
Eminem to face Slim Shady in an online “roast battle”
It’s not unusual for an artist to face off against another performer in the world of hip-hop. The genre was largely founded on two rappers’ ability to go toe-to-toe with one another and see who comes out on top. However, there haven’t been many occasions when the performers in question have faced off against themselves. Enter Eminem.
When Em released The Death of Slim Shady earlier this month he did so with his tongue firmly in his cheek as he once again brought out his legendary persona Slim Shady. The record was an attempt to rid him of the alter-ego for good, but judging by the announcement that the two men will face off against one another online, he failed.
In a short film created in collaboration with Complex, Eminem will come face to face with Slim Shady in a “roast battle” that will likely live on in the ages. Arriving July 29th, the preview clip hints at something truly legendary.
“Only when the dust settles do we discover which one wins the war for the soul of Eminem,” Complex write in the caption. In the clip we see Eminem argue with a deepfake Slim Shady over being cancelled.
The Death of Slim Shady was naturally a huge success for Eminem. It earned him his 11th number-one album and even broke Taylor Swift’s chokehold on the chart, denying her a 13-week streak at the top. Selling 287,000 digital copies in its first week, Eminem seems to have found his commercial touch once again.
But what the album didn’t achieve was the burial of Slim Shady. The noted persona is far more brash and callous than Eminem and has routinely been the figure to deliver some of the performer’s most outlandish and downright insulting tracks. It means that a roast battle could be truly explosive.
Eminem’s battling skills have been hyped for decades, and fans will be keen to see what he has in his locker, even if it is in a likely pre-written short.