Eminem took on his former alter ego, Slim Shady, in a unique, artificial intelligence-assisted verbal showdown.
"The Face-Off," produced by the technology company Metaphysic for Complex, put modern-day Eminem against an avatar of Slim Shady from 2002, featuring the iconic reedy voice and dyed blonde hair, created using archival visual and audio footage.
At the beginning of the 12-minute interview, the AI Slim Shady mocked the 51-year-old rapper, born Marshall Mathers, for going soft.
"I'm back because you got your nuts tucked so tightly between your legs f**king Caitlyn Jenner would be jealous," he said.
The digital Slim Shady went on to say that the sit-down is an intervention from Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, and Paul Rosenberg to "save our career" and reiterate a point he made on "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)" track "Guilty Conscience 2."
In the song, Slim Shady noted that Eminem has benefited greatly from hiding behind him to "say everything you didn't have the balls to say."
Eminem's alter ego then claimed that he's the superior one between them and criticized the rapper's more recent music.
"Everything that people think of when they think of Eminem is f**king yours truly. From the blonde hair to the middle finger to the f**king jokes -- all of it, me. And if we're being honest, the music that you've been dropping since I bounced ain't it," the AI Slim Shady said.
Eminem fired back at his alter ego by asking, "When's the last time you took a shot at someone who wasn't a pop star, a non-rapping celebrity, [or] f**king marginalized communities?"
He also claimed that the world has changed, saying, "Every other week on TikTok, Gen Z discovers you on Monday and cancels me on Tuesday."
"It's f**king 2024, man. Let people live their lives," Eminem added.
The rapper claimed that today's world has nothing to do with the AI Slim Shady and reminded him to "respect whatever people want to be called and keep it moving."
Last week, "The Death of Slim Shady" dethroned Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" after 12 weeks atop the Billboard 200, marking Eminem's 11th consecutive No. 1 album on the chart.
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