Technology is weird. Thanks to AI, we can duplicate celebrities’ voices (even against their wishes), and those celebrities can even interact with each other — or themselves. Last month, The Weeknd used ChatGPT to have a conversation with his “10-year-old self,” and today, Eminem was able to interview his alter ego Slim Shady for Complex with the aid of the same sort of de-aging tech that brought back Luke Skywalker and had us all posting pictures of ourselves as babies on Snapchat a few years ago.
Unsurprisingly, Slim was less than nice to Em, roasting him repeatedly throughout the interview and even comparing him to modern-day star Taylor Swift. “We sold all that sh*t off my back, b*tch,” he railed. “Don’t get it twisted; wasn’t for me, you’d still be wearing that ‘same damn Nike Air hat.’ You’re not f*ckin’ Taylor Swift — you only had one era that mattered: mine.”
“You’re not f*ckin’ Taylor Swift. You only had 1 era that mattered”
The premise of the interview is that Eminem has been brought forward from the past to berate and deride Em, who seemingly tries to defend his creative choices in light of a changed world and newfound maturity — although, it’s arguable that there’s an angry inner voice controlling the actions of the 51-year-old rapper. Still, you gotta give him props, almost no other rapper has ever committed so strongly to an album concept.
Cam’ron is from hip-hop’s Mecca. He grew up in Harlem, and spearheaded New York’s last great run in the 00s. Cam isn’t a lyrical miracle by any stretch of the imagination, but many assumed that he would have claimed NY when asked where the best rappers come from. No dice. The rapper talked about the concept of lyricism during a recent episode of It Is What It Is. Instead of showing the East Coast some love, Cam decided to single out Chicago and Louisiana. He did, however, back up his claim.
Cam’ron and Mase were talking about the Windy City, and the former took the opportunity to praise the city’s artists. “They may have the best lyricists,” he posited. “Them and Louisiana. I’m talking about, like as far as lyricism.” It was a hot take, but Cam was confident in what he said, and proceeded to point to the elitism the NY practiced back in the 80s and 90s. “New York used to call people country,” he stated, before citing Weezy as an example. “Even thinking about Lil Wayne. You get on a record with Lil Wayne, you gotta be careful,” Cam’ron asserted. “You get on a record with Eminem, you gotta be careful.”
Lil Wayne hails from Louisiana, and Em comes from Detroit. The former supports Cam’ron’s thesis, the latter not so much. Still, the rapper doubled down. “These n**gas are really lyricists.” Cam’ron’s affinity for Weezy and Chicago artists makes sense given his track record. Dipset was early to the party when it came to recognizing Lil Wayne’s talent, and the group collaborated with him multiple times during pre-Tha Carter III days. Cam also worked with Kanye West when the Windy City producer was trying to establish himself as a rapper. He appeared on West’s second album, and West produced two stellar tracks on 2004’s Purple Haze.
Cam’ron has also been critical of New York in recent years. The rapper recently moved to Las Vegas, and cited the rat problem in NY as a major factor. “I just left New York. That sh*t was disgusting,” he told fans on Instagram Live. “I can’t do this sh*t… I’m not apologizing for it neither. I ain’t even gonna act like I’m sorry for it a little bit.” Cam’ron seems to be loving the desert, though. He attended a Vegas Fourth of July party, and turned heads by dressing up like his former podcast guest, OJ Simpson.
Although hip-hop as a genre is no stranger to the concept album as a format, there would be little resistance to the assessment that there’s been a bit of a drought of such projects over the past few years. As the industry seeks to game algorithms, chase trends, and otherwise appeal to contracting attention spans and expanding options for occupying that attention, there have been fewer rap albums looking to pushing the envelope, tell a story, or explore a specific theme.
New releases from Blxst, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco, and more may have broken that trend, bringing the rap concept album back in a big way in 2024.
First, let’s define a concept album, to determine just what criteria these projects have met and why there have been so few concept albums in hip-hop over the past few years. While there’s no objective consensus or definition, critics generally accept that a concept album “is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually,” which is usually accomplished through a narrative tying the songs together. For our purposes here, let’s think of something like Kendrick Lamar’s debut album Good Kid, MAAD City, which tells the story of a day in its protagonist’s life in the city of Compton.
A more recent, albeit overlooked, example would be Skyzoo’s The Mind Of A Saint, which recounts the events of the gangster television series Snowfall from the perspective of its lead character, Franklin Saint. A concept album doesn’t always need to tell a complete story, but in general, this is one of the easiest ways to recognize one and a common trait of the albums we’re comparing here. Relatedly, Skyzoo’s last project also exemplifies why it feels like there’s been such a dearth of such projects recently. Indie and underground rappers like Sky (and peers such as Ka, Open Mike Eagle, and Armand Hammer) have generally been the main ones pushing this format, so concept albums usually go overlooked and underrepresented in the mainstream.
Even Googling something like “rap concept albums 2020s” only generates a list 13 albums long… in a four-year span that’s seen hundreds of new albums released (yes, Google kinda sucks now, but it’s saying something that there are so few albums that could easily be recognized as concept albums since the pandemic). Among the modern crop of rappers, there was at one point a wealth of artists crafting projects around the exploration of a singular theme or narrative — Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Shabazz Palaces, were all artists who released concept albums I’ve covered here at Uproxx, but lately, there have been fewer and fewer of such projects in favor of 20-plus-track single-paloozas that make great party records or cruising records or “cleaning the house” records.
Which brings us to 2024 and the sudden explosion of albums organized around central narratives, such as Blxst’s debut, I’ll Always Come Find You, Eminem’s The Death Of Slim Shady, and Lupe Fiasco’s Samurai, all released within the last month. With I’ll Always Come Find You, Blxst explores themes of legacy, loyalty, and self-sufficiency through the story of Birdie, a young man who inherits a chauffeur car service when his father dies suddenly, and through the experience finds the life lessons that his patriarch imparted to him reinforced as he encounters fake friends, fair weather flings, and tough choices as he comes of age and accepts his responsibilities. The story is told both through skits that literally depict Birdie’s conversations with various characters, and through the topics of songs like “Too Many Friday Nights,” “Bad Idea,” and “Better Off Friends.”
Likewise, The Death Of Slim Shady relates exactly the tale suggested by its title, as Eminem describes how he came to create the mischievous identity that drove his early success — and how getting lost in it nearly cost him everything. Over the course of the album (so much so that he told fans how important it is to listen in order), Eminem examines the effects his alter ego has had on his life, wrestling with Slim directly on “Guilty Conscience 2,” and reflecting on darker potential outcomes on album closer “Somebody Save Me.” Of course, some fans have determined that the album works just as well in reverse order, ending with the demise of Eminem himself as Shady triumphs, while others perceive a cyclical nature to the battle between the two, with the album’s outro leading into its intro on repeat listens.
Then there’s Lupe Fiasco’s Samurai, which might have the most bugged-out theme of all. Described by Lupe as a tribute to Amy Winehouse, the album expands on a vignette from the documentary chronicling the late soul singer’s life. In a phone call with producer Salaam Remi, Winehouse shares an ambition for battle rap, metaphorically comparing the skill to the martial arts practiced by samurai warriors. Lupe turns the metaphor literal (metaphorically speaking), imagining an alternate history for Winehouse as exactly that: A battle-rapping samurai who manages to face down her demons rather than being consumed by them.
What makes this mini-explosion of concept albums notable is not just their proximity to one another, all dropping in the span of a few weeks, but that they are also coming from some of the biggest names in rap. Blxst is an exciting newcomer with plenty of appeal for younger audiences, while Lupe Fiasco is a respected veteran still closely tied to contemporaries like Drake, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. Eminem, of course, is the biggest name in rap (especially for certain audiences) and his album has topped the Billboard 200 in a year in which the biggest hit so far is an aggressive battle rap aimed at the most prolific hitmaker of the past decade. And all that’s before you add in under-the-radar contributions like Heems’ Lafandar, Kyle’s Smyle Again, and Vince Staples’ Dark Times.
That these albums are seeing such heights of success opens the way for more rappers to get deep on future projects, expanding the boundaries of what hip-hop can and should be. While there’s plenty of room for party music and battle rap, there should always be a space for hip-hop’s high-art aspirations, too. And in 2024, that space has not only grown, it’s proving to be very fertile.
Eminem knows how to move units. He’s the best-selling rap artist of all time for a reason. He’s also the first rapper to win an Oscar for Best Original Song, and the first to have ten consecutive albums top the charts. We’d list more accomplishments but we’d be here all day. The bottom line is, Eminem continues to be historically popular. Which makes his latest Billboard record impressive, if not altogether surprising. The rapper has notched another achievement by having the second-shortest-ever song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song? “Trouble,” which is an interlude on his new album The Death of Slim Shady.
You’d be forgiven for not knowing “Trouble” off the top of your head. The song is only 42 seconds long. It serves as a plot point for the Death of Slim Shady concept than an actual song. That being said, it has connected with enough fans that it somehow managed to crack the Billboard singles chart. The record holder for shortest song on the Billboard Hot 100 still belongs to Kid Cudi. The rapper managed to crack the charts with his 2020 intro “Beautiful Trip,” which was only 37 seconds in length. Fortunately, for Em, several other cuts from The Death of Slim Shady have cracked the Billboard Hot 100. “Houdini” peaked at number two, while his Big Sean and BabyTron collab, “Tobey,” peaked at number 27.
Eminem may not have been able to overthrow Kid Cudi for the shortest song, but he did stop another pop icon from achieving a record. The Death of Slim Shady claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200, aka the album charts. This not only reinforced Em’s stature as a superstar, but it kept Taylor Swift from securing an 11th consecutive week at number one with her latest album. If Eminem hadn’t booted Swift from the top spot, The Tortured Poets Department would have tied the record for longing-running pop album atop the Billboard charts. As it stands, Stevie Wonder’s Songs In the Key of Life (1976) still holds the record.
Impressively, The Death of Slim Shady has boosted the streaming numbers of Eminem’s older songs as well. Forbes reported that the success of “Houdini” has led to a renewed interest in Em’s 2002 smash hit “Without Me.” The new single samples and pays homage to “Without Me” in its music video, so it makes sense that fans would get him with the nostalgia bug. That being said, the numbers are nothing short of staggering. “Without Me” sold 1,250 copies in the U.S. during the second week of June. That marked a 309% increase from the previous tracking period. Eminem has still got it.
Eminem‘s latest album, The Death of Slim Shady, just got a new release. In a skit posted to his Instagram, he and Steve Berman argue about Berman not being on the new album. Em eventually gives in and says he’s on the album. In addition to a new skit with Berman, the new edition of the album comes with two new singles. The first is “Like My Sh*t” and the second is “Kyrie & Luka,” featuring 2 Chainz. The latter is Eminem and 2 Chainz’s first collaboration since the “Chloraseptic” remix in 2018, a track that received praise after Revivalwas poorly received.
Longtime Eminem fans will recognize Steve Berman’s name. Berman, the Vice Chairman of Interscope Records, first appeared on The Marshall Mathers LP in a skit named after him. From there, he appeared on The Eminem Show and Relapse. All of their skits together feature them arguing with each other, and the one on The Eminem Show ends with Em shooting Berman in the arm.
Eminem Announces New Version Of The Death of Slim Shady
Eminem fans have been loving his new album. The Detroit native has seldom let his primary audience down. Many of them feel appropriately satisfied with the conclusion of the Slim Shady character’s arc. However, some have been more reserved in their praise, noting that it’s not an album without its flaws. Notably, some of its themes being outdated and the cringeworthiness of things like talking about Gen Z trying to “cancel” him . Critic reaction has been more lukewarm. Pitchfork gave The Death of Slim Shady a score of 4.8/10. Popular music personality Anthony Fantano, known for his YouTube channel TheNeedleDrop, scored it a 5/10. The album’s Metacritic score is 49/100, indicating “mixed or average” reviews. That is the lowest mark of his career, which is especially surprising considering the reception of some of his previous releases, namely Encore and Revival. You can read HNHH’s review of the album here.
Regardless of how critics react to it, it will perform well commercially. Barring unforeseen circumstances, The Death of Slim Shady will be Eminem’s twelfth consecutive album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, indicative of longevity and a loving fanbase. His fans will surely love the additional songs added to the album, which is available for purchase through Thursday night.
Before the release of his new album, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), Eminem made it a point to advise fans to listen to it in order, as he wrote it as a concept album and really wanted them to understand the story. However, once you plant the seeds of deeper meaning, there will always be those who can’t resist drilling down even more, hoping to find the meaning behind the meaning (I blame Christopher Nolan for this).
And, of course, as with so many concept albums before it, fans are convinced you can glean this extra meaning by playing the album back-to-front. It’s no surprise; in 2017, Kendrick Lamar confirmed that the story on DAMN. works in reverse, and yes, many (many) rock albums were accused of having backmasked messages during the satanic panic of the ’80s. But is Eminem’s new album really meant to be played back-to-front? These fans seem to think so:
However, others are convinced that the album is meant to be played on repeat instead:
MOTHERFUCKERS I THINK I FIGURED IT OUT!! (Thread) It’s not reverse, it’s a loop!! Eminem said in GC2 that he woke up from a dream but it was like he was still dreaming BINGO!! Because this is the story of what happens in Eminem mind Eminem kills shady but because of the addiction pic.twitter.com/8ragQmMXsv
Meanwhile, still others think everyone is just doing too much and needs to calm down:
PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME ONE MORE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE ALBUM IN REVERSE ORDER. People are reaching hard. It does not unlock new dimension or mean another album is coming. Plus Eminem literally told us to listen to the album in order. Just stop
I suppose the answer, like art, is subjective — and depends on whether you have been one of those begging for Eminem to let go of the “Slim Shady” persona for the past 20 years or a Stan who wants “Slim Shady” to live forever so you never have to learn anyone’s preferred pronouns.
So far, Eminem’s new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), is shaping up to another successful release. The hard numbers and projections prove that, as the project is already over 100 million streams on Spotify in just two days and it looks to move over 300,000 copies in its first week. In relation to the latter, if that turns out to be true, it will be the biggest debut for any rap tape this year. Fan reactions for the most part have been pretty favorable too, with many labeling it the best Eminem album in the last decade or so.
Listeners are also just appreciating the fact that he is continuing to make music at this stage in his career. “The album is really but these kids don’t appreciate how lucky we all are that he’s still making music”, one IG user writes. Another even goes as far as to predict that Shady’s lyrics will be analyzed in school. “One day people will be studying Em in schools like they do Shakespeare.” These replies can be found underneath 50 Cent’s post in which he shares his feelings on Eminem’s new album.
Obviously, these two are extremely tight and have been working together since the early 2000s. So, his review is going to biased but, at least it is not far off from the general consensus. “Yo @eminem s*** is crazy it takes me a while to understand the details of this one. @bransoncognac @lecheminduroi”. While it would have been cool for this dynamic duo to have collaborated on this project in some shape or form, it is great to see that they continue to support each other. We supposedly have a deluxe version on the way, so fingers crossed until then.
What are your thoughts on 50 Cent’s review of Eminem’s album, The Death of Slim Shady? Do you share similar feelings to the Detroit MC’s close pal, why or why not? What songs have you been gravitating toward the most so far? Who had the best feature on the record? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Eminem and 50 Cent. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
It seems like no matter what, Eminem manages to pull in a massive wave of listeners. Obviously, though, when you have had as much commercial and critical success as Slim Shady has, it makes sense. He is undoubtedly a top 10 to five rapper of all-time to a lot of fans of the genre and his massive following also backs those rankings. Over this past weekend, the legendary Detroit MC laid out his presumed final body of work as the aforementioned alter ego and it has been quite divisive overall. There are a lot of fans of the record, but there are some that still view him as corny. Even with that, Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shadyis looking to have a huge first week sales wise.
According to a recent IG post from Our Generation Music, it is projected to move over 300,000 copies. That should almost assuredly be enough for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 200. We say almost because Taylor Swift is still at number one for the 11th straight week with The Tortured Poets Department. Even if Eminem does not manage to dethrone the current queen of pop, it will still be a tremendous accomplishment, especially at this point.
We can safely bet that not many 50 or older rappers are still drawing in this big of an audience. But the reason it will still be impressive is because it will be the biggest debut for any rap album this year. It will overthrow respective records from Metro Boomin and Future, 21 Savage, and Yeat, all of whom are the biggest rappers/producers in the current state of rap. It just goes to show how dominant Eminem still is almost three decades later.
What are your thoughts on the first week sales projections for The Death of Slim Shady by Eminem? Are you surprised that it will be the biggest debut for a rap album this year, why or why not? What songs are you bumping from the album the most so far? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Eminem. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Eminem’s goal for The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) was to symbolically close the book on his Slim Shady alter ego. However, the conclusion is not the happy ending listeners may expect. On “Somebody Save Me” featuring Jelly Roll, Eminem raps from the perspective of him succumbing to his addictions and passing away. The Detroit, Michigan native is loosely making a callback to his 2007 overdose that nearly ended his life. Throughout the song, Eminem apologizes profusely for putting his vices (Slim Shady) above his now three kids, Hailie, Alaina, and Stevie, instead of being there for their biggest accomplishments. His children make a lot of appearances in his lyrics as his Stans know and when they do, he tears himself down a lot for not being the best caretaker for them.
The acclaimed MC has also stated this belief numerous times in interviews as well, like the one with Rolling Stone in 2004 via People. “Bein’ a dad is definitely living a double life. Even before Hailie was born, I was a firm believer in freedom of speech… But once I hit them gates where I live, that’s when I’m Dad… I’m not sayin’ I’m the perfect father, but the most important thing is to be there for my kids and raise them the right way”. It is part of the reason why “Somebody Save Me” is such an emotional ride for longtime fans of Eminem and even Jelly Roll. Both have had their respective grizzly bouts with drugs, and hearing the pain in their deliveries makes for a scary and sad what-could-have-been ending in the context of the album, but also in general.
Right now, I’m just weak As I fall further down in this deep hole And farther in the ground that I sink As they lower me in my coffin, I feel the tears all fallin’ down on my cheek
Eminem might just be the Detroit’s favorite rapper after all. Motown rapper 42 Dugg, appearing on The Breakfast Club to promote his debut album 4eva Us Neva Them on Friday (July 12), disputed his hometown compatriot Skilla Baby’s earlier comments that “I don’t think Detroit does… consider him our best rapper.”
As Dugg explained, “That’s probably how they feel. The new kids don’t even know about him. How would they? You have to really be a music person to go back… I know. That’s always my card when somebody get to bringing up somebody from somewhere else, I’m like, ‘We got Eminem.’ I feel like he the GOAT.”
He also defended the rap titan from criticisms that his music has aged poorly or relies too much on shtick to stick. “[Eminem] made deep music,” Dugg insisted. “I go listen to ‘Toy Soliders’ or ‘Stan’ — those my favorite songs. So when it’s my turn to make real songs, I already damn near know how to channel it. ‘Cause I already know what I’m looking for: I’m looking for a ‘Stan’ type of song.”
Skilla Baby made his comments in response to a query from Keke Palmer on her podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, telling her, “Numbers wise, Eminem is the best Detroit rapper, but the gag is nobody would say that in Detroit. Everybody had a turn being Detroit’s favorite rapper. Sada Baby had a turn, Tee Grizzley had a turn, Babyface Ray had a turn, Veeze is one of Detroit’s best rappers, Baby Smoove. Everybody had their turn being the best in the city. What we lack is consistency. Nobody has consistently been Detroit’s favorite rapper.”
Dugg isn’t the first younger rapper to defend Eminem’s legacy; in 2022, Jack Harlow also stood up for his idol, saying modern assessments that Eminem makes “circus” music “tragic.”
You can see the full episode of The Breakfast Club with 42 Dugg below.
Eminem created a masterpiece with this album no cap
but these kids don’t appreciate how lucky we all are that he’s still making music”, one IG user writes. Another even goes as far as to predict that Shady’s lyrics will be analyzed in school. “One day people will be studying Em in schools like they do Shakespeare.” These replies can be found underneath 