Eminem reacts to his placement on Billboard’s list of the best rappers with “Tobey”

Eminem returned on Tuesday (July 2) with his second The death of Slim Shady Single “Tobey”, along with fellow Detroiters Big Sean and Babytron. Third on the track, Em cut through the ominous production and even seemed to speak Billboard This puts him at number 5 on the list of the 50 greatest rappers of all time published last year.

“But it’s a mystery to me/ How rappers that I’ve already beaten up could be higher on a list than me/ And yet here I am sitting on your list that came in at number five, wishing it was OK, but deep down I know I find this shit hilarious,” he gushes.

It’s unclear who Slim Shady is targeting, but the four rappers ahead of him in the rankings (from four to one) are 2Pac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z.

Em also responded to Melle Mel’s criticism that Marshall Mathers is a top-five rapper. Mel had said in an interview with The art of dialogue last year after BillboardHis list said that he thought Em was high on the list because he was white.

Em raps on “Tobey”: “So when I get insulted by a pioneer/ Who was one of the reasons I’m here/ They tell me to just forget that shit/ ‘Melle Mel shouldn’t get no answer, the man is a legend’/ B–h, me too.”

Mel explained his thoughts in the Art of Dialogue Chat. “He’s obviously a capable rapper. If you’re talking about sales, he’s sold more than anybody else. If you’re talking about rhyming style, OK, he’s got a rhyming style. But he’s white. He’s white,” Mel said. “So if Eminem was another n—a like the rest of us, would he be in the top five on this list if a–a who can rhyme as well as he can is 35? Who has records and stuff? He’s 35. He’s white.”

“Tobey” introduces Eminem to the arrival of The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)which hits streaming services on July 12. “Houdini” was the first single from the project and gave Em his most successful hit on the Hot 100 of the decade when it debuted at number 2.

Listen to “Tobey” below.