Eminem has returned with “Houdini,” a hard-hitting new single accompanied by a fitting video featuring cameos from adult film stars Samantha Mack and Ryan Keely. The song gives fans the first taste of Eminem’s upcoming 12th solo studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), due out this summer.
“Houdini” is produced by Eminem himself and – continuing the theme- features a sample and interpolation of Steve Miller Band’s 1982 hit, “Abracadabra.” The accompanying clip imagines Eminem’s antagonist character Slim Shady emerging in the present day via a “portal” — and finds himself confused and unsettled by what he sees in 2024. Determined to mold the modern era into a place more suited to his unique worldview, he sets off on a mission to do exactly that. Only current day Eminem’s alter-alter ego “Rap Boy” can save the world from Shady, along with his long time mentor- the legendary Dr. Dre. In an effort to neutralize these nefarious actions things go sideways and an unholy hybrid version of Eminem is created. Dr. Dre is less than thrilled with the results and hastily leaves the hybrid Shady to continue on his own… until a wandering stranger joins in and takes the wheel. Guess who’s back, indeed.
Directed by long-running collaborator Rich Lee (“Not Afraid,” “The Monster,” “Venom,” etc.), the innovative “Houdini” video freely calls back to classic Eminem videos such as Joseph Khan’s “Without Me” and Phillip Atwell’s “Real Slim Shady”. “Houdini” is packed with cameos including Dr. Dre, Pete Davidson, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Jimmy Iovine, Grip, Westside Boogie, Denaun Porter, Royce 5’ 9”, Paul Rosenberg, The Alchemist, EZ Mil, comedian Shane Gillis and adult film stars Ryan Keely and Samantha Mack. The generative AI used in the video was created by Metaphysic, with Jo Plaete and Chris Ume supervising production.
After the release of the “Houdini” music video, both Ryan Keely and Samantha Mack responded on social media. “My time in California has blessed me with so many incredible experiences, especially within the entertainment industry. I hope I am accurately explaining how grateful I am. I’m not kidding when I say I’ve been #BlessedByTheBest I have to shout out @ryankeelytm for being so warm and welcoming and professional. She was so incredible to work with. I really admire how she oozes confidence, and elegance. She has a beautiful and powerful presence. FUNNY MEMORY: When I was sitting in Hair and Makeup preparing for the scene, I saw a list of all of the Eminem doubles they were expecting. As you can tell from the video, there are a lot! So when a charming man walked on set and introduced himself as “Ralph,” (with a wink) I just assumed he was one of the doubles! He was making funny side comments to us while he was getting notes from the Director. His quick wit had us giggling the whole time. I thought we were just mapping out the scene… It wasn’t till we started filming that I realized it was actually Eminem beside me.” said Samantha Mack in one of her Instagram posts.
“This was a pretty great day at work! I was on set for 10 1/2 hours for 2 1/2 seconds in Eminem‘s new music video. #Houdini. @ryankeelytm is so awesome to work with. She is positive and energetic and incredibly supportive and her quick wit had me in stitches all day long. She is truly beautiful inside and out. So many people fussed over us this day. From hair & makeup to wardrobe, but I have to give a very appreciative shout out to a man named Dion who followed me around holding umbrella over my head each time I had to walk between my dressing room and set… because it suddenly started hailing in California. That young man protected me from Mother Nature like his life depended on it. This film set and crew went so over and above! II’ve been on a lot of different film projects, and the way we were treated and the amount of preparation that went into this workday was well beyond impressive! California has blessed me with so many opportunities and experiences that fill my heart with gratitude and now that this video has been released, I can finally add this day on set to my list. #AttitudeOfGratitude #BlessedByTheBest. Thank you to @jamescullenb for sliding my number on over so @eminem’s people could call my people. Surround yourself with people who speak positively about you behind your back! Good attracts good, and the ripple effect is real.” Samantha Mack said in another post.
“Hey @Eminem thank you making magic happen and including me in Houdini. Surreal! So cool. Can you do one more trick and get @SynapseVpGlobal to send me my check?” said Ryan Keely on X (formerly Twitter). Someone replied: “How much time did hairdresser take to get this hair job?” On which, she responded: “Dude it was gnars! 3 bags of clip in extension and then they added a 4th bag of tape-in extensions. let’s call it the the hair-pièce de résistance.” Check the post below:
