Eminem's new album The Death of Slim Shady is a tiresome riposte against cancel culture

Eminem’s new album The Death of Slim Shady is a tiresome riposte against cancel culture

Eminem brings back his notorious Slim Shady character for album number 12.(Supplied: Universal Music)

Apparently money can’t buy you happiness, which explains why, after selling hundreds of millions of albums, Eminem is as crotchety and cheeky as ever on his 12th album.

If you couldn’t care less about the return of one of modern music’s most controversial figures, we also bring you some truly excellent Australian albums that deserve some time in your ears this week.

Eminem – The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)

This is Eminem’s first swing at a concept album, “therefore, if you listen to songs out of order they might not make sense,” he said pre-release.(Supplied: Universal Music)

Do you want to hear a concept album about cancel culture? Me neither. But that’s what Eminem is offering up on his latest album.

It’s his first in four years, following the surprise release of the loosely structured, mixtape-feeling Music to Be Murdered By. This time, he’s sounding a little more focused, although sometimes it feels like he’s concentrating on winning Facebook comment section arguments.

The titular, shocking, and revolting Slim Shady character is back to enact revenge on a matured Eminem for abandoning him. The reprisal? He’s going to make the man born Marshall Mathers rap controversial, culture war-stoking bars, getting him cancelled on purpose.

If that sounds exhausting, well it mostly is. But if you grew up listening to Eminem, or are mad at “woke culture”, then you might get a kick out of this theatrical swing at social commentary.

In terms of production and vocal delivery, Eminem sounds his old self when rapping as Slim Shady, partly because there’s some unreleased verses sprinkled throughout and partly because it sounds like he’s using an AI filter to mimic his younger self (although that’s unconfirmed).

Highlights include ‘Fuel’ alongside formidable Atlanta rapper JID, the emotional ‘Temporary’, where he imagines talking to his daughters from beyond the grave, and the intro track ‘Renaissance’, where he sounds straight out of 2003.

For fans of: Joyner Lucas, Logic, Tech N9ne.