Ab-Soul brought serious Eminem energy to the mic with a fierce freestyle.
Introducing his new album “Soul Burger”, Ab-Soul showed up to On the Radar to deliver a fiery freestyle that included a bold self-comparison to one of hip-hop’s greats, Eminem. Rapping over JAY-Z’s “Squeeze 1st” beat, he didn’t hold back, calling himself “Marshall Mathers with melanin” and throwing down lines like, “Kept it G even when I’m embellishing”. It was a big moment of respect and homage, showing his admiration for both JAY-Z and Eminem, two legends who helped lay the groundwork for today’s hip hop.
The TDE rapper didn’t stop there, nodding to J. Cole, Kirk Franklin, and even his TDE labelmate Doechii while spitting a clever twist on a line from the original Hov track:
Thou shalt not fuck with raw me
Or he faces a thousand deaths.
This shout-out is linked to the album’s opening track, “9 Mile”, where Ab-Soul takes his admiration for Eminem further, weaving in references to B-Rabbit’s final battle in “8 Mile”. He reworks lines from B-Rabbit’s iconic verse against Papa Doc, putting his own spin on lyrics.
By embracing his influences without stepping into beef or imitation, Ab-Soul manages to honour the greats while staying true to himself. Unlike The Game’s sad “Black Slim Shady” moment, which took a more aggressive route, Ab-Soul’s “Marshall Mathers with melanin” bars show respect for the culture’s pioneers — a reason fans connect deeply with his music.
