Eminem’s Slim Shady, may you finally rest in peace.
Eminem’s twisted rap alter ego, which has been a part of his career since his 1997 Slim Shady and 1999 The Slim Shady LPs, was included in a fake obituary that was published in the Detroit Free Press on Monday, May 13, according to Complex. The obituary declared him passed before the release of his twelfth studio album, The loss of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), which is scheduled to take place this summer.
The headline of the obituary says, “Slim Shady Made Lasting Impressions,” while the subtitle of the obituary indicates that “fans will never forget controversial rapper.”
“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,” the piece eulogized. “My Name Is” was initially released in 1999.
The following is an excerpt from the obituary: “In the end, the very things that appeared to be the instruments that he utilized became calling cards that defined an existence that could only come to an abrupt and horrifying conclusion.” The complicated and torturous life that he led has come to an end, and the legacy that he leaves behind is no closer to being resolved than the way in which this guy left this world.
The last sentence of the document reads, “May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth.”
The launch of the theatrical obituary comes only a few weeks after Eminem made the announcement of his new album, which he revealed on April 25 with an Instagram teaser that was shown soon before his presence in the 2024 NFL Draft in his hometown of Detroit. The project is the 15-time Grammy winner’s first full-length album since the release of Music to Be Murdered By in 2020, which he released as a surprise in January of that year.
A true crime reporter makes the announcement that “the blond anti-hero” Slim Shady has passed away via “his complex and oft-criticized, tongue-twisting rhymes.” The footage, which is included as part of the fake Detroit Murder Files, begins with the announcement that Slim Shady has had “no shortage of enemies.”
Immediately after that, 50 Cent, who has been Eminem’s longstanding buddy and colleague, makes a surprise appearance and declares that Slim Shady is, in reality, “not a friend, he’s a psychopath.”
In addition, the article argues that Eminem’s character may have been eventually responsible for his downfall due to the same offensive songs and provocative behaviors. In this reenactment of the sequence of events that led to Slim Shady’s loss, I invite you to join me.
At the very end, Eminem makes a brief cameo to reveal that he was aware that the demise of his alter ego was always going to be predetermined. In his declaration, he asserts that “it was only a matter of time for Slim.”
There is still a lack of information on Eminem’s album titled “The Loss of Slim Shady.” On the other hand, Dr. Dre, the mentor of the Recovery rapper and father of three, made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in March to drop a few hints about the next album. According to the producer, who is also credited with producing the next project, “Eminem is currently working on his own album, which is scheduled to be released this year.”
According to him, “He told me that it was fine for me to make an announcement right here on the show,” he said. Tomorrow is the day when I will really be able to purchase the complete album for the very first time… The fact that he is going to release an album in 2024 is something that I am going to hear, even though I haven’t even heard anything that I’ve done that is finished.