Eminem explains why he's 'dissed' Christopher Reeve 44 times to date
The 'Lose Yourself' rapper has made repeated references to the Superman actor throughout his career
Christopher Reeve might have been a hero to millions of people, but one person who's repeatedly presented him as an apparent enemy is Eminem.
The rapper has made multiple references to the Superman actor in his music, using his name as a lyric before throwing in various disses and criticisms of the Hollywood star.
One such diss came in Eminem's 2009 song 'Medicine Ball', in which he says: "Put Christopher Reeve on a unicycle with a kickstand, kick it up and push him and lead him right into quicksand / Here, you need a hand, big man?"
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Eminem also mimics Reeve's voice in the song, before saying: "Always hated you, and I still do."
Other references Eminem has made to Reeve come in tracks such as 'Purple Pills', 'Who Knew', and 'My 1st Single'.
The rapper has made no less than 44 references to Reeve in his various tracks, prompting some of his fans to share theories as to why he apparently had such a fascination with the actor, who died in 2004.
Taking to Reddit to share their thoughts, one person wrote: "I think he just likes how the name sounds."
Another even suggested Reeve had taken drastic measures to avoid being dissed by Eminem, saying: "The beef went so far Christopher Reeve died on purpose, just so Eminem couldn't release a diss track against him."
That theory is obviously pretty far-fetched, so let's hear what Eminem himself has had to say on the matter.
Acknowledging his repeated references to Reeve, Eminem explained that he didn't actually have a grudge against the actor; his references simply stemmed from a childhood memory of him.
In his 2004 track 'Rain Man', Eminem explains: "And let's clear this up too; I ain't got no beef with him either.
"He used to be like a hero to me, I even believe I had one of those 25-cent stickers on my refrigerator, right next to Darth Vader."
So it turns out Reeve was a hero to Eminem as well as so many other Superman fans, but that hasn't stopped Eminem from using his name as a lyric, even after the actor's death.
However, after the release of 'Medicine Ball' in 2009, Eminem indicated in a freestyle rap that he didn't realize Reeve had died when he released the song.
He rapped: "I need Christopher Reeve to come and lay his verse / I think he can spit it better on Medicine Ball, first / Off, I did not even realize the guy died / So I guess them Christopher Reeve jokes ain't gonna fly."
Emily Brown