Obituary for Eminem’s Slim Shady Appears in Detroit Newspaper Ahead of Rapper’s Upcoming Album
It seems Eminem may be taking his upcoming album title The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) literally. A fake Slim Shady obituary recently ran in the Detroit Free Press, in which the piece bids farewell to the “controversial rapper.”
“Slim Shady Made Lasting Impressions” the headline in the DFP reads with the subhead, “Fans ‘Will Never Forget’ Controversial Rapper.'”
The ad/obituary appears to be in support of Em’s upcoming 12th studio LP — titled The Death of Slim Shady (Coupe De Grâce) — and features a photo of Eminem in a white Jason Voorhees hockey mask.
“Fans ‘will never forget’ controversial rapper,” the piece reads. “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 continues: “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.”
Billboard has reached out to Eminem for comment.
In April, the rapper popped up at the 2024 NFL Draft, which was hosted by his hometown of Detroit. Shortly after his appearance in support of the Detroit Lions, the rapper announced plans for his The Death of Slim Shady (Coupe De Grâce) album, which is slated to arrive this summer.
The album announcement came in the form of an Unsolved Mysteries episode featuring Em meeting his demise in search of “who killed Slim Shady?” 50 Cent even makes a cameo in the crime show-styled bloody teaser.
The Death Of Slim Shady will serve as the followup to the rapper’s 11th studio album, Music to Be Murdered By, which was released in 2020. That album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 to give Em his historic 10th consecutive leader.
It was his frequent collaborator/mentor Dr. Dre who broke the news of an Eminem album on the horizon when he made his first late-night appearance in 30 years on Jimmy Kimmel Live in March.
“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 was OK 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.”
See Slim Shady’s obit in the Detroit Free Press below:
Michael Saponara
Billboard
