At one point in time, Eminem was the big bad wolf of hip-hop. To this day, the “Tobey” rapper doesn’t care who he offends or lyrically shoots at. But Eminem does have one soft spot, and it’s for his daughter, Hailie Jade.
Eminem seems to be excited to bury his alter ego, as seen in his latest album’s title, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). But there is another homecoming service atop his mind. On his song, “Temporary” featuring Skylar Grey, Eminem provides Hailie Jade with encouraging instruction on how to heal once he passes in real life.
“A lot of people ask me, am I afraid of death,” he says as the track opens. “The truth is, I think what scares me the most is not being able to say all the things I wanna say to you when I’m no longer here. So this song is for Hailie, for when that day comes.”
Throughout the track, Eminem sprinkled in throwback home audio clips of him and Hailie Jade. He playfully asks, “Where’s Hailie? Where’s she at?”
The eager then-toddler replied: “This ain’t Hailie, it’s a monster!”
Eminem fast forwards to present day to give his daughter of instructions for how to deal with his death: “Hailie Jade, I wrote you this song / To help you cope with life now that I’m gone. How should I start? Just wanna say look after Alaina, Stevie, and Uncle Nate / And sweetie, be strong.”
Listen to “Temporary” below.
The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is out now via Shady/Aftermath/Interscope. Find more information here.
