Jay-Z and Eminem to Reunite on Rakim Album With First Track Together in 25 Years
According to the album’s executive producer Matthew “M80” Markoff, the two stars pay homage to the fellow rap icon on his collaborative album with Kurupt and Masta Killa
Jay-Z and Eminem are slated to appear on a song from rap legend Rakim‘s forthcoming album, which will mark their first time on the same track in 25 years. The Grammy Award-winning rap icons’ last musical collaboration was in 2001 on “Renegade.”
The upcoming song, which is currently untitled, is set to appear on a collaborative album pairing Rakim with Kurupt and Masta Killa, targeted for release on Aug. 28.
News of a reunion between Em and Hov surfaced on Sunday, when Matthew “M80” Markoff, JD, the A&R and executive producer of the album, shared a sneak peek at the track list of Rakim’s collaborative project in a post on Instagram.
Among the songs listed — all of them untitled and solely distinguished by numbers and features — is one labeled as the sixth track on the album, which has Eminem and Jay-Z’s names handwritten beside it.
“AOTY 2026,” Markoff, president of Holy Toledo Productions, declared in the caption of the post. “PUT SOME COT DAMN RESPEK ON MY NAME.”
Markoff confirms exclusively to Rolling Stone that the track featuring Jay-Z and Eminem will be an official release, and it will be an interlude on Rakim, Kurupt, and Masta Killa’s album.
He adds that the interlude will find Hov and Em paying homage to Rakim’s legacy and influence, and it will precede the first solo track by Rakim that features his own production in over 15 years.
“Em and Jay do not have verses on the interlude,” Markoff says, but he assures that the interlude, as well as other songs on the album, comprise relatively new material. “The entire album with all its parts were recorded in the past two years.”
A rep for Eminem tells Rolling Stone in a statement, “There has not been any outreach made to Eminem’s team regarding the Rakim/Kurupt/Masta Killa project.” Rolling Stone has reached out for further comment.
A rep for Jay-Z did not immediately return Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
Word of the track spread online, creating anticipation for its official release and reviving conversations surrounding Hov and Em’s classic back-and-forth on “Renegade,” their blockbuster collaboration from Jay-Z’s 2001 album, The Blueprint.
