Eminem’s Shady Records is one of the most iconic labels in the history of hip hop. Some of the biggest releases from the label include monumental singles and albums from 50 Cent and Slim Shady himself. The imprint, founded in 1999 and distributed by Interscope, Polydor (UK) and Universal Music Group (International) has gone through many transformations over the years. Its roster has drastically changed since its inception, but Eminem has repeatedly shown that he has a knack for recognizing talent. In fact, Shady just signed its most recent addition to the label with 25-year-old rapper Ez Mil. HotNewHipHop previously covered the complete history of Shady Records back in 2019. The acclaimed label has since updated itself, including the signing of Ez Mil.
Part one of the label’s history covered the first iteration of Shady Records, spanning from 2000 to 2003. Part two detailed the rest of the Shady Records story from 2003 to the present 2019, including the Shady “2.0” era. From the early days of 50 Cent and D12 to the united movement of Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf, Eminem has helped talented rappers grow artistically and has supported their successes. While this current era of Shady Records may not reach the commercial peak that it achieved in the 2000s, the imprint's roster has offered a lot of music recently. Today, we continue to look at the complete history of Eminem’s Shady Records, spanning from 2019 to the present.
A Post-2.0 Shady
The Shady 2.0 era came to an end when Slaughterhouse officially disbanded in 2018, following a series of solo ventures, disputes with the label, and shelving their Glass House album. Eminem had recently signed Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and Westside Boogie, who was going simply by Boogie at the time. The new roster stood behind Eminem during his BET freestyle where he spoke out against Donald Trump. While Gunn, Conway, and Boogie all signed with Shady Records in 2017, their output on the label was sparse until 2019. Westside Gunn and Conway had only released the standalone single, “Machine Gun Black” back in 2017 as Hall N Nash, with Eminem talking in the intro. However, they continued to unveil a number of releases outside of the label.
A Reinvigorated Eminem
Following the poor reception of Revival back in 2017, Eminem released his tenth studio album, Kamikaze in 2018. The album was released without any prior announcement. On Kamikaze, he snapped back at critics of Revival and those who spoke ill of him, including journalists and artists alike. Kamikaze notably included “Venom,” from the soundtrack of the superhero film. Additionally, Eminem sent shots back at Machine Gun Kelly, leading to an exchange of diss tracks between the two. He also confirmed the end of D12 on the song "Stepping Stone." While not regarded among his all-time best works, Kamikaze was better received than Revival, marking a new era for Eminem and Shady Records.
Changes To The Roster
Riding the momentum of Kamikaze, the brand new Shady Records roster started to roll out their first offerings. At the start of 2019, Westside Boogie released his debut studio album, Everythings For Sale via Shady Records and Interscope, featuring Eminem on the song “Rainy Days.” Not long after, Yelawolf released his fifth album, Trunk Muzik 3. His fourth release with Shady Records, Trunk Muzik 3 fulfilled his contractual obligations and he parted ways with the label.
That same year, Griselda released their debut collaborative album and first major label offering, WWCD. Eminem featured on “Bang,” a track originally intended as a single for Conway’s debut album on Shady Records. While Benny the Butcher never signed with the label, his contributions to WWCD as a member of Griselda counted towards Westside Gunn and Conway’s contractual requirements. After the release of WWCD, Griselda’s time on the label was short-lived.
A New Decade Of Shady
Shady Records started the new decade strong with Eminem releasing Music To Be Murdered By at the start of 2020. It was yet another album that had not been announced prior, taking listeners by surprise. His eleventh album featured the likes of Young M.A., Don Toliver, Anderson .Paak, and a posthumous Juice WRLD appearance. Singers like Ed Sheeran and Skylar Grey also contributed to the album. Furthermore, Music to be Murdered By notably featured rap legends like Royce Da 5’9”, Black Thought, Q-Tip, and even a mini Slaughterhouse reunion minus Joe Budden. The album was warmly received by fans and critics.
In December 2020, Eminem came back with a deluxe album. Music to be Murdered By - Side B featured sixteen additional songs. That same year, Westside Gunn delivered his solo offering for Shady Records and third album of 2020, titled Who Made The Sunshine. Much like WWCD, Who Made The Sunshine was primarily produced by Daringer and Beat Butcha, who forged their instrumentals without sampling. The album was Gunn’s only solo release for the label, departing Shady after its release.
Latest Releases
Shortly after Westside Gunn’s exit, Eminem signed Atlanta rapper Grip to Shady Records in 2021. Later that year, Grip released his Shady debut, I Died For This?!, featuring Eminem on the song “Walkthrough.” The following year saw the official departure of Griselda from Shady as Conway the Machine released his long-awaited album, God Don’t Make Mistakes. Also in 2022, Westside Boogie dropped More Black Superheroes, his second release on the label.
The Future of Shady Records
With its roster constantly changing within the past five years, it makes one wonder about what's next for Shady Records. With Griselda off the label and Grip focusing on independent endeavors, Eminem has been steering his own ship with the help of Westside Boogie. However, the future of Shady Records has drawn excitement as Eminem recently signed Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil to the label. The Las Vegas-based artist has been active since 2020, releasing three albums including 2022’s DU4LI7Y on Virgin Music. While we wait for Ez Mil’s Shady debut, only time will tell what the future holds for Eminem’s historic record label.