What else could be more fulfilling than gossiping about two legendary musicians who had beef with each other? We are talking about none other than the King of Pop and RAP, Prince Eminem.
It is hard to believe that a pop sensation like Michael Jackson could have entered a feud with Eminem. Despite being heartthrobs, they are both immensely talented and have produced timeless music.
The entire tiff started after the release of Eminem’s 2004 hit, Just Lose It. The song had some apparent spoofs against MJ and his life events. The song was a massive hit but received a huge backlash from MJ and his fans. While speaking to a Radio channel, the pop king addressed the matter and called the song disrespectful.
How Did MJ Settle the Score with Eminem?
The whole facade started when Eminem was a little below the belt with his song ‘Just Lose it.’ The song made reference to Michael Jackson’s 1984 hair-on-fire incident during a Pepsi commercial, his child molestation trial, plastic surgery, and other unfortunate events.
The lines that caused the feud were-
Come here, little kiddies, on my lap
Guess who’s back with a brand-new rap
And I don’t mean rap, as in a new case
Of child molestation accusation aah aah aah aah aah
No worries, papa’s got a brand-new bag of toys
What else could I possibly do to make noise, I done touched on everything
But little boys
And that’s not a stab at Micheal; that’s just a metaphor
I’m just psycho
I go a little bit crazy sometimes
I get a little bit out of control with my rhymes
The song outraged Michael Jackson’s fans and supporters because they saw it as a disrespectful criticism of their hero. They believed that Jackson’s personal life and struggles were being discussed in the lyrics, which went beyond the bounds of artistic expression.
Jackson responded to the uproar by expressing his displeasure with Eminem’s choice of lyrics, saying he thought they were hurtful and insensitive. He believed the younger rapper was exploiting his name to gain attention and create shock value.
While talking on Steve Harvey’s radio show, he revealed –
“I am very angry at Eminem’s depiction of me in his video. I feel that it is outrageous and disrespectful. It is one thing to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning and insensitive.”
“I’ve admired Eminem as an artist, and was shocked by this. The video was inappropriate and disrespectful to me, my children, my family, and the community at large.”
Later, when Jackson and Sony/ATV Famous Music, who also owned the rapper’s music, formed a partnership, Jackson purchased the catalog for an astounding $370 million. Along with Eminem, MJ’s parent company owned the rights to Bjork, Shakira, and Beck’s music catalog. So, Yes…Micheal Jackson did buy Eminem’s music.
What Happened After Jackson Passed Away?
After MJ passed away in 2009, the rights were reserved by Sony/ATV Famous Music. Eminem bought the rights to the songs in 2016.
The rapper always stood by his song and said he did not intend to hurt the pop king. Despite receiving such massive backlash, the rapper didn’t change the lyrics and continued with it.
The conflict eventually subsided and vanished from fans’ memories.
Source: MTV
