The high level concept behind Slim Shady’s DeathAs highlighted by several skits scattered throughout the tracklist, this is the final showdown between Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady, with Slim kidnapping Mathers and early workHe then forced his captors to write the kind of outlandish songs that made him famous. The first half of the album is a rundown amusement park that’s a cheesy imitation of a Slim Shady song. “Fuck blind people,” he sneers on “Trouble.” “Brand New Dance” is a Encore The song is a three-and-a-half minute diss directed at the late Christopher Reeve, who died in 2004. It mentions Caitlyn Jenner six times before the 30 minute mark. South ParkIf it weren’t so old-fashioned, outdated and underdeveloped, it would be incredibly unpleasant.
The album’s centerpiece, “Guilty Conscience 2,” is the ultimate showdown, with the two characters circling each other with their eyes locked and their hands on their holsters. Em raps in two voices, one slightly distorted to represent Shady, the other a dry mix to represent Marshall. The two characters bicker like drunk reality TV contestants, holding their noses and holding up their middle fingers. Marshall feebly explains that Shady’s cruelty is simply the product of addiction, but he immediately undermines his own argument by needlessly comparing Slim’s embarrassing behavior to the death of David Carradine by masturbatory asphyxiation. Slim’s retort sounds like a man who says “go ahead and argue,” before bringing up the excuse that “it was just a joke.” Finally, after exhausting each other’s arguments, the two voices join together. It’s supposed to be a moment of absolution, but it sounds more like an admission of guilt. “I gave you the power to use me as an excuse for your misdeeds/You made me to say all the things you never dared to say,” they scream, before Marshall gets the upper hand and shoots Slim Shady dead, just as the album title promises.
Eminem, the day before release Tweeted that Slim Shady’s Death It’s a concept album, and should be listened to in order. It’s a long journey to get to “Guilty Conscience 2,” but there are moments of genuine inspiration along the way. “Fuel” chokes you with long-winded technique-heavy speeches, but Em JideFor a breathtaking verse, he enlists one of his stylistic heirs, Eminem, who veers away from the stadium-stomping bombast of his later years, opting for beats that range from the goofy clarinet traps to the crisp, slick boom-bap that defined some of his best early work. He’s good at eliciting chuckles, even if he walks a little too far: “Call it Sex Education with a necrophilia splatter/’Cause when I say I’m really evil, I’m really dead,” he sings on the otherwise uninspired “Evil.” But the album flounders, unsure of what it’s trying to say. After a superficial climax, five songs follow, none of which feel like the direction of the real, unladen Eminem.
