Music

A similar intro to The Eminem Show‘s “Square Dance.” Dr. Dre is here and his Midas touch is noticeable on the crisp jingle. Em takes the chance to respond to right wing political pundit Candace Owens who asked, “Am I getting older or is Eminem getting gayer?” last year. “And Candice O, I ain’t mad at her/ I ain’t gon’ throw the fact b—h forgot she was Black back at her/ Laugh at her, like them crackers she’s backin’ after,” Shady spews.

Don Cannon lays down the ominous production for Eminem to peel back the layers of his diabolical mind state. Through his trials and tribulations, Em believes he outran his evil ways, but they always ultimately come back to haunt him. “I done turned my whole life around/ But I think I’m just like you now, ’cause I turned out so f—–g evil,” he admits.

There is a questionably overwhelming amount of Caitlin Jenner name-drops on the album. Imagine driving around Michigan and getting into a road rage argument and it’s Eminem on the other side of the wheel? Slim believes bullying can have a positive impact in some ways, and he’s had enough of American society coddling obese citizens.

“Let’s celebrate onset diabetes and instead of us dieting we can just have a pie eating contest/ And we should be extra nice instead of honest/ And instead of exercise it’s easier to find a XXXL your size/ And try to press society to change so you don’t have to change,” Em raps in disgust. “Road Rage” will sit toward the bottom when compared to the rest of the album cuts.

What a coming out party for Ez Mil. Em steps to the side for Mil to get his bi-lingual shine. Eminem still isn’t over the trauma that came with having his tricycle stolen as a kid. He referenced the tragic situation four years ago on Music to Be Murdered‘s “Leaving Heaven” in 2020. The Detroit icon thinks fans want him to “reinvent the wheel” when it comes to his new music, but we really just want him to take a more scenic route and different roads to get to his destination than the same parkway.

Eminem literally took fans back to 2004 — New York Yankee fans are not going to be happy. Later on “Guilty Conscience 2,” Em confirms that “Brand New Dance” is a slightly reworked extra from 04’s Encore that was originally titled “Christopher Reeves” and got left on the cutting room floor. Nostalgia is always going to be a welcomed sight for Em Stans and it’s honestly impressive that he can take something from two decades ago and fit it into another project. Not many can pull that off.

Don’t lose focus because Eminem awakens in the third verse. He’s ashamed of the white rapper lane that he possibly played a role in blazing. Em’s still war-ready for Machine Gun Kelly too, and it sounds as if he’s looking for another round in the ring with MGK. “But I gotta keep going Tyson on Kelly/ I bodied him twice and already/ That little motherf—–‘s back throwing subs like a food fight at the deli,” he snipes.

“Trouble” needs to be longer than 41 seconds. On second thought, maybe it doesn’t since Eminem does everything he can to get cancelled in the short duration while sniping at just about every marginalized community. Em is more socially adept than people think, as he recognizes and nods to the “Gen Z is trying to cancel Eminem” meme.

Later on, he realizes that Marshall always comes to clean up Slim Shady’s mess, but understands the personas need each other to co-exist. It’s almost as if he’s got an angel and then the devil on his other shoulder.

Five minutes is a lot to unpack on one song, especially when it comes to the density of Em rhymes. Eminem has grappled with plenty of addiction issues throughout his career, but here he’s targeting the propensity to channel Slim Shady and become the provocateur ruffling feathers and powering through the backlash.

This time around, it’s the LGBTQ+ and mentally-handicapped communities and Em is worried about being “cancelled” like DaBaby following his homophobic rant at a 2021 Rolling Loud festival. However, after reflecting on his Detroit roots, Em makes it clear that even with everything he’s been through, he’s still a good father at home. “Calling Shady misogynistic/ While raisin’ three daughters, two graduated from college with honors,” he raps.

What started out as a BabyTron solo track, ended up becoming an all-Detroit superstar affair Big Sean and Eminem is something straight out of a fever dream. Em loved the ominous track so much that he took it for his own album.

Batting third, Slim still has a hefty chip on his shoulder like he’s feeling doubted in an 8 Mile rap battle while blasting Billboard for having him ranked No. 5 on our Greatest Rappers of All-Time list. “How rappers I’ve already ripped could be/ Higher up on a list than me/ Yet, here I sit on your list though at five, which still is fine/ But just know inside, to me, that s–t’s hilarious,”

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Eminem set the tone for his album by harkening back to his Slim Shady alter-ego of the late ’90s/early 2000s, which pulled on the heartstrings of his diehard fan base. In true Slim Shady fashion, Em drummed up the backlash touching on Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting and name-dropping R. Kelly. However, it was his last trick when he pulled out a catchy hook to save the Luis Resto-produced track, which lent credence to the theory that Eminem could actually be back.

Not for the faint of heart, Eminem turns the clock back and lets the chopper sing on the opposition. A baby harmonizes over his vocals for the catchy chorus on The Death of Slim Shady standout. Marshall takes the throne as the “Antichrist” and the sound you hear is Megan’s Hotties and Nicki Minaj’s Barbz fan base questioning why the rivals were name-dropped back-to-back.

This track had to be recorded in the last couple of months as Em disses Diddy while referencing the footage of Combs abusing Cassie from 2016, but stops short of naming the victim. “Next idiot that ask me is getting his a– beat/ Worst than Diddy did…”

A dark introduction for The Death of Slim Shady. Em dices up the piano-driven production and takes aim at the haters cosplaying hip-hop fans who seemingly find something wrong with every album released in the genre, even those from legends he names like Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar and Ye. And it’s not until you pass that you receive your flowers. “You nerdy p—-s would find somethin’ wrong with 36 Chambers/ So what they do for the greats? Pick the part of Picasso and make excuses to hate,” he raps.

A sequel to the original “Guilty Conscience” that arrived in 1999. Em reignites his feud with Ja Rule while referring to the “New York” rapper as a “midget.” It’s a light jab compared to the days of 2002’s “Bump Heads” warning shot. Slim Shady and Marshall butt heads and ram against each other on the same verse with Em playing both sides.

Growth is essential and Eminem is waving the white flag on some of his longstanding feuds. Em is ending the war against Machine Gun Kelly, Christopher Reeves, Nick Cannon, Limp Bizkit, Will Smith, Canibus, Lord Jamar and Ja Rule. It’s not the original, but “Guilty Conscience 2” is a worthy second coming.

At one point, Slim Shady puts Marshall on blast for creating him as an alter-ego to stir up controversy and essentially be a shield to say jarring things that he didn’t really have the courage to stand on.

Skylar Grey’s coo brings a softer texture to break up the lengthy album. Eminem goes from diabolical madman to poignant poet in a matter of minutes. “Temporary” is a beautiful tribute to his daughter Hailey and continues the fan-favorite lineage of songs about the father-daughter dynamic like “Mockingbird” and “When I’m Gone.”

Stepping outside of a comfort zone is where the growth comes in. Em invites the youthful J.I.D into the fold, who absolutely jackhammers the starry production, which forces Slim Shady to raise his game on the album crown jewel.

Eminem goes off for nearly two minutes straight. In the midst of his rhyme spree, Em pays homage to The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac, while insinuating Diddy possibly had something to do with the murders. “R.I.P., rest in peace, Biggie and Pac, both of y’all should be living/ But I ain’t tryna beef with him/ Cause he might put a hit on me like Keefe D did him,” Em alleges.

Someone’s cutting onions. A teary-eyed end to The Death of Slim Shady journey. A vulnerable apology letter to all of his children, as Em is filled with regret for not being the parent he wanted to be and missing out on so much. Jelly Roll may have met Eminem just last month, but it’s like he’s known him for a lifetime. The Nashville-bred artist delivers a heavenly chorus that washes Marshall’s sins away while he’s laid to rest.