Eminem and Rihanna perform on stage at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on September 12, 2010 in Los Angeles.
Kevin Mazur/EM/WireImage
Like him or not, Eminem is beyond blessed with the gift of gab. Whether using his voice seemingly as a vessel for chaos or speaking out for the greater good, the MC’s lyrics have been placed under a microscope since his 1999 breakthrough record, “My Name Is.”
And despite frequent (and not entirely unfair) media complaints about the rappers’ sometimes misogynistic expression, some of the charts’ most beloved empresses have seen fit to join forces with him in the studio. That includes a few of the world’s biggest mononymous ladies of pop — Rihanna, Beyoncé, P!nk and Sia — as well fellow stars Nicki Minaj, Gwen Stefani, Hayley Williams and Jessie Reyez, to name a few.
Regardless of what you think about Slim, however, two things are for sure: Art is not created to be polite, and Eminem’s often record-breaking career is one to be respected. And for what it’s worth, the lyricist definitely seems to understand that women are frequently the ones who push the culture forward, which is why some of his most outstanding efforts have come alongside queens of the mainstream pop and hip-hop worlds. Whether he’s matching pace with his female collaborators’ rap skills or allowing their melodic vocals to contrast his own percussive, spitfire rhymes, many of the shiniest gems in the Detroit-raised artist’s catalog are his heroine-assisted anthems.
From smash hits to deeper cuts, Em has been able to call quite a few famous female artists his collaborators over the years. See which 10 are Billboard‘s favorites below.
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Eminem feat. Jessie Reyez, “Coffin”
Em has worked with Jessie Reyez a number of times, also teaming up for the tracks “Good Guy” and “Nice Guy” on the former’s 2018 album Kamikaze. On “Coffin,” from Reyez’s 2020 album Before Love Came to Kill Us, the two stars duke it out lyrically on opposite sides of the same toxic relationship, similar to the rapper’s hit Rihanna duet “Love the Way You Lie” — which he actually name-checks in his verse.
“Pledge your loyalty, treat me like a king/ Just to f–k me over royally/ Boy, are we water mixed with oil/ See another shouting match, ’bout to have it out,” he spits on the track, before getting to the crux of the issue in just two lines: “But no matter how mad I get, I’m so mad about you/ Forgot what I was even mad about.”
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Eminem feat. Beyoncé, “Walk on Water”
What was originally supposed to be Taylor Swift’s victory lap after unleashing her new album Reputation, was overshadowed by Marshall and Beyoncé’s monstrous collaboration, “Walk on Water.” Penciled in as the first single off Eminem’s forthcoming album, Revival, the 8 Mile lyricist openly delves into his struggles with fame, and wrestling with fans’ boulder-sized expectations of him.
“Always in search of the verse that I haven’t spit yet/ Will this step just be another misstep/ To tarnish whatever the legacy, love or respect I’ve garnered?/ The rhyme has to be perfect, the delivery flawless,” raps Em over the Rick Rubin-produced beat.
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Nicki Minaj feat. Eminem, “Roman’s Revenge”
Eminem’s warned us, we “might find the sight quite odd,” and we realized that he nor his alter ego Slim Shady were shy of controversy with this fan-favorite earworm. Alongside Nicki Minaj’s evil twin, Roman Zolanski, the Detroit spitter conquered the adrenaline-fueled “Roman’s Revenge,” a Swizz Beatz-produced masterpiece from Nicki’s Pink Friday debut LP.
The pulsing beat is bound to make your heart race as Shady raps, “You know what time it is, so why ask?/ When Shady and Nicki’s worlds clash/ It’s (high class) meets (white trash).” And the smash-up left Miss Minaj overwhelmed with excitement when she sat down with Sway on MTV’s Rap-Fix Live to explain how Eminem’s “sexy smooth swag” laced this 2010 banger.
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Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey, “I Need a Doctor”
He went from barely being able to support his family to becoming the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the U.S. — none of which Eminem thought would be possible without the help of his mentor and friend, Dr. Dre. On Dre’s “I Need a Doctor,” he describes grappling with downheartedness, before coming the realization Dr. Dre lost his son, Andre Young Jr, and managed to persevere.
Skylar Grey sings of the legendary entrepreneur’s ability to revive the dead with the chorus, “I need a doctor, call me a doctor/ I need a doctor, doctor/ To bring me back to life.” Still, the track wasn’t complete without a hungry Dr. Dre capping the song with a final verse, while acknowledging Eminem’s invaluable loyalty to him throughout the years.
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Eminem feat. Gwen Stefani, “Kings Never Die”
The Southpaw soundtrack was laced with punchlines that chin-checked Eminem’s tough critics and competitors’ corny raps. With No Doubt’s leading lady Gwen Stefani soaring over the rock rhythm’s chorus, the two paid their respects to the late Tupac Shakur, Jam Master Jay and more. Like them, Eminem will be here long after he is gone — because legends live forever.
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B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams & Eminem, “Airplanes II”
Em contributed a verse to B.o.B’s “Airplanes Part II,” and reflected on what might have happened if he never followed his dreams. Alongside Paramore singer Hayley Williams and a “Homeboyz (Tupac Thug Theory Remix)” sample, the MC helped lift Bobby Ray’s voice a little higher. Eager to get his just due, Eminem recalled naysayers initial downplaying of his rap dreams: “Marshall, you’re never gonna make it/ Makes no sense to play the game, there ain’t no way that you’ll win.” Luckily, the rap great never failed to seize an opportunity.
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Eminem feat. Dido, “Stan”
Imitation has been said to be the sincerest form of flattery, but not in this case: On “Stan,” an Eminem fanatic’s love for his bars takes a horrific turn — and further proved the rapper’s genius through his wordplay. The violence on his debut album inspired some depressive fan mail, causing Eminem to pen this well-plotted, but alarming song illustration — with English singer/songwriter sensation Dido offering listeners refuge from the song’s stormy verses with her soothing chorus. The track’s dramatic storytelling earned Eminem high praises, and as a result, “Stan” was entered in the Oxford Dictionary as: “An overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity.”
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Eminem feat. Sia, “Beautiful Pain”
Sia sets fire to yesterday with Marshall on the emo-punched rap ballad, “Beautiful Pain.” Although the uncharacteristically unprofane record didn’t go into heavy rotation on radio, it is easily one of Eminem’s most meaningful efforts. The lyricist encourages fans to grow from their mishaps, by rapping: “Yesterday was the tornado warning/ Today’s like the morning after your world is torn in half/ You wake in its wake to start the mourning process/ And rebuilding, you’re still a work in progress/ Today’s a whole new chapter.”
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Eminem feat. Rihanna, “The Monster”
Fame is a gift, but it also plagued the “Bruce Lee of loose leaf” with a few nightmares, too. Rather than slay his demons on his own, Em enlisted Rihanna for some help on their Hot 100-topping collaboration, “The Monster.” The dark track left the often brash emcee unusually vulnerable — while scoring these artists a 2015 Grammy Award for best rap/sung collaboration.
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P!nk feat. Eminem, “Revenge”
No one respects a cheating ex, and Eminem doesn’t care to make amends on P!nk’s latest Beautiful Trauma sticky tune, “Revenge.” P!nk told Entertainment Tonight how one drunken email changed it all: “This is why they call it liquid courage. And I said, ‘You know I love you. I like that you work with a lot of the same people, like Rihanna. She’s hotter than me, but I’m funnier. So I’m going for a rap Grammy, and I’d like to take you along with me.”
Together, they comically reveal their master plan on the duo’s third collaboration. Eminem artfully details how the lovers who turned their backs on you, tell others you stabbed them in it. It’s safe to say once you pick your side, you have to stay there.