Eminem is back at it again with a new single "Tobey," featuring Big Sean and BabyTron. The song dropped today at 12 PM EST, and let's just say, Eminem isn't holding back on the disses.
The song's title, "Tobey," is a reference to actor Tobey Maguire, best known for his role as Spider-Man. BabyTron uses this reference to draw a parallel between Spider-Man's origin story and his own rise as a rapper. Instead of a radioactive spider, BabyTron claims he was bitten by a "goat," a play on the acronym for "greatest of all time." This "goat bite" seemingly bestowed upon him the lyrical prowess that has made him a rising star in the rap scene.
The song features a recurring theme of mentors. BabyTron kicks off the track by comparing himself to Obi-Wan Kenobi and his city, Detroit, to Princess Leia from the Star Wars franchise. Big Sean, in his verse, picks up this thread and refers to himself as Yoda, another iconic Jedi Master from the Star Wars universe. It's almost as if they are positioning themselves as wise sages guiding the future of hip-hop.
Eminem, never one to shy away from controversy, takes aim at Melle Mel of The Furious Five. Their beef stems from Mel's comments about Eminem's race and rapping abilities. Eminem fired back in his song "Realest" with a line about Mel's alleged steroid use. The feud escalated with Mel releasing a diss track titled "Kickback," which, according to sources, was poorly received by fans, prompting a public apology from Mel. Eminem addresses this in "Tobey," rapping, "They tell me I should just let that shit go and slide (Why?) / 'Melle Mel shouldn’t get no reply' (Why?) / 'That man is a legend,' bitch, so am I (Haha, yeah)." Ouch.
While Mel might be the most obvious target, some speculate that Eminem might also be taking shots at Jay-Z, who currently holds the number one spot on Billboard’s best rappers of all time list. Eminem, sitting at number five on that same list, raps, "How rappers I’ve already ripped could be (What?) / Higher up on a list than me (Ha)." This has led some to believe that Eminem is referencing his verse on Jay-Z's "Renegade," where fans felt he outshined his collaborator.
"Tobey" is just the latest in Eminem's long history of calling out other rappers in his music. He even addresses this tendency in the song, rapping, "Ain’t feelin’ your top five favorite rappers (Woo) / So I know they ’bout to be pissed at me (Why?)" He seems to be sending a clear message: no one is safe from his lyrical crosshairs.
"Tobey" is featured on Eminem's upcoming album, "The Death of Slim Shady," which promises to be another controversial release from the Rap God. With its star-studded features and bold disses, the song is already creating quite a buzz in the hip-hop world. Only time will tell what other lyrical grenades Eminem has in store for us.