Hip-hop history is littered with fake friendships and "strictly business" handshakes. But when you look at Lil Wayne and Eminem, you're seeing something weirdly pure. It isn't just two legends being polite for the cameras. It’s a genuine, almost obsessive mutual respect that borderlines on fear.
Seriously.
Imagine being Lil Wayne. You’ve sold millions of records. You’ve influenced an entire generation of "mumble rappers" and lyrical miracle seekers alike. Yet, when the "No Love" beat drops, you're still sweating. Wayne has actually admitted this. He was terrified to call Marshall Mathers for a feature.
Why Lil Wayne Was Scared to Call Eminem
It sounds crazy, right? Wayne is the guy who claimed he was the "Best Rapper Alive" for a decade straight. But in an interview with The New York Times for hip-hop's 50th anniversary, Tunechi got real about his first real collaboration with Slim Shady.
"I was scared, actually," Wayne said. He called Eminem a "monster."
He wasn't talking about personality. He was talking about the way Eminem treats a verse. Most rappers just want to find a catchy hook and a decent flow. Wayne and Em? They have a sickness. It's a literal obsession with wordplay. Wayne described it as a "gift and a curse" where they hear rhymes in everything. Every syllable is a puzzle piece.
When you send a track to Eminem, you aren't just sending a song. You’re sending a challenge to a guy who spends his weekends reading the dictionary. Wayne knew that if he didn't bring his absolute A-game, he’d be a footnote on his own track.
The Quarterback Mentality
Fast forward to April 2025, and Wayne’s perspective has only gotten more specific. During an interview where he was picking his hypothetical hip-hop "football team," he made a choice that raised some eyebrows but made perfect sense to anyone paying attention.
💡 You might also like: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
He picked Eminem as his Quarterback.
His reasoning? "You gotta have a nice white boy as quarterback." He followed it up by saying Em could even be the kicker. It was a joke, sure, but the underlying sentiment was clear: Eminem is the one you trust to lead the drive. He's the strategist. He’s the one who doesn't miss the target.
The Weirdest Thing They Have in Common
There is a legendary clip from Young Money Radio where these two finally sat down to talk. It wasn't about jewelry or beef. It was about Google.
They both confessed that they have to Google their own lyrics to make sure they haven't said a line before. Imagine that. You’ve written so many bars over thirty years that you literally can't remember if you already compared a girl to a car or a gun.
"I literally have to Google my own lyrics," Wayne told Em.
Eminem’s response? "Oh my God! I swear to God I do that too!"
That’s the bond. It’s the shared exhaustion of being a professional wordsmith for three decades. They aren't competing with the new generation as much as they are competing with their own past selves.
📖 Related: Is Lincoln Lawyer Coming Back? Mickey Haller's Next Move Explained
"No Love" and the SNL Moment
If you want to see this respect in action, go back and watch their 2010 Saturday Night Live performance of "No Love." It’s a masterclass.
Wayne starts the song with that signature "Drop The World" energy, but the second Eminem steps out, the atmosphere shifts. There’s a viral Reddit thread from late 2024 discussing this very performance. Fans pointed out how Eminem seemed to "eat the stage" while Wayne, usually the center of attention, played the perfect wingman.
Wayne didn't mind. That’s the point. He doesn't feel "sonned" by Eminem; he feels inspired.
The Funyuns Incident: Eminem the Fanboy
It’s not a one-way street. Eminem is arguably a bigger Lil Wayne fan than the other way around.
In late 2023, Wayne dropped a guest verse on a Tyga and YG track called "Brand New." He had a line that went: “Got a bunch of zeros like a bag of new Funyuns.”
Eminem lost his mind.
He took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted: "Bro Wayne just said 'got a bunch of zeros like a bag of new funyuns!!' F**K why didn't I think of that????"
👉 See also: Tim Dillon: I'm Your Mother Explained (Simply)
Think about that for a second. One of the greatest technical rappers in history is sitting at home, listening to a Tyga song, getting frustrated that he didn't think of a snack food metaphor first. That is the level of "rap nerd" we are dealing with here.
Mutual Protection of the Legacy
Wayne has been vocal about how he approaches songs with Eminem. He calls it a "championship game." When he did Drink Champs, he explained that he never goes into an Eminem collab thinking he’s just going to "get by."
He told N.O.R.E., "I came in with my game plan... like, 'Nah, you're not gonna do me like this.'"
He knows Eminem has a reputation for "renegading" people—a term coined after Em out-rapped Jay-Z on the song "Renegade." Wayne refused to be another victim. This competitive fire is what gave us "Forever," "Drop the World," and "No Love."
How to Listen to Them Differently
To really appreciate what Wayne is saying about Eminem, you have to look past the surface-level speed rapping. It’s about the architecture of the verse.
- The Pocket: Watch how Wayne finds weird, melodic gaps in the beat.
- The Cadence: Notice how Eminem forces words to rhyme that shouldn't (like "orange" and "door hinge").
- The Stamina: Both rappers are known for long, unbroken flows that would leave most people breathless.
Next time you hear a Lil Wayne or Eminem track, don't just listen for the beat. Listen for the "zeros like Funyuns" moments. That’s where the real magic is.
If you want to dive deeper into their history, start with the Young Money Radio interview from 2020—it’s the most "human" these two have ever sounded. Then, go back and listen to "Drop the World" and focus specifically on the transition between their verses. You can practically hear the baton being passed.
Next Steps for the Hip-Hop Head:
- Analyze the SNL "No Love" footage (2010) to see the physical body language between the two—it's a lesson in stage presence.
- Listen to "Brand New" by Tyga ft. Lil Wayne specifically for the Funyuns line that broke Eminem's brain.
- Compare their "Forever" verses to see how two different styles (southern flow vs. midwest technicality) tackle the same Drake beat.