Eminem will release his 12th full-length album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace), this summer. The rapper announced the LP in a short trailer on social media, which he dropped after appearing at the first round of the NFL Draft in Detroit last night.
The clip shows a crime reporter discussing the death of Eminem’s alter ego, Slim Shady, which he debuted on 1997’s Slim Shady EP and resurfaced on 1999’s The Slim Shady LP. “Through his complex and oft-criticized, tongue-twisting rhymes, the anti-hero known as Slim Shady has had no shortage of enemies,” the reporter intones.
Eminem’s longtime collaborator 50 Cent then makes a cameo. “He’s not a friend, he’s a psychopath,” 50 Cent explains before the reporter adds, “The same rude lyrics and controversial antics may have ultimately led to his demise. Join me as we recreate the events that led to the murder of Slim Shady.” Eminem himself shows up at the end of the trailer, noting, “I knew it was only a matter of time for Slim.”
Eminem’s last LP, Music to Be Murdered By, arrived in January of 2020. The rapper confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace) will be released this summer, but did not give a specific date.
Earlier this month, Eminem teased a possible new album with an elaborate trailer on April Fool’s Day. In that clip, he announced an LP titled Infinite 2, which turned out to be a joke. Another possible hint of a new album came from Dr. Dre, who recently told Jimmy Kimmel, “Eminem is working on his own album, which is coming out this year. I actually talked to him and he said it was okay for me to make that announcement right here on this show. So he has an album coming out, I’ve got songs on it and it’s fire.”
A rep for Eminem confirmed to Rolling Stone that The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace) is genuine and not a belated continuation of the rapper’s April Fool’s joke.
