What did Eminem say about Christopher Reeve? Diss history explored as rapper takes aim at late Superman star on his new album

Eminem revived his one-sided feud with late actor Christopher Reeve, best known for playing Superman, in the track Brand New Dance from his new album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). The 19-track album, released on July 12, 2024, is said to focus on the rapper's darker alter-ego Slim Shady.

Eminem name-dropped Reeve in Brand New Dance multiple times, mocking the wheelchair-bound actor who suffered paralysis from the neck down after being thrown off a horse in 1995. The rapper started the song off with the lyrics:

"Get up/ Everybody on the dance floor, come on/ That means you too, Chris."

He also mentions Reeve's name in the chorus, urging people to dance to the song with the lines:

"Clap your hands and stomp your feet/ Everybody join together/ Can you feel the funky beat?/ Everywhere you see people laughing and/ Dancing in the street/ On the count of three, everybody do the Christopher Reeves/ One, two, three, follow me."

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Eminem's history with Christopher Reeve explored

This is not the only time Emimen has used Christopher Reeve's name in his songs. The first instance goes back to the rapper's 2000 album, The Marshall Mathers LP, in which he mentioned Reeve in two songs, Who Knew and I'm Back.

"It's a sick world we live in these days/ 'Slim, for Pete's sakes, put down Christopher Reeve's legs!' ("Oh, oh, oh, oh!")/ Geez, you guys are so sensitive/ 'Slim, it's a touchy subject, try and just don't mention it,'" he rapped in the latter track.

Eminem also mentioned Reeve in other tracks on later albums, including Purple Pills, My 1st Single, and Rain Man. In the latter track, he clarified, "And let's clear this up too, I ain't got no beef with him either/ He used to be like a hero to me."

The jokes didn't stop even after Reeve's death in October 2004, as the rapper name-dropped him again on Big Tigger's 2009 track Rap City Freestyle, rapping:

"I need Christopher Reeves to come and lay his verse/ I think he can spit it better on Medicine Ball,first/ Off, I did not even realize the guy died/ So I guess them Christopher Reeves jokes ain't gonna fly."

According to The Things, Eminem has dissed Christopher Reeve 44 times (Brand New Dance not included). This has led many people to wonder if there was bad blood between the two. However, there is no instance of any particular beef between them.

Eminem fans speculate that the rapper liked to use Reeve's name for the shock effect and because he found it ironic that the actor who played Superman became a quadriplegic in real life. The name 'Reeve' also worked well in a rhyme scheme, which Eminem confirmed in the track Medicine Ball from his 2009 album, Relapse.

"Now everybody's pissed at me/ Like it's my fault his name rhymes with so many different words, jeez/ So one last time, Mr. Christopher Reeves/ Won't you break it down for me and just spit the verse, please?

In Medicine Ball, Eminem also had a verse meant to mimic Reeve's voice, retorting to the rapper's disses. He reused this strategy in his latest track Brand New Dance in which a mechanical voice supposedly meant to be the late actor says, "Christopher Reeves here/ You have better not talk behind my back/ Or I will kick your ass the minute I'm out of this chair."

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The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is now available for streaming on all music platforms.