Eminem is giving his fans the first taste of his upcoming 12th album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce),” dropping this summer, with the release of its first single “Houdini.”
The song begins with a classic Eminem trope, enlisting his longtime manager Paul Rosenberg to share his distaste of the album that’s to come. “Hey Em, it’s Paul. I was listening to the album… Good fucking luck, you’re on your own,” says Rosenberg.
“Houdini” is somewhat of a callback to his 2002 single “Without Me,” beginning with the singsong rhymes, “Guess who’s back, back again / Shady’s back, tell a friend.” The song, produced by Eminem and his longtime collaborator Luis Resto, cites Steve Miller Band’s “Abracadabra” on the chorus, and references Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting incident on one of the lines. “If I was to ask for Megan Thee Stallion if she would collab with me / Would I really have a shot at a feat? I don’t know, but I’m glad to be, back,” he raps.
In classic Eminem form, he stokes controversial flames, referencing transgender individuals, RuPaul and referring to his own children as “brats.” “Cancel me, what? Okay, that’s it, go ahead Paul, quit / Snake ass prick, you male cross dresser, fake ass bitch / And I’ll probably get shit for that (watch) / But you can all suck my dick, in fact, fuck them/ Fuck Dre, fuck Jimmy, fuck me, fuck you / Fuck my own kids, they’re brats (fuck ’em) / They can screw off, them and you all (yeah) / You too, Paul, got two balls, big as RuPaul’s.”
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The music video for the song is a direct homage to “Without Me,” as Eminem steps into a portal back to the year when the song came out. The clip, shot in a comic strip style like the video for “Without Me,” features guest appearances from 50 Cent, Pete Davidson, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Alchemist, among many others, and sees two Eminems — one from 2002 and another from the current day —rapping along to “Houdini.”
Details surrounding “The Death of Slim Shady” have been relatively scarce since he announced the album last month. In March, his longtime collaborator Dr. Dre went on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and revealed that Em was working on a new project, and that he worked on several songs slated for inclusion on it. He also said that he was scheduled to hear the album for the first time the day after the appearance on TV.
During the NFL Draft in April, Eminem announced “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)” with a Detroit Murder Files crime show teaser, suggesting that the project would signal the demise of his longtime alter ego. A few weeks ago, he ran a fake obituary in the Detroit Free Press bidding adieu to Slim Shady.
Earlier this week, he released an Instagram Reel with magician David Blaine where he announced “Houdini” as the first single. “For my last trick, I’m going to make my career disappear,”he told Blaine.
