While many fans think that Will Smith’s sly dig at Eminem in his acceptance speech, kicked off the feud but the real story, seemingly begins much before.

Will Smith and Eminem are two of the most influential figures in entertainment, each making a significant impact in their respective fields.

Will Smith, originally known as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince, transitioned into acting and became a global superstar.

With hit TV shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and blockbuster films such as Men in Black, Independence Day, and Ali, Smith built a reputation as a charismatic and family-friendly entertainer.

His music career, though less dominant than his acting, featured clean, feel-good rap hits, earning him multiple Grammy Awards.

On the other hand, Eminem, often hailed as one of the greatest rappers of all time, revolutionized hip-hop with his raw, controversial, and deeply personal lyrics.

Bursting onto the scene in the late 1990s with The Slim Shady LP, he quickly became known for his aggressive delivery, sharp wordplay, and unfiltered storytelling.

Hits like Lose Yourself, Stan, and The Real Slim Shady cemented his status as a rap icon. Unlike Smith, Eminem embraced explicit and provocative content, often stirring controversy with his lyrics. This stark contrast in their artistic styles ultimately led to a public feud.

The beginning of Will Smith and Eminem’s feud

Will Smith
The tension between Will Smith and Eminem traces back to the late 1990s, rooted in differing artistic philosophies and public remarks that escalated into a notable feud in the music industry.

In 1999, during the MTV Video Music Awards, Will Smith received the award for Best Male Video for his song “Miami,” surpassing Eminem’s “My Name Is.” In his acceptance speech, Smith stated, “To all my fans out there, I never killed nobody in none of my records.

I never used no profanity in none of my records, and still, I managed to get up here. Peace.”

Eminem saw it as criticism and responded in The Real Slim Shady.”Will Smith don’t gotta cuss in his raps to sell records; well, I do, so f** him and f** you too.” He took a jab at the Independence Day actor in the music video for Forgot About Dre.

In one scene, the music pauses, and a supposedly drunk rapper tells a reporter character, “Yeah, all I know is I’m upstairs, listening to my Will Smith CD, and I seen all these flames.”

The feud escalated when Smith finally responded to the Lose Yourself rapper in his 2005 track Mr. Nice Guy.

In the song, he subtly addressed Eminem with the lyrics, “Mr. Nice Guy, relationship advice guy…Light on the vices, priceless smile…Look at the eyes, got the look…Of a survivor, husband, father…Dissed by Eminem but didn’t bother him…Yup well he classy…Big Will just get another 20 mill’ walk right past E…I’ma nice guy why ya’ll harassing me, huh!”

While many fans think that Will Smith’s sly dig at Eminem in his acceptance speech, kicked off the feud but the real story, seemingly begins much before.

The real story behind Eminem and Will Smith’s feud

Years later, DJ Jazzy Jeff revealed Smith and Eminem met before their feud, suggesting Em didn’t appreciate Smith’s blunt feedback.

He recalled, “I was a big fan of Eminem, especially of his super early stuff. I just kinda reached out to him, ‘Yo man, big fan. Would love to do some stuff.’ And he ended up comin’ to Philly and we went in the studio, and just knocked out some stuff.”

Townes continued, “It was crazy because that was one of the times that Will was in town. Will walked into the room, and I think I played ‘Just The Two Of Us.’

Will listened to it, and Will looked at Eminem and said, ‘You are either gonna be the biggest flop in hip hop, or you are gonna be the biggest thing that we have ever seen in hip hop. And Eminem never forgot that.”