A newly leaked track from 2003 showcases Eminem’s unfiltered savagery with ruthless bars aimed at Suge Knight and Ja Rule, Tupac tributes, and even a cameo from Hailie Jade.
Freshly leaked, the track is already being hailed as one of the fiercest diss tracks ever, featuring biting insults and controversial subject matter that could have ignited a massive rap feud if released.
The track opens with a sound clip from 2Pac’s “Bomb First”, from “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory”. Fans familiar with 2Pac conspiracies will recognise this as the same clip rumoured to say, “Suge shot me”. Eminem then interpolates lyrics from 2Pac’s “Against All Odds”, also of “The 7 Day Theory”, before launching into a relentless attack on Ja Rule and Suge Knight.
Eminem takes aim at Ja Rule with an array of brutal insults, ridiculing everything from his height to allegations of crossdressing and bad parenting. As the track progresses, Eminem shifts his focus to Suge Knight, delivering one of the most incendiary lines:
I’m holding Suge responsible for the deaths of the two greatest rappers to ever grace the face of this planet.
Here, Eminem references Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (Biggie Smalls), both of whom were murdered during the height of the East/West Coast rap feud. While Suge Knight has long been a controversial figure in hip hop, Eminem openly insinuates that Suge may have orchestrated both hits, suggesting Ja Rule could face a similar fate.
The track features Hailie Jade, Eminem’s daughter, who contributes a few lines to mock Ja Rule — a move sure to escalate the diss’s impact. The beat incorporates samples and interpolations from 2Pac’s iconic tracks, further underscoring its raw, aggressive tone.
The diss, unofficially dubbed “Smack You”, is so heavy that even KXNG Crooked, who was signed to Death Row Records under Suge Knight at the time, says it could have flipped his career:
I just listened to that Smack You leak, and I think had it dropped back then, it would’ve changed my career path to Shady, bc I was the main guy on Tha Row during that time, and ain’t no way I could’ve sat it out after that one.
Crooked’s comment highlights how pivotal this diss could have been in shaping the landscape of hip hop rivalries during that era. Eminem, though, was seemingly ready to die for what he had laid down on this track.
Recorded as an obvious follow-up to “Doe Rae Me”, the track demonstrates Eminem’s unparalleled natural flow, venomous growling delivery, and knack for controversy. While many fans call it a masterclass in diss tracks, it’s also a reminder of why some songs were better left unreleased.
