Eminem currently preparing for his 12th studio release, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), and teased the “end” of Slim Shady's shock lyrical persona a while back. On new track 'Houdini', the Detroit wordsmith harks back to his earlier days with a familiar bop, but sparked criticism for Megan Thee Stallion the butt of one of his jokes in rhyming form.
The track “Houdini,” produced by Eminem and longtime collaborator Luis Resto, takes its cues from the Steve Miller Band's hit “Abracadabra” along with Slim's tracks “Without Me,” “My Name Is” and ” Just Lose It”.
Partway through the first verse of the track, Megan Thee Stallion has her name with Em connecting the incident to her shooting using a layered simile as she is known to do.
From “Houdini”:
And I don't have to play pretend, I make you believe
And you know I'm here to stay because me
If I ever got time off, it would be aspirin to break the fever
If I asked Megan Thee Stallion if she would work with me
Would I really have a chance at a feat? (Ha!)
It's obvious where Em was going with the end of the line, referring to the Houston rapper's leg injury after being shot by Tory Lanez in 2020 after a star-studded party. The line was not lost on the Hotties and other observers who felt the bashing at the expense of a black woman's pain was excessive.
Eminem, in his Slim Shady persona, has never spared anyone his personal work when it comes to his rhyme schemes and this time is no different. However, Megan Thee Stallion is one of the most beloved stars of her era so the reaction to the verse was hot.
We've got reactions from X, formerly of Twitter, below.
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Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty
