Obsessed: What Really Happened with the Mariah Carey Song About Eminem

It was 2009. The digital age was just starting to get its teeth into celebrity beef. Suddenly, a music video dropped featuring Mariah Carey dressed up in a hoodie, baggy sweatpants, and a goatee, trailing herself through the streets of New York. It was chaotic. It was hilarious. And it was arguably the most direct "diss track" a pop diva has ever leveled at a rapper. If you were around for it, you know exactly what the Mariah Carey song about Eminem is—the platinum-selling anthem "Obsessed."

But the story isn't just about a catchy hook and a funny costume. It’s actually a decade-long saga of "he-said, she-said" that involves private voicemails, public mockery, and two of the biggest egos in music history clashing over a relationship that Mariah Carey still insists never actually happened.

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The Origin Story: Did They or Didn't They?

The friction didn't start in 2009. It actually goes back to 2001. Rumors swirled that Marshall Mathers (Eminem) and Mariah Carey were a thing. Eminem was vocal about it. He told Rolling Stone and Maxim that they had a fling for about six or seven months. Mariah? She completely shut it down. In a now-famous interview with Larry King, she looked genuinely puzzled and said they’d hung out maybe four times, but it wasn't a "relationship."

Eminem didn't take that lightly. He’s a guy who builds his entire brand on raw, uncomfortable honesty. Being called a liar—or worse, a delusional fan—sent him into a lyrical tailspin. For years, he peppered his tracks with jabs at her. We’re talking "Superman," "When the Music Stops," and "Jimmy Crack Corn." He even played private voicemails during his Anger Management tour that he claimed were from Mariah.

By the time the Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel album cycle rolled around, Mariah had clearly had enough. She teamed up with The-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart to craft a response. "Obsessed" wasn't just a song; it was a psychological profile of a stalker.

Breaking Down "Obsessed" and the Slim Shady Caricature

When "Obsessed" hit the airwaves, it didn't name Eminem. It didn't have to. The lyrics were pointed enough. "Will the real L.A.M.B. please stand up?" she quipped, a direct play on his "The Real Slim Shady" line. She asked why he was so obsessed with her, why he was lying about "sexing" her. It was a complete reversal of the power dynamic. Usually, Eminem was the one bullying pop stars. Now, the pop star was calling him a "pressed" fan who was "losing his mind."

Then came the video. Directed by Brett Ratner, it featured Mariah playing a stalker who bore a striking resemblance to the Detroit rapper. The goatee, the hoodie, the way he walked—it was unmistakable.

Honestly, it was a genius move.

By mocking his appearance and his behavior rather than just his music, she hit him where it hurt. She made him look small. She made him look like a fanboy. The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, proving that the public was hungry for the drama.

The Retaliation: "The Warning"

If you think Eminem was going to sit back and let a pop singer parody him without a fight, you don't know Marshall Mathers. Within weeks, he released "The Warning." This wasn't a radio-friendly pop song. It was a brutal, dark, and deeply personal attack.

In "The Warning," Eminem took things to a level Mariah probably wasn't expecting. He threatened to release pictures and more voicemails. He mocked her then-husband, Nick Cannon. He went into graphic, arguably "too much information" territory about their alleged intimate encounters.

"Shut up before I put all them calls out where you was drunk when you called me / 'Don't come over' / Help me out."

It was messy. It was the kind of celebrity warfare that wouldn't fly as easily in today’s social media climate without a massive "cancellation" effort. But back then, it was just another Tuesday in the rap world. Nick Cannon tried to jump in to defend his wife, but most people agree that in a lyrical street fight, Eminem is a tough opponent to beat.

Why "Obsessed" Still Holds Up Today

Why do we still care about a Mariah Carey song about Eminem nearly twenty years later? Because it represents a specific moment in pop culture history where the "nice girl" fought back. Mariah Carey has always had a reputation for being a "diva," but "Obsessed" showed she had a sharp wit and a thick skin.

It’s also a masterclass in branding. Mariah managed to take a negative situation—a rapper constantly insulting her—and turn it into a summer hit that people still play at clubs. She took control of the narrative. Even if Eminem was telling the truth about their fling, Mariah won the PR war by making him look like the one who couldn't move on.

The song is also surprisingly evergreen. We live in an era of "stans" and obsessive social media tracking. The lyrics about someone "all on her blog" and "tweeting" (yes, Twitter was new then!) feel even more relevant now than they did in 2009.

The Long-Term Fallout and Where They Stand Now

Surprisingly, things eventually cooled off. Eminem stopped mentioning her in every third song. Mariah moved on to other projects, other relationships, and continued her reign as the Queen of Christmas. Nick Cannon, for his part, kept the feud alive for a while with various diss tracks and interviews, but even that eventually faded into the background.

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Is there a "winner" here?

Musically, "Obsessed" is the bigger hit. It’s a pop staple. Lyrically, "The Warning" is a more technically proficient diss track, but it's not something you’re going to hear at a wedding or a grocery store.

Most fans have come to a sort of middle-ground conclusion: They probably did have some sort of brief, ill-advised connection that one person saw as a relationship and the other saw as a mistake. It happens to regular people all the time; it just doesn't usually result in multi-platinum records.

What You Can Learn from the "Obsessed" Era

If you're looking at this from a PR or branding perspective, there are some pretty clear takeaways. Mariah taught us a few things about handling "haters":

1. Humor is a shield. By making fun of herself (and the situation), she made Eminem's anger look ridiculous.
2. Don't name names if you don't have to. By not saying "Eminem" in the lyrics, she kept the song universal. It could be about any ex or any stalker.
3. Know your audience. Mariah knew her fans would love the shade. She didn't try to out-rap Eminem; she out-popped him.

Actionable Steps for Music History Buffs

If you want to dive deeper into this specific rabbit hole, here is the best way to consume the saga in order:

• Listen to "Superman" (2002): This is where Eminem's bitterness toward Mariah really starts to show.
• Watch the "Obsessed" music video (2009): Pay close attention to the "stalker" character's mannerisms.
• Listen to "The Warning" (2009): Be prepared; it's much harsher than the pop song that preceded it.
• Check out Mariah's 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey: Interestingly, she barely mentions him. In fact, she pretty much ignores his existence in her life story, which—if you think about it—is the ultimate "Obsessed" move.

The feud remains one of the most fascinating intersections of hip-hop and pop. It wasn't just about music; it was about memory, ego, and the power of a really good hoodie-based disguise. Mariah Carey proved that she could play the game just as well as the rappers, and "Obsessed" remains the definitive proof of that.

Next Steps for Your Playlist:
To truly understand the sonic landscape of this beef, compare the production styles. Mariah’s use of heavy "Auto-Tune" as a stylistic choice in 2009 was a direct response to the "minimalist" rap beats Eminem was using at the time. It’s a fascinating study in how two different genres approach the same argument.