Benzino is once again offering to battle Eminem thanks to the charged atmosphere in rap. Ongoing feuds between Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Future, Metro Boomin’, Rick Ross and others have Benzino fired up. However, Benzino believes his battle with Eminem could have much broader implications. In fact, he says their feud could help mend race relations in the United States.
“I want to battle face to face and then it could be over after that,” Benzino told TMZ. “After that we could hug it out like how great that would be for the optics of that for people out here white and Black.”
Benzino challenged Eminem to a “face-to-face battle, three rounds,” confidently stating, “I believe I could take him.” The proposition comes after years of bitter exchanges that have, at times, transcended music to touch on sensitive themes of race and inclusion in Hip-Hop.
Over the span of more than two decades, the feud between Benzino, a former co-owner of The Source magazine, and Eminem was deeply rooted in disagreements over cultural authenticity and respect. The origins of the feud trace back to the early 2000s, following the decision by Benzino to withhold a prestigious 5-mic rating from Eminem’s critically acclaimed album The Eminem Show.
The denial was rooted in Benzino’s belief that Eminem, whom he considered “disrespectful,” didn’t authentically represent Hip-Hop culture, sparking a series of diss tracks and public insults that would define the rivalry for years to come.
The conflict reached a turning point when financial troubles led to Benzino and his partner, Dave Mays, losing control over The Source. The magazine’s ownership was eventually transferred to Black Enterprise/Greenwich Street Corporate Growth Partners following a legal ruling prompted by defaulted debt obligations.
Still, Benzino acknowledges Eminem’s prowess stating, “Eminem is an amazing artist. Look, I can’t take nothing away from what he’s done in Hip-Hop.” Yet, he continued to critique the industry’s partial treatment towards Eminem, linking it to wider issues of race.
“I think with Eminem they pushed a [narrative] onto us that they want to make sure and let the world know that he was white so that different parts of the country where white people just don’t deal with black people are gonna say okay we might not like Hip-Hop or black people but we’ll support Eminem,” Benzino said.