Eminem is one of the most skilled lyricists ever to touch a microphone and has cemented his place in the hip-hop history books. The Detroit act (real name Marshall Mathers) is a lyrical beast, and many, including Snoop Dogg and Nas, have cited him as one of the best wordsmiths of the culture.
Since his debut album, Eminem has been known for his witty lyrics, similies, puns and metaphors. Furthermore, he has been known for referencing specific people and projects in his raps. When he initially burst onto the scene, the Detroit emcee targeted celebrities, especially pop culture icons such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
He later clarified that it was because of accusations levied at him, explaining, “The reason that I went at pop stars back then is because people were calling me a pop rapper.” He also delved deeper by stating pop was weaponised against him: “A way people used to dismiss me was to call me pop. I got mad about that, and I lashed out.”
However, Mathers didn’t just go at pop stars. He also went at actors, and comedians and, of course, made jokes about other rappers that ended up escalating. Many people are well aware that he even made references to his mother and ex-wife.
But Eminem also referenced movies in his lyrics and stringed together some extremely witty lyrics using films to rap insanely funny analogies. In his 2009 track, ‘Underground’ Mathers referenced movies such as Nightmare On Elm Street and Edward Scissorhands, rapping, “Walked up Elm Street with a fuckin’ Wiffle bat drew / Fought Freddy Krueger and Edward Scissorhands too / And came out with a little scratch, ooh / Lookin’ like I got in a fuckin’ pillow fight with a Triple F.A.T. goose”
He’s also named several of his tracks after movies such as ‘Godzilla’ from his 2020 project Music To Be Murdered By and ‘Rain Man’ from his 2004 album Encore. The Shady Records boss has referenced so many movies it is unfathomable. Below You can see a list of every single one he has referenced in his career thus far.
All the movies Eminem has referenced in his songs:
- Anchorman
- Austin Powers
- Avengers Infinity War
- Bad Santa
- Batman
- Bodied
- The Dark Knight
- Die Hard
- Dirty Dancing
- Dracula
- Edward Scissorhands
- Empire Strikes Back
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- Frankenstein
- Friday The 13th
- Ghost
- Godzilla
- Halloween
- Inception
- Hulk
- Ironman
- King Kong
- One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
- Pinocchio
- Scarface
- Scream
- Set It Off
- Silence Of The Lambs
- Southpaw
- Speed
- Spider-Man
- Star Wars
- Superbad
- Superman
- Thor
- Venom
- The Water Boy
