Secret Service Interviewed Eminem Over Perceived Threats

In August 2018, Eminem announced the surprise release of his new album, Kamikaze, in a tweet, delighting his fans with 13 fiery new raps, just eight months after he dropped his last album, Revival.

According to BuzzFeed, Kamikaze’s lead track, “The Ringer,” immediately attracted attention on social media due to lyrics in which Eminem, a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, claimed he was visited by the Secret Service: "‘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.'"

Last year BuzzFeed News filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Secret Service to find out if agents really were sent to speak with Eminem.

Last week, the agency turned over 40 pages of documents that prove they did in fact interview the rapper. It turns out their interest in speaking with him was based on “threatening lyrics” from his rap “Framed” that appeared on Revival. The Secret Service characterized Eminem as “exhibiting inappropriate behavior” and noted that he, via the rap, “threatens protectee.”

According to the documents, on Dec. 15, 2017, 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 “concerned citizen” was a TMZ employee, according to the documents. They sent the Secret Service an email with a link to an article in the Hill about the song. “I want to know if your agency is investigating Eminem for his threatening lyrics about First daughter Ivanka Trump,” the person wrote.

The documents note, “This is not the first time MATHERS made threatening comments towards POTUS and his family. In June 2017, MATHERS freestyled comments that were threatening in nature towards POTUS.”

The Secret Service documents show the agency’s Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division conducted a background check on Eminem and started to arrange an interview with the rapper through his attorneys on Dec. 20, 2017.

The interview took place a month later, on the afternoon of Jan. 16, 2018, with Eminem and his legal team.