“M, Come. We Love You”: Skilla Baby’s Open Invitation to Eminem — and Six More Stories, Fact-Checked

Eminem didn't release a song, play a show or post a word between August 12 and 21, 2026. He still ended up at the centre of seven different stories. Here's all of it, with the quotes and the timestamps.

It was a week of secondhand Eminem. A Detroit rapper's album rollout, a beats ranking that leaves him off entirely, a 1997 demo-tape confession from an unlikely source, an Xzibit interview about Dr. Dre, Russ on getting older in rap, and two Mathers family headlines that need untangling.

The 60-second version

1. Skilla Baby's message to Eminem

Detroit rapper Skilla Baby — Trevon Gardner, 27 — released The Price of Fame on August 21, 2026 through Geffen. Twenty-two tracks, with Nas as co-executive producer and a Nas verse on track 15, "Respect My Gangsta."

Promoting it with Bootleg Kev, he explained what Nas actually does for him behind the scenes. This is the clip that travelled:

"Nas does so many — he's like 50. He does so much stuff for me behind the scenes that no one knows. He makes phone calls. He connects dots. He's putting together listening parties. He's playing this for this person. He's calling Eminem. He's doing a lot of stuff that nobody really knows. Him and 50 Cent really plays a big role in what's going on with me right now."

The backstory matters. Skilla Baby was shot in a drive-by in Redford Township on May 22, 2025 — roughly 25 rounds fired at his SUV, leaving wounds to his hand and thigh and two grazes. He survived, and the album has a skit called "May 22nd." His own framing: "That probably was the best bullet I ever caught… I was put in certain of these rooms based off just the situation I went through, and I end up making this album."

The part that didn't travel

Bootleg Kev posted a second clip, specifically about Eminem, that went largely unreported. It's the better one — because Skilla immediately punctures his own headline:

Kev: "You talk to Eminem?"
Skilla Baby: "I haven't talked to Eminem, but hopefully in the future I will."
Kev: "That's crazy."
Skilla Baby: "But it's been phone calls and stuff like that about me and all these things."

So Nas is calling Eminem about Skilla Baby, and the two of them have never actually spoken. Then he explains why he thinks that gap exists — and turns it into an invitation:

"The disconnect between Eminem and the new Detroit is that we all look up to him. It's Eminem. We have the biggest rapper from our city. Biggest rapper ever from our city, and we all just want to touch him. We adore Eminem. But Detroit is such a rowdy city. It comes out different."

"When people saying that, like, Eminem don't come here — it's like, man, M, come. We love you. You probably the only person that could walk around this [city] and be safe. We love you. We going to protect you. We going to make sure you don't need no security, nothing. You're Eminem. We love you."

He closes by crediting the one time the wall came down: "shout out to Sean cuz I know Sean did that cypher that brought hella worlds together from Detroit. On Detroit 2." That's Big Sean's "Friday Night Cypher" (2020) — ten minutes, eleven Detroit rappers, Eminem closing it out alongside Royce da 5'9", Tee Grizzley, Kash Doll, 42 Dugg, Sada Baby and more. Six years later it's still the reference point for Em showing up for his city.

Eminem's camp hasn't commented, and what Nas said on those calls isn't public.

The rollout trailer, where Nas talks about hearing the record, is worth five minutes:

Sources: Bootleg Kev — "Skilla Baby on Working With Nas" · Bootleg Kev — "Eminem's Impact on Detroit" · Billboard, May 23, 2025

2. Dr. Dre has six beats on Complex's top 100. None of them are Eminem.

Complex refreshed The 100 Best Hip-Hop Beats of All Time on August 11, 2026. Dre is the most-represented producer on it:

Two things worth flagging. First, this isn't a new 2026 ranking — Complex's own note says the piece was "originally published in 2015" and has since been updated. Second, look at the years: 1986, 1992, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2003. The list stops crediting Dre after "In da Club."

Which means no Eminem record appears anywhere on it — not as an artist, not as a Dre production. Left off: "My Name Is" (1999), "The Real Slim Shady" (2000), "Forgot About Dre" (1999), "Guilty Conscience," "Kill You," "Business" and "Crack a Bottle."

Every entry on the list is defensible on its own. A Dr. Dre canon without the artist who sold more records than anyone else he produced is harder to defend — especially with "Still D.R.E." at #3, a comeback record announcing an Aftermath whose commercial engine at that exact moment was a rapper from Detroit.

For context, "Forgot About Dre" passed a billion streams on the back of an Eminem verse. More on the business side in our piece on Dre's 2026 Forbes billionaire status.

Source: Complex — The 100 Best Hip-Hop Beats of All Time, updated Aug 11, 2026

3. Redfoo turned down Eminem — and called it the best demo he'd ever heard

Redfoo — Stefan Kendal Gordy of LMFAO, son of Motown founder Berry Gordy — appeared on the Danny Rants podcast on August 16, 2026. Half an hour in, telling the story of his pre-LMFAO underground rap career, he dropped this:

"We started the label, independent label Bubonic Records. Actually, we got Eminem's demo tape, and someone said, 'You should sign Eminem.' And I heard this dude and his demo tape and he had, like, 'Just the Two of Us.' He had a couple of his songs that made it to his album. And he was an underground rapper battling… I said, 'I don't think we have the capability to put out another artist. We're just working on our stuff.' But I said, 'It's the best demo tape I've ever heard in my life.'"

He goes further — claiming Eminem opened for his duo:

"He even opened up for us. Eminem — Red Foo and Dre Kroon — opened up at the Hollywood Athletic Center… He had two mics… I think in his mind he had already been talking with Dre. I don't want to tell his story, but I believe he had already met Dre at that time, but maybe not signed. I think he even had brown hair at that time, but he was just hard, like battle rapper."

The scaffolding holds up. Redfoo signed to Bubonic Records in 1996 and released Balance Beam as half of Red Foo & Dre' Kroon in October 1997. Eminem was an underground battle rapper shopping demos, and was named Wake Up Show Freestyle Performer of the Year for 1997.

The detail that dates it: Redfoo says the tape had "Just the Two of Us" on it. That song appears on the Slim Shady EP, released December 10, 1997, and was retitled "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" for The Slim Shady LP. So the tape he heard was almost certainly that EP — which puts the whole story in a narrow window:

About thirteen weeks. And Redfoo himself says he thought Em had already met Dre. So this isn't really the guy from "Party Rock Anthem" fumbling Eminem — it's a small indie label being handed the Slim Shady EP exactly when Interscope was already moving, correctly clocking it as the best demo they'd ever heard, and correctly clocking that they couldn't handle it.

Two caveats. There's no documentation of an Eminem show at the Hollywood Athletic Club in 1997 or 1998 — no listing, no setlist. Redfoo thinks he has it on videotape; until that surfaces it's one man's memory. And note the 1997 Rap Olympics was held at The Proud Bird near LAX, not there. The brown hair is consistent — Em's natural colour is dark brown and the platinum look belongs to the Slim Shady LP era — but no source pins a bleach date.

Sources: Danny Rants, Aug 16, 2026 · Slim Shady EP · Rolling Stone, April 1999

4. Xzibit on Dr. Dre — and the session that became an Eminem track

Xzibit sat with C.T. Fletcher on The F Y'all Podcast, published August 14, 2026. Asked what sets Dre apart, his answer is about a job interview he didn't know he was in:

"When I met Dr. Dre, I was working with him. I did a song called '[Bitch] Please' with Snoop. It was the first time I worked with Dr. Dre. I walked in the studio. He's like, 'What's up? You got something for this?' I was like, 'Yeah.' Wrote my [verse] in 15 minutes, laid it. He gave me some pointers. Thanked him for the opportunity. I left."

"People get around Dre and immediately get all kinds of thoughts of grandeur… So the fact that I came in, thanked him for the opportunity and left, and didn't try to slide him a tape or ask for something — he gets asked for [things] like 75 million times a day."

What came back was a verse on Dre's album, then a slot on Up in Smoke. Then the actual answer:

"Dr. Dre has been a mentor, an ear, an advisor. He cares. And I can't say that about all my counterparts. I can't say that about everybody that I've done music with. But Dr. Dre takes a very strong stance when it comes to me, and not everybody does that."

"When you with him, you with him. Don't betray him. Don't lie to him. Don't [mess] with his family. Bring something to the table. Dr. Dre has helped me immensely in my life. He's helped me out of situations that — it was a bottomless pit. And then here come this [guy] swooping down like, 'Come on. Let's go.'"

Here's the Eminem connection. The song Xzibit names as his first ever Dre session — "Bitch Please," Snoop Dogg featuring Xzibit and Nate Dogg, from No Limit Top Dogg, May 1999 — got a sequel a year later. "Bitch Please II" landed on The Marshall Mathers LP in May 2000: Eminem featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Nate Dogg.

The 15-minute verse Xzibit wrote to avoid bothering Dre is why he's on the biggest posse cut of Eminem's biggest album. The Up in Smoke slot he describes is the 2000 tour Eminem was also on.

More on that album in our MMLP anniversary piece, and on that friendship in the Snoop–Em history.

Source: The F Y'all Podcast — "Xzibit Unplugged," Aug 14, 2026

5. Russ: "We should all champion older rappers"

Russ (Russell Vitale, 33) gave a long interview to Daniel Wall, published August 16, 2026. The clip going around has him citing Eminem as proof rap has no age limit. In context it's less a compliment than an admission:

"At some point the public stops being fascinated with your new music… There's a limited amount of time that I have with the audience. You could stop caring when I'm 36. You can stop caring next year. You can stop caring when I'm 50."

"Watching Nas and Clipse and Jay-Z still have all this interest — and Eminem. It's super inspiring to see in the rap space, 'cause I'm like, 'Okay, cool. You can rap and have people care about what you're rapping about at 50.' That's why I think we should all champion older rappers, because we don't want this to turn into the NBA — where once you turn 35 it's a wrap, retire."

That's a 33-year-old with a nine-figure independent career admitting he's afraid of the clock, and pointing at four men as evidence it might not be real. Eminem turns 54 on October 17, 2026 — and a 24-year-old album track just posted its best chart week ever. Our take on whether he's still at his technical peak is the long version of Russ's argument.

Source: Daniel Wall — full Russ interview, Aug 16, 2026

6. Kim Scott was ordered into treatment. The rest is unsourced.

On August 13, 2026, Kim Scott, 51, appeared before Macomb County District Judge William H. Hackel III after her alcohol-monitoring provider flagged repeated bond violations. Her attorney said she'd arranged treatment; the prosecutor said she'd failed to enter a program for two months. The judge revoked her bond and ordered that she be released only into an inpatient facility.

That follows a documented year: a February hit-and-run leading to a no-contest plea in May, a second drunk-driving arrest days later, a missed hearing and bench warrant in June, and the July 11 medical emergency at her Chesterfield Township home. Our full timeline is here.

Two days later, Page Six ran a piece on how Hailie Jade feels about it, which was picked up widely. Every quote in it is attributed to an unnamed "source" or "insider" — including the central one, that Hailie "has never stopped loving her mom" and "just wants to see her healthy again."

Hailie has said nothing publicly. That sentiment is entirely plausible, but it's one outlet and one anonymous person, and it's worth knowing that's all it is.

Sources: ClickOnDetroit, Aug 13, 2026 · Macomb Daily · Detroit News

7. Eminem's grandson rode down the aisle in a car Grandpa bought

Hailie Jade was matron of honour at her best friend and podcast co-host Brittany's wedding in mid-May 2026. Her son Elliot Marshall McClintock — born March 2025, so 14 months old — was ring bearer. She posted a photo of the two of them, Elliot in a mini tuxedo:

"Matron of Honor 🤝 Ring Bearer. One of us walked down the aisle, one of us stole the show. Congratulations to the Zillis on one week of marriage 🤍"

In the Just A Little Shady Season 5 premiere — released August 14, 2026, the same day the podcast took over Mom's Spaghetti in Detroit — Brittany announced the change herself at 2:33: "I'm married. I'm not Brittany Ednie anymore… Changing my name feels kind of crazy. It's not official yet, but it's on social media, so official enough."

The detail that made headlines this week — that Elliot travelled down the aisle in a remote-control ride-on car Eminem gave him for his birthday, because he'd only just taken his first steps and couldn't be trusted to walk — comes from the show's Patreon bonus episode, not the free feed. Brittany says on the public episode that the wedding details went there. If Hailie retells it on the main feed, we'll add it.

One correction for the aggregators: the granddad is Eminem, Hailie's father, not Evan McClintock's dad. Em has been fully committed to the grandfather thing since Elliot arrived, and now has a second grandchild.

What's next

• Whether Eminem answers Skilla Baby. A filmed, friendly invitation from a Detroit artist with a Nas co-sign doesn't happen often. Even a repost would be a story.
• The Price of Fame first-week numbers — a real test of whether veteran co-signs still move units.
• Ed Sheeran at Ford Field, August 29. Em has joined him there before.
• The 8 Mile filming anniversary — September 2026, 25 years since principal photography began.
• Redfoo's videotape. If footage of a brown-haired Eminem opening with two mics really exists, that's a significant piece of pre-Aftermath history sitting in a garage.

Ten days, no music, no appearances, not a word from the man himself — and he's still load-bearing in seven other people's stories. The one that sticks is the smallest: a rapper from his own city, with the God MC executive-producing his album, saying he's never had Eminem on the phone, then using his interview time to tell him Detroit would keep him safe if he came home.

Frequently asked questions

Has Skilla Baby ever spoken to Eminem?

No. Asked directly by Bootleg Kev in August 2026 he said, "I haven't talked to Eminem, but hopefully in the future I will." He says Nas has called Eminem on his behalf, but describes no direct contact.

Is Nas on Skilla Baby's album?

Yes. Nas co-executive produced The Price of Fame (August 21, 2026, Geffen) and appears on track 15, "Respect My Gangsta."

Did Redfoo really turn down signing Eminem?

By his own account, yes. His indie label Bubonic Records received Eminem's demo, he called it "the best demo tape I've ever heard in my life," and passed because the label had no capacity. He also believed Em had already met Dr. Dre. The tape contained "Just the Two of Us," dating it to the Slim Shady EP (December 10, 1997) or later — inside the roughly thirteen weeks before Eminem signed to Aftermath on March 9, 1998.

Did Eminem open for Redfoo?

Redfoo says Eminem opened for Red Foo & Dre' Kroon at the Hollywood Athletic Club and that he may have it on videotape. There's no independent documentation of that show. The 1997 Rap Olympics, where Eminem placed second, was at The Proud Bird near LAX on October 24, 1997 — a different venue.

How many Dr. Dre beats made Complex's top 100?

Six: "Still D.R.E." (#3), "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" (#10), "Boyz-N-The-Hood" (#12), "In da Club" (#14), "Deep Cover" (#20) and "Gin & Juice" (#79). No Eminem song appears on the list, and no Dre production later than 2003. The piece carries an August 11, 2026 date but updates an article Complex first published in 2015.

What did Xzibit say about Dr. Dre?

That Dre "has been a mentor, an ear, an advisor. He cares. And I can't say that about all my counterparts." He credits the relationship to his first session — writing his "Bitch Please" verse in 15 minutes and leaving without asking for anything. That 1999 Snoop record got its sequel as "Bitch Please II" on Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP.

Is Hailie Jade worried about her mother?

There's no public statement from Hailie. The claim traces to a single Page Six report of August 15, 2026, sourced entirely to unnamed insiders. What is documented: Kim Scott's bond was revoked on August 13, 2026, with release conditioned on entering inpatient treatment.

Whose car did Eminem's grandson ride down the aisle in?

A remote-control ride-on car Eminem gave Elliot for his birthday, per Hailie on a Just A Little Shady Patreon bonus episode. The wedding was co-host Brittany's, in mid-May 2026, where Hailie was matron of honour and 14-month-old Elliot was ring bearer.