Rhymefest is alleging that Eminem used the n-word in a rap battle against him in 1998 – but he says the bar was so dope, he couldn’t even be upset about it.
Appearing on the It’s Just My Opinion podcast this month, Rhyme recalled the battle, which he says went down at a music festival in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“I battled Eminem in ’98 at this competition called Scribble Jam in Cincinnati,” he said. “It was the biggest battle in the Midwest and one of the biggest rap battles in the country. And a lot of famous rappers, DJs and breakdancers came out of Scribble Jam.”
He continued: “I battled Eminem and that was the first time a white guy ever called me a n-gga. He said, ‘I’ll let my razor split you ’til they have to staple stitch you/This n-gga took my facial tissue, turned it to a racial issue.’ You couldn’t even be mad! I realized something about racism that day – it’s why Family Guy works.
“It’s only good when it’s funny. It only is non-offensive when it’s dope. Had you said that shit and it not been dope, it would’ve been a problem. But you so cold and courageous that you did it and got away with it. But when I say I won that battle…he won the war!”
Rhymefest says Eminem was the first white guy to call him a n*gga — as he details their 1998 rap battle at a Hip-Hop music festival called “Scribble Jam” in Cincinnati, Ohio.
(🎥ITS JUST MY OPINION PODCAST/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/jyBadt8UwY
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) April 23, 2025
In other news, Nelly recently apologized to Eminem for beefing with him over what he calls a “miscommunication.”
Speaking to Bootleg Kev last month, the St. Louis rapper revisited the comments he’d made about Em in the early ’00s when they were two of Hip Hop’s biggest-selling artists.
“I misinterpreted something when I was really, really new and I want to apologize to Em,” he said. “But I was at a time where I’m coming in, I’m the new guy, anybody talking… you know, we from the Lou. Somehow I misinterpreted that he had something to say about what we were doing.”
The “Hot In Herre” hitmaker then explained how they managed to patch up their differences in Detroit, a wholesome meeting that left him feeling like a “dick.”
“We were at an afterparty and somebody came and was like, ‘Yo, Em wanna come through and holla.’ I’m like, ‘Okay,’” he recalled. “When he came, he had Hailey with him, she was young. He was like, ‘Yo man, my daughter’s [a fan].’ I felt like a dick, man. Because we were Eminem fans! It was just a miscommunication, man.”
Nelly went on to praise the self-proclaimed Rap God, saying: “Em is the G.O.A.T., man. He’s a dope cat, man. I’m glad we got that out the way. It’s fucked up when people that you fuck with and that you admire. It’s like, dude spits! […] I’m glad we squashed that.”
Read more backstory on the beef here.
Rhymefest: “I won that battle, he won the war.”
Interviewer: *confused* “Explain that”
Rhymefest, “HE EMINE-
The video is on the internet and is dated 1997. Also those bars aren’t in that battle so I’m not sure if he’s having a case of dementia on this one.
Pretty sure he’s lying because the crowd would’ve eaten Eminem alive and he probably would’ve never been able leave there alive.
Read the article smh
He is lying because the entire battle is on YouTube. He’s taking an Em line from the Rap Olympics and changing it to add in that word…
The problem is people don’t call him out he’s too entitled. But if someone else does it he’ll police them smh
the problem is rhymefest is literally lying
The only word in the entire dictionary that can make a room of humans into rabid killers. Snap of a finger lol. I don’t get how that word still holds so much power.
I take it back. If you say the F word in a room full of trannies, they’ll likely do same LOL
Not just that. That room full of humans can be chanting the word AND STILL turn into rabid killers when they hear it lol
He was clearly using it as a reference for the male gender which was common in that era. You had whole communities of whites and latinos using the word in a way thats similar to the word “dude”. The same can be said about the word “bitch” when referencing a woman. Its not being used as a slur. I go as far as to say NWA sold white people the word. They got rich selling black culture to white suburban teenagers.
Does Rhyme know that the battle is on the internet, and he didn’t say that line to him? This was a line he used in the Rap Olympics and definitely didn’t drop any N-bombs. “I’ll let my razor split you ’til they have to staple stitch you/ And everybody in this fucking place will miss you for trying to turn my facial tissue into a racial issue. Nobody’s hearing you, you’re a wack liar / Damn all your white jokes just backfired’
And he just decided to mention it 30 years later. Fuck outta here . A loser just looking for attention
RhymeWHO???? Quit lyin’ on your non-existent rap career….