Verified archive entry

Say What You Say

By Eminem · Targeting Canibus, Jermaine Dupri, The Source

Say What You Say is a diss track by Eminem targeting Jermaine Dupri, Canibus and The Source. The recording also credits Dr. Dre. The track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record.

Released2002

Annotated4

ExplicitYes

Addressable transcript

Lyrics & breakdown

Demo lines only. Select a line number to copy a stable deep link.

01
[Intro: Eminem & Dr. Dre]
02
Heh, so I'm out the game, huh? (Huh?)
03
Yo, Dre, we ridin'? Whatever (Haha)
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Well, I'm wit' ya, homie
05
Okay, let's handle the small shit
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[Verse 1: Eminem]
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I was born to brew up storms, stir up shit
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Kick up dust, cuss 'til I slur up spit
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Grew up too quick, went through too much, knew too much shit
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Corrupt, and I'ma pour it on like syrup, bitch
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Thick and rich, sick and twisted, Mr. Buttersworth
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Dre told me to milk this shit for what it's worth
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'Til the cow just tilts and tips and stumbles to Earth
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And if I fumble a verse
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Keep goin' first take, I make mistakes, just keep it
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No punches pulled, no punches, that's weak shit, fake shit
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If I ever take shit, I'll eat shit, wasn't for him, wouldn't be shit
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[Verse 2: Dr. Dre & Eminem]
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Creep with me as we take a little trip down memory lane
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Been here longer than anyone in the game
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And I ain't got to lie about my age
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(But what about Jermaine?) Fuck Jermaine!
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He don't belong speakin' mine or Timbaland's name
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And don't think I don't read your little interviews and see what you're sayin'
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I'm a giant, and I ain't gotta move 'til I'm provoked
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When I see you, I'ma step on you and not even know it
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You midget, mini-me with a bunch of little mini-yous
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Runnin' around your backyard swimmin' pools
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Over eighty million records sold
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And I ain't have to do it with ten- or eleven-year-olds
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[Chorus: Eminem]
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'Cause what you say is what you say
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Say what you say how you say it whenever you sayin' it
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Just remember how you said it when you was sprayin' it
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So who you playin' with, huh? (Huh, huh, huh)
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'Cause what you say is what you say
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Say what you say how you say it whenever you sayin' it
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Just remember how you said it when you was sprayin' it
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So who you playin' with, huh? (Huh, huh, huh)
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[Verse 3: Eminem & Dr. Dre]
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Second verse, it gets worse, it gets no better than this
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Amateurs drink veteran piss
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From a Dixie cup, if you ever mix me up
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Or confuse me with a Canibus or Dre with a Dupri
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We'll rub it in, every club you're in, we'll have you blackballed
Multi-line diss block
46
And make sure you never rap a-fuckin'-gain
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Dre ain't havin' it, long as I'm here to play devil's advocate
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If there was some magic shit I could wave
Block noteChallenges the target's public standing
TargetJermaine Dupri
MeaningWhat it means: In “We'll rub it in, every club you're in, we'll have you blackballed,” Eminem questions whether Jermaine Dupri's attention, audience, or reputation reflects genuine respect. Why it was said: The track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record. Visibility can be mistaken for victory, so the artist recasts Jermaine Dupri's recognition as temporary, manufactured, or disconnected from credibility.
ContextThe track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record.
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Over the industry that could save it when I'm gone
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And buried to make sure the tradition carries on, I would
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If I could only use this power for good, I wouldn't, not even if I could
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From the hood, and I'm a hornet
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And I'ma only sting when I'm cornered
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And I'ma only sucker punch and swing without warnin'
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And swing to knock somebody's fuckin' head off
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‘Cause I know if they get up, I won't get a chance to let off
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Another punch, I'm punk rock, no one's punk
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Don't give a fuck, white Pac, so much spunk
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When I was little I knew I would blow up and sell a mil' or
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Grow up to be Attila, go nuts and be a killer
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And I'm somethin' of a phenom, one puff of the chron'
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I'm unstoppable, I'm alive and on top again
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There's no obstacle that I can't conquer
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So come along with us
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Come on
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[Chorus: Eminem]
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'Cause what you say is what you say
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Say what you say how you say it whenever you sayin' it
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Just remember how you said it when you was sprayin' it
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So who you playin' with, huh? (Huh, huh, huh)
71
'Cause what you say is what you say
72
Say what you say how you say it whenever you sayin' it
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Just remember how you said it when you was sprayin' it
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So who you playin' with, huh? (Huh, huh, huh)
75
[Verse 4: Dr. Dre]
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Now anybody who knows Dre
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Knows I'm about fast cars and Alizé, partyin' all day
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But I handled my business, 'cause it's work before play
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Don't look for trouble, but I'll serve you gourmet
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However you want it, you can have it your way
Multi-line diss block
81
You fuck my night up, I'ma fuck up your day
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Bullet with your name, sendin' it your way
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That goes for anyone who walks through that doorway
Block noteImagines the battle as physical destruction
TargetJermaine Dupri
MeaningWhat it means: In “Bullet with your name, sendin' it your way,” Eminem converts lyrical defeat into death, shooting, burial, or bodily harm directed at Jermaine Dupri. Why it was said: The track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record. The violent image makes the response sound final: instead of proposing an endless exchange, the artist depicts Jermaine Dupri as unable to return for another round.
ContextThe track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record.
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'Cause this is my space, you invade it
Multi-line diss block
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Live to regret it, and you'll die tryna violate it
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Fuck around, get annihilated, eyes dilated
Block noteImagines the battle as physical destruction
TargetJermaine Dupri
MeaningWhat it means: In “Live to regret it, and you'll die tryna violate it,” Eminem converts lyrical defeat into death, shooting, burial, or bodily harm directed at Jermaine Dupri. Why it was said: The track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record. The violent image makes the response sound final: instead of proposing an endless exchange, the artist depicts Jermaine Dupri as unable to return for another round.
ContextThe track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record.
87
[Verse 5: Eminem & Dr. Dre]
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Huh, like my old lady?
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'Cause what you say is what you say
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Sometimes what you mean is two different things
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Dependin' on your mood if it swings
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Think too many things, little hit of Dre's weed, I can do anything
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Catch a contact and I'm gone, and I'm back
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I speedwrite and my loose leaf's my launchpad
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And I can pull any string, don't have to prove anything
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Catch a contrac' on your head, you headed west?
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Talked shit about Dre? You better get a vest
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And invest in somethin' to protect your head and neck
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And it's back and forth all day, like Red and Meth
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I joke when I say I'm the best in the booth, but a lotta truth is said in jest
Multi-line diss block
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And if I ever do live to be a legend, I'ma die a sudden death
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Five mics in "The Source"? Ain't holdin' my fuckin' breath
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But I'll suffocate for the respect 'fore I breathe to collect a fuckin' check
Block noteUses a pointed question as an accusation
TargetThe Source
MeaningWhat it means: In “Five mics in "The Source"? Ain't holdin' my fuckin' breath,” Eminem puts The Source's conduct on trial through a question that is meant as a challenge, not a neutral request for information. Why it was said: The track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record. The question shifts the burden onto The Source: any answer must accept the premise raised in the lyric or explain why that premise is false.
ContextThe track is part of the long-running exchange between Eminem and Canibus, rooted in competitive claims and earlier references on record.
104
[Chorus: Eminem]
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'Cause what you say is what you say
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Say what you say how you say it whenever you sayin' it
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Just remember how you said it when you was sprayin' it
108
So who you playin' with, huh? (Huh, huh, huh)
109
'Cause what you say is what you say
110
Say what you say how you say it whenever you sayin' it
111
Just remember how you said it when you was sprayin' it
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So who you playin' with, huh? (Huh, huh, huh)
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[Outro: Dr. Dre & Timbaland]
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Watch your fuckin' mouth
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Yo, this Timbaland, tell him I said suck, chka, my dick