Some jokes write themselves; others come true in ways they weren’t intended by virtue of oblivion.
Fixated on being the center of attention even half a century into his life, Eminem’s insecurities about his place in Hip Hop have resurfaced following back-to-back-to-back albums with little to no cultural impact. In an effort to generate a buzz on the same wavelength as The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), he has once again put together a project alluding to his younger self. Reaching even further back for glory, however, only illustrates how little the Detroit rap legend has to offer as the person he claims to have evolved into.
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A purported concept album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is in fact a disjointed and incoherent clump of non-sequiturs, loosely held together by infantile wordplay, forced goading and desperate attempts at one final hurrah in celebration of a past that seems suspiciously indistinguishable from the present.
Though the 19-cut package is centered on what is widely accepted as the MC’s alter ego, it is important to note that the lines between Slim Shady, Eminem and Marshall Mathers have always been blurry regardless of what Reddit may otherwise point to. The fact that he released “The Real Slim Shady” as Eminem on The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) is a testament to that.
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Considering he pioneered incel rap long before Childish Gambino decided to use the internet to his advantage, it was in his best interest to preface his latest full-length release with a distinction between who he is in real life and the person immortalized on platinum albums trivializing sexual assault, violence against women and resentment toward queer folk.
At 51 years of age, Eminem is back to pushing as many buttons as his fingers permit as he embarks on what is arguably one of the most washed and unoriginal quests of the contemporary entertainment circuit: multi-millionaires trying to prove that they can’t be “canceled” despite never having come even close to having their hands tied.
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With that in mind, he almost seems desperate to stir the pot while trying his hardest to emulate Dave Chappelle and South Park instead of formulating enticing art. There really isn’t much else to the aforementioned “concept,” which essentially comes across as an excuse for him to air out his frustrations at accountability, cloaking them as closure for a bygone era.
From early in the tracklist, Em begins poking fun at (and complaining about) political correctness, feminists, the #MeToo movement, pronouns and Gen-Z while foisting it all off as the deranged antics of Slim Shady. His obsession with the late Christopher Reeve’s disability and Caitlyn Jenner’s gender transition throughout the LP adds to a long list of celebrity references made in poor taste, such as downplaying Megan The Stallion being shot by Tory Lanez on “Houdini” or promising to hurt his critics like Diddy did Cassie on “Antichrist.”
Notwithstanding this façade of defiance, it’s amusing that the self-proclaimed Rap God lacks the courage of his convictions as the words he spits belie the quirky character he’s trying so hard to play. When it comes to what others think of him, he is quite evidently just as sensitive as the marginalized groups he belittles on the project. This has been clear ever since Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt upset him by simply stating that they didn’t enjoy the second phase of his career.
In that spirit, Eminem repeatedly feels the need to spoon-feed the implications of his lyrics to clarify where he’s coming from. Scattered between the countless provocations are explanations designed to make dim people feel smart and slow ones feel quick-witted as he seems to be under the impression that his childish bars might fly over his listeners’ heads.
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On “Evil,” for example, he refers to “the good kind of gay” as “two men who fuck each other” in an attempt to invigorate the age-old defense that using the word “gay” negatively doesn’t necessarily refer to homosexuals. A few tracks later, on “Fuel,” he acts on his decades-old urge to make light of rape while literally spelling out how clever he thinks he is: “I’m like an R-A-P-E-R, got so many SAs [sexual assaults]/ Wait, he didn’t just spell the word ‘rapper’ and leave out a P, did he [P. Diddy]?” Likewise, on the “Breaking News” skit, a reporter states: “Eminem, in a stunning move, is releasing an album in which he is actually trying to cancel himself.”
These not-so-subtle ploys establish a stipulation of sorts that allows him to go into great detail on “Road Rage” about why he takes issue with obese and transgender people, while playing it off as a bit. However, lines such as “Call me a transphobe ’cause I just can’t cope” and “I gotta participate for us to co-exist?” sound too sincere given the turbulence of sociopolitical discourse today. To that point, the fragility of his ego is most apparent on “Lucifer,” on which he raps: “When you reach these heights, freedom of speech dies/ With every line that I recite, them PC police try to throw me in jail with no bail.”
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In crossing the line over and over again, Eminem makes it clear that he’s still mindful of the endless controversies attached to his name as he flirts with words, terms and sentiments that could potentially get him blackballed. Even though audacity is central to the album, he only works it into his songs per the convenience of his brand. If he were to honestly bring up the off-limit words he’s previously used in this seemingly relentless pursuit of humor, surely he would’ve at least made reference to the first letter of every slur he’s used over his 20-plus years in the music business, rather than just R and F.
It turns out Slim Shady is PR trained when it comes to being non-PC.
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Eminem’s 12th studio album contains some of his best beat selections since the long-drawn-out slump that began with Revival back in 2017. Even then, the nostalgia evoked by the menacing “Guilty Conscience 2” or the bouncy rappity-rap of “Brand New Dance” fails to pair well with the ill-fitting introspection of “Temporary” or a standout guest verse from JID.
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is severely lacking in lyrical finesse because the person in charge seems to have a skewed idea of authoritarianism. Instead of mocking those atop the social structure, he has chosen to target those at the bottom of it. The musical equivalent of comedians who do Donald Trump impressions, Eminem’s excruciating lack of self-awareness has made him proud of picking low-hanging fruit without realizing it’s all he can reach since he stopped growing years ago.
This red-pilled extravaganza, unfortunately, will only encourage the likes of Tom MacDonald and Ben Shapiro to keep rapping, while the larger Hip Hop community moves on to bigger and better things.
RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2024
RECORD LABEL: Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
Listen to The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) below:
