All the Celebrities Eminem Name-Drops on ‘Houdini’ (2024)

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From Megan Thee Stallion to Dr. Dre, Slim Shady made his presence felt with his first single of the year.

All the Celebrities Eminem Name-Drops on ‘Houdini’ (1)

Shady’s back, tell a friend. Eminem returned with “Houdini,” his first single of 2024 on Friday (May 31).

Em attempted to turn the clock back with the single and his early 2000s Slim Shady alter ego. “Houdini” serves as the start of the rollout for the Detroit legend heading into his The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) album, which will be released this summer.

The project will serve as his 12th album and follows 2020’sMusic to Be Murdered By, which debuted at No. 1 on theBillboard 200.

Em originally announced plansfor the album shortly after his appearance at the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit. He teased his own version of anUnsolved Mysteriesepisode featuring a cameo from 50 Cent. However, it was actuallyDr. Drewho revealed the details about Eminem’s upcoming album during a late-night appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!in March.

Eminem also dropped an accompanying superhero-themed visual for “Houdini” on Friday, and the clip is a star-studded affair while attempting to create Em’s 2002 “Without Me.” 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Pete Davidson, Snoop Dogg and the rapper’s three kids all make cameos in the video.

From Britney Spears to Christina Aguilera, Eminem hasn’t been shy about sparking controversy and name-dropping his celebrity peers throughout his career.

Em tends to lean into the shock value and that’s still the case on “Houdini,” as the provocateur mentions pop-culture personalities such as RuPaul and hip-hop staples like Megan Thee Stallion and Dr. Dre.

Find our full list featuring all the celebrities Eminem references on “Houdini” below.

  • Megan Thee Stallion

    Lyric: “If I was to ask for Megan Thee Stallion if she would collab with me/ Would I really have a shot at a feat?”

    Eminem and Megan Thee Stallion have yet to collaborate, and a feature request playing off of her 2020 Tory Lanez shooting is a bizarre way to ask. Lanez ended up being sentenced to a decade behind bars and the Houston rapper has been vulnerable about the depression and mental health issues she’s endured in the years since.

  • R. Kelly

    Lyric: “In the coupe leaning back my seat/ Bumpin’ R. Kelly’s favorite group the black guy pees”

    R. Kelly and Eminem never collaborated throughout their careers. Here, Em utilizes wordplay comparing the disgraced singer’s alleged fetish of peeing on women during sex to his favorite group being the Black Eyed Peas.

    It’s not Slim Shady’s first time dissing Kells either. On the 2009 Relapse track “Old Times Sake,” Em brings up R. Kelly and his alleged fetish once again. “And it’s given me wings, I believe I can fly/ While I pee on a girl, you won’t catch me CSI,” he raps.

  • Paul Rosenberg

    Lyric: “Cancel me what? Ok that’s itgo ahead Paul quit/ Snake a– p—k”

    Eminem and Paul Rosenberg met in 1996 during the infancy stages of Em’s career and he became Slim’s manager shortly after. Rosenberg took over Def Jam Records when he was named CEO/chairman in 2017, but ended up leaving the label in 2020 and refocusing on management duties.

  • Jimmy Iovine

    Lyric: “F–k them, f–k Dre, f–k Jimmy, f–k me, f–k you,f–k my own kids they’re brats”

    Jimmy Iovine is a co-founder of Interscope Records. As the story goes, Iovine reportedly played Em’s Slim Shady EP for Dr. Dre and urged Dre to sign the Detroit rapper to his Aftermath label. Iovine and Eminem remain close to this day as Em pulled up to the famed exec’s 70th birthday party last year.

  • Dr. Dre

    Lyric: “F–k them f–k Dre, f–k Jimmy, f–k me, f–k you,f–k my own kids they’re brats”

    Dr. Dre has long been a mentor figure for Eminem and signed him to his Aftermath record label. From producing Em’s “My Name Is” in 1999 to “Forgot About Dre” and many more, Dr. Dre remains an integral part of Slim Shady’s creative process as they form one of the most dynamic duos in all of rap. Dre appears in the “Houdini” music video and revealed in March that he’s contributed to Eminem’s upcoming The Death of Slim Shady album.

  • RuPaul

    Lyric: “Got two balls, big as RuPaul’s,what you thought you saw/ Ain’t what you saw”

    There appears to be no history between RuPaul and Eminem prior to name-dropping him on “Houdini.” RuPaul is known as the “Queen of Drag” while producing his acclaimed reality series RuPaul’s Drag Race. The 63-year-old multi-hyphenate has won a pair of Billboard Music Awards, a Tony and 14 Primetime Emmy Awards.

  • Sherri Papini

    Lyric: “Caught sleepin’ and see the kidnappin’ never did happen/ Like Sherri Papini”

    Eminem has referenced notorious serial killers and other bizarre cases and diabolical criminals seen in American history throughout his lyrics in the past. During the final verse of “Houdini,” Em mentions Sherri Papini, who was arrested for orchestrating her own kidnapping hoax in 2016.

    Papini, 34 at the time, claimed she was abducted for three weeks before being released in November 2016. The mother of two stood by her story when questioned by federal agents. The California resident was eventually arrested in 2022 and agreed to a plea deal. She ended up being sentenced to 18 months in jail and fined $300,000 on charges of mail fraud and lying to a federal agent.

    Sherri Papini, a 34-year-old woman, left her husband and two children at their home in Redding, California, on November 2nd, 2016, and disappeared for three weeks.

    Sherri was later found on the side of a highway with a bag over her head and weighing only 40kg. She claimed she… pic.twitter.com/J3a3xxIWPG

    — Rare Stories (@rarestorees) March 20, 2024

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  • Harry Houdini

    Lyric: “Harry Houdini, I vanish into thin air as I’m leaving”

    Harry Houdini was an escape artist and stuntman that became a renowned performer in the early 1900s. His otherworldly stunts appear to be an inspiration behind Em’s new single bearing his name heading into The Death of Slim Shady. Houdini died at the age of 52 in 1926.

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        All the Celebrities Eminem Name-Drops on ‘Houdini’ (2024)

        FAQs

        All the Celebrities Eminem Name-Drops on ‘Houdini’? ›

        Eminem has claimed his 11th number one single in the official charts this week with the track Houdini. It comes from his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), and is the rapper's first chart topping hit since Godzilla in 2020.

        What album is Houdini on Eminem? ›

        Eminem has claimed his 11th number one single in the official charts this week with the track Houdini. It comes from his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), and is the rapper's first chart topping hit since Godzilla in 2020.

        Who was in Eminem's Houdini video? ›

        It ends with a blonde-haired Marshall kicking a door open so hard he loses one of his shoes. The video that makes nods to Em's 2009 “Without Me” visual features cameos from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, as well as Marshall's three kids — Hailie, Alaina and Stevie — as well as former SNL star Pete Davidson.

        Who is Paul in Eminem's Houdini? ›

        Eminem "Houdini" Video Celebrity Cameos: Paul Rosenburg

        The "Houdini" video begins with Eminem's longtime friend and manager, Paul Rosenburg, calling to tell him he heard the album and wishing him luck. Paul playfully states, "Hey Em, it's Paul.

        Is Houdini number 1? ›

        More Stories by Gary Trust. Eminem's “Houdini” magically appears at No. 1 in its first week on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. It becomes the rapper's first leader on the lists, which began in September 2020.

        What was Eminem's 7th album? ›

        Recovery (stylized as RECOVƎRY) is the seventh studio album by the American rapper Eminem. It was released on June 18, 2010, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records.

        Who is the black Houdini? ›

        (WSAV) — Many people from Savannah would go to Fernandina and see the black Houdini, Peter Hooper. Hooper was an escape artist and magician. The great Peter Hooper traveled the world entertaining thousands–rivaling Houdini.To learn more, go to Geechee Kunda and Day Clean Soul.

        Why was Houdini called Houdini? ›

        Houdini took his stage name from the name of the French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, but he later wrote The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin (1908), a debunking study of Houdin's abilities. Houdini wrote the article on conjuring for the 13th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.

        Why is Houdini so famous? ›

        Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known as Harry Houdini (/huːˈdiːni/ hoo-DEE-nee), was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts.

        Who discovered Eminem's? ›

        Eminem's first album, the positive-minded Infinite, came out in 1996, but it was his follow-up The Slim Shady EP, along with a second-place finish at the Rap Olympics in Los Angeles that caught the attention of West Coast rap mastermind Dr. Dre, who signed Eminem to a major label deal.

        What was Eminem's crew called? ›

        D12 (an initialism for the Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of de facto leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swifty McVay.

        Who invented Houdini? ›

        Aspiring teenaged magician Ehrich Weiss did not conjure the name "Harry Houdini" out of thin air. Following the hallowed tradition of his craft, the name pays homage to Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, the French performer widely considered the father of modern magic.

        Are Paul and Eminem friends? ›

        In 1996, he formed Goliath Artists, a talent management company. It was also how he met Eminem the following year, agreeing to not only be his manager, but also his lawyer. Their friendship began during the development of his 1997 extended play, the Slim Shady EP.

        Who are the girls in the Houdini video? ›

        Continuing this tradition, Eminem's latest release, "Houdini," not only references his children but also features them all together in the music video. This marks a rare public appearance of Hailie, Alaina, and Eminem's third child, Stevie, all in one frame.

        What is Eminem's dominant hand? ›

        Left-handers, rejoice! Marshall Bruce Mathers III (A.K.A. Eminem) is an esteemed member of your crew.

        What is Eminem's fourth album called? ›

        In 2002, Eminem's fourth album, The Eminem Show, also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and reached the top spot on various charts internationally, as it went on to sell 27 million copies worldwide. The Eminem Show was the best-selling album worldwide of 2002, with sales of over ten million copies.

        What is Eminem's third album called? ›

        The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.

        Who was on stage with Eminem in Detroit? ›

        Alongside Jelly Roll, Ross, 80, and Big Sean, 36, Jack White, Common, Fantasia, the Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard, Illa J, Melissa Etheridge, Theo Parrish, Slum Village and Sky Jetta were also announced.

        What is Eminem's sixth album? ›

        Relapse is the sixth studio album by the American rapper Eminem. It was released on May 19, 2009, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records.

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