INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: Eminem performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

We didn’t see this coming.

Eminem and MGK have been oil and water for a decade. They’ve trash-talked each other in interviews, and dropped memorable diss tracks. Eminem is widely considered to be the winner of the battle, but he usually comes out on top of lyrical contests (Mariah Carey notwithstanding). Eminem and MGK have not mended fences since their beef peaked in 2018. Which is why Em’s decision to address the beef, along with several others, was so surprising. The rapper is really trying to reckon with the past on The Death of Slim Shady.

Eminem name drops all over the new album. “Guilty Conscience 2” is perhaps the most intriguing example of name dropping, though. Instead of insult them, Em decides to hold a mirror up to himself. He argues, in the form of both Em and his alter ego, Slim Shady, whether he was in the wrong to engage in beef. He names Nick Cannon, Christopher Reeve, and even Will Smith, but the one that was most surprising was MGK. “God, you piece of sh*t, that does it (Uh-oh, wait),” Em raps. “Yeah, b*tch, this is for him (What?). Christopher, MGK, Nick, and for Limp Bizkit and them.”

Eminem Wants To Embrace A More Positive Outlook

The adlibs are meant to be Slim Shady, while Eminem wrestles control of the song and his narrative. He’s come to the conclusion that he doesn’t want to beef anymore. At least, with the names he mentioned (he seems to have a problem with Caitlin Jenner elsewhere on the album). MGK stands out, though, because he gets a second reference on the song. “Guilty Conscience 2” ends with Eminem killing the Slim Shady persona and fulfilling the album’s title. In doing so, he uses the name of the diss song that he released against MGK. “Last hoorah, I bid you goodbye. Murder suicide,” Eminem spits. “Killshot, booyaka, c*ck sucker. Coup de grâce, motherf*cker.”

MGK has voiced frustration with Eminem in the aftermath of their beef. He told USA Today that his music wasn’t taken as seriously in the wake of “Killshot.” “[Hotel Diablo] was coming off the tail-end of that infamous beef,” he noted. “So no one wanted to give it the time of day.” MGK has rebounded as a pop punk star, and Eminem has seemingly moved on from the vitriol to a healthier place. Hopefully the two of them can keep the past in the past.