Eminem was planning on dropping his next video from The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), “Tobey,” but ran into a delay.
Directed by frequent collaborator Cole Bennett, the video (or at least the sneak peak) seems like a straightforward affair, much like the song itself. More lyrically-focused than its “Houdini” predecessor, the track puts Big Sean, Babytron and Eminem’s rhyming skills firmly in the spotlight. For Eminem’s verse, he revisits the 2023 controversy involving Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five member Melle Mel. The feud between Melle Mel and Eminem escalated last year, when Em responded to Melle Mel’s previous comments in which he suggested that Slim Shady’s success was largely due to his race. In a scathing verse on the track “Realest” featuring Ez Mil, Eminem addressed these claims head-on, stating that while his skin color has been a topic of discussion, it hasn’t guaranteed his success. He also took a direct jab at Melle Mel, referring to him as a “juice head” whose “brain is half destroyed” due to steroid use.