Eminem is undoubtedly one of the best rappers of this generation, but his ability to freestyle it pretty untestable as well. His rhymes are intricate, complex, and sometimes just plain crazy. This list shows off Shady’s rare ability to spit off the cuff. Whether it has been in a group or rapping solo on a beat, the rapper embodies the art of freestyling.
From these frees, we see that Em' has been killing the competition in rap battles from a young age, through his detailed disses, witty bars and relentless delivery. Pigeons and Planes deserve a shout out for their list of "Best Eminem Freestyles" which also recognized some of the rapper's best work.
What's your favorite Eminem freestyle of all time?
BET’s Rap City Relapse Special 2009
What a great freestyle this was from Eminem on BET’s Rap City Relapse special. Em was back promoting his sixth studio album Relapse following a four-year hiatus after a stint in rehab for his addiction problems.
Joined by 50 Cent, Mr Porter and The Alchemist on the decks, it seemed as if Shady had never left us delivering some incredible lines:
“Animal instinct, cannibalistic, I just ran out of lipstick, man I’m a twisted, sick/Sadistic, son of a bitch, 666, broke his crucifix made out of stick then fixed it”.
BET Shady 2.0 Cypher 2011
Eminem got together with Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf for this highly anticipated BET Cypher in 2011 after they signed to Shady Records at the beginning of the year. Spitting on East Flatbush Project’s “Tried By 12”, Shady murders this cypher with his verse at the end.
Eminem freestyling before release of sslp
Freestyle Before The Release of Slim Shady LP, 1999
This freestyle takes us back to 1999 before the release of Eminem’s platinum selling album, The Slim Shady LP. At the height of his career, D Mitch here asks Mathers to give us a little freestyle. Eminem delivered a verse which mentions Boy George, Michael Jackson and throwing a stroller, with a baby in it.
Rap Olympics 1997
For Eminem, this is where it all started. In 1997, Mathers entered the Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, but unbelievably only paced second, losing out to rapper Otherwize. Nevertheless, Shady’s crazy spitting here was what led Jimmy Iovine, Co-Founder of Interscope Records to pass on Mathers’ demo, The Slim Shady EP to Dr Dre.
Any Word and First Word Freestyle -The Freestyle Show
Eminem stepped up to the challenge of incorporating single words and phrases thrown at him into his freestyle on The Freestyle Show. He does one hell of a job, to say the least.
How many rappers do you know who can perfectly incorporate "discombobulatorbubalator", "peanut butter" and "Mark Walhberg" into a freestyle on whim?
Maurice Malone’s Hip-Hop Shop, Detroit, 1996
A young Eminem goes up against D12's Kuniva on this freestyle throwing in a hilarious line to unanimously win the battle with ease.
"Not to brag, I don't mean to boast/Look, my face is pale, but you look like you seen a ghost".
The Tim Westwood Show - Radio 1, 2009
Eminem was quite a regular on Tim Westwood’s UK show on Radio 1. In this 8 minute long video, Eminem, alomg with D12’s Mr. Porter, gave us nothing but bars alongside The Alchemist.
"Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap" 2012
Last year, Mr Slim Shady blessed us with this freestyle for Ice T and Andy Baybutt’s documentary “Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap”. Em’s ability to deliver jaw dropping lines is what makes him such a huge player in the rap game, and he does not disappoint us here with bars such as, “You'll get fucked in all seven holes/Ass, mouth, pussy yeah, both ears and ha yes nostrils”.
Weed Lacer
One of his more well-known freestyles, Shady REALLY goes in with some raw concepts on this one.
Check out these lyrics:
"A woman beater, wanted for repeated sex offenses
Chasin’ dips – take ‘em on long vacation trips
Kidnappin’ ‘em and trappin’ ‘em in abusive relationships
Fuck up your face and lips, slit your stomach and watch your gut split
Gut you with that razor that I use to shave my nuts with"
Despicable, 2010
While it's hotly debated over whether Em is actually freestyling here, he undeniably kills it. The rapper spits over Drake’s "Over" which then slides into Lloyd Banks’ “Beamer, Benz or Bentley". This dropped in 2010 to promote his single "Not Afraid". Eminem especially goes H.A.M in the second verse to present a clear warning to his competition before he dropped his Recovery album.
Freestyle Gone Crazy - Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync Diss
Eminem gets plenty off his chest here in this freestyle dissing Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and of course one of his favourite people Christina Aguilera!
The Wake Up Show - Broke The Rubber 1998
1998, Eminem took to The Wake Up Show to spit on Show & A.G’s “Spit”, where he opened the freestyle with the some epic lines, “Broke the rubber/Busted a nut up in your mother/So how do you feel about having another little brother”.
The Tim Westwood Show - Radio 1, 2010
Joined by Slaughterhouse’s Royce Da 5’9, Mr Porter, and The Alchemist providing the beat, this was clearly a winning combination for some of Eminem’s greatest freestyles. This 9-verse cypher came amidst Mathers’ promotion for his Recovery album.
Live Concert in New York
Eminem gave us this freestyle at a concert in New York which soon went onto be the second verse for his track “Get You Mad”. Slim’s bars dissed a lot of people that he was feuding with at the time including, Cage, Canibus and Insane Clown Posse. There was also a dig at Mystikal thrown in for good measure.
D12 At Eminem's Basement, 2002
Eminem and D12 took to his basement in 2002 to deliver this pretty hilarious freestyle. The rapper finishes the verse mentioning Beyonce’s “pot belly". Also keep an eye out for Bizarre’s antics in this video!