Tobey

Tobey: Eminem, Big Sean and BabyTron Bring Detroit Back to the Summit

The summer of 2024 had barely warmed up when rap Twitter collectively stopped scrolling. A new Eminem track was coming, and it was bringing two Detroit associates along for the ride. Tobey landed like a weather event in a season already thick with rap releases, and it did exactly what a late-career Eminem track had been expected to do for years but rarely managed: it felt genuinely vital rather than nostalgic.

Three Generations of Detroit in One Record

The collaboration between Eminem, Big Sean, and BabyTron placed three generations of Detroit rap on the same track and let the tension work in its favor. Eminem at this stage of his career carries an almost mythological weight in the genre; Big Sean had spent a decade building his own considerable catalog and mainstream profile; and BabyTron represented a younger Detroit wave, all slang-drenched bars and local pride, with a growing national following. On paper the combination looked like a prestige exercise. In practice it had genuine chemistry, the kind that comes from artists who share a geographic and cultural formation and do not have to explain themselves to each other. The city is the language, and all three men were fluent in it.

From Obscurity to the Top Forty in Two Weeks

Tobey debuted at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 13, 2024, a modest entry for a release with this kind of pedigree. Then the second week happened. The song surged from 95 to 27, and by the third week it reached its peak position of number 24. That kind of acceleration spoke to genuine listener engagement rather than just opening-day industry mechanics. The track spent five weeks on the Hot 100 before fading, a short run by some measures but one that included a genuinely impressive jump into the top 25.

The Spider-Man of It All

The title nodded to Tobey Maguire's iconic portrayal of Spider-Man, a reference that threaded through the track's themes of legacy, identity, and stepping back into a role you defined. For Eminem specifically, the metaphor landed with particular weight: an artist who had spent years proving he still belonged, now essentially daring the room to argue with his presence. The production gave the three MCs space to operate in their own lanes while keeping the energy consistent throughout.

Detroit Pride in the 2020s

Beyond its chart performance, Tobey functioned as a statement about Detroit's sustained presence in hip-hop. The city had never fully ceded its influence, but the early 2020s had seen newer cities and sounds claiming more of the conversation. A track that put Eminem, Big Sean, and BabyTron together reminded listeners that Detroit's bench runs deep across eras. The video accumulated over 55 million YouTube views, with fans across the country and well beyond the United States treating it as an event worth dissecting verse by verse.

A Catalog Moment That Will Age Well

For Eminem's discography specifically, Tobey belongs to a small collection of 2020s recordings where the fire felt genuinely stoked rather than maintained on life support. Critics noted his technical precision and the way his verse held its own against younger talent without resorting to defensiveness. Big Sean's contribution showed an artist comfortable and confident in his skin. And BabyTron introduced himself to a wider audience than he might otherwise have reached without the Eminem association. The song's staying power in streaming playlists and social media discussions suggested it had earned genuine cultural real estate beyond the initial headline. Detroit rap has a long history of moments that seem generational in the making; Tobey staked a credible claim to belonging in that conversation, not as a callback to the city's past but as evidence of its continuing present tense.

Turn up the volume and let Detroit have its moment. Three rappers, one track, and a summer that knew what it was witnessing.

“Tobey” — Eminem, Big Sean & BabyTron's singular moment on the 2020s charts.