Eminem will release a new album this year, called 'The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)'. The title of the album is directly related to that of the first single, 'Houdini'.
Yes, like Dua Lipa, Eminem releases a single named after the famous Hungarian magician known for risking lives with his tricks. Eminem has more in common with Harry Houdini than Dua Lipa: Houdini died in Detroit at age 52, and Eminem is from Detroit and just turned that age. Now, on his new album, he promises his own death.
Ironically, 'Houdini' sees the “return” of the Eminem you remember from hits like 'The Real Slim Shady' or 'Without Me'. 'Houdini' is practically a recreation of 'Without Me' but brought to the current Eminem: in the lyrics, Eminem declares that he will continue to say “shit” to “anger you” and suggests that he will never be canceled, because he is still the idol of an entire generation .
In his new “provocation”, actually completely self-parodic, Eminem makes references to Megan Thee Stallion, RuPaul, R. Kelly or various groups, from drag queens to “transracial” people (“my transgender Siamese cat thinks he's black but “He acts like he's Chinese.” At one point in the lyrics he uses the word “censorship”… in case this fact suggests something to you.
The nostalgia of 'Houdini' goes the other way: the song bases almost its entire composition on 'Abracadabra' by Steve Miller Band, a song from 1983.
The video clip for 'Houdini' is also inspired by that of 'Without Me' and includes cameros from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Pete Davidson turned into a crazy driver. Will 'Houdini' be a new macrohit for the eternal king of rap… or will it be an “I come and I go”?
