Eminem goes face to face with himself in a brand new retrospective video.
The 51-year-old rapper, born Marshall Mathers, engages in a “spirited conversation” along with his musical alter ego, Slim Shady, for his new Advanced journal cowl story. Within the interview, billed “Slim Shady vs. Marshall Mathers: THE FACE-OFF,” Em reckons along with his previous and makes peace with a few of his most controversial profession decisions.
The clip opens on a bearded, modern-day Mathers sitting in a chair whereas a hologram model of his bleach blond Shady persona arrives to take him to process over his new album, The Demise of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), which dropped earlier this month.
“I’ve been sent from the past to save our career,” Shady declares.
“My 25-year career? Where I sold like a billion albums?” Mathers retorts. “I think I’m doing pretty f**king fine.”
Shady is quick to take credit for all of Eminem’s subsequent successes, which included 2002’s “Lose Your self” and 2010’s “Love the Method You Lie” that includes Rihanna.
“We bought all that s**t off my again, b**ch, do not get it twisted,” Shady says. “You are not f**king Taylor Swift. You had one period that mattered — mine.”
Mathers pushes back, explaining that some of their most boundary-pushing content from the ’90s and early aughts wouldn’t stand today.
“I’ve grown up, bro. My fan base has grown up,” he says. “The world’s modified. F**king individuals are far more delicate now. Each different week on TikTok, Gen Z discovers you on Monday and cancels me on Tuesday.”
But old habits die hard, Mathers hints.
“You are simply doing the identical s**t you at all times do,” he tells Shady. “Make the f**king single faux controversial with out actually offending anybody after which put all of the f**ked up s**t on the deep cuts so that individuals discuss concerning the album after it drops. Then after they get offended, you get in your ‘Poor me’ sufferer s**t and act all f**king self-righteous.”
To that finish, Em lately confronted backlash on social media over a reference to Alec Baldwin‘s Rust shooting on his latest album. In a track titled “Gas,” the artist includes insensitive lyrics about the victim: “F**okay round and get popped like Halyna Hutchins.”
“Clutchin’ the 9 millimeter, tuckin’ the warmth / Obtained the toaster like an English muffin / No, I imply, ‘Toast to’ such as you drink to somethin’ However it’s in a holster, I proceed to bust it,” Eminem raps. “F**okay round and get popped like Halyna Hutchins / Like I am Alec Baldwin, what I imply is buckin’ you down, coup de grâce then / Proper between the f**kin’ / I shoot ’em all in should you suppose you are f**kin’ with me.”
The 66-year-old actor was beforehand standing trial for one rely of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly taking pictures of Rust cinematographer Hutchins on the set of his film in October 2021. Rust director Joel Souza was also injured. Earlier this month, Baldwin’s trial was dismissed with prejudice.
Eminem also includes songs that feature lines about Megan Thee Stallion, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Candace Owens, Kanye West, Jeffrey Epstein and many more. The album additionally features collaborations with Jelly Roll, White Gold, Sly Pyper, JID, Dem Jointz, Ez Mil, Skylar Grey, Big Sean and BabyTron.
On his track with Jelly Roll, “Any individual Save Me,” Eminem apologizes to his children over his past history of substance abuse. The rapper shares three children with his ex-wife, Kim Scott: Hailie Jade Scott, 28, Alaina Scott, 31, and Stevie Laine Scott, 22.
“You are the explanation I needed to self-medicate,” Mathers tells Shady in the Complex video. “‘Reason for you I nearly misplaced my f**king profession, my f**king household, my life.”
In the end, the two personalities come to terms with each other.
“Settle down, Slim. We each made Eminem. He is the perfect of each of us,” Mathers concludes. “And actually, it is not about me otherwise you. It is about him and the followers.”
He adds, “Do not stress out, man. I’ve carried out loads of work on myself when you had been gone. We’re on this collectively, child. Let the remedy movement via you.”
Shady agrees, “I wanted this trauma bonding s**t to assist me f**king defend my peace.”
The “Rap God” artist suffered a near-fatal drug overdose in 2007 after years of combating habit to Vicodin and Valium. Immediately, he is 16 years sober.
Eminem has had plenty to celebrate in 2024. In addition to his new album, he also walked his daughter, Hailie, down the aisle for her wedding.
Hailie Jade tied the knot with Evan McClintock in Might. One yr prior, in June 2023, Em’s different daughter, Alaina, married Matt Moeller.
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