Eminem is taking his alter ego Slim Shady to task in his new album, and he enlisted newly minted Country star Jelly Roll for help.
Eminem's latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), delves into Gen Z, cancel culture, and (of course) his alter ego, Slim Shady. Dropped on Friday, this 19-track album dives into transgender rights, pronouns, and political correctness, all while channeling the winking at the listener rebellion of classic Slim Shady.
However, Eminem's track alongside Jelly Roll is a more somber affair compared to the rest of the album.
Jelly Roll collaborates with Em on the album's closing track, "Somebody Save Me." Of course, it draws inspiration from Jelly's own song "Save Me." The final track is a heartfelt apology to his daughter Hailie and Eminem's other children, imagining an alternate reality where he didn't survive his 2007 overdose.
"Another pill as I start to spiral, Message to my daughters, I don't even deserve the father title," Em spits during the song. The veteran rapper goes further down the rabbit hole. He imagines all the things he would have missed had he died during his 2007 drug overdose. Meanwhile, it's all framed by Jelly singing a mournful chorus, calling back to his own "Save Me".
Fans React to Eminem and Jelly Roll's Somber Track
Of course, fans were moved by Eminem and Jelly Roll's collaboration. In the YouTube comments for "Somebody Save Me", many expressed their own struggles with substance abuse.
"I got clean from heroin right before my daughter was born 17 years ago and I'm so grateful for that. This song still hit me hard just thinking of if things went the other way," one fan wrote.
"As a father of 2 daughters in 17 months of active recovery, this hits home hard. I'm glad I chose the path of recovery," a second fan added.
"He saved himself 15 years ago. This song is from the perspective of if he didnt get clean & sober. Brilliant & haunting at the same time esp using Jelly Roll who also saved himself," a third fan observed.
The Death of Slim Shady marks Eminem's first album since 2020's Music to Be Murdered By. It's also the first since 2017's Revival to feature a comprehensive, advanced promotional campaign. Unlike Kamikaze (2018) and both Music to Be Murdered By and its companion Side B, which were surprise releases, this album arrives amid much anticipation and fanfare.
The first single, "Houdini," was released in May and debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Its follow-up, "Tobey," was released last week and entered the Hot 100 at No. 95 in a shortened chart frame.
