Eminem pulled out a real tearjerker for his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).
The 19-track LP, which arrived on Friday, July 12, is the culmination of the 51-year-old rapper eliminating his alter ego, Slim Shady, per its dramatic title and multiple hints in its lead-up. However, part of the album is also dedicated to Eminem’s general feelings around death — particularly on the somber track “Temporary,” which features singer Skylar Grey and recordings of his daughter Hailie Jade Scott as a toddler.
According to the emotional song’s intro, it was written to comfort Hailie, now 28, in the future when her father dies.
“A lot of people ask me, am I afraid of death? / The truth is, I think what scares me the most is not being able to say all the things I wanna say to you when I’m no longer here,” Eminem reveals at the top of the track. “So this song is for Hailie, for when that day comes.”
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic ; Hailie Jade Instagram
Old audio of Hailie is weaved throughout the song as the Grammy winner raps about always being by her side even when he’s no longer physically around: “Yeah, so Hailie Jade, I wrote you this song / To help you cope with life now that I’m gone / How should I start? Just wanna say / Look after Alaina, Stevie, and Uncle Nate.”
He adds, “And, sweetie, be strong, I know I was your rock / And I still am, saying goodbye is just not / Ever easy, why you crying? Just stop / Hailie, baby, dry your eye, this is not Forever.”
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Eminem also dedicates another song, “Somebody Save Me,” off his album to Hailie and his other two children, Alaina, 31, and Stevie Laine, 22, all of whom he shares with ex-wife Kim Scott.
The track, which features Jelly Roll‘s “Save Me” chorus, sees him apologizing to his children for missing out on parts of their lives due to struggles with substance abuse. “Sorry that I chose drugs and put ’em above you / Sorry that I didn’t love you enough to / Give ’em up, how the f— do I not love you more than a pill? / Lookin’ up to the ceilin’ from this floor wonder will.”
The rapper continues in his second verse, “Alaina, sorry that you had to hear me fall in the bathroom… Stevie, I’m sorry, I missed you / Grow up and I didn’t get to / Be the dad I wanted to be to you / Things I wanted to see you do / This is my song from me to you / Sorry I gave up, but I’m just so defeated.”
In the past, Eminem has rapped about his kids in songs like “Mockingbird,” “When I’m Gone” and “Hailie’s Song.” The three of them recently appeared on a FaceTime call in the rap star’s “Houdini” music video released on May 31, where they pretended to be shocked to hear their dad rap, “F— my own kids, they’re brats / They can screw off, them and you all.”
