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Earlier this week, social media lit up with buzz about the leak of a 20-year-old Eminem diss track against Ja Rule and Suge Knight, “Smack You,” along with a handful of other demos. However, in a response from Eminem’s longtime spokesperson, Interscope Publicity Chief Dennis Dennehy, it sounds like Em is more frustrated by the leaks than enthused by their reception.
In a statement to XXL, Dennehy wrote, “These leaked songs were studio efforts never meant for public consumption… demos, experiments and ideas that are dated and not relevant so many years later. The latest in a line of unfinished material released against artists’ will and without their permission.”
Fans were excited at the prospect of “new” music from the rap veteran, and especially by the prospect of more examples of his battle prowess, since it’s such a big part of his musical legacy. The “Smack You” demo appears to be from around 2003, when Eminem had inherited his protégé 50 Cent’s ongoing feud with fellow Queens native Ja Rule. The track also makes repeated mentions of Death Row founder Suge Knight and his alleged shady dealings (no pun intended) with his former artist Dr. Dre — who was Em’s mentor and primary producer at the time of the feud.
Eminem even goes so far as insinuating that Suge had Tupac killed — a longstanding theory in the hip-hop community — to increase the value of his catalog. “Knowing who did it, but still nobody admits it / But if I get killed for this shit, I know who did it,” he raps.
