Eminem’s latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), has arrived with a bang. The rap legend takes aim at various figures in the music industry, including Diddy, Kanye West, and Ja Rule, while also poking fun at other celebrities like Lizzo.
A Conceptual Battle
The album is a concept piece where Eminem battles his alter ego, Slim Shady. Throughout the tracks, he references numerous other music figures, including the countless white rappers he has inspired. However, the self-proclaimed Rap God reserves some of his most cutting lyrics for Diddy and the multiple sexual assault lawsuits against him.
Diddy’s Assault Allegations
On “Antichrist,” Eminem mentions the 2016 CCTV footage showing Bad Boy boss Diddy assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie. The lines are brutal:
- “Next idiot ask me is gettin’ his ass beat worse than Diddy did/ But on the real, though/ She prolly ran out the room with his fuckin’ dildo/ He try to field goal punt her, she said to chill/ Now put it back in my ass and get the steel toe.”
The most savage insult, however, is found on the JID-assisted track “Fuel.” Here, Eminem raps:
- “I’m like a R-A-P-E-R/ Got so many S-As, S-As/ Wait, he didn’t just spell the word ‘rapper’ and leave out a P, did he?/ R.I.P., rest in peace Biggie/ And ‘Pac, both of y’all should be living/ But I ain’t tryna beef with him/ ‘Cause he might put a hit on me like Keefe D did him.”
These lyrics reference Keefe D’s claim that Puffy offered him $1 million to kill ‘Pac and Suge Knight during the Bad Boy-Death Row feud in the mid-’90s.
Additional Digs
On “Bad One,” Eminem mentions the rape allegations against both Diddy and singer Aaron Hall:
- “This sounds like something that Puff would do/ At the party with Aaron Hall ’cause I just love to fuck with you.”
Later in the song, he spits:
- “The people still seem to think they want the old me ’til they get him/ Got ’em up in arms like monkey bars/ The fucking bomb with the Puffy on/ I’m blowing up Kid Cudi’s car/ In front of his house where all his buddies are.”
Cassie’s lawsuit against Diddy, which has since been settled, claimed that the mogul had Cudi’s car blown up for briefly dating her.
Kanye and Kim References
“Antichrist” also sees Eminem joking about Kanye West’s public outbursts while poking fun at his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s sex tape with Ray J:
- “Say they wish that I wasn’t so angry/ They wanna see me goin’ off the deep end like Ye, aye/ Rather see me do like Kim Kardashian they say, yeah/ And find a way to get rid of all of this rage, aye [Ray J].”
“Bad One” features another Kanye reference, this time about his medication and mental health issues:
- “Brain is dead, space cadet/ Like when Ye forgets to take his meds.”
Ja Rule’s Return
Old foe Ja Rule also finds himself under fire on “Guilty Conscience 2,” the sequel to Eminem and Dr. Dre’s Slim Shady LP collaboration:
- “When I say, ‘Fuck midgets,’ I mean Ja Rule.”
Eminem calls back to his 2003 diss song “Hailie’s Revenge (Doe Rae Me)” where he referred to Ja as a “little mothafuckin’ midget.”
Lizzo and the White Rappers
In “Road Rage,” Eminem takes a dig at the plus-size singer Lizzo:
- “Ain’t never really truly over ’til Lizzo sings/ We should coddle fat people, yeah, here’s a concept, let’s celebrate onset/ Diabetes and instead of us dieting we can just have a pie-eating contest.”
“Bad One” also hears Eminem addressing his legacy and the influx of white rappers:
- “Yeah, this whole sub-genre with all these corny white rappers, I’m not a fan of it/ It ain’t my fault but like sock puppets I had a hand in it.”
Positive Namedrops
Despite the jabs, Eminem also defends Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Joyner Lucas from critics. On the opening song “Renaissance,” he raps:
- “Now let’s travel inside the mind of a hater/ ‘Cause I don’t see no fans, all I see’s a bunch of complainers/ ‘Kendrick’s album was cool, but it didn’t have any bangers/ Wayne’s album or Ye’s, couldn’t tell you which one was lamer/ Joyner’s album was corny, Shady’s new shit is way worse/ Everything is either too tame or there’s too much anger/ I didn’t like the beat, so I hated ‘Might Delete Later”/ You nerdy pricks would find somethin’ wrong with ’36 Chambers.'”
Conclusion
Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is a provocative and intense addition to his discography. The album showcases his lyrical prowess and willingness to tackle controversial topics and figures in the music industry. Whether you love or hate his approach, there’s no denying that Eminem continues to push boundaries and spark conversation with his music.
