Eminem was once reportedly ready to fight Suge Knight, according to former G-Unit rapper Bang ‘Em Smurf.
As the Queens native tells it in a recent Instagram Live, the former Death Row Records CEO once showed up to 50 Cent‘s video shoot for “In Da Club” unannounced. Bang Em Smurf, who was getting his haircut and smoking weed at the time, said he got a call from Sha Money XL telling him Knight was on the set.
AD LOADING...
“When Suge came up, I ran inside first ’cause I’m getting a haircut and shit at the time,” Bang ‘Em said in the clip. “I’m all the way back in the trailer getting a haircut and shit, so Sha Money XL call me like, ‘Yo, Suge on the set!’ I’m getting a haircut; I ain’t hear him right. We smokin’ Cali [inaudible] so I’m super high.
“I hung up on the n-gga ’cause I’m thinking he tellin’ me rush back to the set like they ready to shoot. My phone ring again. Sha Money again like, ‘Yo, n-gga Suge Knight is on the set!'”
AD LOADING...
He continued: “I threw the cape off and shit. We all runnin’ and shit ’cause it’s a big ass L.A. studio […] I see Ace and Ace seen Suge first, too. I’m starstruck at the time ’cause this is my first time seeing Suge […] I had to shake that off though like, ‘Oh shit, I ran passed him like I’m about to kill you n-gga.’
“So I ran inside like, ‘Yo, Suge outside. What do you want me to do? Blow his head off? ‘Cause my Connecticut n-ggas was there, too. My n-gga Dream. He do armed security for Fab right now. So if I’m lying, y’all can ask Dream and my n-gga Big Vic.”
Bang ‘Em Smurf, who admits he was a “hyper n-gga” at the time, was ready to kill Knight but was told to back off. He was only willing to do it because he thought he could claim self-defense due to Knight’s reputation in the rap community.
“I ran to the side, like, ‘Yo, this n-gga Suge outside. What do you want me to do? Blow his head off?'” he continued. “Because I already knew if I blew Suge head off, I’m playing like I’m scared for my life, ’cause remember Suge had that image already, so I knew if I killed him I would’ve done like five years. That’s nothing and I would have been playing like I was scared for my life. This Suge Knight.”
Smurf initially picked up a 2 x 4 but was told to put it down. So instead, he said to Knight, “Yo, Suge. What’s poppin?!” just to let him know he wasn’t intimidated.
Eminem Drops Tracklist For 'Curtain Call 2' Album Featuring Rihanna, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Beyoncé + More
“He blowin’ on a cigar and shit, took three pulls, blew that shit in the air, dropped the cigar on the floor and then stepped on it,” he added. “[…] After that, them little Mexican n-ggas were scared. They see all these New York goons like what’s poppin’.
“Eminem came back with the vest. Eminem was outside with them. Dre wasn’t outside. 50 wasn’t outside, but Eminem was outside. I guess they had to protect they breadwinner. Eminem put on his vest and ran back outside with us. Shout out to Eminem.”
Bang ‘Em Smurf’s recollection of Knight showing up at 50 Cent’s video shoot checks out. In June, D12 rapper Bizarre sat down with Math Hoffa where he recalled Knight showing up with “30 Mexicans.”
AD LOADING...
“It was like a standoff,” Bizarre said. “I know it sounds like a fucking made-up movie but it’s really true. We was shooting the ‘In Da Club’ video and somebody said, ‘Suge Knight here!’ I was at the bar, gang was there…and they stopped and Suge came in with 30 Mexicans like you said, which is weird.
“I just remember … Smurf or 50 was like, ‘What’s up man? Whatchu wanna do?’ Suge looked at him and he took a puff of his cigar, and he blew it out and he did like this and he left. Just some LA-type shit, intimidation-type shit.”
