After Revival, many thought that Eminem had retired his sword, vowing to never again do battle whether provoked or otherwise. His dabbling in pacifism proved short-lived upon the arrival of Kamikaze (read our review here), an album that found him once again unsheathing his weapon against all comers. Passive aggressive comments yielded a lyrical slap. Outright disrespect yielded something more focused. Such was the fate of Joe Budden, who has transitioned from rapper, to Shady-Records Slaughterhouse signee, to one of the biggest and most respected names in hip-hop media.
During the track "Fall," Em called out Joey by name, prompting a heated response from Budden during this morning's "Joe Budden Podcast." Throughout the course of his near-hour plus rant, Joe hit Eminem with his perspective, which cast aspersions on Em's character, his business acumen, his confidence, and of course, his rapping ability. Joe is not the first to target Em over the latter category, although it feels likely that Budden would have enjoyed Kamikaze under different circumstances. Still, that didn't stop the gunshot sound effects from sounding off like the wild west; read what Budden had to say on Em's disrespect here.
In any case, Budden made it clear that he feels Em would be an easy target, destined to be obliterated, were he not retired. In what some might call a cop-out, Budden claims he's not willing to come out of retirement for a domestic abuse line, even though the insult clearly left him feeling some type of way. One has to wonder what Royce Da 5'9" had to think about this whole thing, and more interestingly, who he'd put his money on come wartime.
Now, both artists have their fair share of haters, and many are quick to throw Joe's rap career back at him, citing a lack of hits or overall longevity. Yet the fact remains that Budden is a formidable lyricist with no qualms about going after heavyweight artists; fans still remember "Making A Murderer," which might be one of the most scathing diss tracks in recent memory. Still, Em is no stranger to conflict, as foes like Benzino, Ja Rule, and Canibus can attest; some of his best diss tracks were simply unrelenting in nature, like the legendary "Nail In The Coffin."
In short, both parties would prove difficult to beat, and the thought of them meeting on the battlefield is enough to have hip-hop fans salivating at the prospect. Perhaps, under different circumstances, they might have been brothers. Unfortunately, there can only be one. Who would emerge victorious? Vote below.