Eminem season is officially upon us. On Thursday (April 25), the Detroit emcee unveiled a trailer for his 12th studio LP, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), which sounds like it could be the closing chapter to his iconic alter ego.
In the short clip, viewers were able to watch a spoof of classic crime dramas like "Unsolved Mysteries," complete with a man providing ominous details as police sirens flash behind him.
“Through his complex and oft-criticized, tongue-twisting rhymes, the anti-hero known as Slim Shady has had no shortage of enemies," the unnamed individual said on screen. "The same rude lyrics and controversial antics may have ultimately led to his demise. Join me as we recreate the events that led to the murder of Slim Shady." Not only does Eminem make a cameo at the end of the trailer, but 50 Cent also joined in for a deadpan quip of his own. "He’s not a friend, he’s a psychopath," the G-Unit captain stated.
The Bad Meets Evil talent first introduced the zany, ultraviolent character on 1997's Slim Shady EP. That project led to the sophomore release The Slim Shady LP, which catapulted Eminem to new heights as an artist. Released in 1999, The Slim Shady LP debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 283,000 first-week units and earned a quintuple-platinum certification. While the animated persona would appear in varying degrees throughout his career, it wasn't until 2009's Relapse when fans saw Slim Shady back in full force.
"Coming out with an alias was part of Proof’s whole idea," Eminem stated about the character's origin in an interview with Genius. "When I started rapping as Shady, as that character, it was a way for me to vent all my frustrations and just blame it on him. If anybody got mad about it, it was him who said it, you know what I’m saying? It was a way for me to be myself and say what I felt."