Four years have passed since Eminem released his last album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, but a campaign has been quietly gearing up ahead of the release of his ninth album – thought to be on 11 November.
Eminem released a new single, Campaign Speech, and famously lambasted Donald Trump during the BET Awards earlier this month.
But the controversial rapper has embarked upon a more subtle – and typically comedic – approach ahead of the release of his new record, which fans believe is called Revival, after following a trail of breadcrumbs.
On Wednesday, Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg posted a photograph on Instagram of the new Yelawolf album, explaining that it had landed in “the Shady offices” – a reference to one of Eminem’s aliases, Slim Shady.
But eagle-eyed fans noticed a pharmaceutical advert in the background of the photo which featured a reverse “E”, similar to the branding of Eminem’s name.
Eminem’s offices are in Detroit, and the city’s free press directory shows that the advertisement was paid for by the rapper’s label, Interscope Records.
The slogan on the advert relates to a lyric from Eminem’s 2002 song Sing for the Moment: “That’s why we seize the moment”.
Revival also has a website, askaboutrevival.com, which is littered with amusing references to Eminem’s music, such as “sweaty palms” (there is, alas, no risk of vomit on one’s sweater nor weak knees).
Other references to hit single Lose Yourself include the lines “It’s easy to lose yourself” and “With Revival, I won’t waste my one shot” in the video testimony for the fake drug.
