Was it a diss or just layered wordplay? Royce 5’9” says Eminem’s lines were not aimed at Kanye, despite what the headlines suggest.
Eminem’s verse on JID’s “Animals” has sparked fresh debate in hip hop circles. Not only for his ferocious flow, but for what many took as shots at Kanye West. The controversy hinges on these lines:
With these magazines, I act out like Ye and his cousin
Your shit sucks dick, stop sayin’ it doesn’t
That’s probably the reason there’s nothin’ you’ve bodied of recent
I feel like I just walked in and seen you naked, ’cause you’re not even decent
Many fans and several media outlets quickly labelled the verse a Kanye diss. The first line appears to allude to Ye’s troubling online confession, as well as his song “Cousins”, using both as metaphors for erratic behaviour. The follow-up lines, steeped in insult and wordplay, added fuel to the fire. Some also pointed to the “not even decent” line as, on top of insulting the rapper’s skills, a nod to Kanye’s wife Bianca Censori, who has frequently made headlines for public outfits that toe the line between fashion and exposure.
But Royce 5’9, Eminem’s longtime friend and collaborator, came forward to downplay the drama. Taking to Instagram, he posted:
Bro ain’t dissing Ye. You’d know if he was. Carry on.
Royce’s comment was a direct response to the growing chorus online and in hip hop media claiming Eminem had started beef with Ye. And coming from someone who has spent decades rapping alongside Marshall, his reassurance carries weight.
Still, with bars this layered, fans continue to read between the lines. Was it just clever wordplay? A lyrical character study? Or a subtle dig dressed in plausible deniability?
If it was not a diss, it certainly had enough smoke to get the culture talking.
