Eminem's latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) has been released and is receiving mixed reviews from critics. In this 12th album, the US rapper kills off his alter ego Slim Shady, depicted in the artwork in a body bag, and in the music video forTobey,
Eminem uses a chainsaw on him.
Clash magazine described the album as a mixed bag,noting that it serves as an effective piece of fan service while also disappointing in some aspects. Reviewer Robin Murray wrote, It doesn’t quite feel like an ending, but neither does it feel like a continuation. A mixed, often muddled album, it features some of Eminem’s best rapping in a decade – those fast, skippy-yet-intricate flows will never fail to thrill – but his pen is often blunted."
Eminem told fans that this is a
conceptual album" and that the songs should be listened to in order. The 19 tracks include previously released singles "Tobey" and "Houdini," as well as a sequel to his 1999 hit "Guilty Conscience" with Dr. Dre. Billboard ranked the latter song as one of the best on the new album, calling it "a worthy second coming," even if it doesn't surpass the original. Michael Saponara noted, "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."
USA Today described the 51-year-old rapper as a lyrical pugilist throughout, except when he turns misty-eyed dad rapping about daughter Hailie JadeIn the song Temporary, old recordings of Eminem and his daughter talking when she was a child make it the most memorable track on the album, according to Melissa Ruggieri. She said it allows Eminem to drop the shtick and explore his vulnerability – which isn’t often apparent elsewhere on the album." Eminem reassures his 28-year-old daughter to be strong" and that he will always be her rock.
In the track "Fuel," Eminem references the multiple sexual assault allegations against fellow rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs with provocative lyrics. Pitchfork commented that Eminem "reckons with his controversies while taking pains to create new ones," particularly in the track "Antichrist," which contains crude references to pronouns, woke society, and a harrowing video of Diddy attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie in 2016. Diddy has denied all allegations of sexual assault.
The Independent gave the album two stars, criticizing Eminem forpunching downwards, joylessly and without inspiration.Reviewer Stevie Chick compared much of the album to a Telegraph op-ed, accusing it of "ham-fisted mashing of people’s buttons" and "blethering about 'the PC police' and 'Gen Z' coming to get him."
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