Of all the many feuds in hip-hop over the decades, there’s one of the most bizarre and contentious.
It has been Nick Cannon’s vendetta against Eminem, stemming from Nick’s time as Mariah Carey’s husband and Em’s seemingly endless feud with the pop icon.
As Em and Mimi have spent years taunting each other in their music over Eminem’s assertion that the two briefly dated — an assertion Mariah has vehemently denied over the years — Cannon stepped up to defend his wife’s honor and somehow became more invested in the beef than either of the two principles.
It looks like he might be ready to let it all go now, according to his recent appearance on The Fat Joe Show. The interview, which you can watch in full below, finds the two rappers discussing a potential end to their one-sided “beef.” Nick admits he hopes that, “One day dude and I get an opportunity to sit down. Because, like I said, I do respect his ability.” Fat Joe then offers to mediate peace talks between the two, confessing that although he doesn’t speak to Eminem all that often, he does have a prior relationship. Late last year, he recounted the story of a young Eminem giving him a demo tape on six separate occasions and passing on the then-emerging talent.
Despite that, Eminem and Fat Joe have a mutual respect and a working relationship; Eminem appears on Fat Joe’s most recent album, Family Ties, even though he was embroiled in his own feud with Eminem’s friend and protege 50 Cent at one point. It stands to reason Joe knows how to smooth things over with the notoriously prickly Em, which Cannon seems amenable too. “I know you can do it,” Nick chuckles. “While you’re at it, tell him we’ll set up an exclusive Wild’n Out Detroit!”
Eminem hasn’t responded to most of Nick’s diss records, so it’s possible he doesn’t even see himself as having a disagreement with Nick in the first place. If they do make peace, it may end up being mostly symbolic, with the biggest impact being on 50 Cent’s continued ability to troll Nick Cannon over his various misfortunes.
