Eminem takes swipe at RuPaul and Megan Thee Stallion on new single ‘Houdini’
Eminem takes a swipe at RuPaul and Megan Thee Stallion on new song “Houdini”. (Getty/World of Wonder)
Eminem is getting shady – Slim Shady, to be precise – on his new single, taking shots at stars including RuPaul and Megan Thee Stallion.
“Houdini”, the lead single from upcoming studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), both seems to resurrect Eminem’s former alter ego, and apparently killing him off.
In a teaser trailer for the new song, Eminem phones legendary magician David Blaine and asks for help with his “last trick”, to make his career “disappear”.
Well, if the social media stans catch sight of the lyrics to “Houdini”, he may not need any magic to eradicate his career, because they’re likely to work overtime to see Marshall Mathers cancelled.
Harking back to his 2002 hit “Without Me”, Eminem opens the new song with a reference to his sort-of catchphrase, “Guess who’s back, back again?”
The intro also features commentary from Paul Rosenberg, Eminem’s manager and producer, who tells the star: “Uh, I was listening to the album. Good f**king luck, you’re on your own.”
But it’s some of the song’s verses that may have listeners up in arms, with Eminem making light of “Hot Girl Summer” performer Megan Thee Stallion being shot in the foot by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez.
“If I was to ask for Megan Thee (what?) Stallion if she would collab with me, would I really have a shot at a feat? (Ha ha). I don’t know, but I’m glad to be back like,” he raps at the end of verse one.
Lanez shot his fellow rapper, real name Megan Pete, in the feet following an argument between the pair in 2020. He was jailed for 10 years last August.
Eminem also takes a swipe at Drag Race host RuPaul, commenting on the legendary queen’s “big balls”, later in the song.
“They can screw off (yeah), them and you all (uh). You too, Paul (punk), got two balls, big as RuPaul’s (woah),” he sings. “What you thought you saw ain’t what you saw.”
Elsewhere on the track, which is reminiscent of some of his earlier, more controversial, work, Shady makes questionable references to the trans community, the concept of being trans racial, crossdressers and his own children.
“My transgender cat’s Siamese (why?). Identifies as black, but acts Chinese (ha ha),” Eminem says.
“Cancel me, what? OK, that’s it. Go ahead, Paul [Rosenberg], quit, snake-a*s pr*ck. You male cross-dresser (ha ha), fake-ass b***h, and I’ll probably get sh*t for that (watch). But you can all suck my d**k.
“F**k my own kids, they’re brats (f**k ’em). They can screw off.”
The rapper has three children, including Stevie Laine Mathers, who identifies as genderfluid and uses they/them pronouns. All three make a brief appearance in the music video for the song.
“Houdini” also seemingly refers to some of Eminem’s earlier work which was criticised for including homophobic lyrics, such as 2000’s “Criminal”.
“Sometimes, I wonder what the old me’d say. (If what?), if he could see the way s**t is today (Look at this s**t, man). He’d probably say that everything is gay (like happy),” he sings on the new track.
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is due out later this year.
