Eminem has committed to the bit of killing off his alter ego Slim Shady to varying results while promoting the release of his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). Now, the rapper born Marshall Mathers has confronted a digital recreation of his alter ego pulled straight out of 2002 for Complex’s The Face-Off series. Watch the video below.
Throughout the 11-minute “roast battle,” Em and Slim Shady take potshots at each other, with Slim roasting Em for going soft: “I’m back because you got your nuts tucked so tightly between your legs fucking Caitlyn Jenner would be jealous.”
He continues by saying the sitdown is an intervention from Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, and Paul Rosenberg to “save our career.” Slim echoes a point he made on “Guilty Conscience 2,” in which he points out how the rapper has profited greatly from hiding behind him to “say everything you didn’t have the balls to say.”
“Everything that people think of when they think of Eminem is fucking yours truly. From the blonde hair to the middle finger to the fucking jokes — all of it, me. And if we’re being honest, the music that you’ve been dropping since I bounced ain’t it.”
Eminem responds by saying the world has changed: “Every other week on TikTok, Gen Z discovers you on Monday and cancels me on Tuesday.” He also strikes a nerve with his alter ego by asking, “When’s the last time you took a shot at someone who wasn’t a pop star, a non-rapping celebrity, [or] fucking marginalized communities?”
“It’s fucking 2024, man. Let people live their lives,” Em adds, before calling Slim Shady’s jokes dated. “This shit ain’t got nothing to do with you. It’s not that fucking hard. Just respect whatever people want to be called and keep it moving.”
Last week, The Death of Slim Shady ended Taylor Swift’s 12-week reign atop the Billboard 200 by debuting at No. 1. It marked Eminem’s 11th consecutive release to top the chart.
