'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMI/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAM7wLP8A/8QAHRAAAwACAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQREkFRgf/aAAgBAQABPwDU2EhMa107yqO828xJ9D4MTTq6hjUAsOc//8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECEf/aAAgBAgEBPwCVp//EABYRAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhMf/aAAgBAwEBPwCI/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After months of teasing, Eminem has finally dropped his 12th studio album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) on all DSPs today. The album was distributed to streaming platforms via Shady, Aftermath, and Interscope Records.
A few hours before the album's release, Em took to social media to issue a PSA to all fans and everybody who would be listening to the album. The rapper highlights how the album should be heard in order when he states:
"Public service announcement: the death of slim shady is a conceptual album, therefore, if you listen to songs out of order they might not make sense."
Trending
Leading up to the album, Em released two singles Houdini and Tobey (Feat. BabyTron and Big Sean). Both of them did well commercially by breaking into Billboard's Hot 100 album charts, with Houdini debuting at No.1 a week after the track came out.
Breaking down Eminem's album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)
Em's latest project has 19 full-length tracks with production credits to Dr. Dre, Luis Resto, and more. Conceptually, this album is a final outing for the rapper's alter ego, Slim Shady, and his controversial antics that led to Eminem's early rise to fame.
A few tracks even call back to some of his earlier records like Without Me and My Name Is. During the promotional rollout for the album, an official obituary for Slim Shady was printed in the Detroit Free Press Newspaper.
“[Slim Shady's] complex and tortured existence has come to a close, and the legacy he leaves behind is no closer to resolution than the manner in which this character departed this world. May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth."
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) has a complete runtime of one hour and four minutes and officially follows up on his 2020 LP Music To Be Murdered By. Eminem's new project dives into themes of rebirth, growth, status, and more.
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader's discretion is advised.
Renaissance
(Production Credits: Luis Resto)
Eminem kicks off his 12th studio album with a track titled Renaissance, which appears to revolve around him revisiting his commercial peak in hip-hop after the release of his debut studio album The Slim Shady LP back in 1999.
A major theme in this song is Em discussing rap's changing landscape while also mocking critics for not appreciating artists and their work, citing they "make excuses to hate," as seen on lines like,
"You nerdy pr-cks would find somethin' wrong with 36 Chambers / It's what they do to the greats / Pick apart a Picasso and make excuses to hate / So you can wait for your flowers until you're blue in the face / Stupid, you ain't gonna get 'em until your funeral, wait"
Habits (Feat. White Gold)
(Production Credits: Narza)
On Habits, Eminem teams up with White Gold for a track that dives into his struggles with addictions and the problems he faced living an excessive life, given his alter-ego's controversial desires.
The theme of addiction runs deeper than surface-level drug abuse, with Em highlighting how he was addicted to Slim Shady's antics. Although a significant portion of the track calls out critics and the LGBTQ+ community for always trying to cancel him, the track gets more introspective in his last verse.
Eminem ends the track by claiming he always knew his controversial actions were self-induced, but he still faces a mental conflict when trying to decide if he wants to be himself or Slim. This is best evidenced by lines like,
"So all my statements are basically contradictive / Like using the F-word for g-y is wrong and offensive / And insensitive as if me sayin' the R-word isn't / Wait a minute, which R-word? R-pe or r-tarded, midget? / Would this rhyme be okay if South Park had did it? Would it make you less angry if Cartman spit it?"
Trouble
(Production Credits: Dem Jointz and FredWreck)
The conflicts Marshall faces between his two personalities, Eminem and Slim Shady, become more apparent as it's presented as a live argument on Trouble.
We see both sides of the rapper aggressively diss each other while trying to maintain control of Marshall's actions. Where Eminem appears more collected, Slim is more violent and even claims his intention from the start was to have them "canceled."
"F--k blind people (What?), and deaf people suck (Stop, yeah) / So do cripples (No), dumb quadriplegic f--ks / With Christopher Reeve's luck (Woah, woah-woah-woah-woah) Shady, Jesus, what the f--k? Oh, here comes Marshall to try to clean this up (Shut up)"
Brand New Dance
(Production Credits: Luis Resto)
The production on Brand New Days instantly takes fans back to the funky compositions that filled Slim Shady's work, especially on projects like Encore, back in the early 2000s.
This entire track appears to be playing inside Eminem's head in a weird dream-like sequence where Slim Shady returns to create a dance step named after the late actor, Christopher Reeve.
The irony of this new dance is that any individual who performs these steps will be crippled, which appears to be another dig at the Superman actor, as the rapper draws similarities to Christopher's paralysis. He even ends the song by mimicking Reeve's voice box, before an alarm rings and Marshall wakes up screaming.
"You put your left foot back, your right in front / Tip your head back, let it touch your butt / 'Til you feel a lil' pop, like what the f--k? Motherf--k, f--k a duck, what the f--k? I'm stuck / So, party people, are you with me? What's the deal?"
Evil
(Production Credits: Don Cannon and CuBeatz)
On Evil, we see Eminem highlighting the evil and twisted mentality of Slim Shady while simultaneously praising his alter ego's ability to keep a fanbase acting erratic for his "phenomenal" rhymes.
The track revisits a lot of themes the rapper has spoken about throughout his career, from his vice addictions that caused him to act out to his violent tendencies toward critics and haters. He even calls out his mother Debbie Mathers, who was famously a source of inspiration for a lot of negativity that Em shared in his music, on the last bar where he raps,
"Maybe what I need now more than likely's a psych eval' / Mama, how do you like me now? Are you proud of me yet, Debbie? I done turned my whole life around / But I think I'm just like you now because I turned out so f--kin' evil"
All You Got (Skit)
(Production Credits: Luis Resto)
The skit on All You Got is like the interaction we received between Slim and Eminem on Trouble, where on this track Shady violently threatens Em for trying to kill him off throughout his career.
This could be a reference to tracks like When I'm Gone and Encore/Curtains Down, where Eminem tried to put down Slim Shady only for his alter ego to come back to life.
"I made you, you were nothin’ 'til you found me / How many times you tried to kill me? I always come back / You can't outgrow me, you can't outthink me / I'm all you got"
Lucifer (Feat. Sly Pyper)
(Production Credits: Dr. Dre, Sly Pyper, Luis Resto, Andreas Dries Holten, Hans van Hemert, and Callus)
Listeners hear the idea of Marshall being born as the devil, which is a theme that he explored on the album's lead single, Houdini, as well.
On this track, Eminem compares himself to the Devil incarnate by claiming the actions that critics and haters dub as being "evil" and controversial are justified given that he is Lucifer, which is also the title of this record.
He ends the track by proclaiming his devilish stature and shouting out Dr. Dre for producing beats for the "antichrist," which is also the title of track 8 on this album.
"So whether you friend or you are foe (Woah) / Far as bars go, even f--kin' retards know (Yeah) / That as far as smoke with me, I don't think it'd be smart, so (Woah) / Might as well go lookin' for smoke with Lamar, bro"
Antichrist (Feat. Bizarre)
(Production Credits: Luis Resto and Foul Mouth)
In Antichrist, Eminem further explores this theme of being reborn as the devil. The implication here is that his devilish persona supports his actions and allows him to express himself in a world that, in his words, no longer allows free speech.
The track is filled with tongue-twisting bars and head-turning vocal performances, where Marshall takes shots at woke culture, Gen Z, s-xual orientation, pronouns, and more. Detroit rapper Bizarre features on the back end of the track closing out Antichrist with a 12-bar.
"I don't appeal to you, you was one of them children whose / Parents fed every meal to you on a platter and silver spoon / I am a product of what Farina and powdered milk'll do / To your drive when them rappers like Jada bring out the will in you / 'Cause now my s--t slaps harder than Will'll do"
Fuel (Feat. JID)
(Production Credits: Denaun, Teeba, and Luis Resto)
On Fuel, Eminem teams up with JID for a fast-paced action-packed song about sticking to one's roots. A significant portion of this song highlights why each rapper believes they will never change, while effortlessly asserting their industry status on everybody who doubts them.
Em's verse intricately pieces together his opinion of being an unparalleled force in rap, with the Detroit rapper even shouting out Biggie Smalls and Tupac when he raps,
"R.I.P., rest in peace, Biggie / And Pac, both of y'all should be living (Yep) / But I ain't tryna beef with him (Nope) / 'Cause he might put a hit on me like Keefe D did him / And that's the only way you're gonna be killing me (Nah)"
Road Rage (Feat. Sly Piper)
(Production Credits: Dr. Dre, Dem Jointz, Brandon Thomas, DJ T Gray, and Luis Resto)
Eminem tries to address the several allegations he's faced over his career of being anti-LGBTQ+ and fatphobic, which sparked out of distaste for certain lyrics and songs in his discography. A core sentiment the rapper appears to be distraught by is the perception of risking public cancellation if he does not conform to minority groups and their requests.
While Em makes it clear that he supports LGBTQ+ rights, he does highlight instances where expressing his honest opinions has led to him receiving severe backlash to get him canceled. Where Marshall somewhat takes a stand of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, he openly states that obese people are "coddled".
The entirety of his second verse takes shots at overweight individuals for celebrating an unhealthy lifestyle. Em suggests how they should take his negative comments as fuel to work on themselves and live healthier lives. Notable bars from this verse include lines like,
"Instead of exercise, It's easier to find a triple-X your size / And try to press society to change so you don't have to change / Pick up a way to eat less, them fries make your blood pressure rise / As it starts increasin', all that starch and grease and clogged arteries, / These are the reasons for your heart disease and / Can't tie your shoes (Why?), it's too hard to reach 'em"
Houdini
(Production Credits: Luis Resto)
Eminem released Houdini as the lead single for The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), on May 31, 2024, alongside an accompanying music video. The video's plot finds Slim Shady being transported from the early 2000s into 2024, appearing visibly confused at the various changes that have taken place over the past two decades.
The track's production samples Steve Miller Band’s 1982 track Abracadabra and appears to be inspired by Em's 2002 record Without Me, bringing back the iconic "Guess Who's Back?" catchphrase.
"So, how many little kids still wanna act like me? I'm a bigger pr-ck than cacti be / And that's why these words sting, just like you were being attacked by bees / In the coupe leaning back my seat / Bumpin' R. Kelly's favorite group, the black guy pee's"
Breaking News (Skit)
(Production Credits: Luis Resto)
On the album's second skit, listeners hear a mock news broadcast of a public riot that has taken place outside one of Eminem's "Mom's Spaghetti" outlets in Detroit.
It appears the riot broke out after the release of Em's The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), with the onsite reporter claiming that controversial and negative comments in Shady's lyrics, talking about minority groups, have angered the community.
Guilty Conscience 2
(Production Credits: FredWreck, Dem Jointz, Dr. Dre, and Luis Resto)
Eminem finally delivers the sequel to his 1999 track with Dr. Dre, Guilty Conscience, with the track titled Guilty Conscience 2. On this record, Em goes back and forth with Slim Shady about their career, with Marshall highlighting how Shady's immature antics have only brought more pain and controversies into their life.
The track is interestingly scripted as a full-blown conversation between the two personalities, with Marshall distinctively performing verses from both their perspectives. He effortlessly slips between Eminem and Slim, as both alter-egos battle for control. Shady aggressively hits back when Em suggests that Slim never had his back and intentionally creates negative media attention around their name.
Slim highlights how Eminem's "socially awkward" behavior unconsciously forced him to create a satirical version of himself, which he should take responsibility for since Marshall is the reason for Shady's existence. Em ends the verse by dismissing all of his previous feuds and rap beef to direct his complete attention at his alter-ego, citing "Slim Shady" as his biggest opponent to date.
"You created me to say everything you didn't have the b-lls to say / What you were thinking but in a more diabolic way / You fed me pills and a bottle of alcohol a day / Made me too strong for you and lost control of me / I took over you totally / You were socially awkward 'til you molded me / You was a loner, a nobody / 'Cause of me, you didn't take s--t from nobody"
Head Honcho (Feat. EZ Mill)
(Production Credits: Jameil Aossey and Luis Resto)
Eminem teams up with EZ Mill, the newest signee to Shady Records, on the track Head Honcho. The title of the track refers to an important influential person, running as the primary theme of this record, with the hook asserting their authority over their competition.
Em's verses stand out in comparison to Mill's, with hard-hitting bars that reference prior feuds, critics, his old songs, and the rest of the rap game. Marshall ends the song by citing how he'll never change, claiming that society can never "tame him."
"But you tamin' me? Ain't gonna happen, and I'll / Live on planet denial (Ha) for the rest of my life / But you'll be a stan 'til I die, though (Ha) / (You'll be a stan 'til I die, though)"
Temporary (Feat. Skylar Grey)
(Production Credits: Luis Resto)
Teaming up with Skylar Grey, Eminem delivers a heartfelt song directed to his oldest daughter, Hailie Jade Mathers, with a significant portion of his lyricism pushing her to stay strong in the unfortunate event of his death.
Ambient tape recordings from Hailie's childhood, where Marshall can be heard playing with his daughter fuel the track. The verses find Em speaking to Hailie, from the afterlife, with the rapper highlighting how he'll always look over her like a "guardian angel."
"I promise you'll get through 'em and make it regardless / F--k it, Jade, I'll be honest / I knew that you was gonna take this the hardest / Sweetie, get up, I know that this is breaking your heart, it's / The hardest thing I've ever wrote (Daddy) / Hailie, sweetheart, it's okay for you to let me go"
Bad One (Feat. White Gold)
(Production Credits: Luis Resto)
On Bad One, Eminem reintroduces himself as the greatest rapper of this generation with references to his 2013 hit record Rap God, where he celebrates himself for attaining "god" status in hip-hop.
Em battles critics and "corny white rappers" on this record, acknowledging that his music played a powerful hand in inspiring a lot of the artists he doesn't appreciate. Marshall even takes subliminal shots at Machine Gun Kelly, reigniting their 2018 beef, when he says,
"Mission accomplished, he pulled off his stunt / And pi--ed a billion people off at once (Yeah) / But I gotta keep going Tyson on Kelly (What?) / I bodied him twice and already / That little motherf--ker's back throwing subs (Like what?) like a food fight at the deli"
Tobey (Feat. BabyTron x Big Sean)
(Production Credits: Marvy Ayy, John Nocito, Daniyel, Carlton McDowell, and Cole Bennett)
Detroit City unites on Tobey with Eminem teaming up with fellow Michigan rappers, BabyTron and Big Sean, for a super braggadocio record where each rapper asserts their style and status on their competition. The title pays homage to Tobey Maguire, who played the web-slinging superhero in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
The chorus emphasizes this point as the first line suggests how similar to Spiderman getting his powers after being bitten by a spider, they achieved their heightened skill level after being bitten by a goat, an acronym for "Greatest Of All Time."
"Tobey Maguire got bit by a spider, but see, me, it was a goat / If you want space, I hope you take your helmet off soon as you get up to Venus and choke / Even while sleepin', be thinkin' so woke / White Cartiers, all I'm seein' is dope (Yeah) / My city Leia and I'm Obi-Wan, got a mission to pass, I just might be the hope"
Guess Who's Back (Skit)
Eminem delivers the final skit for the album Guess Who's Back where he brings back an iconic character named Ken Kaniff, who has appeared in several of Marshall's previous work, including records like The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show.
This character was originally voiced by underground rapper, Aristotle, who abandoned the role of "Ken" after he and Eminem had a falling out. Em would go on to play the recurring character in several skits in projects that followed.
"Wait, where'd everybody go? They left me again / Eh / Half a bag of Viagra / I'm gonna reach around and grab you / Bruh"
Somebody Save Me (Feat. Jelly Roll)
(Production Credits: Emile Haynie, Benny Blanco, Luis Resto, and David Ray)
Eminem ends The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) with an emotional track, teaming up with country singer and rapper Jelly Roll to delve into themes of addiction, family, and relationships.
Similar to the song Arose, which closed off Em's 2017 album Revival, this record speaks about how his drug addictions and overdose in 2007 hurt his family and friends. He addresses his daughters, expressing his love, by highlighting how he wishes for them to lead a fulfilling life.
"Right now, I'm just weak / As I fall further down in this deep hole / And farther in the ground that I sink / As they lower me in my coffin, I feel the tears all fallin' down on my cheek" - The final bar on Eminem's verse on 'Somebody Save Me'.
Eminem's The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is an album that perfectly captures Marshall's internal struggles as he battles himself. At various instances on this LP, he claims Slim Shady to be his greatest rival, citing how both versions of himself are constantly fighting for superiority.
Although the album has emotional tracks directed toward the people he loves, a vicious back and forth between Eminem and Slim fuels a majority of this album, as seen on the skits included in the project. The end of this album is more ambiguous as listeners are left wondering whether Slim Shady has finally been put to rest.
That being said, it's evident that Marshall Mather's ability to transcend harsh criticism and the limitations a newer generation of hip-hop placed on him is greater than ever.
