Did Eminem take a shot at Jay-Z in new track 'Tobey'? Fans' speculation explored as Royce 5'9" shuts down claim

Royce 5'9" shut down claims that Eminem took a shot at Jay-Z in his new track, Tobey. On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, the Fast Lane rapper defended his fellow Detroit native after a fan questioned whether the song was "throwing shade at Jay." Royce replied:

"Of course not."

On Tuesday, Eminem dropped his latest track, Tobey, a collaboration with Big Sean and Baby Tron. The track is the second single from Em's upcoming album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). Since its release, fans have been speculating that Eminem was aiming at Hov (a.k.a. Jay-Z) in his recent single when he rapped:

"Ain’t feelin’ your top five favorite rappers / So I know they about to be pissed at me / But this, to me, is a mystery / How rappers I’ve already ripped could be higher up on a list than me?"

While Slim Shady (Em's alter ego) himself has not commented on the claims, Royce Da 5'9" is clear that this is not a dig aimed at Jay.

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Fan speculation stems from Eminem ranking at No. 5 on

Billboard and VIBE's list of the Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, which was published in 2023

In 2023, Billboard and VIBE published a list of the Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time to celebrate 50 years since the conception of hip-hop. It ranked Jay-Z in the top spot, followed by Kendrick Lamar (No. 2), Nas (No. 3), and 2Pac (No. 4), with Em in the 5th spot.

Fans mused that Slim Shady was referring to this list when he said, "Ain’t feelin’ your top five favorite rappers," and "How rappers I’ve already ripped could be higher up on a list than me?"

Em has previously released music with all of the rappers ahead of him - Renegade (2001) with Hov, Love Game (2013) with Lamar, and EMPD 2 with Nas. While he doesn't have any official collaborations with 2Pac, Em produced a posthumous studio album for Tupac, Loyal to the Game.

It is to be noted that back in 2001, Nas released a Jay-Z diss track titled Ether. In the song, he claimed Eminem "murdered" Jay on his own track. He was referring to the time the duo joined forces on Renegade.

Fans cited this incident to claim Shady was taking a shot at Hov when he said, "Rapers, I’ve already ripped." While the rapper is known to be on the offensive when it comes to being in the hip-hop industry, it remains unclear who Eminem is particularly referring to, if at all, in Tobey.

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The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is Em's 12th studio album and is scheduled for a July 12, 2024, release.