Eminem’s New Single Is Seemingly an Ode to Tobey Maguire: Why It Makes More Sense Than You Think

Eminem is back with a new single, “Tobey,” seemingly paying homage to Spider-Man actor Tobey Maguire. However, this shoutout is far from random. Released on Tuesday, July 2, the track features fellow Michigan rappers Big Sean and BabyTron and serves as the second single off Eminem’s forthcoming album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).

“Tobey Maguire got bit by a spider / but see, me, it was a goat,” raps BabyTron in the opening line of the nearly five-minute song. This line cleverly compares Tobey Maguire’s transformation into Spider-Man to BabyTron and Big Sean being “bitten” by Eminem, often hailed as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). The analogy suggests that Eminem’s influence on them is as transformative as the radioactive spider bite that turned Peter Parker into Spider-Man.

Fans quickly theorized why Eminem chose to reference Maguire instead of his character, Peter Parker. One Reddit user pointed out, “Because Tobey is Spider-Man and Eminem is Slim Shady. The person who plays the fictional part.” Another suggested, “Probably just for the rhymes man.”

Big Sean echoes the line in the second verse before launching into his rap. Eminem follows suit, repeating the line with his signature rapid-fire delivery. The track’s visuals, a playful nod to the iconic Spider-Man meme where three Spider-Mans point at each other, further delighted fans.

“When Big Sean and BabyTron say they got bit by a goat they mean EM. EM also says this in the end saying maybe he is the goat that bit Big Sean and Babytron… So, Em did what he wanted to do, give hope… Amazing,” wrote one YouTuber.

Another commented, “Em is actually bringing up the new generation, a legend passing the torch in a sense. A lot of rappers, especially the legends, aren’t doing this.”

The music video for “Tobey” is set to premiere on Friday, July 5, just one week before Eminem’s 12th studio album drops. The Detroit native has previously dipped into the Spiderverse, contributing the track “Venom” to the 2018 movie of the same name, which also appeared on his Kamikaze album released that year.

Earlier this week, Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) dropped the music video for “Houdini,” the first single off his new album. The video featured blink-and-you-miss-it cameos from Pete Davidson, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, comedian Shane Gillis, and all three of his children: Hailie, Alaina, and Stevie.

In May, Eminem teased his new album with a faux obituary for his Slim Shady alter ego in the Detroit Free Press. The eulogy read, “A product of Detroit who began his career there as a rogue splinter in the flourishing underground rap scene of the mid to late 1990s, Shady first became a household name in 1999 with the debut of his playfully deranged single ‘My Name Is,’ which — along with its uniquely eye catching video — exposed the young artist and his lyrics to a wider audience. That audience was soon exposed to the extreme darkness of the muse/rapper, as he led millions of fans down a road that glorified a demonstrably nihilistic worldview.”

The eulogy concluded, “Ultimately, the very things that seemed to be the tools he used became calling cards that defined an existence that could only come to a sudden and horrific end. His complex and tortured existence has come to a close, and the legacy he leaves behind is no closer to resolution than the manner in which this character departed this world. May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth.”

Eminem’s latest homage to Tobey Maguire in his new single “Tobey” is not just a clever nod but a thoughtful metaphor reflecting his role as a transformative figure in the rap industry, much like Maguire’s iconic role in the Spider-Man series.