Eminem made his first appearance five days after his mother’s tragic passing. He was out there performing his 2002 smash hit, Without Me, at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix on December 7.
He made what some dedicated fans perceive as a subtle gesture in tribute to his late mother, Debbie Nelson, who passed away on December 2 at age 69.
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Eminem’s subtle tribute
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, hasn’t openly spoken about his mother’s passing yet but during his Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix of Without Me, he refrained from singing the infamous line, “F— you, Debbie,” and left the audience to sing it instead.
Is it intentional or not?
People are debating whether it was a genuine subtle gesture, with him not wanting to offend his late mother.
Others say that the lyric omission has existed for quite some time now. For instance, he didn’t sing the line during his 2002 MTV Video Music Awards performance.
The story behind the line
The 2002 hit Without Me was written during Eminem’s controversial legal battle with Nelson, where she sued him for defamation after Eminem wrote and sang about his mother’s alleged drug use in his well-known 1999 album, The Slim Shady LP.
The beef with his mother
Eminem lost the lawsuit and Nelson received a $25,000 settlement as part of the legal proceedings.
Eminem also put his mother on full blast in Cleanin’ Out My Closet, where he claimed to have seen his mother “poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen,” among other things.
Headlights: an apology
In 2013, Eminem wrote the song Headlights where he apologized to Nelson for the pain he caused her, rapping on the track: “At the time I was angry, rightfully? Maybe so / Never meant that far to take it though.”
Where their relationship was
It is not known how Eminem and Nelson’s relationship evolved after the release of Headlights and before her passing due to advanced lung cancer. However, Nelson hinted at a reconciliation in 2008 when she spoke to the Village Voice.
She had hope
In her interview with the Village Voice about her ghostwritten memoir, Nelson said: “I’m not ever gonna give up on my kids. I won’t give up on anybody. There’s hope for everybody. It’s a matter of just basically swallowing your pride. It’s like a cashed check. It’s over, it’s done. You need to move on.”
Eminem’s half-brother had a say, too
While Eminem hasn’t officially commented on his mother’s death, his half-brother, Nathan “Nate” Kane Mathers did through a scathing Instagram story, saying: “Hatred and mixed emotions today.” This reaction is no surprise given the fact that Nate and Eminem have been long estranged from their mother.
More into Eminem’s family
Eminem was married to his high school sweetheart, Kim Mathers, Born Kimberly Ann Scott, from 1999 to 2001, and briefly again in 2006.
They gave birth to Hailie Jade in 1995. Some of Eminem’s songs referenced their rollercoaster of a relationship, such as 97 Bonnie & Clyde, Puke, and Bad Husband.
Eminem’s daughter, Hailie
Eminem saw his daughter Hailie Jade Scott as his “real wake-up call.” Born on December 25, 1995, she added light to her parents’ lives.
She eventually went to Michigan State University to study psychology, where she met her now husband, Evan McClintock.
