The wait is almost over. Eminem has pulled out all the bells and whistles in the build up to his new album, The Death of Slim Shady. The album's release date is almost upon us, though, so there's little left to do then let the music speak for itself. Now we have a tracklist. Eminem dropped the song titles on July 9th, confirming the inclusion of lead singles "Houdini" and "Tobey." The biggest delight, though, is how long the album is. Em is not skimping out on the content.
The Death of Slim Shady will be 19 tracks long. This makes it longer than Kamikaze and Recovery, and more in line with the deluxe editions of more recent albums. There also seems to be song titles that are direct sequels to Eminem classics, or riffs on earlier song ideas. "Guilty Conscience 2" is obviously an extension of the classic Dr. Dre collab from 1999. Given that Dre is heavily involved with The Death of Slim Shady, it's safe to assume he will return for a couple verses. "Brand New Dance" also calls back to "Square Dance" from Em's 2002 classic The Eminem Show.
The Features On Eminem's Album Are Hidden
There's strong demonic imagery littered throughout the tracklist. The final trailer for the album sees a woman give birth to a demonic infant, so it's definitely on brand. The Death of Slim Shady will include songs called "Lucifer" and "Antichrist" back to back on the album, as well as "Bad One." Other titles suggest a more frenetic, angry energy like "Fuel" or "Road Rage." This also makes sense, given how Slim is the embodiment of all of Eminem's worst tendencies. "Houdini" was a clear throwback to the rapper's heyday, so it should fit in with the rest of the songs here.
The more reflective songs titles come later in the tracklist. "Temporary" suggests a transient angle that falls out of the Slim purview and more into older, contemplative Em. The same goes for the final song on the album, "Somebody Save Me." It's worth noting that the only features listed on the album are Big Sean and BabyTron, who appear on the already-released "Tobey." Based on the collaborations that have been teased in the lead up to The Death of Slim Shady, it looks as though the other features will be hidden until the album drops on July 12.