You know a meme has reached peak saturation when even the notoriously techno-phobic Eminem is referencing it to promote his new albums. The “Hawk Tuah” girl, Hailey Welch, has been all over the place since her memorable street interview went viral on TikTok (including concerts with Zach Bryan and Shaquille O’Neal), and now, her catchphrase is part of the rollout for Eminem’s new album, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce).
Em quoted the spitting onomatopoeia in the caption of a video featuring the grave of “beloved antagonist” Slim Shady (who apparently died at the ripe old age of 27). A passerby spits on the tombstone, which bears a familiar quote from the chorus of “Without Me,” then walks away… missing a hand bursting up out of the ground, suggesting that rumors of Mr. Shady’s demise might have been greatly exaggerated.
“It feels so empty without him” HAWK TUAH #TheDeathOfSlimShady 7/12 pic.twitter.com/VG1USGfGnp
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) July 10, 2024
Em’s spent much of the rollout for the album poking fun at his alter ego, from making him the anachronistic butt of the joke in his “Houdini” video to putting him to the chainsaw in the video for “Tobey” to zipping him into a body bag on the album’s cover. Whether all this means Eminem’s truly retiring the rap persona — or just trolling all of his haters yet again — remains to be seen.
The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is due 7/12 via Shady Records/Aftermath/Interscope. You can find more info here.