Eminem apologises to Rihanna on new track ‘Zeus’ over Chris Brown lyric

Rapper has offered Rihanna an apology over the lyrics of a decade-old song

Eminem has apologised to Rihanna on his newly released deluxe version of Music to Be Murdered By, over having “sided” with Chris Brown.

Earlier today (18 December), the rapper surprised fans by releasing a follow up to his January album – titled Music to Be Murdered By – Side B – that features collaborations with Dr Dre, Ty Dolla $ign, DJ Premier, and Skylar Gray.

The record, which has been rumoured for the last few days, also sees Eminem apologising for a decade-old song that leaked in 2019 on which he said that he “sided with Chris Brown” over his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault in 2009, after assaulting Rihanna following an appearance at that year’s Grammy Awards.

On the track “Zeus”, he raps: “And wholeheartedly apologies Rihanna for that song that leaked / I’m sorry, Rih, it wasn’t meant to cause you grief / But regardless it was wrong of me.”

At the time of the initial leak last year, Eminem’s spokesperson Dennis Dehenny issued a response claiming that the track had been written over a decade ago. He said: “This is a leak of something that’s over 10 years old. After Eminem recorded it, he scrapped it, and rewrote it.”

Eminem (Rex Features)

Dehenny continued: “Obviously he and Rihanna have a great relationship.”

The Grammy-winner also raps at length about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on his new album, which was accompanied by a music video for one of the tracks titled “Gnat”.

This is not the first time that the rapper has surprised fans with new music. Both of Eminem’s two previous albums – Music to Be Murdered By and Kamikaze – were released without warning.

You can read The Independent’s two-star review of Music to Be Murdered By here.