Eminem is teasing his 12th album, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce),” which will be released this summer, with the debut of its first single, “Houdini.”
In the chorus, Eminem alludes to the Megan Thee Stallion shooting incident. He raps, “If I was to ask for Megan Thee Stallion if she would collab with me, would I really have a shot at a feat? I don’t know, but I’m glad to be back.”
“Houdini” echoes the style of Eminem’s 2002 hit “Without Me,” beginning with the catchy rhymes, “Guess who’s back, back again / Shady’s back, tell a friend.” Produced by Eminem and his frequent collaborator Luis Resto, the song samples Steve Miller Band’s “Abracadabra.”
Earlier this week, Eminem released an Instagram Reel with magician David Blaine to announce “Houdini” as the first single. “For my last trick, I’m going to make my career disappear,” he told Blaine.
The song starts with a voicemail from his manager Paul Rosenberg saying, “Hey Em, it’s Paul. I was listening to the album… Good luck, you’re on your own.”
True to his style, Eminem stirs controversy with references to transgender individuals, RuPaul, and even his own children. He raps, “Cancel me, what? Okay, that’s it, go ahead Paul, quit / Snake ass prick, you male crossdresser, fake ass bitch / And I’ll probably get shit for that (watch) / But you can all suck my dick, in fact, fuck them / Fuck Dre, fuck Jimmy, fuck me, fuck you / Fuck my own kids, they’re brats (fuck ’em) / They can screw off, them and you all (yeah) / You too, Paul, got two balls, big as RuPaul’s.”
The music video for “Houdini” pays direct homage to “Without Me,” featuring a portal back to 2002. The comic strip-style video includes appearances from 50 Cent, Pete Davidson, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Alchemist. It showcases two versions of Eminem—one from 2002 and one from the present day—rapping along to the new track.
Since it was announced last month, little information has been available about The Death of Slim Shady. In March, Dr. Dre mentioned on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that Eminem was working on new material and had contributed to several tracks.
He also shared that he was scheduled to hear the album for the first time the day after his TV appearance. During the NFL Draft in April, Eminem announced the album with a Detroit Murder Files crime show teaser, hinting at the end of his alter ego, Slim Shady. He even ran a fake obituary in the Detroit Free Press bidding farewell to Slim Shady.