Jay-Z and Eminem Are Reuniting on a Track for the First Time Since 2001

On June 7, 2026, M80 — the A&R and executive producer behind a collaborative album from Rakim, Kurupt, and Masta Killa — revealed the full tracklist for the project. Track 6 is listed as an interlude featuring Jay-Z and Eminem. That's it. Two names. And the internet immediately understood what that meant.

It will be the first time Jay-Z and Eminem have appeared on the same record since "Renegade" — track 12 on Jay-Z's The Blueprint, released September 11, 2001. That's 25 years. That's how long fans have been waiting for this.

What We Know About the Track

The placement is an interlude, not a full-length song. It's unclear whether both artists are trading verses or simply appearing together in a different format — a brief moment, a spoken piece, a tribute segment. M80 hasn't provided additional details beyond confirming the tracklist. But the fact that both names are on it, officially, is significant enough on its own.

The album is set to drop in August 2026. Alongside Jay-Z and Eminem, the project features Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Daz Dillinger, and KRS-One. On paper, it reads like a fantasy lineup — three of hip-hop's most respected MCs in Rakim, Kurupt, and Masta Killa, pulling in the heaviest names the culture has to offer.

The Last Time: "Renegade"

"Renegade" has its own complicated origin story. The track started as a Bad Meets Evil collaboration — Eminem and Royce da 5'9" — before Jay-Z came in and replaced Royce's verse. Eminem produced it alongside Luis Resto, and the finished product landed on The Blueprint as one of the standout moments on an album full of them.

It became famous for a specific reason: Eminem's performance. Nas later said Eminem "murdered" Jay-Z on his own track — a line that became one of the most repeated critiques in hip-hop history, and one that Jay-Z has addressed and pushed back on over the years. Whether or not you agree with Nas's assessment, "Renegade" became a cultural reference point. It's the kind of track that gets brought up whenever someone debates whether a feature artist can outshine the host.

That backstory makes the reunion interesting. These two artists have never needed to formally address what "Renegade" meant — both of their legacies went on to speak for themselves. But the fact that they're appearing together again, on someone else's project, 25 years later, is a different kind of statement.

The Album's Context

The Rakim, Kurupt, and Masta Killa LP isn't just a novelty project. These are three MCs who defined different corners of rap's golden era — Rakim from Long Island, Kurupt from Compton, Masta Killa from Bed-Stuy — coming together on a collaborative record in 2026. The guest list reinforces the idea that this is a serious tribute to a particular generation of hip-hop.

Rakim's influence on Jay-Z and Eminem specifically is well documented. Both artists have cited him as a primary influence on their technical approach to lyricism. An interlude featuring both of them on a Rakim project isn't random — it makes contextual sense as exactly the kind of tribute moment the album seems designed to deliver.

KRS-One appearing on the same project is its own full conversation. His presence alongside Eminem — two artists who've both landed on the EA Sports UFC 6 soundtrack this summer — makes the album feel less like a reunion cash-in and more like a genuine attempt to document a lineage.

Why This Matters in 2026

The hip-hop landscape right now is in a particular place. Kendrick Lamar just headlined the Super Bowl. The conversation around who the greatest rapper alive is has never been louder or more contested. Jay-Z has been relatively quiet musically. Eminem released The Death of Slim Shady in July 2024, framed the album as a farewell to his most chaotic persona, and has been selective about what he does next.

In that context, the two of them appearing together on a tribute to Rakim carries weight. It's not a promotional single designed to generate streams. It's not a beef resolution. It's two artists who shaped the genre showing up for one of the people who shaped them.

The album drops in August. The tracklist is confirmed. However the interlude actually sounds — whether it's brief, dense, understated, or surprising — the conversation around it has already started. Twenty-five years is a long time to wait for a follow-up.