Marshall Mathews aka Eminem sat down with alter ego Slim Shady to argue that the persona might be outdated.
When it was announced that Eminem would be killing off Slim Shady – his alter ego who catapulted his career in the late ‘90s with tracks like “My Name Is” – fans wondered what exactly that meant. Was it all a gimmick or was Eminem moving on from those sorts of lyrics, which were often on blast for being homophobic and misogynistic? Now in his 50s – and, more importantly, in 2024 – there just might not be a place for Slim Shady.
In a unique video courtesy of Complex titled “Slim Shady vs. Marshall Mathers: THE FACE-OFF”, Mathers sat down with his bleach blonde haired alter ego for a light-hearted but enlightening and self-therapeutic conversation. It’s here that Mathers calls out Slim, who Mathers actually created as a way to hope with his stress, addictions and difficult upbringing. “So you think it’s entertaining to just be a d*ckhead and piss people off? People want to be entertained. Look, man. I’ve grown up, bro. My fanbase has grown up. The world’s changed. F*cking people are way more sensitive now. Every other week on TikTok, Gen-Z discovers you on Monday and cancels me on Tuesday.”
Coming from Marshall Mathers – and not the cartoony Slim Shady – those words point to the rapper being more than aware that the lyrics that boosted his fame and notoriety just won’t fly in 2024 the way they did in 1999. As such, Slim had to go, being killed off on concept album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). But Slim, who is always kind enough to remind us he just doesn’t give a hoot, won’t let Mathers off that easily, saying he made his millions off of his back, a point hard to argue with.
The Death of Slim Shady may be one of the best-selling records this year but it has received some of the worst reviews of Eminem’s career, with much criticism going after exactly the sort of diss lyrics that made Eminem one of the most talked-about figures in all of pop culture for some time. With throws at Diddy, R. Kelly, Alec Baldwin, and more, to a lot of listeners, it’s all so desperate, like Eminem is trying to cling to his glory days. (Sort of reminds us of him calling out Moby when he rapped, “You’re too old, let go…”) Whether Eminem will “mature” more on future albums now that Slim Shady is in a bodybag remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine him dropping the trademark language and pop culture digs that always become pull quotes.
What do you think of Eminem’s music now? Do you think his lyrics will change with the death of Slim Shady?