“Guess who’s back, back again.” Watch ghosts from Eminem's notorious past come back to haunt him, as Slim Shady, Rapboy, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and the Steve Miller Band pop up in the hilarious throw-back video for Houdini

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Houdini, the first single from Eminem's forthcoming album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace) is an absolute riot

Eminem
(Image credit: EminemMusic / Marshall B. Mathers III)

Rap superstar Eminem finds his past catching up with him in the highly entertaining video for Houdini, the first single previewing his forthcoming 12th album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace).

The comic book-style video finds Eminem's old alter-ego Slim Shady stepping into the present from a portal connected to 2002, much to the alarm of his creator, and old friends including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and comedian Pete Davidson. In the video, the day had already started badly for the 51-year-old rapper when his longtime manager Paul Rosenberg left him a voice message stating, “I was listening to the album… Good fucking luck, you’re on your own”, but it's about to get a whole lot worse.

Understandably, all this negativity puts Eminem in a rather shitty mood, causing him to lash out in potty-mouthed fashion against... everyone, basically. “Fuck Dre, fuck Jimmy [Iovine, boss of Interscope Records], fuck me, fuck you / Fuck my own kids, they’re brats“ he raps at one point, as a sample from The Steve Miller Band's poppy 1982 single Abracadabra bounces along behind him. A more current reference sees Eminem namecheck Megan Thee Stallion, asking “If I was to ask for Megan Thee Stallion if she would collab with me / Would I really have a shot at a feat[ure]?“

Watch the entertaining video below:

Eminem - Houdini [Official Music Video] - YouTube Eminem - Houdini [Official Music Video] - YouTube
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Eminem announced his return last month via a 30-second teaser video, themed like a true crime documentary, features a crime reporter gravely discussing the demise of Slim Shady, pointing out that “the blonde anti-hero... has had no shortage of enemies.” 

According to that trailer, which concludes with an image of Slim lying lifeless with a bloody knife protruding from his chest, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace) is due for a summer release.

Paul Brannigan
Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.