Eminem is back since Friday with his new single Houdini, accompanied by a clip in which the self-proclaimed king of rap once again dons his Robin costume. He embarks on a chase, a battle, and finally a fusion with his young alter ego Slim Shady.
Reusing the same aesthetics, lyrics, and tune as his globally successful 2002 hit Without Me, the rapper situates his new track in a world as futuristic as it is nostalgic. He thus features his former self who has traveled through a space-time portal.
As usual, Marshall Bruce Mathers III – his birth name – stirs controversy in a track where he openly criticizes cancel culture and today’s world. He explains that the "old him" would say "everything is gay" before catching himself and adding: "like happy".
Was he not referring to homosexuality? The rapper, who has never shied away from insolence, has regularly been criticized for his barely veiled critiques of the LGBT community. In the 2000s, he violently opposed the electro artist Moby, who continuously labeled the rapper as "homophobic" and "misogynistic."
Artists like the American rapper Megan Thee Stallion and the drag queen Ru Paul, among others, have been his targets, as well as his own mother. Eminem thus reaffirms his tendencies towards provocation, not even sparing his own children this time.
The public will also notice the presence of numerous rap guest-stars alongside him, such as his longtime comrades 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, as well as Snoop Dogg and Pete Davidson.
In reality, Houdini is just a teaser for the singer’s fans who are eagerly awaiting the release of his new album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), expected this summer.
The rapper has always been heavily criticized for his sometimes very violent and politically incorrect writing. What will happen with this new album? Since his successes in the 2000s, the woke culture and the #MeToo phenomenon have made him outdated. And his last three albums (Revival in 2017, Kamikaze in 2018, and the double album Music to Be Murdered By released at the beginning and end of 2020) have struggled to sell, in addition to being vitriolically reviewed by critics.
Can the self-proclaimed "king of rap" reconnect with success while maintaining his sharp wit and provocative tone? The fall will tell us…