It seems that rapper Eminem’s controversial alter ego Slim Shady, who first appeared on the scene 25 years ago, may soon be put to rest.
With his peroxide-blond hair and everyman blue jeans, Slim Shady was an opponent who originated from Eminem’s self-described “white trash” background.
Eminem made a surprise revelation in April that his next album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), will be out this summer. The announcement was promoted as a faux murder news broadcast.
Additionally, Shady once more exclaimed, “guess who’s back” on Friday, making a surprise reappearance on the album’s debut hit, Houdini.
Eminem confronts the rap anti-hero he invented in this video, which also has cameos from comics Pete Davidson and Shane Gillis and rap giants Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent.
Slim Shady appears to be coming to an appropriately violent conclusion in the new album title, with the rapper himself saying, “I knew it was only a matter of time.”
Thus, how are we to interpret his legacy when his doppelgänger stands for the final time?
Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers III, grew up in Detroit’s impoverished neighborhoods, which are predominately black.
When he was a teenager, rap became his way out of a childhood of bullying and tense relationships with his parents.
When Vanilla Ice, with his smash song “Ice Ice Baby,” became the face of white solo rap in 1990, he felt “crushed” in the music industry and gave up on his attempts to get into the industry.
According to Justin Sayles of The Ringer, “Ice’s name became synonymous with selling out and manufactured success.”
However, Nick Hasted, in his biography of Eminem, described Mathers as “a true product of ghetto streets,” setting him apart.
Because of this, he was in a unique position to handle what Jeff Weiss referred to as the “cultural debt” that white rappers had to pay.
It also helped that he had an incredible flow that he had developed throughout years of rap battles.
Hip-hop expert and sociologist Prof. Anthony Kwame Harrison lauded Eminem’s abilities, stating that “his outstanding rhyming and songcraft made him the last white rap pioneer.”
Major labels were not drawn to his 1996 album Infinite, despite this.
Slim Shady came into the world because to the “shock-rap” concept that was proposed by his early teachers, the Bass Brothers.
“The market didn’t take to it until he got a little foul-mouthed,” said Mark Bass.
Following its release, the Slim Shady EP made its way to NWA rap heavyweight Dr. Dre and billionaire Jimmy Iovine, who signed Eminem to Interscope right once.
Dre found an anti-hero in Slim Shady. Thanks to Dre’s co-sign, Eminem’s crossover appeal was strengthened by appearances with reputable black rappers.
Although their production collaboration helped to heal some of the racial divisions in rap, it also created contradictions in Slim Shady and Eminem’s legacy that still exist today when they released 1999’s Slim Shady LP to an unwary public.
‘White hot’
The lead track, My Name Is, features Eminem as Slim Shady, whose arrival was precisely timed to create a chaotic impact. The 1990s were supposed to be America’s “happiest decade,” but Shady exposed a disillusioned white underbelly.
Two weeks after going on sale for 500,000 copies, Eminem won two of his 15 Grammys for the Slim Shady album. When did Eminem’s record last fail to debut at number one?
A year later, the hit Marshall Mathers album targeted politicians, parents who were furious, and the hypocrisy of society. Shady took great pleasure in brusquely stating unspoken facts and outraging pristine white suburbia. He spit, “There are a million of us who cuss like me, just like me.”
Critics were riled up when Shady led a horde of impersonators into the theater during the song’s 2000 MTV performance.
He had transformed from “white trash to white hot,” according to Rolling Stone.
‘The kids get the joke’
But despite his popularity, his legacy is clouded by controversies around the violent misogyny and homophobia in his lyrics.
The rapper defended the depictions of rape, murder, and slurs as movie-style fiction in The Marshall Mathers LP and other works.
Eminem was described as a “timebomb of anger” within white male culture in Spin’s 1999 review.
Constance Grady, a culture reporter for Vox, continues, “hypocrisy was seen as the last major social ill left” during Eminem’s peak period.
Rolling Stone interviewed Eminem in 2000, and he said, “The kids listening to my music get the joke”.
Mathers is a contradiction in himself, his thought-provoking raps as Eminem counterbalancing Shady’s antics.
Stan is the song that most exemplifies Eminem’s awareness of himself.
Its ground-breaking tale tells the story of an enamored Shady fan who, upon receiving no response from Eminem in his letters, murders himself and his fiancée. Eminem’s contrite statement about the wait concludes the song.
Fandom writer Dr. Phoenix Andrews claims the song was ahead of its time in recognizing the demands of today’s large online fan bases and illustrating the duty and strain that exists between artists and their fans.
“Men talking about mental health was much rarer then and is still stigmatised,” says Dr. Andrew. “Eminem reaching out to Stan and not mocking him was exceptional at the time.”
Other unexpected repercussions have resulted from Eminem’s persona struggles.
White nationalist and alt-right movements in the US have arguably appropriated Slim Shady’s furious white man persona.
“Eminem is frequently referenced in far-right online forums,” continues Sam de Boise, a musicology lecturer at Sweden’s Örebro University who specializes in radicalization.
“They also identify with his underdog status – a lot of these young men see themselves as lacking social power,” according to him.
A changing legacy?
As the all-time best-selling rapper, Mathers must balance maintaining control over Slim Shady’s volatile legacy with navigating his own identity.
He publicly disassociated himself from Trump fans at the 2017 BET Awards by dropping an eviscerating rap.
A decade of his pop-rap hits, such as Not Afraid, and his collaborations with Rihanna, such as Love the Way You Lie and The Monster, contrasted with the repoliticization. These songs, which frequently drew narrative inspiration from his own drug addiction recovery, helped to soften his image for a new generation.
The rapper’s attempts over time to revert to his previous persona have not always been warmly accepted by Gen Z fans, with some even asking for his cancellation.
In contrast to the early 2000s, Eminem acknowledged his homophobic slur at Tyler, the Creator in response to internet backlash.
These examples show how public opinion is changing, particularly in the cancel culture of today on the internet. Pew Research Center discovered an age gap in audience perceptions: younger audiences consider it as crucial for accountability, while older audiences saw it as restricting artistic expression.
Eminem’s last two albums have topped three billion Spotify streams despite controversy; ten of the tracks have surpassed a billion streams, matching Drake and Coldplay.
Though not as much as previously, independent culture journalist Kesewaa Browne believes Mathers still has a place in hip-hop.
Even while his distinct lyrics is still highly valued, he is rarely brought up in conversations about modern rap, which are primarily focused on Grime, Drake, and socially concerned rappers like Kendrick Lamar.
Is Slim Shady’s demise a move to ensure his legacy? “I believe it could be,” Browne responds.
He has made no secret of his distaste for the genre as it exists today. Maybe he wants to prove that he’s still got it.”A few admirers grew up idolizing Slim Shady. But may that alienate some people if it sounds like he’s in his early noughties?
