Eminem is widely considered one of the best rappers of all time. With a unique ability to string together meaningful, impactful and robust rhymes, the Detroit artist (real name Marshall Mathers) is undoubtedly among the best in the industry about lyricism.
Breaking out at the turn of the millennium, after getting discovered by Dr Dre, Mathers released his second album, The Slim Shady LP, in 1999. The project was met with critical acclaim and went straight to number two on the Billboard 200, and by the end of 1999, it was certified four times platinum. To this day, it is still classed as a classic and is one of the most successful hip-hop albums of all time.
Since then, Eminem, often referred to as ‘Slim Shady’, captivated the world as he explored challenging subjects that no other rapper had dared to and flung profanity into his songs for fun.
Eminem’s music remains some of the most memorable creations in all of hip-hop, and to this day, Eminem has the second highest-selling hip-hop project of all time with his album The Eminem Show, certified diamond, with over 27million sales and 3billion streams.
Although Eminem makes fantastic music solo and alongside his regular Aftermath collaborators Dr Dre and 50 Cent, he is often asked by other MCs to add extra potency to their tracks. Below, you can see the top five features Eminem has done for other artists.
The five best Eminem features:
5. Nicki Minaj ft Eminem – ‘Roman’s Revenge’
‘Roman’s Revenge’ was one of the more intense tracks from Nicki Minaj’s debut album, Pink Friday and saw a surprise appearance from Mathers. The song, produced by Swizz Beatz, hears Nicki Minaj and Eminem take on their alter-egos.
The angry track hears Minaj rap lyrics such as “I’m a bad bitch, I’m a c*nt / And I’ll kick that ho, punt / Forced trauma, blunt.” While Mathers spits, “Every last woman on Earth, I’ll kill off / And I still wouldn’t f*ck you, slut, so wipe the smile on your grill off!” Both MCs show off their lyrical prowess and Eminem certainly delivers.
4. Lil Wayne ft Eminem – ‘Drop The World’
‘Drop The World’ was released as the third single for Wayne’s 2010 album, Rebirth. Although the album was widely criticised for its trashy hooks and abnormal pop-punk attempts, ‘Drop The World’ peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA in 2010.
Produced by Hit-Boy alongside Travis Barker of Blink-182, the track hears Eminem once again prove his superiority when it comes to lyrical ability with lines such as “Man, it feels like these walls are closin’ in, this roof is cavin’ in / Oops, time to raise it then / Your days are numbered like pages in / My book of rhymes; got ’em cooking” Mathers profoundly impacts the track.
3. Dr Dre ft Eminem – ‘Forgot About Dre’
Eminem’s multiple contributions to The Chronic 2001 and cameos in the music videos were the building blocks of his career. 1999 was the first year the Detroit lyricist officially broke into the mainstream, and his appearance on ‘Forgot About Dre’ was a sign he was a legitimate talent.
With the backing of Dr Dre (real name Andre Young), Eminem became a serious emcee with a formidable force backing him. Eminem’s lyrical speed offsets Youngs casual, laidback West Coast delivery and cut through the noise of the mainstream at the time.
2. 50 Cent ft Eminem – ‘Patiently Waiting’
50 Cent was thrust into the limelight after he signed with Shady Records in 2001, and ever since, the pair have been a dynamic duo. Eminem made significant contributions concerning production to 50 Cent’s debut project, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. However, nothing beats his verse on ‘Patiently Waiting.’
The lyricism shown by Mathers on this is unparalleled. The cleverly constructed verse flows like one long sentence. In an interview for Complex’s ‘Magnum Opus’ series, Eminem revealed, “‘Patiently Waiting’ was one of the first beats I sent Fif,” and unveiled that it was the first song the record for 50’s debut.
1. Jay-Z ft Eminem – ‘Renegade’
Jay-Z’s ‘Renegade’ is a highly contentious track, seeing two titans of lyricism perform on one song. Some fans believe that the Brooklyn emcee completely outperformed Eminem. However, even Nas proclaimed on ‘Ether’, “Eminem murdered you on your own shit!”
Not only does ‘Renegade’ show one of Eminem’s best lyrical performances, but few know the beat itself was even produced by Mathers, making it even more outstanding. In 2001, Eminem was one of the hottest artists in hip-hop and Jay-Z inviting the Detroit native to appear on his album shows just how in-demand the ‘Stan’ rhymer was.
