The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)
Studio album by Eminem
Released	July 12, 2024 (2024-07-12)
Recorded	2004 March 2020 – April 2024
Genre	Hip hop
Length	64:28
Label	Shady Aftermath Interscope
Producer	Cole Bennett Benny Blanco Callus Car!ton Don Cannon Cubeatz Daniyel Dem Jointz Dr. Dre Emile Eminem Fredwreck Marvy Ayy Carlton McDowell John Nocito Mr. Porter Luis Resto White Gold
Eminem chronology
Curtain Call 2 (2022) The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024)
Singles from The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)
"Houdini" Released: May 31, 2024 "Tobey" Released: July 2, 2024

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is the twelfth studio album by the American rapper Eminem. It was released on July 12, 2024, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album was produced by Eminem, alongside Dem Jointz, Fredwreck, Cubeatz, Cole Bennett, and frequent collaborators Dr. Dre and Luis Resto, among others. It features collaborations with White Gold, Sly Pyper, JID, Dem Jointz, Ez Mil, Bizarre, Skylar Grey, Big Sean, BabyTron, and Jelly Roll.

Background

Eminem referenced his alter ego, Slim Shady, in several of his breakout hit songs like "My Name Is" (1999) and "The Real Slim Shady" (2000). The image of Slim Shady is synonymous with how Eminem appeared as a young man on stage and in videos, including his bleached blonde hair. The provocative persona was described by Time in 2002 as a "nightmare projection" and "raging fantasy id".

On March 19, 2024, long-time producer and collaborator Dr. Dre revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that Eminem was working on his next studio album and that it would be releasing in 2024. On April 26, during the 2024 NFL draft event in his hometown Detroit, he shared a video in the style of real crime show Unsolved Mysteries that poses the question "who killed Slim Shady?". A reporter dressed in a trenchcoat lists the enemies Shady has made over the years, with rapper 50 Cent commenting on the persona. The teaser also incorporated clips of "My Name Is", "The Real Slim Shady", and "Without Me" (2002). The album and tentative release date were announced at the end of the 56-second long video, along with the opportunity to pre-save the record.

A fake obituary for Slim Shady appeared in the May 13 issue of the Detroit Free Press newspaper as promotion for the album. Eminem is pictured in overalls and a hockey mask as his Slim Shady persona, while the obituary reads, "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. 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."

On May 21, 2024, Eminem made a cryptic post to his social media, containing a video with an iMessage chat addressed to "All Contacts" with the message "...and for my last trick!" Eminem changed his social media profile pictures to match the rabbit-in-a-top-hat emoji used in the post. Following the post, fans took to social media to express their concerns and theories about Eminem's potential retirement.

On July 9, 2024, Eminem revealed the album cover on his social media pages before releasing the album 3 days later.

Singles

On May 28, 2024, Eminem posted a joint video with magician David Blaine. The video shows a FaceTime between Eminem and Blaine, with the former asking for help and a magic trick to which the latter responds by eating a glass of wine. He then previews the track "Houdini" by playing a short instrumental snippet. At the end of the clip, the song title and release date are revealed. It was released on May 31, 2024, as the lead single, along with an accompanying music video. The single was a commercial success, reaching the number one spot in twelve countries and on the Global 200.

On June 28, 2024, Eminem posted a teaser for the album's second single, titled "Tobey", a collaboration with fellow American rappers Big Sean and BabyTron. The short black-and-white clip depicted Eminem wearing a Jason mask and wielding a chainsaw while standing next to the featured artists, with an instrumental snippet playing in the background. The song was released on July 2. A Lyrical Lemonade music video for the track was released on July 8, following a 3-day delay due to unfinished production. On July 11, 2024, Eminem posted a "public service announcement" on Twitter that the album is "conceptual", and advised fans to listen to the songs in order.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	5.3/10
Metacritic	50/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	5/10
The Daily Telegraph
Financial Times
The Guardian
HipHopDX	1.3/5
The Independent
Louder
Sputnikmusic	3.7/5

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) received "mixed or average reviews" based on a weighted average score of 50 out of 100 from 7 critic scores. Detroit Free Press gave the album a positive review by saying "The production is tight, the wordplay dependably clever, the vocal flow confident and versatile." At the same time adding that the album is in the same league as his previous albums, The Eminem Show, and Encore the latter being literally as the track "Brand New Dance" was largely recorded in 2004. Complex stated that the album was "just vintage Slim Shady shit". Billboard stated that the best track on the album was "Somebody Save Me", calling it a "teary-eyed end to the Slim Shady journey".

Clash stated that "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace) doesn't quite feel like an ending, but neither does it feel like a continuation", and later stated that it features some of Eminem's best rapping in decades. Meanwhile, The Independent gave the album two out of five stars, stating that "if [it] was conceived to let Mathers have his cake and eat it – to indulge his earlier, purposefully offensive wordplay under the guise of struggling against the Shady persona within – the reality is the worst of both worlds." Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Neil McCormick described the album as "funny, shocking, contradictory, utterly outrageous, offensive, sentimental, clever, dumb and occasionally even (whisper it) wise".

Track listing

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Renaissance"	Marshall Mathers III Luis Resto	Eminem Resto[a]	1:38
2.	"Habits" (with White Gold)	Mathers Resto Bobby Yewah L. Kråkm	White Gold Eminem[a] Narza[b]	4:58
3.	"Trouble"	Mathers Farid Nassar Dwayne Abernathy Jr.	Fredwreck Dem Jointz	0:42
4.	"Brand New Dance"	Mathers Resto	Eminem Resto[a]	3:27
5.	"Evil"	Mathers Resto Donald Cannon Tim Gomringer Kevin Gomringer	Don Cannon Cubeatz Eminem[a]	3:50
6.	"All You Got" (skit)	Mathers Resto	Eminem	0:24
7.	"Lucifer" (with Sly Pyper)	Mathers Andre Young Thomas Cheval Resto Sly Jordan Andres Holten Hans van Hemert	Dr. Dre Callus Eminem[a]	4:22
8.	"Antichrist" (with Bizarre)	Mathers Resto Shane Webb Rufus Johnson	Eminem Resto[a] Foulmouth[b]	5:14
9.	"Fuel" (with JID)	Mathers Resto Denaun Porter Harrison Le Mon Bey Thomas Forbes Destin Route	Mr. Porter Eminem[b]	3:34
10.	"Road Rage" (with Dem Jointz and Sly Pyper)	Mathers Resto Young Abernathy S. Jordan Byron Thomas Terius Gray	Dem Jointz Dr. Dre Eminem[b]	3:38
11.	"Houdini"	Mathers Resto Steve Miller Jeff Bass Kevin Bell Anne Dudley Trevor Horn Malcolm McLaren	Eminem Resto[b]	3:47
12.	"Breaking News" (skit)	Mathers Resto	Eminem	0:37
13.	"Guilty Conscience 2"	Mathers Resto Nassar Abernathy	Fredwreck Dem Jointz Eminem	5:26
14.	"Head Honcho" (with Ez Mil)	Mathers Resto Ezekiel Miller Jameil Aossey	Eminem Ez Mil[b] Aossey[b] Resto[b]	3:55
15.	"Temporary" (with Skylar Grey)	Mathers Resto Holly Hafermann	Skylar Grey Eminem[a]	4:58
16.	"Bad One" (with White Gold)	Mathers Resto Yewah	Eminem Resto[b]	4:30
17.	"Tobey" (featuring BabyTron and Big Sean)	Mathers Resto Sean Anderson James Johnson IV Cole Bennett Daniyel Weissmann John Nocito Carlton McDowell Marvin Jordan Julian Harris Tom Kahre	Daniyel Bennett McDowell Nocito Car!ton Marvy Ayy Eminem[b]	4:45
18.	"Guess Who's Back" (skit)	Mathers	Eminem	1:03
19.	"Somebody Save Me" (with Jelly Roll)	Mathers Resto Emile Haynie Benjamin Levin David Ray Stevens Jason DeFord	Benny Blanco Emile Eminem[b]	3:50
Total length:				64:28

Digital download pre-order bonus track 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"Kyrie & Luka" (with 2 Chainz)	Mathers Tauheed Epps Christopher Martin	DJ Premier	4:13
Total length:				68:41

Digital download pre-order bonus track 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"Like My Shit"	Mathers David Doman	Eminem D.A. Got That Dope	3:49
Total length:				68:17

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer

Sample credits

• "Habits" contains excerpts from the South Park episode "Safe Space".
• "Lucifer" contains a sample from "Land of Milk and Honey", written by Andres Holten and Hans van Hemert and performed by Mouth and MacNeal.
• "Road Rage" contains interpolations from "Ha" written by Terius Gray and Byron Thomas and performed by Juvenile.
• "Houdini" contains a sample from "Abracadabra", written by Steve Miller, as performed by the Steve Miller Band, and an interpolation from "Without Me", written by Jeff Bass, Kevin Bell, Anne Dudley, Trevor Horn, Marshall Mathers, and Malcolm McLaren and performed by Eminem
• "Somebody Save Me" contains a sample from "Save Me", written by David Ray Stevens and Jason DeFord and performed by Jelly Roll.

Personnel

Musicians

• Eminem – vocals
• Luis Resto – keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 4–13, 15–17, 19)
• Sly Pyper – additional vocals (track 2)
• Dem Jointz – guitar, keyboards (track 3)
• Steve King – guitar (track 4)
• Curt Chambers – bass, guitar (track 7)
• R Palmer – spoken word (track 7)
• Bizarre – additional vocals (track 8)
• Traci Nelson – additional vocals (track 8)
• Teeba – bass (track 9)
• JRGotTheHits – drums (track 9)
• Cocoa Sarai – additional vocals (track 10)
• David "Preach" Balfour – keyboards (track 10)
• Steve Miller – additional vocals (track 11)
• Devin Scillian – newsreader (12)
• Kimberly Gill – newsreader (12)

Technical

• Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering (tracks 1–)
• Mike Strange – mixing (1–6, 8, 9, 12–17), engineering (all tracks)
• Steve King – mixing (track 4)
• Dr. Dre – mixing (tracks 7, 10, 11)
• Tony Campana – engineering
• Dem Jointz – engineering (track 3)
• Don Cannon – engineering (track 5)
• Quentin "Q" Gilkey – engineering (tracks 7, 11)
• Fredwreck – engineering (tracks 7, 11)
• Lola Romero – engineering (tracks 7, 11)
• James Johnson – engineering (track 17)
• Milan Becker – engineering (track 17)
• Tom Kahre – engineering (track 17)
• Jeffery "Champ" Massey – engineering assistance (tracks 7, 11)
• Jeremy Zumo Kollie – engineering assistance (tracks 7, 11)
• Vic Luevanos – engineering assistance (tracks 7, 11)