Marshall Mathers III, also known as Eminem and his stage persona Slim Shady, continually rebels against the dying of the light, a sentiment aptly shared by Dylan Thomas back in 1947. Despite navigating a vastly different era and climate, the revived Slim Shady character still bleary-eyed navigates his life.
Hip-hop is no stranger to artists taking on alter egos and superheroes as part of their brand and to express their empowerment amid their societal marginalisation. This enables artists to confront power structures, personal demons, their legacy and the upcoming future. Notably, Wu Tang Clan and MF Doom have adopted this approach.
Eminem, on his 12th record in the studio, leverages his Shady character as a means to confront and overcome his past, ego, and biases. While he harbors a desire to bury this ghost, he also recognises the contribution of his alter ego Slim Shady in securing his breakthrough in Detroit’s underground rap scene during the 90s. This creates a fascinating yet uneasy contradiction, which has been both the source of his power and a persistent issue. Eminem, a man with a history of using offensive slurs, also champions women’s rights, as seen in the wake of the Roe vs Wade overturning.
In his renaissance dark genius journey, he targets specific hip-hop fans, who “criticise a Picasso painting and find reasons to despise it”, in his attempt to highlight that anyone who accuses Shady of being misogynistic, while raising three high-achieving daughters, misconstrues his character. However, he also notes that “the world isn’t simply a huge liberal arts university”.
Reuniting with his long-term collaborator Dr Dre for two significant tracks on the album enhances its appeal. Dre’s dynamic production on Lucifer and Guilty Conscience 2 realises Eminem’s persona in musical form, where he openly admits to being a self-confessed ‘dork’ who gained vocabulary from comic books. Eminem embraces his alter ego as a teammate, which leads to expected complexities. His album is a rich mix of aggressive taunts such as criticizing Gen Z on Antichrist for needing a ‘reset button’, interspersed with exposed vulnerability on tracks like Temporary and Somebody Save Me.
With bursts of brilliance, the soundscape churns out rhythms that sparkle. Fuel’s pulsating beats blend flawlessly with JID, enhancing the dynamic chaos in Bad One. Here, Eminem laments about the influx of subpar white rappers, taking a part of the blame like a puppeteer manipulating marionettes, leading into the sophisticated darkness of Tobey. This song, a collaboration with Detroit’s finest, Big Sean and BabyTron, is absolutely stunning.
Eminem, under his pseudonym Slim Shady, simultaneously antagonises while showcasing his impressive lyrical virtuosity, choosing to confront those who cloak themselves in piety without introspection. This endeavour is far from hollow.