Just hours after hitting streaming services at midnight on Friday (July 12), The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is already stirring up controversy for Eminem. Names are dropped and called on “Renaissance,” the opening track to the rapper’s twelfth studio album, where Em commences the project with references to Ye, Kendrick Lamar, and Lil Wayne, amongst other rap stars.

“Soon as I quit givin’ a f**k I started to sell a bit/ Now let’s travel inside the mind of a hater/ ‘Cause I don’t see no fans, all I see’s a bunch of complainers/ ‘Kendrick’s album was cool, but it didn’t have any bangers/ Wayne’s album or Ye’s, couldn’t tell you which one was lamer,'” the Detroit rapper lashes.

While many listeners took the song as a diss towards the rapper’s peers, others have interpreted it as Eminem assuming the role of a critic, parodying the negativity often seen in fan culture, while simultaneously mocking those who search for the faults in others’ work.

The verse also nods to his “Lucky You” collaborator and J. Cole’s fourth mixtape. “Joyner’s album was corny; Shady’s new s**t is way worse/ Everything is either too tame or there’s too much anger/ I didn’t like the beat, so I hated Might Delete Later/ You nerdy pricks would find somethin’ wrong with 36 Chambers,” the rapper pokes.

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) appears to be Eminem’s attempt to “cancel himself,” as previously noted in the album trailer. He doesn’t hold back on the 19-song offering, either. Records like “Road Rage” touch on topics like transgenderism and body positivity, referencing Caitlyn Jenner and Lizzo.

On “Antichrist,” he takes shots at Diddy and reflects on Will Smith’s viral Oscars Award moment involving Chris Rock. It’s also worth noting the rapper touched on Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting on “Houdini,” a single released weeks ahead of the album.

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) features additional assistance from JID, BabyTron, and Big Sean. The latter two appeared on the pre-release single “Tobey,” which received a Cole Bennett-directed visual companion on July 8.