What's the meaning of Slim Shady? Eminem alter leads Halftime LVI trailer

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Superbowl Halftime Show LVI will feature huge hip hop artists including Eminem and his twin Slim Shady, but what’s the meaning of the name?

With Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Dr Dre scheduled to perform at the Superbowl LVI Halftime Show, the crowd will definitely go wild. The trailer dropped on 20 January 2022, and it hyped fans up even more.

They’re some of the biggest names in hip hop, whisking us back in time to the 90s and 2000s.

The epic trailer introduces the artists with their greatest hit, and obviously, Eminem made his appearance with Rap God. Fans saw double as his twin Slim Shady graced the screen, but what does the name actually mean?

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Slim Shady EP

Before anyone gets confused, let’s clear it up. Eminem is Slim Shady, well kind of.

The rapper has several nicknames, but his alter ego, Slim Shady, is arguably his most popular.

First introduced in 1997 through his debut EP, Slim Shady EP, was a persona that allowed him to freely rage and rap about darker topics.

Violence and drugs are common themes graphically described in the lyrics, so much that the rapper made a disclaimer via the first song, Public Service Announcement.

What’s the meaning of Slim Shady?

As per Capital XTRA, the name was born while Eminem was sitting on the toilet as he often found inspiration in the bathroom.

He often used lyrics to refer to his upbringing in urban poverty – he moved around frequently between Detroit and his hometown of St Joseph, Missouri, and allegedly attended 30 schools before he dropped out of ninth grade.

Listen to the track Rock Bottom for his childhood experience.

Meanwhile, fans and Urban Dictionary claims that Shady was inspired by his more sinister thoughts. According to MTV, he said that Slim Shady was a “dark, evil, creatively sick part of me.”

Fans are ready for Eminem and Slim Shady

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Yasmine Leung

Yasmine is a third-year Anthropology and Media student at Goldsmiths University with a new obsession with League of Legends, despite being really bad. She's always on social media keeping on top of the latest news and trends and is HITC’s expert in Korean pop culture. She also loves music, TV and fashion - her favourite things to write about.