A Grammy-winning rap star has a chaotic but entertaining online presence, sometimes bringing Eminem into her shenanigans for no apparent reason.
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
Doja is a frequent Twitch streamer, where she’s gaming and seemingly having fun with her followers. However, one moment from one of her recent sessions didn’t land as well outside her fanbase. A segment in which Doja mimicked Em’s flow over a stripped-back “The Real Slim Shady” beat went viral.
The video framed expectations from the start with the message plastered over the frame: “Doja trying to sound like Eminem while freestyling to a beat”. Admittedly, it wasn’t aiming for lyrical coherence as a freestyle. Doja was making sounds, exaggerating Shady’s flow and mannerisms. Clearly, she was enjoying herself, and so were her followers.
Doja Cat makes fun of how Eminem sounds when he raps😬 pic.twitter.com/0yQxk8dDuY
— kira 👾 (@kirawontmiss) April 22, 2026
Grapes of wrath
Meanwhile, social media accounts that shared the video were playing into public outrage. Headlines varied from “Doja Cat Mocks Eminem” to “Doja Cat sparked backlash” and aimed to stir reaction, framing Doja’s streaming moment as an act of utter disrespect.
While it certainly cannot be easily read as a deep bow to Rap God, the performative indignation of many social media users also feels displaced and disproportionate.
Patchy history
And this is not the first time Doja has included an Eminem reference in her social media strategy, confusing both fans and distant observers. In 2024, Doja posted a photo of Eminem in drag from the D12 music video for “My Band”. She mentioned her right to post whatever she wants in the caption, leaving her followers baffled.
Most people seemed to agree that it was more shout-out than a diss, and the incident passed without much follow-up.
Then, in 2025, at the MTV VMAs ceremony, Doja Cat presented her take on Max Headroom. It was highly regarded as her homage to the 1980s. However, it is hard not to draw a connection to another famous interpolation of Max’s persona: Eminem in the “Rap God” music video. By the way, the same video that received three VMAs nominations in 2014. Doja Cat knew, and she deliberately chose this imagery to project on screen before her performance.
At the same time, Doja does not talk about Eminem in her interviews, does not name-drop him in her lyrics, and does not make any statements about his influence. And still, Em and his legacy seem to be on her mind often. Whatever Doja’s true motives are, she keeps this conversation going, placing herself alongside Marshall.