Just four days following the death of his mother, Eminem performed on stage and maintained the inclusion of lines in his songs that were critical of her.
Debbie Nelson passed away on Monday, December 2, at the age of 69 due to complications from lung cancer. Despite their tumultuous relationship, the loss of a parent is a deeply painful experience for anyone.
In 1999, Eminem’s mother famously took legal action against him after he included a line in his song ‘My Name Is’ that suggested she had a history of substance abuse.
The lyrics read: “I just found out my mom does more dope than I do, I told her I’d grow up to be a famous rapper, make a record about doing drugs and name it after her.”
Nelson pursued a defamation lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages. Although she won the case, she was awarded only $25,000, most of which was allocated to her legal fees.
Despite their past, by 2022, Nelson appeared to have moved past their conflicts to commend Eminem for his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In a social media video, Debbie expressed her pride in her son’s accomplishment.
She stated: “Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame. I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride. I’m very, very proud of you.”
After her passing, Eminem performed on stage. While he refrained from personally delivering the ‘f*** you Debbie’ line during ‘Without Me’, he allowed the audience to do so.
Fans on social media platforms like Twitter shared their thoughts, with one saying: “I knew he was changing nothing in this song lol.”
Another commented: “Dude’s mom died few days ago and he still dissing her.”
And a third added: “Fck you debbie after his mother died is ridiculous.”
On Reddit, fans discussed how unusual it was for him to continue with that part of the song.
“That’s kinda wild,” a user noted.
Another remarked: “I mean, Its an iconic sentence, changing It would be weird.”
This was met with the response: “Exactly. And if he doesn’t want to say it himself anymore the crowd will always fill in like here.”