Eminem's mum, Debbie Nelson, tragically died last week after being diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, with the rapper returning to the stage seemingly with a subtle message.
The 15-time Grammy winner, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, has not yet made a statement regarding his mum's death and was known to have somewhat of a strained relationship with her. It resulted in the star to include some intense lyrics in many of his songs, including the hit track Without Me, which he wrote in 2002 at just 23 years old.
Now 52, he took to the stage this weekend at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, where he appeared to pay tribute to his mum by choosing not to rap the infamous lyric "F**k you, Debbie". While fans continued to sing it, Eminem's silence may have been louder than his words of grief could have ever been.
Eminem and Debbie had a mostly estranged relationship before her passing, with the rapper appearing to use his music to help him process the emotions he felt toward her. The at-times brutal lyrics resulted in a defamation lawsuit filed by Debbie, where she sought $10 million in compensation and caused even more of a divide between them.
Her lawsuit referenced her son's song, My Name Is, where he sang: "I just found out my mom does more dope than I do (Damn). I told her I'd grow up to be a famous rapper. Make a record about doin' drugs and name it after her." Another song he used to detail their relationship was Cleanin' Out My Closet, in which he said he wished she would "burn in hell" and accused her of spiking his food with Valium when he was a child.
Debbie's defamation case was settled, with the majority of the $25,000 she won going toward her legal fees. Following the case, in 2010, Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she briefly reconciled with her son. Eminem then released his song Headlights in 2013, in which he appeared to apologise to Debbie for his past comments.
"I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt/My mom probably got it the worst", he rapped in the 2013 track. Unfortunately for the pair, their good terms seemed to only last for a decade as they fell out again three years ago. It's unclear whether they had the chance to reconcile before Debbie's death.
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Mark Weiss/Getty Images)Debbie and Eminem's estrangement stemmed from the star's unstable upbringing. Debbie was just 18 when she had the rapper and struggled to maintain a job, resulting in the pair, along with the star's half-brother, Nathan Mathers, who Eminem later adopted, constantly moving between Missouri and Detroit.
Eminem made multiple claims about his mum, including accusing her of abusing drugs, something she had always denied. She wrote in her 2008 memoir, My Son Marshall, that she "encouraged her talented son to chase success" but was "defamed and shut out when he got it."
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