If you were around in 1999, you probably remember the first time you heard The Slim Shady LP. It was a chaotic masterpiece of nasal-toned horrorcore and trailer-park angst. But right in the middle of all that darkness, there’s this weird, bouncy, almost-disco track that feels like it belongs in a neon-lit club rather than a basement in Detroit.
Eminem come on everybody (officially titled "Cum on Everybody") is one of those songs that fans either love for its irony or skip because it feels "too pop" for early Em. Honestly, it’s probably the most misunderstood track in his entire 90s catalog.
It wasn't just a random attempt to make a hit. It was a joke. A parody. A middle finger to the "shiny suit" era of rap that was dominating the charts while Marshall Mathers was literally struggling to buy diapers.
Why Did Eminem Write a Dance Song?
Think back to the late 90s hip-hop landscape. Puff Daddy and Mase were everywhere. Everything was glossy. Rappers were dancing in Hype Williams videos with fish-eye lenses.
Eminem, meanwhile, was the antithesis of that. In a later interview, he admitted that he wrote this song specifically to mock that "Puffy stage" of music. He wanted to see if he could make a dance song his way—meaning, a song that sounds catchy enough to play at a party but features lyrics so absurd and offensive that no sane person would actually want to dance to it.
The hook, sung by Dina Rae, is pure bubblegum. She’s the secret weapon of the early Shady era, appearing on "track 13" of his first few albums like a recurring character. Her sweet voice provides the perfect contrast to Em’s lyrics about... well, things you definitely shouldn't do at a club.
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The Bass Brothers and the Beat
The production on this track is surprisingly complex for something that sounds so light. It was produced by the Bass Brothers (Jeff and Mark Bass), the guys who basically discovered Eminem and helped him craft his signature sound before Dr. Dre entered the picture.
They used some heavy-hitting samples to get that funky rhythm:
- "Who Is She (And What Is She to You)" by Gladys Knight & the Pips (drums).
- "Gimmie What You Got" by Le Pamplemousse (the bassline).
The result is a track that has more in common with 70s disco-funk than 90s boom-bap. It’s got a groove. It’s got "get down tonight" energy. But then Marshall starts rapping.
The Version You Never Heard: The 1997 Demo
A lot of people think this song was made for Dr. Dre. It wasn't.
Actually, an early version of Eminem come on everybody existed as far back as 1997. It was originally titled "Get Down Tonite" and was intended for the Slim Shady EP (the underground release that eventually got Dre's attention).
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Why didn't it make the EP? Sample clearance issues. The original beat was even more blatant with its influences, and the indie budget wasn't going to cover the legal fees. If you dig through old Reddit threads or YouTube "lost media" archives, you can find the unmastered demo. It’s grittier, less polished, and arguably more "Slim Shady" than the final studio version.
When Eminem got signed to Aftermath, they dusted the song off, gave it a professional shine, and threw it on the LP.
Breaking Down the Lyrics: Parody or Reality?
One of the funniest things about this song is how people reacted to it. Some radio stations actually tried to play it because the beat was so infectious, only to realize midway through the first verse that they had to bleep out every third word.
He talks about lipstick, dipsticks, and "eliminating" people. It’s classic horrorcore tropes wrapped in a shiny disco ball.
"I only cost to make your mom upset."
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That line basically sums up Eminem’s entire career in 1999. He knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't trying to be a pop star; he was trying to be the pop star's worst nightmare.
What Most People Get Wrong
There’s a common misconception that Eminem "sold out" by putting a dance song on his major-label debut. That’s a fundamental misunderstanding of his sense of humor.
If you listen to the lyrics, he’s actively making fun of the people who would enjoy the song. He’s mocking the drug culture of the late 90s club scene while simultaneously providing the soundtrack for it. It's a layer of irony that most rappers weren't touching back then.
Actionable Takeaways for Eminem Fans and Historians
If you’re a collector or a deep-dive fan, there are a few things you should do to really appreciate this era of Em's work:
- Seek out the 1997 Demo: Search for "Get Down Tonite (Original Version)" to hear how the song sounded before the Bass Brothers gave it the high-gloss treatment.
- Listen to the Samples: Go back and listen to the Gladys Knight and Le Pamplemousse tracks. It shows just how much "soul" was actually buried under the Slim Shady persona.
- Track 13 Curiosity: Check out the other "Track 13s" featuring Dina Rae (like "Drug Ballad" or "Superman"). It’s a fascinating bit of Eminem lore that she was his go-to for "the girl on the hook" for years.
- Compare to "Drug Ballad": Notice the similarities in flow and structure between this and his later hit "Drug Ballad" from The Marshall Mathers LP. You can see how he evolved the "dance parody" concept into something even more refined.
The legacy of Eminem come on everybody isn't that it's a great dance song. It’s that it’s a great prank. It’s Marshall Mathers proving that he could play the industry's game better than they could, all while laughing at them the whole time.
It stands as a testament to the fact that Slim Shady was never just about shock value—he was about smart, satirical subversion of the entire music industry.