Sometimes, getting name‑dropped by a rap legend isn’t a diss — it’s a nod. That’s how Lil Yachty sees it. In a recent candid interview on “Tea Time With Raven & Miranda,” the Atlanta rapper opened up about his reaction to being called out on Eminem’s 2018 track “The Ringer.” Rather than feeling slighted, Yachty said he thought it was “amazing.”
“The Ringer,” the opening track of Eminem’s surprise album Kamikaze, included a lyric directed at Yachty: “I can see why people like Lil’ Yachty, but not me though.” At the time, the line landed alongside sharp criticism of the contemporary hip‑hop scene — targeting several “SoundCloud‑era” and “mumble‑rap” type artists.
But Yachty says he didn’t take it personally. On the podcast, he reflected, “Eminem actually dissed me, but I thought it was amazing.” For him, being named by one of rap’s most revered lyricists carried more weight than the negativity of the diss. “If you say my name, it’s like you could’ve said anyone’s name,” he explained. “So, you saying my name — that’s kinda fire.” He added he’d “take Eminem’s diss any day of the week.”
That response wasn’t just a recent sentiment. Back when “The Ringer” dropped, Yachty took to social media to say he thought it was “fye” that Eminem took a shot at him, adding “I f**k wit Eminem.”
For Yachty, the diss was less about insult — and more about acknowledgement. In a crowded field of rising rappers, being singled out, even with a slight, meant he had arrived in the conversation. As he put it, maybe it meant he was “the top of the nobodies.”
The story speaks to something larger about hip‑hop culture: sometimes being “disrespected” by a legend can still raise your profile, spark conversation, and ultimately serve as recognition. For Yachty, that moment wasn’t a blight on his career — it was a badge of honor.
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