The Game fired rounds at Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Eminem’s daughter Hailie Jade on his Drillmatic cut “The Black Slim Shady.” The track generated mixed reactions from rap fans and social media users, with many wondering what reasons Game had for coming at Eminem.
Last year (May 7, 2021), the 42-year-old listed Eminem among his Top 10 rappers alive, placing the Detroit legend at number four, behind the likes of Lil Wayne, Nas, and Jay-Z. He made it a point to exclude himself from the list, adding he’ll “go bar for bar with anybody on the list”.
Though it’s not exactly clear what caused the switch-up in his affinity for Eminem, there’s an evident timeline of events that led to this moment. Below we revisit the history of The Game’s obsession with Eminem.
February 13, 2021: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem perform at Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show
This may seem trifling, but The Game’s beef with Eminem, and by extension Dre allegedly started after he was left out of Dr. Dre’s Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show on February 13 at the SoFi stadium. The performance featured several names affiliated with Dr. Dre including Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, and Anderson .Paak.
Dr. Dre signed The Game to his label Aftermath Entertainment in 2003 and went on to co-produce his classic 2004 debut ‘The Documentary’. The Game was also a presence on the West Coast scene in the early 2000s and believes he should have been included in the celebration of the city’s rap culture.
The surprise cameo from his arch-rival, 50 Cent left a bitter taste in his mouth and the rapper was feeling visibly salty. He expressed his disappointment with the omission by reposting a few Instagram Stories to his account.
“FYI: [The Game] should’ve been on stage at the Super Bowl,” said @_kingrrell. “I’ll be [the] first to say it.” The Game added “Sh-t brazy fr” to the story.
After sharing a few videos from his Super Bowl LVI party, The Game re-posted another IG Story, this time from @sincereshow. “[The Game] should have performed at [the] Super Bowl with @DrDre. I mean, this is LA.”
During an episode of the, I Am Athlete podcast with Brandon Marshall, Pacman Jones, and Nick “ Swaggy P” Young. The Game admits he was “hurt” about being excluded from the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.
“The real reason I wasn’t on the Super Bowl [Halftime Show] is because I’m not a ‘safe’ artist,’” he explained. “You don’t know what the Game gon’ do when he get up there. So, it’s just like, ‘He not safe,’ so they went with the safe artists.”
Game adds the show was an opportunity to celebrate LA hip-hop, and believes he should’ve been involved in the festivities along with Compton native YG.
“We, on the West Coast, are the only motherfuckers who have this crab-in-a-barrel mentality, where we wanna keep n***as down …” he explained. “Snoop Dogg is icon. Dre is icon. Em is an icon, but Em is not from L.A. 50 is not from L.A. I’m not taking away from the fact that they’re were on the Super Bowl, but L.A. [artists] wouldn’t have been in the Detroit Super Bowl or New York Super Bowl. It just wouldn’t have happened … L.A., L.A., L.A. all around the Super Bowl and I didn’t get the call.”
“I talk to Dre often. I just know if I was Dre and he was Game, he would’ve been up there,” he continued. “That’s just it. It’s L.A. I am L.A. I’m in the streets … So, yeah, I was hurt. Now am I bothered by it today? I’m not bothered by it today.”
March 3, 2022: The Game says Kanye West has done more for his career than Dr. Dre ever has
In March 2022, The Game appeared on Drink Champs with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. In it, he claimed that Kanye West has done more for his career recently than Dr. Dre ever did. The comments followed his duet with Ye on the song “Eazy.”
“It’s crazy that Ye did more for me in the last two weeks than Dre did for me my whole career,” he said.
March 3, 2022: The Game challenges Eminem to a Verzuz
In an interview with Drink Champs, the Compton rapper proclaimed himself better than Eminem and added he would happily go up against him in a VERZUZ battle to prove it.
“I used to think Eminem was better than me,” he admitted. Game was then asked how he feels now, to which he replied: “He not. He not. He’s not. Challenge it.”
N.O.R.E then told Game he “doesn’t wanna go VERZUZ against Eminem”, but Game disagreed. “Yeah I do,” he confidently stated, adding “I’m not saying I want smoke with Eminem, I’m saying I want smoke with Eminem, him, and him, whoever.”
He reinforced his belief that he’s the superior rapper in a different interview with All The Smoke while suggesting that Eminem isn’t played in public.
“When have you ever heard Eminem in a club?” he asked hosts Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. “When have you ever heard it in the locker room? And I’m not taking away from that, I don’t hear Eminem in the streets. I just don’t. It’s not saying he can’t rap. The skillset is there. I’m just the better rapper. I just haven’t been given the light he’s been giving.”
March 6, 2022: The Game doubles down on claims that he’s better than Eminem
Despite the social media backlash that followed his comments on Drink Champs, The Game didn’t back down. In an Instagram video shared on Sunday (March 6), the Hate It Or Love It rapper doubled down on his claims about being better than Slim Shady.
“When y’all say Eminem is better and all that, I see it, I see it. I feel you,” he says. “And you know what? If you feel like Eminem is better than me, that’s your opinion. But it’s a lot of people that feel like I’m better than Eminem, and that’s they opinion. Me personally?
He continued “Is Eminem better than me? Nah, he not, bro. And I think the best way to see if he is or if I am is let’s rap about it. Let’s get up. Let’s get in the studio. Let’s rap about it. Let’s do something. Let’s put something out. Let’s see ’cause that’s what this shit is, bro. It’s rap.”
The Game questions why he’d admit another human is better than him at anything, while also using the moment to exaggerate his abilities.
“Even if a rapper was better than me, why the fuck would I ever say that another man is better than me at anything in life?” he said. “I’m striving to be the best human that I can possibly be — the best rapper, the best father, the best friend — you know what I’m saying — the most obedient to the Lord … N-ggas ain’t better than me at shit. You ain’t getting that off.”
“I also gave [Eminem] his props in the same accord. As far as being better than me, nah. Eminem is not better than me. Bro, I’m better than him. I said it again and I’ll keep saying it again, bro. It is what it is. Bro, you can take it, run and go tell him, do whatever you want ’cause when it’s time to get down and it’s time to grab that mic and stand in front of that microphone and that booth, I’m gone air muthafuckas out every time, bro.”
March 8, 2022: Eminem makes RIAA history
On Tuesday (March 8), Eminem became the most certified artist in RIAA history with 73.5 million new certifications. He’s also only one of seven artists in any genre or era with three or more Diamond Album Awards.
March 8, 2022: The Game calls Eminem “industry puppet” in Twitter rant
The Game reacted to Eminem’s new RIAA certification by calling the Detroit rapper a puppet while attributing his success to his white skin.
“All this talk I see on the net saying Eminem is better than me because he sold more records is like saying McDonald’s is better than Tam’s burgers, it’s FALSE !!! They just put more money in McDonald’s & promoted the shit out the happy meal dangling toys in kids faces.”
“They only want you to believe in yourself to a certain extent. Soon as you start telling yourself you’re better than their CHOSEN ONE or challenge the machine, they start feeding the internet STATS like I give a fuck how many records the next man sold.”
He reiterates he doesn’t care about records sold and issues out a challenge to Eminem and “any rapper” that dares to think of challenging him.
“F-ck how many records he sold, you sold or I sold. that’s just #’s on paper n some little awards that ain’t no bigger than my YMCA trophy’s.
I don’t give a f-ck what songs Eddie Kane use to be able to sing. Get the f-ck in that booth in REAL TIME… TODAY & LET’S FUCKIN’ RAP !!!”
By this time it became obvious Los Angeles Confidential was using Eminem’s name to generate buzz for his 10th album ‘Drillmatic – Mind Vs. Heart’.
August 12, 2022: The Game disses Eminem
The Game’s constant attack on Eminem culminated with the release of “The Black Slim Shady.” A supposed diss song that pieces together everything he likes and hates about the Detroit legend. As mentioned above, he attacks Eminem’s personality, his daughter, and his relationship with Dre.
August 4, 2023: Eminem disses The Game & Melle Mel on EZ Mil’s “Realest”
After months of radio silence, Eminem resurfaced with a vengeance on the song “Realest” alongside new Shady Records/Aftermath artist EZ Mil. The Detroit legend used his fiery verse to address Melle Mel’s criticism about his skin color playing a role in his top-five status, and The Game’s claim that his music doesn’t bump in clubs. In a direct response to The Game, Em turns the table, suggesting the only reason the Compton rapper still gets played in clubs is because that’s his level.
Around this time the beef had died down and The Game began to sing a different tune after his album dropped. During a December 9, 2003 interview with VladTV, He admitted working with Eminem on his chart-topping debut album “The Documentary,” was “one of the highlights” of his career.
“Watching Eminem record and his whole recording process,” he said. “That might’ve been one of the highlights of my career because I don’t know if you want to call it weird or legendary or some Einstein type of shit, evil genius type of shit, but Em is a very, very complex and different individual in good ways.
“When he writes raps, he turns the paper around — he just writes in circles and turns it. When he reads it, he turns it back the opposite way and starts to read it … when we were using paper, I don’t know his recording process these days […] That process was dope. I’m forever grateful for being able to experience, y’know, prime Eminem in his essence in Detroit.”
December 17, 2023: The Game Admits Eminem Beef Was Because He Was “Upset” With Dr. Dre
While speaking with DJ Vlad, The Game revealed that dissing Eminem on the song “The Black Slim Shady” wasn’t a direct attack on the Detroit rapper, but rather an indirect way of expressing his anger towards Dr. Dre who cut him off from performing at the Super Bowl in 2021.
“Throwing shots at Eminem and beefing with Eminem, it was just me being upset with Dr. Dre,” The Game admitted. “Dr. Dre can’t out-rap me, so I just went at Em, just because that’s just how I get sometimes.
“But it’s always competitive. It ain’t like I’m gonna see Em and be like, ‘What’s up now?!’ It’s Em, you know what I’m saying? And Em took his shots on a record that dropped, and yo, Em is a funny guy.”
