Nick Cannon Opens Up About Past Eminem Feud After His Mariah Carey Diss
Nick Cannon is setting the record straight about his past feud with Eminem.
Ten years after the drama over Cannon’s then-wife Mariah Carey unfolded, the television host, 38, appeared on T.I. Harris‘ ExpediTIously podcast and shared his side of the story, revealing why he was so upset with Eminem over the diss track.
“Think about it… I think we was flying back on a jet from Africa somewhere and this motherf—er drops a song, like talking s—, calling her all kind of bitches and h—s,” Cannon explained on the podcast last week. “I’m like, ‘This my wife! This is my new wife!'”
Back in 2009, the rapper released a song called “Bagpipes from Baghdad,” where he dished about his alleged romance with Carey — a romance that the pop singer, 49, denied ever happened.
“Mariah whatever happened to us,” he rapped. “Why did we ever have to break-up?” He then turned his sights on Cannon, who married Carey in 2008. “Nick Cannon, you better back the f— up,” he rapped. “I’m not playing, I want her back, you punk … I wish you luck with that … w—.”
RELATED: Nick Cannon Blasts Eminem for ‘Disrespecting’ Mariah Carey
Cannon later fired back at Eminem in an entry on his personal blog — but claimed on T.I.’s podcast that his note was simply to hold the rapper accountable for his actions in person.
“I wrote this long-ass letter pretty much saying, ‘I respect you as an artist, I’m actually a fan. I think you’re one of the best to ever to do it, but from man to man, you talking out of pocket to my wife. You’ve gotta be held accountable for that so I need to see you face to face,'” Cannon recalled.
“I was ready for whatever. I went looking for him … ‘Cause you done disrespecting my wife and I need to show my wife I’m a man, number one,” he went on. “And then two, he said my name. I said, ‘I know I’m not gonna be able to out-rap you, but I will whoop your ass.’ Those were the exact words at the time. Cooler heads prevailed.”
In the years since the drama unfolded, Cannon said Eminem has apologized and he has invited the rapper to “have some fun with it now.”
“I don’t wanna fight anymore!” he shared. “He still in my top five, but I feel like anytime somebody says something … you’ve just gotta be held accountable. If you say something, we gonna have to have this conversation like men. That’s all I wanted.”
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Cannon isn’t the only star that Eminem has dissed on his songs.
The rapper has also reportedly been involved in feuds with Christina Aguilera, Benzino, Ja Rule, Will Smith, Limp Bizkit and Machine Gun Kelly, according to Billboard.
His 1999 video for “My Name Is” also parodied everyone from Marilyn Manson to then-President Bill Clinton.
RELATED: Nick Cannon Is ‘In Awe’ of Mariah Carey for Going Public with Her Bipolar Disorder
Carey and Cannon first met in 2005 at the Teen Choice Awards, but only started dating in late March 2008.
Just weeks later, to the shock of a lot of their friends and family, they whisked off to Carey’s Bahamian estate and wed in a sunset, ocean-side ceremony on April 30, 2008.
In 2011, the pair welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe, now 8. However, three years later, Cannon and Carey split, but have continued to peacefully co-parent their children, including making annual appearances as a family at the Kids Choice Awards.
Despite going their separate ways, Cannon told PEOPLE in April 2018 that their mutual respect for one another helps make those magical co-parenting moments possible.
“Her and I, we’ve always had a strong understanding and a strong love for each other, and I think that’s why, to this day, it still works so well,” he said.
