July 01, 2009

Mariah Carey Dresses Up As Eminem For New Music Video 'Obsessed'

By Kyle Anderson, with additional reporting by Jayson Rodriguez (MTV.com)

The three-way tussle pitting Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon against Eminem took another turn on Monday when Carey shot a video for her new single "Obsessed" - and dressed up like Em.

Carey filmed scenes for the clip at the Plaza Hotel in New York, where she plays a man in two different costumes: One finds her in a bellhop uniform, while the other has her in a giant gray hoodie, a doo-rag and a thick goatee - apart from the beard, she's dressed exactly like Eminem (and looks very bizarre).

Carey tweeted on Tuesday (June 30), "Check out my website to see a photo of the star of my new 'Obsessed' video! LYM!!" and In addition to the photo she posted, several other pictures from the shoot have emerged.

The video is directed by Rush Hour helmer Brett Ratner, who has also worked with Carey on her clips for "Touch My Body" and "Heartbreaker."

"Obsessed" is the first single from Carey's upcoming album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, which is set to hit stores on August 25. Though Carey doesn't mention Eminem's name specifically, there are a handful of lyrics that suggest that the song is a response to Em's Relapse track "Bagpipes From Baghdad," on which he raps about taking Carey back from her husband: "Nick Cannon better back the f--- up," Em warns the actor/musician on the track. "I'm not playing/ I want her back, you punk." (Carey has denied Eminem's claims that they dated for six months.)

On "Obsessed," Carey sings, "Why are you so obsessed with me/ Boy I wanna know/ Lying that you're sexing me/ When everybody knows/ It's clear that you're upset with me ... Why are you so obsessed with me? You're delusional/ Boy, you're losing your mind ... It must be the weed, it must be the E/ 'Cause you be poppin', you get it poppin'," which may be about Slim Shady's struggle with drugs.

When "Bagpipes" first leaked last month, Cannon fired back at Eminem in an angry blog post, before the rapper softened his dis in a later interview with the BBC, defusing the tension. After admitting his lyrics were "harsh," Eminem said of Cannon, "I had no idea he was gonna take it like he took it. ... What I actually meant to say is, I wish them the best. That's what I meant to say. That's the whole message of the record."