A newly leaked lyric from what appears to be an old Eminem track suggests the rapper sided with Chris Brown after he assaulted Rihanna in 2009.
The snippet seems to be part of an unreleased version of B.o.B.’s 2011 track Things Get Worse, and has been doing the rounds on social media in recent days.
Chris Brown ultimately pleaded guilty for his actions, admitting he ‘felt like a f*cking monster’ after a picture of the singer’s battered face circulated worldwide – yet Eminem’s apparent leaked lyrics appear to place him firmly on his side.
The lyrics were apparently leaked when a Reddit user posted a seven-second snippet – titled ‘(SNIPPET) Eminem – Things Get Worse (Rihanna Diss)’ – of an unreleased version of B.o.B.’s song, according to Insider.
The version of the song that did get released didn’t mention Chris Brown or Rihanna – but did include multiple references to female celebrities being sexually abused and murdered.
In the short leaked snippet, Eminem can be heard rapping – between voice-overs meant to prevent copyright infringement:
Of course I side with Chris Brown, I’d beat a b*tch down too.
It’s not possible to link to the clip as the lyrics appear to have been illegally obtained, however the lyric in question has been making the rounds on Twitter since.
The leaked version of the track is reportedly from recording sessions for the rapper’s 2009 album Relapse, which was released just months after Brown was charged with felony assault. The singer accepted a plea deal, which included five years probation and domestic violence counselling.
This isn’t the first time controversy has surrounded Eminem’s lyrics due to his depictions of violence against women; his own mother filed a slander lawsuit against him in 1999 over lyrics on the The Slim Shady LP, and he was sued by his ex-wife, Kimberly Scott, over his song Kim, which describes the rapper violently killing her.
However, it is the first time the rapper has expressed support for a real-life incident of domestic violence. Usually, his lyrics – although extremely violent and controversial – would all be hypothetical.
Rihanna and Eminem have since worked together multiple times, most notably on their 2010 hit collab Love the Way You Lie and The Monster in 2013.
Neither Eminem or Rihanna have commented on the content of the lyrics.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline (run in partnership with Women’s Aid and Refuge) on 0808 2000 247.
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).