Others prophesied MGK’s impending doom, comparing the situation to Ja Rule’s fateful mistake - a prediction many felt was vindicated following Eminem’s blistering response and MGK’s poor future sales.

Upon release, the hip-hop community reveled in the explosive drama and offered qualified praise for “Rap Devil,” commending MGK for his panache, if not his lyricism. The impact of the song was and remains complicated. Keep in mind, this was all done just three days after Eminem dropped “Kamikaze.” With “Rap Devil,” MGK seems to have understood the spectacle of the moment and capitalized on it, despite also exposing his limits as a technical rapper. The result is a dramatic musical score that somehow sounds bullish and brooding at once, a fitting backdrop to the David and Goliath narrative MGK invokes. The beat is an exemplar of simple-yet-addictive composition, fusing satisfying snare hits, a guitar harboring a subtle Western twang and a sinister-sounding 808 bass. MGK’s animated delivery and noir music video gel well with the “Rap Devil” instrumental, produced - in a poetic twist - by “Kamikaze” co-producer Ronny J. The overall impression depends on how seriously one takes a skinny white boy’s version of gangsta rapper bravado, but his zeal is undeniable.

There’s even an accompanying music video, in which a shirtless, fully-tatted MGK brandishes a shovel, vigorously pantomimes his lyrics and spits out cereal. The involved backstory motivates the breathlessness with which the rapper bolts through four verses, a repeated hook and even a sing-songy bridge - an unusual, perhaps misguided pop-oriented touch to a diss track.

The allegations sully the Detroit-born Eminem’s reputation as the voice of the American underclass, painting him as vindictive against up-and-coming talents looking to make a name for themselves. By Kelly’s account, Eminem’s response to his controversial tweet was to “blackball” the young rapper by pressuring radio stations and labels to drop his music. Instead, the illuminating details of “Rap Devil” emerge in verse two, where MGK pulls the curtains on the industry politics driving the conflict. But they scarcely present a new or interesting thought about Eminem, instead recycling social media chatter that was already in vogue. “Knees weak of old age, The Real Slim Shady can't stand up” - or duds, such as the lines mocking Em’s dated fashion sense. Throughout the track, MGK leans heavy into low-hanging fruit, dedicating significant portions to painting Eminem as a bitter geezer unable to recapture his glory days. In fact, the track is rife with references to Eminem’s lengthy discography, knocking the rapper for “stan himself” and urging him to “go back to Recovery” - tapping into a growing perception of Eminem as an antique within contemporary rap. The name “Rap Devil” is itself a play on Eminem’s hit “Rap God,” effectively positioning MGK as a protege aiming to dislodge his former idol. In the weeks between MGK’s track and Eminem’s anticipated response, tens of millions of hip-hop listeners tuned in to witness the first, real-time Eminem beef of the modern streaming era, with two rappers’ careers hanging in the balance. Sure enough, MGK went all in on a spirited, five-minute diss track titled “ Rap Devil,” decisively crossing the Rubicon.

But more than anyone else, all eyes were on MGK, who suddenly held the double-edged sword he had long sought - a highly publicized, deeply personal feud with one of hip-hop’s greats. The album made waves for firing scattershots at music critics, former president Donald Trump, mumble rap at large and at least 10 rappers by name - notably, Machine Gun Kelly, Ja Rule and Tyler, The Creator. The incident kicked off tensions between the two that largely played out behind the scenes, until Eminem finally unleashed a full-blown tirade against the Cleveland rapper on the surprise 2018 album, “Kamikaze.” And so it was with Machine Gun Kelly, who made the unfortunate mistake of tweeting about then-16-year-old Hailie’s looks in 2012.

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