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	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. Production was primarily handled by Eminem himself, alongside Dem Jointz, Fredwreck, Cubeatz, Cole Bennett, and frequent collaborators Dr. Dre and Luis Resto, among others.

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", "Without Me" (2002) and "The Real Slim Shady". 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.

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" (featuring White Gold)	Mathers Resto Bobby Yewah L. Kråkm	White Gold Eminem[a] Narza[b]	4:58
3.	"Trouble"	Mathers Dwayne Abernathy Jr. Farid Nassar	Dem Jointz Fredwreck	0:42
4.	"Brand New Dance"	Mathers Resto	Eminem Resto[a]	3:27
5.	"Evil"	Mathers Resto Donald Cannon Kevin Gomringer Tim Gomringer	Don Cannon Cubeatz Eminem[a]	3:50
6.	"All You Got" (skit)	Mathers Resto	Eminem	0:24
7.	"Lucifer" (featuring Sly Pyper)	Mathers Resto Andre Young Thomas Cheval Sly Jordan Andres Holten Hans van Hemert	Dr. Dre Callus Eminem[a]	4:22
8.	"Antichrist"	Mathers Rufus Johnson Resto Shane Webb	Eminem Resto[a] Foulmouth[b]	5:14
9.	"Fuel" (featuring JID)	Mathers Harrison Le Mon Bey Thomas Forbes Resto Denaun Porter Destin Route	Mr. Porter Eminem[b]	3:34
10.	"Road Rage" (featuring Dem Jointz & Sly Pyper)	Mathers Resto Young Abernathy Jordan Byron Thomas Terius Gray	Dr. Dre Dem Jointz Eminem[b]	3:38
11.	"Houdini"	Mathers Jeff Bass Kevin Bell Malcolm McLaren Anne Dudley Trevor Horn Steve Miller	Eminem Resto[b]	3:47
12.	"Breaking News" (skit)	Mathers Resto	Eminem	0:37
13.	"Guilty Conscience 2"	Mathers Resto Abernathy Nassar	Eminem Dem Jointz Fredwreck	5:26
14.	"Head Honcho" (featuring Ez Mil)	Mathers Jameil Aossey Ezekiel Miller Resto	Eminem Ez Mil[b] Aossey[b] Resto[b]	3:55
15.	"Temporary" (featuring Skylar Grey)	Mathers Resto Holly Hafermann	Skylar Grey Eminem[a]	4:58
16.	"Bad One" (featuring White Gold)	Mathers Yewah Resto	Eminem Resto[b]	4:30
17.	"Tobey" (featuring Big Sean and BabyTron)	Mathers Sean Anderson James Johnson Resto Julian Harris Cole Bennett Carlton McDowell John Nocito Daniyel Weissmann Marvin Jordan	Bennett McDowell Nocito Daniyel Marvy Ayy Car!ton Eminem[b]	4:45
18.	"Guess Who's Back" (skit)	Mathers	Eminem	1:03
19.	"Somebody Save Me"	Mathers Resto Benjamin Levin Emile Haynie David Ray Stevens	Benny Blanco Emile Eminem[b]	3:50
Total length:				64:28

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 interpolations from "Without Me", written by Marshall Mathers, Jeff Bass, Kevin Bell, Malcolm McLaren, Trevor Horn, and Anne Dudley and performed by Eminem, and a sample from "Abracadabra", written by Steve Miller, as performed by the Steve Miller Band.
• "Somebody Save Me" contains a sample from "Save Me", written by David Ray Stevens and Jason DeFord and performed by Jelly Roll.

Bonus Track listing

Two digital download albums were released for preorder, each for one week featuring alternative artwork and one bonus track. Exclusive to artists website.

Bonus Track #1 track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
20.	"Kyrie & Luka" (Featuring 2 Chainz)	Marshall Mathers III
Total length:			4:13

Bonus Track #2 track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
20.	"Like My Shit"	Marshall Mathers III
Total length:			3:49

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)

Reception

Upon release reviews of the album were mixed, Melissa Ruggierri from USA Today called the album a "death blow" to Eminem's alter ego. Later in the review she stated that the album "reveals the horrors and heartbreaks of Slim Shady in sequence, and even though it isn’t the smoothest ride, it’s one you’ll want to experience frequently to fully understand." Billboard stated that the best track on the album was "Somebody Save Me", citing it as a "teary-eyed end to the Slim Shady journey" Rollingstone Magazine gave the album a positive review by stating "Once again, the rap legend proves not only his unparalleled lyrical prowess, but also his ability to craft collaborations that blend seasoned artists and emerging talents, each adding their unique touch to the themes of personal growth, introspection, and artistic evolution."

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 this album was created so "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."