Eminem's 'most brutal diss of all time' was in response to lyric about his daughter Hailie
When it comes to Eminem and his savage disses, younger fans will most likely think of his infamous clash with Machine Gun Kelly back in 2018.
However, long before Marshall Mathers went to war with MGK, another rapper was on the receiving end of the Detroit artist's razor sharp tongue.
Back in the early 2000s, Eminem was locked in a diss-track battle with Ja Rule, although interestingly, their beef was inherited.
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As Ranker reports, 50 Cent was actually the catalyst for the beef, as he and Ja Rule had a turbulent history.
Apparently incensed that Eminem and Dr Dre would sign 50 to their label, Ja Rule went for the 'Lose Yourself' singer, littering some of his songs with bars aimed directly at Mathers.
While Eminem was no stranger to disses, having made his name in the rap battle underground scene, Ja Rule seemed to really get under his skin with bars aimed at then partner Kim, and Slim Shady's young daughter, Hailie.
“Em, you claim your mother’s a crackhead and Kim is a known s*** / So what’s Hailie gonna be when she grows up?" Ja wrote in one of his songs.
A furious Shady geared up his crew and fired back with the brutal track 'Hailie's Revenge.'
Released in April 2003, it was revenge in every sense of the word, with Em gunning for his rap rival from the very outset.
"Hailie, what do you want to be when you grow up, baby?" the song opens with.
"I don't know, but I don't want to grow up to be like Ja Rule's little dirty-a** kids...bring daddy's Oscar, we're gonna shove it up Ja Rule's a**".
Throughout his early career, Ja was repeatedly accused of copying legendary rapper Tupac's signature sound by fans and media alike. Eminem didn't miss his opportunity to remind people of this fact in Hailie's Revenge.
"You on Pac's d***, you a replica guy. If he was still alive, you would never get by. All you do is cry, b****, keep it real. Life is more than imitating and eating pills," he wrote.
Ranker places Eminem's diss at Ja Rule as his most savage, with his Killshot retort to MGK a close second.
"Insult me in a line, compliment me on the next, damn, I'm really sorry you want me to have a heart attack, Was watchin' 8 Mile on my NodricTrack, Realised I forgot to call you back," Eminem raps in 'Killshot,' referencing how MGK was once a fan of his.
"Here's that autograph for your daughter, I wrote it on a Starter cap, Stan, Stan, son, listen, man, dad isn't mad, But how you gonna name yourself after a damn gun and have a man bun?"
Bec Oakes