In documents obtained by BuzzFeed through a Freedom of Information Act request, it’s now proven that the U.S. Secret Service really did visit Eminem, as he claimed in his Trump-criticizing track, “The Ringer.”
In the song, which appeared on Eminem’s 2018 LP, Kamikaze, he spits, “‘Cause Agent Orange just sent the Secret Service / To meet in person to see if I really think of hurtin’ him / Or ask if I’m linked to terrorists / I said, ‘Only when it comes to ink and lyricists.’”
Fans were unsure if the Secret Service truly had investigated the “Not Afraid” rapper because at the time, the federal agency refused to disclose the information, citing their policy of not confirming or denying the existence of specific investigations.
This week, BuzzFeed obtained over 40 pages of documents that prove the Secret Service did pay Slim Shady a visit, due to “threatening lyrics” about the current POTUS in his Revival track, “Framed.”
According to the documents, the day Revival was released, “a concerned citizen reported Marshall Mathers the rapper ‘Eminem’ had a new song called ‘Framed’ with an inappropriate comment towards President Donald Trump and a threatening comment towards Ivanka Trump.”
The reporting citizen turned out to be a TMZ employee, who was seemingly seeking for a comment from the agency surrounding Eminem’s lyrics.
“I want to know if your agency is investigating Eminem for his threatening lyrics about First daughter Ivanka Trump,” the citizen wrote, as recorded in the documents.
That same year, Em also performed his anti-Trump freestyle at the BET Hip Hop Awards. The Secret Service documents allude to the rapper’s BET freestyle, as well as an interview with Vulture, where he said Trump “makes my blood boil.”
Following these incidents, the agency’s Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division reportedly conducted a background check on Eminem and later interviewed him in January of 2018.
The documents state that during the interview, Eminem was familiar with his lyrics and even rapped along while the interviewers read them.
In conclusion, the interview was discussed two days later at a Secret Service meeting, where they decided the investigation would not move forward with a federal prosecutor.
Read the documents in their entirety here.