Here’s Everything We Know About Eminem’s ‘The Death of Slim Shady’ Album

Eminem is looking to heat up the summertime. He hasn’t put a specific release date out just yet, but Slim revealed that the album’s arriving for “summer 2024.” Em has often leaned into the Slim Shady alter-ego, while this album’s motif appears to be surrounding the events that led to his demise.

The Detroit Murder Files crime show teaser accompanied Eminem’s release date announcement and 50 Cent even makes an appearance. “He’s a pyschopath,” 50 says in the clip. Em’s 1999 “My Name Is” single also provides the soundtrack. The Dr. Dre-produced anthem won best rap solo performance honors at the Grammy Awards and peaked at No. 36 on the Hot 100.

Eminem ran a fake obituary in the Detroit Free Press earlier this month (May 13) where he bids farewell to the “controversial rapper” known as Slim Shady.

“Slim Shady Made Lasting Impressions” the DFP headline reads with the subhead, “Fans ‘Will Never Forget’ Controversial Rapper.” The newspaper obit came with a photo of Eminem in a Jason Voorhees hockey mask.

Fans began speculating that the ‘Will Never Forget’ in quotes was done purposely by Eminem and theories began surfacing about that serving as the title of a possible lead single from The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce).

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

“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,” the obituary reads. “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.”

Eminem will be reuniting with his frequent collaborator and mentor Dr. Dre for The Death of Slim Shady. The West Coast legend spilled the beans on Em’s upcoming album when he revealed details of the project and his involvement during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in March.

The late-night cameo with Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent marked Dr. Dre’s first in three decades, and came after being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“Let me tell you something, let me explain something to you right now: Eminem is working on his own album which is coming out this year,” Dre said. “And I actually talked to him and he said it 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. I’m actually gonna hear the entire album for the first time for tomorrow.”

Eminem is the Easter Bunny leaving eggs around the yard. He cryptically teased a possible release on the horizon with a May 20 tweet featuring a text message made with invisible ink that reads when uncovered: “… and for my last trick!”

The text was sent on May 31 at midnight which is a Friday and fans immediately began speculating that could mean new music is on the way before the month expires.

“This is literally him announcing he will be dropping may 31 lmao,” one person wrote.

There wasn’t much other tidbits of information except for the contact being a photo of a rabbit with a top hat, which Em also made his X account profile picture.

Dr. Dre has his hands all over Eminem’s upcoming album, which could signal more frequent collaborators involved. Back in 2022, Em posted a photo in the studio alongside Dre and Snoop Dogg. “Just a few bros.. hangin out,” the Detroit icon captioned the post.

Months prior, they teamed up for their first collab in over 20 years with “From the D to the LBC.” The single landed on Shady’s Curtain Call 2 greatest hits compilation and marked their first collab since The Marshall Mathers LP.

“Sometimes you gotta go back to actually move forward,” actor Matthew McConaughey once said. Eminem granted XXL with a rare interview in 2022, where he admitted to going back to his first three albums when he’s in a creative funk and seeking newfound inspiration. It’s possible his first three major label projects could have an influential role in The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce).

“When I look back at my catalog, the first three albums, I’m definitely proud of them,” he said before changing his tune when it comes to Encore. “Sometimes I go back, and I listen to them if I’m in a spot where I need some inspiration. Sometimes it helps me to go back to those songs. But then I think, Man, I could’ve done those vocals so much better. I could’ve connected this word with this word. I always do that kind of s–t.”