Eminem’s ‘Houdini’ is a return to Free Speech and Artistic Freedom

Free speech is back – tell a friend

Part I Birth of Slim Shady

Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s Marshall Mathers aka Eminem won my heart with wholesome lines such as:

I murder a rhyme/one word at a time/you never heard of a mind/as perverted as mine (Eminem, I’m Back)

Somewhere along the lines I kind of stopped listening to him though.

I think it’s probably when he stopped looking like this:

And started looking like this:

Although he still had some absolutely killer hits, including Killshot his diss track to Machine Gun Kelly (I did agree with Kelly on his new beard though – it’s weird) his music dramatically changed with the up-and-coming climate of political correctness.

I was only about 12 or 13 when I first heard Eminem’s music. But he quickly became an authentic and in someways, groundbreaking voice of the American underclass and Middle America.

My intuition is that this was felt all over the world, and many youths forged a genuine connection to Em’s music because he was very relatable, as he rapped in White America: “they connected with me too because I looked like them” - and because he said funny, socially relevant and self-reflective things.

For someone his age (he was only in his mid-20s when he rose to prominence) he also showed a surprisingly level of self-awareness and ability to trust the right people in what is notoriously a nefarious industry that is preyed upon by social and financial vultures.

I cannot remember the exact quote now, but I recall Dr Dre, who discovered and helped much of Eminem’s early career, saying something like, he (Eminem) possesses a voice which conveys a sense of authenticity, making his lyrics and raps sound like they stem from real-life experiences.

I agree.

I think Eminem’s biggest influence, Tupac Shakur, also had this unique quality.

As a performer, having such an attribute is captivating because it makes you believe the story being told. Every artist is telling a story.  He was telling the story of Marshall Mathers, rebirthed as Eminem with his evil alter ego Slim Shady tagging along as a kind of psychotic but entertaining ride or die. It was a thrilling and inflammatory ride, yet at the same time, also an endearingly conventional rags-to-riches story. Having a voice which makes people believe in that story, then all the better.

Back in the early 2000s, no star was safe from getting dissed by Shady – he beefed and dissed with the likes of Christina Aguilera to Will Smith (good call in hindsight as since slapping Chris Rock in the face, on stage I’ve come to the conclusion the guys a douchebag) to former President Bush to lesser-known artists such as Insane Clown Posse and Cannabis. Em’s diss tracks to Mariah Carey and Limp Bizkit contained some of the smartest, funniest lines in music I will probably ever hear (note, Mariah’s husband, Nick Canon, attempted a diss back at Eminem, and it was really bad).

While everything I've said so far is important, it doesn't quite convey why Eminem was so impactful for me and countless others.

The true essence of his importance is his embodiment and advocacy of the most crucial value in any modern. functioning society: free speech.

Part II: Free speech has always underpinned the character of Slim Shady

As a young adult (kid, really) Eminem was my first taste of what free speech actually meant, why it was important, and how such a value was enjoyed by many artists and creators around the world. 

Eminem’s relationship with free speech, or the First Amendment, cannot strictly, I think, be characterized as morally righteous or political. Nor was it purely transgressive art.

Rather, Mathers straddled a fine line between music which had important social commentary, self-reflection and subversion to saying funny, offensive and inflammatory rhetoric just because he could do so with much more rhythm and skill than most other people, rappers included.

Comedy was a big part of who Eminem was in the early 2000s. His specific brand of dark/offensive humor was evident in most of his albums leading up to The Eminem Show – which on my view was his peak music.

That is not to say Eminem did not create transgressive music. There was certainly a shock value or outrageous factor to much of Eminem’s songs: In Brain Damage, he raps about beating a school bully to death, in Guilty Conscience, he jokes about date rape, and in Kim, he raps - or screams rather - of killing his on and off again ex-wife. In his raps, Em has also mocked school shootings and other sensitive topics.

On the other hand, Em has also made explicit that his commitment to free speech, is a serious one. Consider White America, for example. It is not just a song that functions as a big fuck-you to the establishment, it’s also a big fuck-you to censorship and Governmental tyranny.

Em declares in the opening of White America:

How many people are proud to be citizens of this beautiful country of ours?
The stripes and the stars for the rights of men who have died for the protect?
The women and men who have broke their necks for the freedem of speech the United States Government has sworn to uphold…

We can thus see a back and forth happening; between the shock humor and dark comedy-commentary and a serious commitment to the principles of free speech.

I do not mean this as a criticism. I think playing that fine line between shock art and important societal critique gave him, as a rapper, artist and writer a lot of room to move seamlessly between Slim Shady, the notorious character he created for himself which he used as a vehicle for his edgy views and to garner controversy, and Eminem, his more generic identity as a mainstream rapper and entertainer.

Similar to South Park, Eminem made fun of everyone. Entertainers like Em don't focus solely on minorities and ignore the majority or white individuals. They lampoon everyone equally. This is something people have time and again failed to grasp because a magnify glass is placed over the jokes on some groups vs others (really fucking irritating).

So, I got accustomed to this Eminem, the dude who was not scared to say anything, diss anyone, and mock any social or political issue. Various censorship bodies and governments had issues with him and he was under constant scrutiny for his spicy lyrics and profane humour – something which I assume would have only helped his image as a Maverick and rule breaker.

So, what in the name of the First Amendment happened?

Part III Death of a Firebrand

I can only speculate why Eminem slowly went from a subversive, hilarious and let’s face it, brilliant rapper to something more docile. It wasn’t that he wasn’t making good music, or quality songs and rhymes, I am sure many would say he was still doing those things. But to me he became watered down, overly generic and – I never thought I’d be using this adjective to describe Marshall – boring!

I mean.

It’s kind of ok if you started off a bit corny or generic. But it’s not really ok to start of edgy and then simp out under the crushing culture of political correctness and woke politics.

Of course, I am also sensitive to the fact that Mathers was battling several drug addictions and experiencing personal problems of his own which may have impacted his ability to continue being the raw artist I knew and loved.  

I also do not think it is helpful that it often seems to be the case that once these Hollywood stars achieve success, be it in acting or music, they tend to get caught up in the climate of Hollywood wokeness and lose a massive chunk of their original authentic voice and willingness to say funny or true things despite those things being politically incorrect (PC culture after all, is more or less a stupid invention of left-wing politics).

From letting his music to Lose Yourself be used for a Joe Biden campaign – spew!! (on my view one of the worst presidents the United States has ever seen) to passing public, emotional comments criticizing the overturning of Roe v Wade (Em having, what I assume is limited knowledge on philosophy or religion to have such a strong position) I was sure I had lost my childhood hero of critical thought and counterculture to the unending cringe of the left-wing, corporate, Democrat’s establishment.

That was before Houdini dropped on May 31.

This song not only restored my faith in Em’s music and integrity, but it cemented my view that perhaps, the worst of censorship had peaked, and we may just be returning to the good times and peak humanity culture of the mid 90s – early 2000s: a culture which allowed artists like Eminem to flourish.

Part IV Resurrection

'Cause I have zero doubts
That this whole world's 'bout
To turn into some girl scouts
That censorship bureau's out to (shut me down)

(Eminem, Houdini 2024)

The last thing I was expecting to see a few nights ago was #Eminem to be trending on X (formerly, Twitter) with caption after caption of ‘THE GOAT IS BACK” and “Finally he’s back” and “G.O.A.T returns” etc, you get the point.

Even if you aren’t an Eminem fan (but everyone should be an Eminem fan) it is worth it just to see him ironically rock a BUD LIGHT shirt.

Houdini is a clear indicator Shady is up to his old tricks again (to the delight of his original fanbase including yours truly) the reintroduction of the character is cemented by the fact that, included in the opening of the song is a skit with his long-time friend and manager Paul Rosenberg. Following a long tradition of skits with Paul on his albums of the 2000s, this has always functioned as an indicator that a certified shit-storm would be about to follow.

Em also promoted the song and his new album across his social media. In a short video clip with magician David Blaine, Eminem tells David that his new magic trick was that he was going to make his career ‘disappear’ (another sign this might be a return to 2002 Eminem pre-woke baseness!).

Houdini takes shots at everyone from Megan Thee Stallion, to trans women, to his own kids.

The music video Houdini itself references and parodies what is perhaps his most popular hit, Without Me and climaxes in a showdown in which the current Eminem battles the old Slim Shady (who has travelled in time from the early 2000s to the cringey present); nobody wins and instead the two clash together and a monster is created (that I assume will be the main voice for his upcoming album The Death of Slim Shady).

Yes, it’s all very meta and exhilarating.

But why is this return happening now?

Let us briefly investigate the possible reasons why Shady is finally back.

PART V Free Speech is the Future

I can only offer my very limited perspective on why I think Mathers decided to resurrect his old self.

Personally, I simply think the climate is changing – in the best way possible. Free speech is slowly returning to our societies – the kind we enjoyed in the 90s and early 2000s, or as I call it, the era of ‘peak humanity’ – but maybe it can be so again.

It’s the same reason I think a lot of woke institutions and ideas are beginning to crumble and people are starting to realize how stupid a lot of these tyrannical ideas and polices are, which stifle speech.

If you need any evidence of the return of free speech, surely the return of Slim Shady is it. It’s the sort of thing that’s too good to be true, so much so that one barely believes it is real. It would be similar to someone erasing all the episodes of The Simpsons after the golden era (say everything after Season 7) and remaking it again, but making it actually good – similar to when Sam Simon, James L. Brooks, and Matt Groening used to run the show.

This of course, raises the next burning question – why free speech is coming back so strong despite the past two decades being so obviously dedicated to its destruction (thank your commie leaders, corporate democrats and Karens for that one).

I think there are a number of reasons why free speech is prevailing despite all the attempts at global authoritarianism I’ve witnessed.

Not in any particular order:

1.      Elon Musk buying Twitter and unbanning many influential thinkers who added crucial value to our public discourse and having something like a reasonable approach to free speech and moderation where necessary. If you don’t want to support a billionaire because they support free speech, I’m not sure what to say to you. Good luck supporting all the billionaires who don’t support free speech?

2.      The Jews: After the horrific October 7 attacks by Islamic terror group Hamas, Israel have been more than outspoken about the threat such groups and ideas pose to themselves and the world as a whole. I believe this outspokenness and their unapologetic attitude in general, had a spillover effect on many other people who started publicly discussing, mocking and critiquing such ideas - be it religious, political and otherwise - something which they were perhaps less inclined to do prior.

3.      Podcasts and alternative media: Obviously it goes without saying I think high quality, long form content has been one of the best things for free speech. In addition to X, I would also give credit to platforms such as Rumble and Substack for actively selling free speech as one of their core values. Distinct and unapologetic thinkers are some of our best warriors for making sure free speech stays afloat and thrives; massive podcasts such as Joe Rogan obviously contribute to the free exchange of ideas (sometimes not always in a good way! But mostly good) but the people I really admire are the ones willing to traverse the most morally pressing terrain such as Sam Harris, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Coleman Hughes, to name a few. I do think Ben Shapiro has done some of his career’s best work defending the war in Israel.

But back to our rapper-friend. From this, one could argue ‘Eminem is simply looking to make more profit by adjusting to the climate, as he’s always done! He doesn’t really care about free speech, or creating real music etc. He’s just being an opportunist.’

Basically, someone could argue Em is just smartly responding to the change of culture, once more and changing to maintain his career and maintain relevance.

I think that’s a very cynical view to take. And from following his political and moral views over the years, I do not think it is justified. And even if he is, so what? Even if Em does have mixed motivations for resurfacing his alter ego, it is still reasonable to assume that there is part of him that also has a genuine desire to do so.

I do, however, think a more accurate narrative is something more akin to: he was himself before, then he toned it down due to x reasons, now he can be himself again.

I also do not expect him to have the same level or profanity or controversy as his more hardcore albums like The Marshall Mathers LP for example. I understand it’s a different time and he is a different and maturer person. But I’d still like to at least some level of I don’t give a fuck-ness that he once embodied.

Overall, it feels great to have the real Eminem back.

In fact, I cried upon watching Houdini – and I’m not the only one according to this excellent reddit thread.

Finally, Shady has stood up, and once more he has become, something that is like himself!

Patricia Nonis

3^rd June 2024