"Real recognise real" — Netizens react to Eminem saying Kendrick Lamar deserves to sweep the GRAMMY awards

Eminem has predicted that Kendrick Lamar will sweep the 2025 Grammys. During a Christmas Eve special broadcast of Shade 45’s 20th Anniversary with Paul Rosenberg, Eminem was asked about the GRAMMY Awards and the likelihood of him taking home a statue. The rapper proclaimed that the competition in the rap category was stiff.

"It's very stiff competition. Kendrick's gonna sweep that s**t. He's going to and he should," he said.

Eminem's prediction was echoed by many on social media. Netizens commended the rapport shared by the two rappers, with one X user posting:

"Real recognise real. it takes a (goat emoji) to view greatness."

Many shared this sentiment, praising Eminem for admiring his fellow rapper.

"(Goat emoji) respecting (goat emoji). Love to hear this type of admiration from artist to artist," one person added.

"Em knows Kendrick deserves it all," another user posted.

"I love the respect between Eminem and Kendrick… they really do admire each other and that’s rare these days. Everyone wants to be disrespectful," someone else commented.

"Eminem giving Kendrick his flowers," another person tweeted.

Others asked for a new collaboration between the two rappers. Eminem and Kendrick Lamar last worked together on the former's track Love Game from his 2013 album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.

"I wish they would collab again," one person commented.

"I need another collaboration rap song to be as good as Love Game between Eminem and Kendrick Lamar," another user added.

"We need these 2 together in a song again frfr," someone else wrote.

Eminem's comments come after Lamar's momentous year following his rap beef with Drake and the release of his new album GNX. As for Eminem, he also released a new album titled The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) in July 2024.

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Eminem once said he "hyper-focused" on rappers like Kendrick Lamar to improve his rap game

Eminem and Kendrick Lamar have always shared an amicable rapport. Both rappers praise the other for inspiring them. They also ran in similar circles, having worked with Dr. Dre and performing at the 2022 Superbowl Halftime Show with other West Coast performers.

In a September 2022 interview with XXL, Eminem cited Kendrick Lamar as one of the many rappers he "hyper-focused" on to improve his rap game. His praise came months after Lamar released Mr Morale & the Big Steppers in May 2022.

"At this point, a lot of the big achievements that could come in your career have happened for me already, so I don't hyper-focus on numbers and being on charts. What I hyper-focus on is people like Kendrick Lamar, Joyner Lucas, J. Cole and Big Sean, and watching them and how the f**k they're doing their s**t. Because they're also focused on being the best rappers," he said.

Kendrick Lamar stunned fans when he released GNX without much fanfare in November 2024. The rapper was seemingly riding high in his victory in the rap beef against Drake. His diss track, Not Like Us, broke several records and earned immense praise from audiences and critics alike.

While GNX arrived too late to be included in the 2025 GRAMMY nominations, Not Like Us earned Kendrick Lamar five nominations, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. His other diss track, Like That with Metro and Future, also received two nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.

Meanwhile, Eminem earned three GRAMMY nominations for The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), including Best Rap Album, Best Music Video, and Best Rap Performance (the latter two for his track Houdini).

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The GRAMMY Awards will be hosted in February 2025 at the Crypto.com Arena.