Eminem

The music video for "Just Lose It" generated controversy by parodying singer Michael Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984.[325] It was banned on the BET channel, after complaints from Benzino and others (but was later reinstated, as critics of the ban argued that Nelly's "Tip Drill" video could be seen). Both were only seen on BET: Uncut. However MTV did not drop it and the video became one of the most requested on the channel. A week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson called in to the radio show of Steve Harvey to report his displeasure with the video. "I am very angry at Eminem's depiction of me in his video," Jackson said in the interview. "I feel that it is outrageous and disrespectful. It is one thing to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning and insensitive." The singer continued: "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."[326] Many of Jackson's supporters and friends spoke out about the video, including Stevie Wonder, who called the video "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit",[65] and Steve Harvey, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back."[65] Eminem later apologized and said "I never meant to intentionally diss or bash anybody" "it was just pure jokes" in a interview with Sway Calloway.

Ja Rule

Eminem's conflict with Ja Rule started after 50 Cent signed to Shady Records and Aftermath. Ja Rule stated that he had a problem with Eminem and Dr. Dre of signing someone he had conflict with.[327]
On November 19, Ja Rule and Irv Gotti were special guests on Star and Bucwild's morning show on Hot 97 NYC. Gotti claimed to have "legal documents" referring to an order of protection 50 Cent "has on him".[328] Ja Rule threatened, that if 50 Cent released any diss track, he would take action towards his two producers.[327][328]
However, Dr. Dre was the one who produced 50 Cent's track "Back Down" in 2003 from the album Get Rich Or Die Tryin', which included lyrics insulting not only Murder Inc., but Ja Rule's mother, wife and children; in the song, he raps, "Your Mami, your Papi, that bitch you chasin' your lil dirty ass kids, I'll fuckin' erase them."[329]

Busta Rhymes decided to join the conflict when he was featured on the track "Hail Mary 2003", with Eminem and 50 Cent.

The feud intensified when Ja Rule released a diss called "Loose Change" in which he took shots at 50 Cent and as well Eminem, calling the latter "Feminem" and Dr. Dre "bisexual" and rapping that Suge Knight knew of Dre "bringing transvestites home".[329] It includes also the lyrics insulting Eminem's famously estranged mother Debbie Mathers, his ex-wife Kim and his then eight-year-old daughter Hailie: "Em you claim your mother's a crack head and Kim is a known slut, so what's Hailie gonna be when she grows up?"[327] Eminem, along with D12 and Obie Trice,[329] responded with the track "Doe Rae Me" (aka "Hailie's Revenge"). Since then, the rift has cooled down.[327]

Benzino and The Source Magazine

In 2003, rapper Benzino, a silent co-owner of The Source, released a diss single titled "Pull Your Skirt Up" which took aim at Eminem. The track attacked Eminem's "street cred" and accused him of being a tool of the music industry. Eminem had been discovered by The Source after writer Rigo Morales featured him in the magazine's famed monthly "Unsigned Hype" column.

In the same year, The Source released an article written by Kimberly Osorio which identified and researched the history of an old demo tape that the magazine discovered where Eminem insulted Black women and used the word "nigger". The demo featured a song called "Foolish Pride", recorded in the late 1980s when Eminem claimed to have been "dumped" by his African-American then-girlfriend.[330] Eminem responded with two tracks titled "Nail in the Coffin" and "The Sauce". Benzino would later release more tracks.[330] As a result of the conflict, Shady/Aftermath ads were pulled from the magazine. XXL, which had featured negative coverage of Shady/Aftermath artists since Eminem mocked them in "Marshall Mathers" from the Marshall Mathers L.P., stepped in to fill the void, accepting Shady/Aftermath ads.[330]

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

Eminem has written several songs referring to a relationship with R&B singer Mariah Carey, although she denies that they were ever intimate.[331] Eminem has referenced her on many songs, including "When the Music Stops", "Superman", "Jimmy Crack Corn", "Bagpipes from Baghdad" and "The Warning". While "Superman" was released in 2003, Carey released a song entitled "Clown" on her album Charmbracelet, released in 2002, which makes similar references in line with her 2009 hit "Obsessed".

Eminem's "Bagpipes from Baghdad" from his album Relapse may be his most well-known reference to Carey due to the controversy it caused. The song disparages Carey and husband Nick Cannon's relationship.[332] Cannon responded to Eminem by saying his career is based on "racist bigotry" and that he would get revenge on Eminem, joking that he may return to rapping.[333] Eminem later stated that the couple misinterpreted the track and it was wishing the two the best.[332] Cannon also stated that there were no hard feelings and that he just had to express his feelings about the song.[334]

In 2009, Carey released "Obsessed", about an obsessed man who claims to have a relationship with her.[335] Cannon claimed that the song was not an insult directed at Eminem.[336] However, Eminem responded in late July 2009 by releasing a track titled "The Warning". It contained samples of voice mail recordings which Eminem claimed were left by Carey when the two were together.[337] Eminem also hinted that he had other evidence of their relationship in his possession. A little over a year later in September 2010, Cannon responded with the song "I'm a Slick Rick", making fun of Eminem.[338]

Moby

After the release of The Marshall Mathers LP, popular electronic music artist Moby began speaking out against the album's lyrics, citing references to misogyny and homophobia as unacceptable.[339] Eminem responded back with several insulting lines about Moby in "Without Me", the lead single off his next album The Eminem Show. In 2004, Moby praised Eminem for criticizing then-U.S. president George W. Bush in the song "Mosh", a track from Encore.[340] The feud has since ended.[341]

From Kamikaze

Throughout the album, lyrics criticize other musicians, primarily mumble rappers,[342][343] and several have responded publicly.[344] Eminem and rapper Machine Gun Kelly have had an ongoing feud for several years,[345][346] and Kelly released a diss track in response to "Not Alike" titled "Rap Devil" on September 3;[347] both songs were produced by Ronny J.[348] Kelly continued the feud at a concert, calling it "a battle between the past and the fucking future".[349] The song's title refers to Eminem's "Rap God" and Eminem went into the studio days later to record his own response,[350] as did former D12 associate Bizarre.[351][352] Eminem responded with "Killshot" on September 14[353] and Bizarre's "Love Tap" was released on September 20.[354] "Killshot" garnered 38.1 million streams on YouTube in its first 24 hours and over 80 million views in its first week, making it the most successful debut for a hip hop song and the third-biggest debut in the platform's history. The track also debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Eminem's 20th top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.[355] Kelly has continued the feud publicly.[345][356] Ja Rule responded on social media, re-igniting a feud the two had 15 years prior.[357] 6ix9ine, Iggy Azalea,[358] Joe Budden,[359] Die Antwoord,[360] Lupe Fiasco,[361] and Lord Jamar[362] have also responded publicly, with 6ix9ine releasing the skit "Legend" that raps over Eminem's "Lose Yourself".[363]

Allegations of homophobia

Some of Eminem's lyrics have been considered homophobic and an Australian politician attempted to ban him from the country.[364] Eminem denies the charge, saying that when he was growing up words such as "faggot" and "queer" were used generally in a derogatory manner and not specifically toward homosexuals. During a 2010 60 Minutes interview, journalist Anderson Cooper explored the issue:[365]

Eminem was accused yet again of using homophobic words in his lyrics in "Rap God" (2013) and explained "I don't know how to say this without saying it how I've said it a million times. But that word, those kind of words, when I came up battle-rappin' or whatever, I never really equated those words...(to actually mean homosexual)"[366]