Eminem delivers hard-hitting lyrics on Alec Baldwin-Sean Diddy in 'Fuel'
What's the story
Grammy-winning artist Eminem released his 12th album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace) on Friday. The album has significantly garnered attention for featuring pointed references to Sean "Diddy" Combs and Alec Baldwin. In the ninth track titled Fuel, Eminem and fellow rapper J.I.D address significant cultural stories including sexual assault allegations against Combs and the accidental death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust involving Baldwin.
Song lyrics
Eminem's lyrics remind us of Tupac Shakur's death
In the second verse of Fuel, Eminem cleverly uses wordplay to reference Combs. The lyrics "P, did he?" are a clear nod to "P. Diddy." He then pays tribute to Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur before linking Tupac's death back to Combs with the lines: "R.I.P., rest in peace, Biggie/And Pac, both of y'all should be living (Yep)/But I ain't tryna beef with him (Nope)/'Cause he might put a hit on me like Keefe D did him."
Controversial lyrics
Eminem's lyrics reflect on Combs's alleged threat, Baldwin's trial
Eminem's lyrics in Fuel also touch on the tragic Rust set incident involving Baldwin. He raps: "Fuck around and get popped like Halyna Hutchins/Like I'm Alec Baldwin, what I mean is buckin' you down, coup de grace then." In another track titled Antichrist, he references a video of Combs assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 with explicit lyrics that vividly depict the alleged incident.
Legal updates
Album release coincides with Combs's, Baldwin legal developments
Eminem's album release coincided with significant legal developments involving both Combs and Baldwin. On the same day, former Vibe editor-in-chief Danyel Smith published an op-ed in The New York Times Magazine alleging that Combs had threatened her life. On the other hand, a New Mexico judge dismissed Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial for the shooting of Hutchins on the Rust set in 2021 on Friday.
About the album
Meanwhile, know more about the album
Eminem has described his 12th studio album as a "conceptual album," and also warned fans on X/Twitter: "Listening to songs out of order might lead to confusion." While the album stands as one of his finest works to date, its marketing strategy was equally clever. Ahead of its official launch, the artist teased the album with a whimsical fake obituary for Slim Shady published in the Detroit Free Press on May 14. The headline read, "Slim Shady Leaves Lasting Impressions."