The Truth About Justin Bieber And Eminem's Beef
Early in Justin Bieber's career, he arguably emulated Eminem, and the two music icons eventually formed a bond of sorts. When the "All That Matters" singer was performing in Detroit in 2013, he paid homage to the rapper by breaking out his rendition of Eminem's "Lose Yourself," per the Daily Mail. Unfortunately, Biebs messed up the first line, but did manage to nail the rest of the lyrics. Rapping the revered track became somewhat of a tradition for the pop artist whenever he visited Motown.
A few years later, in 2013, Bieber was experiencing personal turmoil as he made scandalous headlines. At the time, it was rumored that the "Stan" rapper wanted to offer guidance to Bieber who was 19 years old at the time. "If you ever want Eminem to talk to him, he would do it in a second. He cares about that kid," Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg, apparently told Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, per a November 2013 The Hollywood Reporter article that was later redacted (via HipHopDX).
Around that same time, it was reported that Eminem was "worried" about the direction Bieber was headed, and offered up his home in Detroit as a place for the singer to stay. "He wants to talk him into going to therapy and counseling to deal with the stress of fame in a positive way," a source told Metro in December 2013. Despite the past good will, years later the two titans of the music industry clashed.
Justin Bieber questions Eminem's diss verses
Eminem had built a career on his incendiary lyrics which often took aim at celebrities, and fellow musicians. In 2019, Justin Bieber believed the "Rap God" artist had crossed the line after taking shots at younger rappers including Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Xan, and Lil Yachty in verses. "I just like Ems flow but don't like that he's dissing new rappers," Bieber wrote on his Instagram Stories in 2019 (via People). The "Despacito" singer thought Eminem had grown out of step with hip-hop. "I like the new generation of rap, he just doesn't understand it," Bieber added.
Those remarks did not go unnoticed by Eminem, although the veteran emcee did not put much onus on the "Boyfriend" singer's opinion. "Em is not crazy about Justin's music, it ain't for him, so he doesn't care how he feels about him or who he disses," a source told Hollywood Life in 2019 shortly after the Bieb's comments were posted. "Em has also dissed Justin in the past and will probably make fun of him again," the insider added.
A year earlier, in 2018, the rapper put Bieber in his crosshairs on the controversial track "Kick Off (Freestyle)" that took aim at several celebrities. "Justin Bieber in a Catholic school / Selling dust and reefer when your back is to him / Don't adjust your speaker," Eminem rapped (via Genius). Perhaps the "Justice" artist's criticism of the rapper was influenced by that track, although Bieber later appeared to move past any perceived beef.
Justin Bieber still shows love to Eminem
Despite airing his misgivings about Eminem's lyrics in the past, Justin Bieber once again showed his extreme fandom for the rapper, as he had high praise for the "My Name Is" artist even after their apparent feud. During an interview with DJ Khaled for Amazon Music in 2021, Bieber was asked to name his list of "top five" favorite rappers of all-time. "When you open this conversation, there is always room for 'ahh I can't believe this' but I would say Lil Wayne, I would say Biggie," the pop artist said before finishing his list. "I will say Eminem, Kanye West and Drizzy Drake," Bieber said rounding out his top five.
Bringing his love for Eminem's classics full-circle, Bieber once again went viral for rapping "Lose Yourself." Video captured the "Peaches" singer at Super Bowl LVI as he enthusiastically rapped the lyrics to the classic tune, while Eminem performed the song as part of the halftime show. "He won't have it, he knows his whole back's to these ropes / It don't matter, he's dope, he knows that, but he's broke," Bieber rapped with gusto in unison with the Detroit artist.