Eminem’s Bold New Chapter: Everything You Need to Know About ‘The Death of Slim Shady’ album

Shady’s back, back again. Eminem is in album mode, and his highly anticipated album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), is slated to arrive this summer. This marks a bold new chapter for the Detroit icon, who has been teasing fans with cryptic hints and easter eggs about the project, keeping many details under wraps, including possible features and a concrete release date.

Eminem officially announced the album following his appearance at the NFL Draft in April, where he showed support for his hometown team, the Detroit Lions. The announcement came in a unique form—a mock episode of Unsolved Mysteries featuring Eminem himself, depicting his demise in a quest to uncover “who killed Slim Shady.”

This album will be Eminem’s 12th studio release and his first since 2020’s Music to Be Murdered By, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, securing Eminem his historic 10th consecutive chart-topping album. Known for his element of surprise, Eminem previously dropped his 2018 album Kamikaze without any prior warning, which also soared to the top of the charts.

Fittingly, Dr. Dre was the first to hint at the new project during his first late-night TV appearance in 30 years back in March, revealing that Eminem had an album ready. Since then, Eminem has been laying low on the music front, making the anticipation for his lead single, if there is one, even more intense.

As summer 2024 approaches, fans eagerly await the release of The Death of Slim Shady. The album’s motif appears to revolve around the events leading to the demise of Eminem’s infamous alter-ego, Slim Shady. The announcement teaser, The Detroit Murder Files, features 50 Cent and is soundtracked by Eminem’s 1999 hit single “My Name Is,” produced by Dr. Dre. The song, which won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance and peaked at No. 36 on the Hot 100, sets a fittingly nostalgic tone.

Adding to the intrigue, Eminem ran a fake obituary in the Detroit Free Press on May 13, bidding farewell to the “controversial rapper” known as Slim Shady. The obituary, headlined “Slim Shady Made Lasting Impressions” with a subhead “Fans ‘Will Never Forget’ Controversial Rapper,” included a photo of Eminem in a Jason Voorhees hockey mask. This move sparked fan theories about the possible lead single titled “Will Never Forget.”

“I bet ‘Will Never Forget’ it’s a single (or sth related to the album, maybe the real name),” speculated one fan on X. An Eminem Brazil fan account added: “Let the theories begin. Will ‘Will Never Forget’ be the first single off TDOSS?”

The obituary paints a vivid picture of Slim Shady’s impact and legacy: “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. 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. May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth.”

As Eminem gears up for the release of The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), the anticipation and excitement continue to build. Shady’s back, and fans are ready for whatever surprises he has in store.