Though it's officially the dawn of 2021, it's somehow feeling closer to the early millennium -- when Eminem found himself embroiled in a heated feud with the powers behind The Source magazine, namely Benzino and creator Dave Mays. And while many have since accepted that Eminem and his Shady Records camp emerged from the feud as the decisive victors, it would appear that Zino and Mays have been nursing their animosity for nearly two decades now -- a fact that recently came to light during a heated Clubhouse conversation about Eminem and Snoop Dogg's recent feud.
In a conversation that included Royce Da 5'9", Van Lathan, Page Kennedy, Just Blaze, Punch, King Los, and Dave Mays, sentiment began to emerge painting Eminem in an unfavorable light. Particularly fueled by Mays, who alluded that Eminem's infamous "Foolish Pride" tape confirms latent racism, it became clear that some were unconvinced that Em doesn't deserve to be respected as a hip-hop legend. As a longtime friend and collaborator, Royce was left standing up for his Bad Meets Evil partner, attempting to thwart Mays with logic in the conversation's earlier stages.
Catherine McGann/Getty Images
As passion increased on both sides, the discussion took a turn in the final few minutes, when Mays doubled down on his anti-Eminem rhetoric. After King Los and Glasses Malone attempted to diplomatically spell out Eminem's impact on hip-hop culture, Mays maintained that "he can say what he want to say." The dismissive tone clearly struck a chord with Royce, who lost his patience with The Source creator. "You can say what you want to say but that don't mean it's going to hold no merit," argues Nickle. "It don't mean you dictate nothing."
"I'm going to say my piece, and you can either fuck with me or not," continues Mays. "Muthafuckas been fucking with me for thirty, forty years because of the shit I've done and said, and how I am." After one party claims that Dave Mays and Eminem are "the same muthafucka," Dave Mays takes issue with the comparison. "We are not the same," he replies, prompting a scathing counter from Royce. "You got that right bro," says Royce, prompting laughter from the group at large. "You are not the same."
Eminem waging war on The Source with "The Sauce", circa 2002.
"I don't have none of that of that in my history," argues Mays, once again circling back to Eminem's pre-fame tape. "As far as fucking with the streets, fucking with authenticity in hip-hop, it's documented." "Man, you fuck with Benzino!" responds Royce. "You don't fuck with authenticity. I'ma kick your ass to the crowd. You fuck with cornballs." After Mays accuses Royce of "sounding like a cornball," Nickle kicks him from the conversation. "Enough of Dave Mays. Fuck out of here, muthafucker. Fuck he talking to, I'll put death on your doorstep. I'm not divided, I'm not one with Dave Mays. Let's get this shit straight. Ya'll n***as in here acting like this ni**a at the cookout."
While some might not have agreed with Royce's escalating rhetoric, it's clear that he does not abide to any disrespect to Eminem -- especially from those who don't know him personally, yet still feel comfortable casting aspersions on his character. Sadly, it's likely that strands of this conversation will continue, especially in the wake of Eminem's tension with Snoop Dogg; as prophecized by KXNG Crooked, the cultural impacts are already beginning to show. Check out the full conversation below.