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Tobey (song)

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"Tobey"
Single by Eminem, Big Sean, and BabyTron
from the album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)
ReleasedJuly 2, 2024
Recorded2022
Genre
Length4:44
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Marvy Ayy
  • John Nocito
  • Daniyel
  • Carlton McDowell
  • Cole Bennett
  • Eminem (add.)
Eminem singles chronology
"Houdini"
(2024) 		"Tobey"
(2024)
Big Sean singles chronology
"Shut Up"
(2024) 		"Tobey"
(2024)
BabyTron singles chronology
"Drank Wars"
(2024) 		"Tobey"
(2024)
Music video
"Tobey" on YouTube

"Tobey" is a song recorded by American rappers Eminem, Big Sean, and BabyTron. It was released on July 2, 2024, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. It is the second single from Eminem's twelfth studio album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) after "Houdini", and makes many references to Spider-Man.

Background and release[edit]

"Tobey" is a collaborative effort from Michigan natives Eminem, Big Sean and BabyTron.[1] Released on July 2, 2024 through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records, it was produced by Eminem, Cole Bennett, Car!ton, Daniyel, Marvy Ayy, and John Nocito.[2] "Tobey" is the fourth collaboration between Eminem and Big Sean, following "Detroit vs. Everybody", "No Favors" and "Friday Night Cypher",[2] and the second single taken from Eminem's twelfth studio album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) following "Houdini".[3] Shortly after the music video was released, Cole Bennett stated on Instagram that the track started life as a BabyTron track, with Big Sean brought in later as "a moment for Detroit" and Eminem brought in after that to bring "3 generations of Detroit" together.[4]

On June 28, Eminem posted a horror-themed trailer for "Tobey" on his social media accounts, containing himself, Big Sean and BabyTron, announcing that it would be released on July 2, 2024, and its music video, directed by Bennett, set to premiere three days later on July 5.[5] The trailer featured Eminem in a Jason Voorhees mask carving into a bleeding invisible figure with a chainsaw,[1] intended to represent Eminem's alter ego Slim Shady,[6] followed by BabyTron rapping "Tobey Maguire got bit by a spider, but see, me, it was a goat".[7] The video was delayed by three days after it became apparent that it was not ready, with Eminem instead releasing a short snippet in which he rapped outside his house.[8]

Cover art and composition[edit]

The single cover is a reference to a meme in which three Spider-Men point at each other,[9] derived from episode nineteen of the 1967 Spider-Man television series,[10] and the song was titled in reference to the Spider-Man actor, Tobey Maguire;[11] Eminem had previously referenced Spider-Man characters in his songs "Rap God" and "These Demons", while BabyTron had referenced the title character in his earlier single "Spidey Senses".[7]

Over a beat including bells and a hard rock guitar riff,[12] BabyTron uses his hook to reference Princess Leia telling Obi-Wan Kenobi that he was her only hope in the 1977 film Star Wars and The Iron Giant's consumption of scrap metal,[7] and Big Sean references Yoda[12] and Wes Craven.[13] Eminem uses his verse to criticise his fifth-place ranking on Billboard and Vibe's "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time" list[14] and criticise Melle Mel for questioning his high ranking;[14] upon release, many fans interpreted some of his verse as taking shots at Jay-Z, prompting Royce da 5′9″ to opine otherwise.[8]

Music video[edit]

The music video for "Tobey" was directed by Cole Bennett, who previously directed Eminem's videos for "Godzilla", "Gnat" and "Doomsday Pt. 2", and was released on July 8, 2024.[15] The video features multiple copies of each rapper delivering their verses,[16] and contains scenes of Eminem rapping outside his childhood house[17] and carving into his alter ego Slim Shady.[6] Shortly after release, Bennett posted to Instagram to state that the video had been shot six weeks earlier during a single day, with post-production stopping only two hours earlier. He also stated that he had intended a more embellished version of his video for "100 Bars",[4] his earlier BabyTron track.[18]

Critical reception[edit]

Tom Breihan of Stereogum, who had previously savaged "Houdini", expressed that "Tobey" was "more like it," describing the latter as "rap for rap’s sake, without headline-chasing edgy jokes or forced, rushed cadences." He also opined that the song's central concept was "a little goofy," but felt that it worked.[19] Anthony Fantano liked the track, admiring the concept and lyrics, while criticizing the instrumental.[20]

Personnel[edit]

Musicians
  • Eminem – primary artist, vocals, songwriter, additional producer
  • Big Sean – primary artist, vocals, songwriter
  • BabyTron – primary artist, vocals, songwriter
  • Luis Resto – keyboards, songwriter
  • Cole Bennett – producer, songwriter
  • Carlton McDowell – producer, songwriter
  • Daniyel – producer, songwriter
  • John Nocito – producer, songwriter
  • marvy ayy – producer, songwriter
Technical

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Tobey"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[21] 38
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[22] 7
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] 64
Germany (Official German Charts)[24] 65
Ireland (IRMA)[25] 43
Lithuania (AGATA)[26] 87
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27] 34
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 78
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 95
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[30] 26

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b England, Adam (June 30, 2024). "Eminem drops trailer teasing new single 'Tobey' featuring Big Sean and BabyTron". NME. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Strauss, Matthew (July 2, 2024). "Eminem, Big Sean, and BabyTron Share New Song "Tobey"". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (June 28, 2024). "Eminem Taps Big Sean and Babytron for New Single 'Tobey,' Releasing July 2". Variety. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Cole Bennett | the tobey video is finally out 🕷️ this one took a lot of intense planning, patience & persistence. We shot this 6 weeks ago and began editing it right away on set & have been working on it day in and day out until literally 2 hours ago. Shot entirely on blue screen with dialed in lighting set ups & static shots. @franklinspov and I locked ourselves in the hotel conference room for 3 days leading up to the video shoot preparing every moment within the video so we could be as efficient as possible since we only had one day to shoot this video. Explaining this video to concept to people wasn't the easiest thing to do. As I was explaining it to Marshall he scratched his head and said "I guess I'm just going to have to trust you on this one." I wanted to build out a video concept that felt like the video I did for "100 Bars" but something with a lot more planning & prep. I'm having fun with these stitched together one-take style videos. I want to do another one soon. The post work on this was like nothing I had ever experienced before. S/O to the VFX warriors (@the_frender , @maxcoltt , @aylo_edit , @sideeye.mov , @aid6n.edits , @ianlipton , @greyson.color , @kristaworby & many more) the creation of this song itself is a whole other story… I'll keep it short. this song has been through so many chapters. starting all the way back at the end of 2022 when i started building out this song with Tron & Daniyel.. We eventually then had Big Sean hop on it as a moment for Detroit.. I then thought about the Hail Mary idea of trying to get Eminem on it.. Bringing 3 generations of Detroit together.. So I sent it off to Paul, they both loved it & the rest was history. It's definitely been a roller coaster of a journey.. so this one finally being released to the world feels special. There's a lot of small Easter eggs in this video + song.. thank you @rosenberg @kkangsta @allminds @kristaworby @liljake @josephlrocha @daniyel @marvyayy @carltonmcdowell1 & many more. not possible without all of you. full run of credits on @lyricalemonade IG + YouTube 💻". www.instagram.com. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Saponara, Michael (June 28, 2024). "Eminem Recruits Fellow Detroit Natives Big Sean & Babytron for Ominous 'Tobey' Single: Watch the Trailer". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Eminem's The Death of Slim Shady album a mixed bag, say critics". BBC News. July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Eminem name-checks Tobey Maguire and recreates Spider-Man meme on new single". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Nevares, Gabriel Bras (July 5, 2024). "Eminem Returns To "The Marshall Mathers LP" House In "Tobey" Music Video Teaser". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Duran, Anagricel (July 2, 2024). "Eminem teams up with Babytron and Big Sean on new 'Spider-Man' inspired single 'Tobey'". NME. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Child, Ben (February 24, 2022). "The Spider-Man pointing meme perfectly encapsulates why fans adored No Way Home". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  11. ^ McCollum, Brian (July 2, 2024). "Eminem joined by Big Sean, BabyTron on new song 'Tobey' as 'Slim Shady' release set". AOL. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Eminem Links with BabyTron & Big Sean on New Single "Tobey"". Consequence. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Cowen, Trace William. "Eminem Recruits Big Sean and BabyTron for Latest 'Death of Slim Shady' Track "Tobey"". Complex. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Sadler, Armon (July 3, 2024). "Eminem Addresses 'Billboard' Ranking Him No. 5 On Greatest Rappers List In New Single "Tobey"". Vibe. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  15. ^ "Eminem Dusts Off Chainsaw & Hockey Mask In 'Tobey' Video With Big Sean & BabyTron". HipHopDX. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  16. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (July 8, 2024). "Eminem Reps for Detroit in the Cole Bennett-Directed Video for 'Tobey' Featuring Big Sean and Babytron". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "Eminem releases Tobey music video featuring his childhood home, Detroit natives Big Sean & BabyTron". The Express Tribune. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  18. ^ "Eminem Shares His Brutal 'Tobey' Video With Big Sean And BabyTron". UPROXX. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  19. ^ "Eminem Teams With Big Sean & Babytron On New Single "Tobey": Listen". Stereogum. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  20. ^ fantano (July 2, 2024). I Like Eminem's New Song. Retrieved July 5, 2024 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  22. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  23. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  24. ^ "Eminem / Big Sean / BabyTron – {{{song}}}" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  25. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  26. ^ "2024 28-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  27. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  29. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  30. ^ "Eminem Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
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