{"id":172167,"date":"2024-06-05T15:54:26","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T15:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=172167"},"modified":"2024-06-05T15:54:26","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T15:54:26","slug":"eminem-houdini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/music\/eminem-houdini\/","title":{"rendered":"Eminem’s New Single ‘Houdini’: The Last Act of Slim Shady"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Eminem’s fans are in for a nostalgic yet controversial treat with his new single “Houdini,” released as a precursor to his forthcoming 12th album, <i>The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Gr\u00e2ce)<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>As expected, the song is loaded with tons of Easter eggs, so we\u2019ve unpacked everything for you right here! Discover its hidden details, references, and more about Slim Shady’s legacy.<\/p>\n <!-- <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n jQuery(document).ready(function() {\r\n jQuery(\".key-accordion-item .key-menu\").on(\"click\", function() {\r\n if (jQuery(this).parent().hasClass(\"active\")) {\r\n jQuery(this).next().slideUp();\r\n jQuery(this).parent().removeClass(\"active\");\r\n } else {\r\n jQuery(\".key-content\").slideUp();\r\n jQuery(\".key-accordion-item\").removeClass(\"active\");\r\n jQuery(this).parent().addClass(\"active\");\r\n jQuery(this).next().slideDown();\r\n }\r\n });\r\n })\r\n <\/script> -->\r\n\r\n\r\n <!-- start html -->\r\n\r\n <div class=\"news-key-takeaway-wapper\">\r\n <span style=\"background-color:#4db2ee;\">Key Takeaways<\/span>\r\n <ul class=\"news-key-nbox\" style=\"border-color:#4db2ee;background-color:rgba(77, 178, 238, 0.1);\">\r\n <li>Eminem recently dropped \"Houdini,\" the first single from his upcoming album \"The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Gr\u00e2ce).\"<\/li>\r\n <li>The song references Megan Thee Stallion, the Steve Miller Band, and Eminem's 2002 hit \"Without Me.\"<\/li>\r\n <li>Eminem's campaign hints at the end of his Slim Shady persona, culminating in the new album.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \n<h2>Eminem Drops New Single ‘Houdini’ from Upcoming Album<\/h2>\n<p>Eminem has just released the first single, \u201cHoudini,\u201d from his <b>upcoming 12th album, <\/b><b><i>The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Gr\u00e2ce)<\/i><\/b><b>, set to drop this summer.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The song features Eminem’s trademark controversial lyrics and nostalgic references to his earlier work.<\/p>\n<h2>A Nostalgic Nod to “Without Me”<\/h2>\n<p>The track opens with a familiar voice: Eminem’s longtime manager, Paul Rosenberg, expressing his usual disdain for Eminem’s new work.<\/p>\n<p>“<i>Hey Em, it\u2019s Paul. I was listening to the album\u2026 Good fucking luck, you\u2019re on your own<\/i>,” says Rosenberg.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cHoudini\u201d is reminiscent of his 2002 single \u201cWithout Me<\/b>,\u201d with the lyrics “<i>Guess who\u2019s back, back again \/ Shady\u2019s back, tell a friend.<\/i>”<\/p>\n<p><b>Produced by Eminem and Luis Resto<\/b>, the song samples Steve Miller Band\u2019s \u201cAbracadabra\u201d in the chorus.<\/p>\n<p>Eminem even references the Megan Thee Stallion shooting incident, adding a layer of contemporary relevance and controversy.<\/p>\n<h2>Controversial and Provocative Lyrics<\/h2>\n<p>In true Eminem fashion, \u201cHoudini\u201d doesn’t shy away from controversy. He takes jabs at various targets, even including RuPaul and his own children.<\/p>\n<p>The provocative lines, \u201c<i>Cancel me, what? Okay, that\u2019s it, go ahead Paul, quit \/ Snake ass prick, you male cross-dresser, fake ass bitch,<\/i>” highlight the singer\u2019s characteristic boldness.<\/p>\n<h2>A Video Packed with Cameos and References<\/h2>\n<p>The music video for <i>Houdini<\/i> is a direct homage to \u201cWithout Me.\u201d It shows Eminem <b>stepping into a portal in 2002<\/b> and features <b>guest appearances from 50 Cent, Pete Davidson, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Alchemist<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>The comic strip style and the dual presence of the 2002 and present-day Eminem create a <b>nostalgic yet fresh visual experience<\/b>.<\/p>\n<h2>The End of Slim Shady?<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier this week, Eminem announced \u201cHoudini\u201d as the first single via an Instagram Reel with magician David Blaine.<\/p>\n<p>In the video, Eminem states, \u201c<i>For my last trick, I\u2019m going to make my career disappear.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Details about <i>The Death of Slim Shady <\/i>have been sparse. Dr. Dre mentioned on <i>Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/i> that <b>Eminem was working on a new project<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>The <b>album signals the demise of Eminem’s alter ego, Slim Shady<\/b>. Eminem hinted at this with a fake obituary in the Detroit Free Press and a teaser during the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<h2>Reflecting on Slim Shady’s Legacy<\/h2>\n<p>Eminem’s alter ego, Slim Shady, known for his <b>provocative and controversial persona<\/b>, has been a significant part of his career.<\/p>\n<p>Born Marshall Mathers III, Eminem grew up in <b>Michigan’s low-income, majority-black Detroit neighborhoods<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>As such, Slim Shady emerged as a response to the challenges and frustrations he faced.<\/p>\n<p>The creation of Slim Shady helped Eminem break into the mainstream, but it also <b>sparked many controversies<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>His lyrics often depicted <b>violence, misogyny, and homophobia<\/b>, defended by Eminem as fantasy rather than reality.<\/p>\n<h2>A Dual Identity<\/h2>\n<p>While Slim Shady allowed Eminem to express his anger and frustration, the rapper’s other persona, Eminem, offered <b>more introspective and thought-provoking content.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The song \u201cStan\u201d is a prime example, <b>showcasing Eminem’s awareness of the impact of fame<\/b> and the responsibilities that come with it.<\/p>\n<h2>The Evolution of Eminem’s Image<\/h2>\n<p>As Eminem’s career progressed, he tried to <b>balance his controversial alter ego with more socially conscious content.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Songs like \u201cNot Afraid\u201d and collaborations with artists like Rihanna marked a shift in his image, addressing his struggles with drug addiction and recovery.<\/p>\n<h2>Eminem’s Place in Modern Hip-Hop<\/h2>\n<p>Despite the controversies he\u2019s faced, Eminem remains one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/music\/best-rapper-of-all-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">best-selling rappers of all time<\/a>. His recent albums have achieved <b>billions of streams on Spotify<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>However, his place in the modern hip-hop landscape is different, with new generations of artists and fans redefining the genre.<\/p>\n<h2>The Future of Eminem and Slim Shady<\/h2>\n<p>With the release of “Houdini” and the artist\u2019s upcoming album, Eminem seems ready to close the chapter on Slim Shady.<\/p>\n<p>Whether this signifies a new direction in his music or a final farewell to his infamous alter ego remains to be seen.<\/p>\n<p>What is certain is that Eminem continues to captivate modern audiences, with his work continuously pushing boundaries and further redefining his legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":10026,"featured_media":172169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[398],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-172167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172167"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10026"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}