VANILLA THUNDER

Last week, Slim Shady, and his side project D-12, recorded another audio assault against Whitey Ford. "Quitter," which has already surfaced on radio and Napster, encourages fans to "whip" Everlast's ass. "Hit him with sticks, bricks, rocks," the shady rapper raps. "Throw shit at him, trip him, spit on him, treat him like a ho, bitch slap him/Do it for me, do it for Fred, do it for Limp, do it for rock, do it for rap, do it for Kid, do it for Ice-T, do it just to do it. Fuck it—he's a bitch. He ain't gonna hit you back—he's nuthin.'"

For those keeping score at home, Everlast threw the last punch with "Whitey's Revenge," in which the former House Of Pain-er suggests to Em : "You better check your kid for DNA."

That track came in response to Eminem's scathing B-side, "I Remember," with D-12. That song criticized Everlast's wavering musical style and his ripping off of Em's hairdo (hitsdailydouble.com, 10/19).

The first stone was cast when Everlast teamed up with Dilated Peoples on "Ear Drums Pop (Remix)." There, Ev stated: "I'll buck a three-eighty on ones that act shady/I'm original like Grady, check my Sanford, Son/You know you ain't the one that rep peckerwood status."

Eminem told MTV News there are no plans to officially release "Quitter." "I don't even want to give him any more press. I wish him the best with his career and his heart," Eminem said. "If I put it out I don't want to be arrested for murder 'cause he'll have another heart attack." Everlast suffered a heart attack in 1998, while recording "Whitey Ford Sings The Blues."

Legend has it the bad blood between the rappers started in early 1999. Everlast claims when he tried to congratulate Eminem on his success, Eminem blew him off. Em's version is that he dissed Everlast because he didn't recognize him, and that Everlast didn't acknowledge him either.

"It was no disrespect," said Em. "But then he goes and disses me on an underground record thinking I'm not going to hear it. I'm like, ‘I'm an MC, and ... I'm not gonna let someone else dis me on a record and not say something back.' It's in my blood; it's a competition thing."

Rumors that the beef really began in a Vanilla Ice chat room were unfounded.