Eminem Drops New Album ‘The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)’

Eminem has unveiled his latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). Following teasers with the tracks “Houdini” and “Tobey,” the Detroit rapper presents a concept album reflecting on his career milestones and controversies.

The core theme of the record, according to Eminem, revolves around the final curtain call for his alter ego, Slim Shady. To promote the album, he utilized gravestone imagery and even published a mock obituary in the Detroit Free Press. Fans are encouraged to listen to the album in its entirety to fully grasp the narrative, as Eminem grapples with his alter ego and the controversies that have defined his career.

One sarcastic verse in the album humorously declares, “Kendrick’s album was cool, but it didn’t have any bangers/Wayne’s album or Ye’s, couldn’t tell you which one was lamer/Joyner’s album was corny, Shady’s new shit is way worse.”

In other parts of the album, Eminem distinctly distances himself from the Slim Shady persona, reverting to his trademark provocative style. In the track “Antichrist,” he touches on controversial topics like pronouns and “woke BS,” and in a verse (voiced by Shady), he promises to “spit a bar” that’s “so hard, Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj’ll scissor.” The second verse refers to the shocking video from May 17, showing Diddy attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel in 2016:

“But who else is as pitiless, actually witty and crass, hideous/Ghastly, and insidious as me, or spitting as nasty?/Next idiot ask me is gettin’ his ass beat worse than Diddy did/But on the real, though/She prolly ran out the room with his fuckin’ dildo/He try to field goal punt her, she said to chill/Now put it back in my ass and get the steel toe.”

To underscore the central theme, the album cover art portrays Slim Shady in a body bag, while the “Tobey” video depicts Eminem wielding a chainsaw against Slim Shady. Notably, this is Eminem’s first project with “Slim Shady” in its title since his 1999 release, The Slim Shady LP.

While “Tobey” features guest appearances from Big Sean and BabyTron, other tracks like “Lucifer” and “Road Rage” feature production credits from Dr. Dre. The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) succeeds Eminem’s previous album, Music to Be Murdered By. Since then, Eminem has shared a deluxe edition of his 2020 album and released a greatest-hits compilation.

Source: Detroit Free Press