Eminem drew the ire of the internet over the weekend after releasing a new single that refers to rapper Tory Lanez’ shooting of Megan Thee Stallion in the foot in 2020.
“If I was to ask for Megan Thee Stallion if she would collab with me/Would I really have a shot at a feat?” Eminem raps in the first minute of “Houdini.” (“Feat” is short for “feature.”)
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, seems to be poking fun at the July 2020 shooting that left Megan Thee Stallion (Megan Pete) with a foot injury and Tory Lanez with a 10-year prison sentence. The line didn’t go over well with social media users, who criticized him for making light of gender violence and targeting a Black woman in his lyrics.
“Being 51 years old and taking shots at Megan Thee Stallion? Out of touch,” one user posted on X.
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Another user condemned the line, noting that June is Black Music Month: “Is it too much to ask that as we enter Black music month in a few days that folks not allow Eminem to make light of Megan, a BW who was a victim of gun violence, to be targeted in a song by a white rapper? Folks are too comfortable disrespecting Black women.”
“Houdini” is the first single off of Eminem’s upcoming album, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).” The star-studded superhero-themed video for the song appears to be an homage to his 2002 video for “Without Me,” and includes celebrity cameos from Snoop Dogg, Pete Davidson, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and Shane Gillis. Along with mentioning Megan Thee Stallion, Eminem name-drops R. Kelly, Ru Paul and Sherri Papini, a California woman who faked her own kidnapping in 2016.
Some social media users came to Eminem’s defense, noting that the Detroit rapper has long been known for provocative lyrics.
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“If you’re offended by the Megan thee Stallion line in Eminem’s #Houdini, you clearly don’t understand/know who Slim Shady is — the whole purpose is that he makes fun of everybody. It ain’t that deep and it’s a good line. This isn’t a diss,” one person wrote in a post on X.
Another X user chalked the shooting reference up to Enimen’s playful use of words, writing, “why do people think Eminem was trying to start beef with Megan Thee Stallion … it was just some s—-- wordplay lmao.”
Megan Thee Stallion and Eminem did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News. Neither have publicly addressed the online chatter.
The Megan Thee Stallion shooting has also been the subject of rap lyrics from musicians like Drake and Nicki Minaj over the years. It also spurred nationwide conversations about gender violence against Black women. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted of three felony charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison in December 2022.
Megan Thee Stallion recently announced that her third album, “MEGAN,” is set for release on June 28.
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