could beat Slim Shady in a fight. He had to channel his anger somewhere. Thus born ‘Girls.’
‘Girls’ came out in 2014 as part of ‘Shady Classics: Mixtape.’ Eminem sometimes criticizes the names that piss him off in a subtle way, but he was shouting Limp Bizkit’s name in this song. So it was pretty clear who he was targeting with his harsh words.
The story’s background that ignited it all, namely Everlast’s song with Dilated Peoples, ‘Ear Drums Pop,’ was later revealed. And it turns out that Everlast didn’t even know Eminem’s daughter’s name was Hailie when he wrote the song. Yes, he attempted to subtly criticize Eminem in the song, but he was unaware that he was also referring to Em’s daughter.
However, the rapper didn’t expect things to get this big and turn into a feud. So an accidental diss started a chain of disses, and no matter what, two songs emerged that helped keep the hip-hop drama alive.
