It was 2009. The air smelled like Ed Hardy perfume and the radio was a literal war zone. If you lived through it, you remember exactly where you were when the "Obsessed" music video dropped.
Mariah Carey—the woman who usually glides through life in gowns and seven-inch heels—was suddenly standing on a New York City sidewalk wearing a baggy gray hoodie and a goatee. She looked remarkably, and very intentionally, like Eminem. It wasn't just a costume. It was a tactical strike.
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The "Mariah Carey So Obsessed With Me" Backstory Nobody Tells Right
Basically, this wasn't some random pop song. It was the boiling point of a decade-long cold war.
For years, Eminem had been claiming he and Mariah had a thing. We’re talking a six-month relationship back in 2001. Mariah’s response? A very consistent, very "I don't know her" style denial. She told Larry King in 2002 that she’d hung out with him maybe four times.
That didn't sit well with Slim Shady. He started name-dropping her in tracks like "Superman" and "When the Music Stops." He even played private voicemails during his concerts that he claimed were from her. It was messy. It was public. And for a long time, Mariah just ignored it.
Until she didn't.
When "Obsessed" hit the airwaves, everyone knew who she was talking to. The lyrics weren't subtle: "Lyin' that you're sexin' me / When everybody knows it's clear that you're upset with me." She was essentially asking the world: why is this grown man so fixated on a four-day hang from eight years ago?
The Mean Girls Connection
Fun fact: the iconic opening line—"And I was like, 'Why are you so obsessed with me?'"—is a direct quote from Mean Girls. Mariah is a massive fan of the movie.
Honestly, using a Regina George quote to take down a rap god is the kind of high-level pettiness we just don't see enough of anymore. She didn't try to out-rap him. She out-diva'd him.
What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
The song was produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. They knew exactly what they were doing.
The-Dream actually told HipHopDX at the time that the record would "light up the blogs" and that "somebody's going to be very upset." He wasn't lying. Within hours of the song's premiere on Chicago’s B96, the internet basically imploded.
The Video That Changed Everything
Director Brett Ratner helped Mariah lean into the absurdity. Filmed at the Plaza Hotel and on the streets of NYC, the video features Mariah playing two roles: herself (the glamorous star) and the stalker (the hoodie-wearing "Slim Shady" lookalike).
The stalker spends the whole video following her around, snapping photos, and looking generally unhinged.
- The Goatee: It was a direct mirror of Eminem's facial hair at the time.
- The Bus: In the end, the stalker gets hit by a bus while trying to take a photo of Mariah. This was another Mean Girls reference (shoutout to Regina George's accident).
- The Contrast: While "the stalker" is lurking in the shadows, Mariah is living her best life, doing photoshoots with Patrick Demarchelier.
It was a masterstroke in image control. She turned his narrative of "we were together" into "this guy is a fan who has lost his mind."
The Fallout: Eminem’s "The Warning"
Eminem did not take this lying down. At all.
Less than two weeks later, he released "The Warning." It was a brutal, six-minute diss track where he addressed Mariah and her then-husband, Nick Cannon, by name. He rapped, "I'm obsessed now? Oh gee, is that supposed to be me in the video with the goatee?"
He went on to threaten to release photos and more voicemails. He was angry. Like, really angry.
But here’s the thing: Mariah never responded to "The Warning." She just... stopped. She let "Obsessed" climb to number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, went on tour, and let the song become a permanent part of her "Greatest Hits" legacy. By not engaging with his second wave of anger, she essentially won the PR battle. She had already said what she needed to say.
Why "Obsessed" Still Matters in 2026
You've probably seen the song all over TikTok recently. It went viral again during the pandemic because of the #WipeItDownChallenge.
Even in 2026, the song holds up. Why? Because it’s the ultimate anthem for anyone who has ever had a "situationship" partner try to rewrite history. It’s about boundaries. It's about refusing to let someone else define your past.
Actionable Insights for Your Playlist (and Life)
If you're looking to channel that Mariah energy, here is how to handle the "obsessed" people in your own life:
- Don't over-explain. Mariah's power came from the fact that she didn't write a memoir about the feud. She wrote a catchy pop song and then went back to her penthouse.
- Use humor as a shield. By dressing up as her stalker, she made him look ridiculous rather than dangerous.
- Timing is everything. She waited years to clap back. She didn't react in the heat of the moment; she waited until she had the perfect hook and the perfect video concept.
- Know when to exit. Once you've made your point, stop talking. The silence after a diss is often louder than the diss itself.
Next time you hear those opening handclaps and that heavy bassline, remember: you're not just listening to a 2000s R&B hit. You're listening to a masterclass in how to handle a public nuisance with a five-octave range and a sense of humor.
Whether it was a "six-month relationship" or "four times hanging out," one thing is objectively true: the world is still obsessed with this drama nearly twenty years later. Mariah knew exactly what she was doing. She always does.
To get the full experience, go back and watch the original music video. Look for the scene where she’s in the Rolls-Royce Phantom; it’s the peak of the "I'm doing better than you" energy that makes the song work. You can also check out the Gucci Mane remix if you want a version that hits a little harder in the club. Either way, keep your goatee-wearing stalkers at a distance and your Mean Girls quotes ready.