Did Eminem insult JAY-Z in his new song?

Em doesn’t talk, but Royce Da 5′ 9″ has something to say.

Let’s dig deeper. First, Billboard magazine released a list of the best rappers, with the top 4 rappers being 2Pac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and JAY-Z, in that order. Eminem has collaborated with all of them, including a posthumous collaboration with Pac. It’s clear that he believes he deserves a higher ranking. Here’s what he said in his new song “Tobey”:

“I don’t feel the feeling of your five favorite rappers (Woo)
So I know they’re going to be mad at me (Why?)
But that is a mystery to me
How could be rappers that I already finished (What?)
Higher on a list than me (ha)”

So who could he be talking about? That’s pretty specific! There are only a few possibilities. At this point, I don’t think Eminem wants to feud with Kendrick because they’re cool. Plus, Dot is a monster. Tupac is no longer with us. Nas is super relevant right now, but I don’t feel like Eminem “f***ed” him. By the way, some people are saying LL outdid Eminem with their new song, but I digress. That leaves us with JAY-Z and “Renegade.”

Most people feel that Eminem did better than JAY-Z with this song. I personally never thought that, but everyone else seems to, and that’s fine with me. I believe that most lists are based on body of work and overall legacy, not a specific song or verse. Eminem is a constant observer of the culture. It’s pretty clear that he sees everything that’s going on, and that he took exception to this particular list.

Although Eminem hasn’t said anything directly, his buddy and fellow rapper Royce Da 5′ 9″ has. I have to admit, it’s time for Eminem to speak to us directly and not through his friends. While I trust Royce’s views and what he says, he has stated online that Eminem is not insulting JAY-Z. It’s not a diss, but it’s pretty clear. It’s a subliminal message to someone. And when you identify that someone, it becomes clearer that it’s not a few of those names. It’s more close to someone who is considered the greatest of all time.

If we’re talking about the greatest of all time, we have to limit ourselves to JAY-Z, who is pretty much inactive. Again, there’s a complete denial from someone close to Eminem, so what do I know? I know almost nothing. It would be cool to hear directly from Eminem, though.

I also think that culturally it’s a bad image to diss JAY-Z. For the sake of the culture, he wouldn’t do that. Someone like Grandmaster Melle Mel, who also made waves with this song, is a much easier target.

What do you think?