Eminem is an artist who needs no introduction. He is easily one of the most popular rappers of all time, and can probably be considered one of the most popular artists of all time overall. To say his music and overall career have been very polarizing is an understatement. He is the kind of artist that people typically love or hate, with not a lot of in-between. Weirdly, I would say I fall into that in-between category when it comes to fondness for Eminem. I appreciate his witty wordplay and lyricism and I will always respect an artist’s willingness to take sonic risks, but I can not say that I have enjoyed a ton of Eminem’s music. There have been periods in my life(especially when I was younger, due to my mom’s enjoyment of his music) where there are some songs of his that I enjoyed and listened to frequently, but overall, I would say I have never been the biggest Eminem fan. Regardless of your love or hate for him as a whole, anyone can recognize he has had an interesting career full of twists and turns. Eminem’s first three albums, The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, and The Eminem Show are considered by some to be among the best Hip Hop albums of all time. They are praised for their wild and unorthodox sound as well as their witty lyricism and daring concepts. Eminem’s fourth album, Encore, is not quite as beloved as his first three but is still seen as a classic by a lot of his fans. After Encore, however, Eminem’s music certainly took a turn for the worse. Near the end of the 2010s, he released two more albums, Relapse and Recovery, which did spawn some hits but left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths for their mundane and cookie-cutter sounds. After dropping The Marshall Mathers LP 2 in 2013, which some fans would call a return to form(I personally am not into this album, though I can see why people like it), Eminem dropped a bunch of clunkers that have really put a damper on his legacy. Albums like Revival and Kamikaze are considered to be stinkers by a lot of the Rap-loving community; in addition to these albums(as well as the boring as-ever Music To Be Murdered By), Eminem has put out some one-off singles and disses over the years that have not been well received. It has felt like Eminem has turned into an angry old man who can not accept or adapt to how Hip Hop has changed. Instead of trying to go with the flow, he has rejected the sound of the youth, and they have not taken this well. Eminem seemed to be in this angry state with his music, having a hard time figuring out what his fans wanted. It is easy to see through the rollout of his new album, The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce), that this has changed. Eminem has decided to totally lean into what his old fans want, creating a concept album with a very similar feeling to some of his older music. This is a risky idea, as young fans may reject Eminem wanting to do this. It is easy to see that The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce) is supposed to be unapologetically Eminem, for better or for worse. Supposedly, this is Eminem’s last piece of music as the Slim Shady character, as he wants to leave this controversial, outside-the-norm character behind for good. Below, I wanted to write a short list of some of my favorite songs from The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce), then go over some overall thoughts about the album at the end. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this record, and also comment on how you feel about it as a whole. 

RENAISSANCE

Considering the hype and rhetoric around the release of this album, Eminem had to begin The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce) in a brash and in-your-face manner. ‘Renaissance’ is a short yet impactful song that gives Eminem’s biggest fans exactly what they want. If I was a huge fan of his old music, I could imagine this track would get me pretty pumped up. The instrumental for ‘Renaissance’ is very simple and dark. The melody consists of a gloomy piano riff complemented by some Devilish Choir chants and synths that make the song feel sinister. Eminem’s iconic flow and wordplay are as prevalent as ever on this track. Eminem delivers the kind of zany, unorthodox bars that so many people have come to love from him. On ‘Renaissance,’ Eminem calls out rap fans and some of his peers, showing his disdain for the direction the Hip Hop industry has gone. ‘Renaissance’ is a good opener for this album, as it shows Eminem can certainly still excel at the things he has been most revered for. 

EVIL

The opening thought I had when I listened to ‘Evil’ for the first time was “Man, this sounds like old Eminem.” ‘Evil’ is a track that I am positive will hit with all of his biggest fans. The instrumental for ‘Evil’ is pretty interesting, because it is pretty simple and subdued, yet still hits pretty damn hard. This track is aptly named because the piano riff that drives this melody has a very sinister tone. The synths and sound effects that complement this melody certainly add to its morbid and mean sound, giving ‘Evil’ a looming element that is pretty engaging. Eminem delivers a pretty calm yet brash vocal performance on this one. Of course, it is full of the kind of crazy wordplay only Eminem can deliver; the more relaxed way he delivers these lyrics honestly makes the song feel even darker. On ‘Evil,’ Eminem raps as Slim Shady, delivering crude and irreverent bars and describing how much of a headcase he is. ‘Evil’ is a song that non-Eminem fans will probably ridicule, but I can acknowledge the skill Eminem exhibits on this one. 

LUCIFER FEAT. SLY PYPER

‘Lucifer’ has a pretty similar feeling to ‘Evil.’ Like that track, ‘Lucifer’ is a song that immediately reminded me of some of Eminem’s most popular music from the early 2000s. The instrumental for this one is pretty subdued yet apprehensive. It is driven by a foreboding guitar melody that is put on top of a 1990s-esque Boom-Bap beat. The instrumental is completed by recording scratching sounds that come in and out that add to the retro feeling of the track. Eminem delivers one of his signature rap performances on this one. ‘Lucifer’ is full of witty wordplay and bars that will make you scratch your head, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way. I enjoy the hook sung by Sly Pyper a ton on this one; his tone is so smooth and husky, giving the song a level of emphasis that makes it hit harder for me. On ‘Lucifer,’ Eminem raps about how he grapples with his public persona and has a hard time fitting into the mold of what people want or expect in Politically Correct culture. ‘Lucifer’ is another track that could draw the ire of casual Hip Hop fans, but one can not deny the pure rapping talent Eminem displays on it. 

FUEL (FEAT. JID)

‘Fuel’ is the song that feels the most unlike the others on The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce). This is pretty much the only track where Eminem sort of tries to lean into the trends that are big in Trap music today. He particularly leans in the Southern Soulful and Jazzy sound that JID has come to excel at over the years. In fact, in terms of the instrumental, I would say ‘Fuel’ feels more like a JID song than it does an Eminem song. It does have a Boom-Bap Eminem-style beat with a Trap tint and some extreme bass that comes in and out, but the melody certainly has a smoothness to it that I would expect to hear on a JID song. Speaking of JID, he raps his ass off on this one. I would even say that his verse is even better than Eminem’s. Don’t get me wrong, Em does his thing on this one as well. Collectively, this track has my favorite rap performances of the record, as JID and Eminem drive each other in a way that is so cool and inspiring. On ‘Fuel,’ Eminem and JID are rapping about their prominence and status in the rap game as well as their refusal to be silenced. This is the kind of track that makes me wish Eminem would go out of his comfort zone more often because it works so well on ‘Fuel.’

‘HOUDINI’

‘Houdini’ was the lead single from this record which got a lot of Eminem fans very excited about its potential. This song was an indication that The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce) could potentially be a return to form for Eminem. I would imagine you have heard ‘Houdini’ if you are reading this, but if you somehow haven’t this track is an interpolation of one of Eminem’s biggest tracks, ‘Without Me,’ through its lyrical tone and flow. It also interpolates the 1980s Psych-Rock classic ‘Abracadabra’ by The Steve Miller Band. Even if you are not the biggest fan of Eminem’s classic sound, there are things about this song to enjoy. It is hard to deny that the melody and beat are very catchy, and Eminem’s intricate flows and witty wordplay certainly aid in making this track an earworm. On ‘Houdini,’ Eminem refers to his return to the Rap game as a magic act, stating he is here to make one more massive statement and then disappear. ‘Houdini’ does feel like a novelty track, but it is more than solid for what it is. 

‘GUILTY CONSCIENCE 2’

When it was announced that ‘Guilty Conscience 2’ was on this tracklist, Eminem’s biggest fans were understandably very pumped up. ‘Guilty Conscience’ is one of the most popular songs in Eminem’s discography, and a sequel to that iconic track has been wanted for years. I do not think that most fans would expect the sequel track to be like this, though. The original track is a song where Slim Shady tells stories of his music influencing people to commit crimes and be bad people. ‘Guilty Conscience 2,’ however, is a track where Eminem seems to be calling out Slim Shady for all his negative rhetoric and influence, trying to reign him in. One could say that this song is just an excuse for Eminem to say outrageous things under the guise of his alter ego. On the other hand, one could say this is a pretty cool concept where Eminem is acknowledging some of the bad energy that has been associated with his music. Regardless of where you stand in regards to that, one can not deny that this is a well-put-together track with a pretty cool theme and composition. ‘Guilty Conscience 2’ is definitely riveting for what it is. 

‘TEMPORARY’ FEAT. SKYLAR GREY

On an album that is supposed to be a callback to some of Eminem’s biggest hits, there had to be at least one Anthemic Pop track featuring Skylar Grey. This is not close to one of the more exciting or boundary-pushing songs of the album; in fact, I would even say this is one of the most vanilla or cookie-cutter songs on the record. The song is driven by a pretty gloomy and single piano riff that is complemented by some synths that have the tone of an orchestra. There is no beat for ‘Temporary,’ making this downtrodden melody hit all the harder. There are two things about ‘Temporary’ that really work, Eminem’s delivery and lyrical sentiment, and the way Skylar Grey’s delicate vocals contrast Eminem’s and give this song texture. ‘Temporary’ is a love letter from Eminem to his daughter Hailie, with Eminem apologizing to her for some of the turmoil he put her through and trying to console her when she feels down. ‘Temporary’ is riddled with little vocal clips of Eminem and Hailie talking to each other when Hailie was little, adding so much emotion to the track. ‘Temporary’ is the kind of sweet and sentimental song that Eminem can excel at; these kinds of songs are cool as they show a side to his artistry that is not so edgy.

‘SOMEBODY SAVE ME’ FEAT. JELLY ROLL

Eminem closes out The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce) with another sweet and sad track in ‘Somebody.’ This song has a very similar tone to ‘Temporary.’ It honestly just feels slightly hard-hitting. Country infused version of that track. The tone of the melody is very similar to the one on ‘Temporary;’ instead of driven by a piano, though, ‘Somebody’ is driven by a twangy guitar riff. This track also has a pretty understated beat, which does make the song feel a smidge tougher than ‘Temporary.’ Like ‘Temporary, the best thing about ‘Somebody Save Me’ by far is the vocals. ‘Somebody Save Me’ is an apology from Eminem to Hailie; he regrets putting his career and drug use ahead of her over the years. He feels like he was not there for her enough, and wants to reconcile that now. As good as Eminem is on this track, Jelly Roll stands out. His vocal performance is rangy, powerful, and emotional; he adds so much life to this track and makes its sentiment stick. ‘Somebody Save Me’ has a very climatic sound to it, making it a good way to send this record off. 

As one would probably expect, the reception of The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce) has been pretty polarizing. A lot of Eminem fans seem to really love it, whereas a lot of younger music fans who are not into it seem to despise it. Considering Eminem was trying to lean into his old music and overall persona on The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce), that makes sense. If you just dislike Eminem’s classic flows, vocal styles, and instrumentals, there probably is not a ton for you to enjoy on this one. If you are an Eminem stan, however, this album is full of tracks that are for you. I do think this album is alright for what it is, but my biggest gripes do not have anything to do with Eminem’s old-school sound. There are two things that kind of push me away from this album. For one, it feels pretty sonically disjointed. For a concept album that is supposed to tell a story about the vanquishing of Slim Shady, its sound is kind of all over the place. I would have expected the transitions to be better, and for there to be more of a sonic theme. There are points in the album where this is the case, but it seems to go off the rails towards the end of the album. The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce) could have been so much better with a bit more connectivity between the individual tracks. The other major thing about this record I am not into is Eminem’s insistence on being overly edgy. I sort of mentioned this in a few of the song reviews, but at times it feels like Eminem is using Slim Shady to say mean things that he wants to say himself but thinks will get him canceled. I have no problem with someone having crazy opinions, but it is easier to accept what someone is saying when they say it with their chest. Overall, The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce) has plenty of bright spots that show Eminem still has it. His talent is certainly still at the forefront. For what it is worth, this guy can still out-rap most of his peers. I just feel like especially with the hype around this album, it could have been so much more. The Death of Slim Shady(Coup de Grãce) is an exhibition of talent by an aging rapper who almost returns to form and hits the mark, but falls short in a few significant manners.

5.99/10