Eminem has dropped his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce).
The album marks a significant chapter in the rapper’s career as it symbolises the final goodbye to his infamous alter ego, Slim Shady. The album features a 19-song tracklist that includes a mix of new tracks and callbacks to his early career.
One of the notable tracks, “Guilty Conscience 2”, serves as a sequel to Eminem’s 1999 hit “Guilty Conscience” from The Slim Shady LP. The album also includes a skit titled “Guess Who’s Back”, among other interlude-like tracks, which adds a narrative depth to the project.
Notably, the album does not list many featured artists except for the lead single “Tobey”, which includes appearances by Detroit rappers Big Sean and BabyTron.
The thematic journey of the album is structured into three acts, starting with songs like “Renaissance”, “Habits”, and “Trouble”, and moving through darker themes with tracks such as “Lucifer” and “Antichrist”. The final act delves into horror-film territory, highlighted by the gruesome music video for “Tobey”, where Eminem is seen dismembering Slim Shady with a chainsaw.
Eminem’s promotional tactics have included publishing a faux obituary for Slim Shady in the Detroit Free Press, emphasising the end of this character’s “complex and tortured existence.”
“His 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,” the obituary read.
Love Hip Hop?
Get the latest Hip Hop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
“A product of Detroit who began his career there as a rogue splinter in the flourishing underground rap scene of the mid to late 1990s, Shady first became a household name in 1999 with the debut of his playfully deranged single ‘My Name Is’, which — along with its uniquely eye catching video — exposed the young artist and his lyrics to a wider audience,” it continued. “Ultimately, the very things that seemed to be the tools he used became calling cards that defined an existence that could only come to a sudden and horrific end.”
“May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth,” it concluded.
Eminem released a music video for “Tobey” earlier this week, which starts insignificant but becomes quite the spectacle (watch above).
Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is out now.
