Eminem's New Song Fuel Shocks With Cruel Lyric About Halyna Hutchins' Tragic Death
Eminem has long relied on his shock-value schtick to sell records, and his topical lyrics have made some of his old songs feel as dated as bleach-blond hair and baby Caesar bangs. But for a fleeting moment, his insensitive lyrics about the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins had exactly the effect he likely hoped they would.
When Eminem chose the release date of his 12th studio album, "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)," he couldn't have known that it would coincide with the end of actor Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial, but that's exactly what happened. Baldwin accidentally killed Hutchins with a prop gun on the set of the movie "Rust" in 2021, and he faced a potential 18-month prison sentence if convicted of the charges against him. But in a stunning turn of events, the case was dismissed due to withheld evidence, as reported by NBC News. Meanwhile, Marshall Mathers was up to his old provocative tricks, name-dropping both Hutchins and Baldwin in one of the songs on his new record. In the track "Fuel," he raps, "F*** around and get popped like Halyna Hutchins / Like I'm Alec Baldwin, what I mean is buckin' you down, coup de grâce then / Right between the f***in' / I shoot 'em all in if you think you're f***in' with me." He seems to be using a tragedy to fire verbal warning shots at his haters, and critics aren't here for the way he delivered his message.
So, maybe Slim Shady isn't dead after all
Some former Eminem fans were left wondering what happened to him for a few years after the novelty of his impish act wore off and his music became less impactful. But now, it seems that a lot of people would have been far happier if they hadn't been reminded that he's still around. On X, formerly known as Twitter, the "8 Mile" star was chided for his flippant reference to Halyna Hutchins' heartbreaking final moments. "Eminem is a vile, horrible human being. The shooting death of a real person should not be used as a punchline in a stupid 'edgy' rap. Pathetic," tweeted one person. "Old white guy rapping for relevance. Desperate and embarrassing," read another reaction.
Some netizens were also surprised that the "Fuel" lyrics showed no sign of Marshall Mathers maturing as a human being. "I thought Eminem was better than that now, guess I was wrong," said one X user. It is rather odd how the title of Eminem's new album suggests that he has laid his rabble-rousing rap persona to rest when his incendiary lyrics feel like they could have been penned by one of those Slim Shadys who are just imitatin'. If only the man who gave us the word "stan" would give his stans something worth stanning.