“Dear Slim” by Tom MacDonald

Undoubtedly, we have compared Tom McDonald to Eminem in the past. And on this track (“Dear Slim”), Tom is doing the same thing, basically presenting himself as the modern incarnation of Slim Shady. No, he may not be selling gazillions of records like Marshall did during his prime. But there are a number of things which McDonald is able to perceive that they have in common. And he is addressing the lyrics to Eminem directly, which is why the song is entitled “Dear Slim”.

Similarities between Tom MacDonald and Eminem

And here is the breakdown of the similarities McDonald feels they possess. First would be the fact that, according to his experience, “someone’s [always] comparing” the two of them. Also, despite acknowledging that they are “very different politically”, what they do have in common is this wherewithal to say whatever’s on their mind. And they don’t care even if it inevitably offends certain people.

But perhaps most pointedly, as illustrated in the second verse, is the reality of both of them being White. And that reality manifests itself in a number of ways. For instance, there is the reverse racism or however you want to call it – accusations of being a “culture vulture” or what have you. 

Also is the fact that all “Caucasian rappers” are ultimately compared to Eminem. And as McDonald implies, this is burdensome. And why? Because he feels that none of them can match up to Slim Shady lyrically (even though in his prime, arguably few Black rappers could either). And yes, in the past we have personally compared all of the popular White rappers of the day to Eminem. But that is because, as the thesis sentiment of this song microcosmically implies, he has actually been influential on the lot of them.

Stan

In fact in a way, “Dear Slim” is like a non-canonical entry in the Stan saga, with Tom unofficially taking on the role of Stan himself – if Stan had survived and became a famous rapper. And to make a long story short, what Tom is fundamentally telling Eminem is that he is his role model. In his eyes, Em is someone who, despite not even knowing the vocalist personally, helped him deal with getting bullied as a child for instance. 

And as a further illustration of admiration towards his idol, McDonald has even “dropped a 100 grand to get a beat from Shady” – literally, as will be expounded on later in the article.

So it’s like back around the turn of the century, Eminem regularly dropped lyrics more or less boasting of his influence over the up-and-coming generation of White Americans. And even though Tom McDonald may not be from America literally, all of the above illustrates just how wide-reaching Slim Shady’s direct influence actually was, even touching a kid as far away as Vancouver.  

Or put differently, Tom is actually admitting, in his own elaborate way, to being a “Stan” – a formerly troubled White teen who was lyrically nurtured by Eminem and as a result has become a diehard fan of the artist. And via not only the message of this song but also the money he paid directly to “Slim” in creating it, now he is making that fact known to the world.

Facts about “Dear Slim”

Okay, here’s what appears to be going down. Yes, this track was produced by the one and only Eminem. But it is not a collaborative composition between him and Tom McDonald in the truest scene of the word ‘collaboration’. Rather, Slim Shady sold the instrumental, alongside some memorabilia, via what is known as an NFT Release. An NFT is a new form of cryptocurrency. As of the release of this track, it apparently is quickly growing popular in the music industry. And basically, it serves the role of digitally authenticating ownership of a product.

So what apparently transpired is that during the aforementioned NFT Release, which was an auction, Tom purchased said instrumental. And the said instrumental was just made public, according to  Genius, under Eminem’s name on 27 April 2021. It went public under the title “Stan’s Revenge”. 

So after buying the song, McDonald took said instrumental and rapper over it as “Dear Slim”. Furthermore he went about exercising his authority over the tune in other ways, such as issuing cease-and-desists against unauthorized YouTubers who uploaded “Stan’s Revenge”. And yes, quite few netizens did take offense to McDonald acquiring the song.

For instance, one article about the purchase, published by HipHopDX, didn’t mention the rapper, despite his fame, by name in its title. Rather, he is referred to as a “Lifelong Eminem Stan”. And whereas, based on the lyrics of “Dear Slim”, such may well be the case, it was still utilized as noted above in questionable taste.

“Dear Slim” was written exclusively by Tom McDonald.

Has Eminem responded to “Dear Slim”?

No. As of the publication of this article, Em is yet to release an official reaction to this song. It’ll be interesting to see what Shady’s response will be, if any.

Are there any samples on this song?

Technically no. However, Tom interpolates the actual “Stan” song into it. Eminem released “Stan” way back in 2000.

Is Tom MacDonald a fan of Eminem?

Yes. Tom has disclosed this on multiple occasions. According to Tom, Em is the reason he became a rapper. He has also referred to Eminem as the greatest rapper of all time.

Eminem Fans Boycotting “Dear Slim”

As noted earlier, some individuals did not take kindly to Tom McDonald purchasing Eminem’s instrumental and furthermore dropping a rap, addressed to “Slim” Shady even, on top of it. 

This resulted in some Eminem fans in particular opting to boycott the song. So on 14 May 2021, the same day that “Dear Slim” was officially released, Tom addressed this issue.

The said date saw a video of Tom being uploaded onto YouTube via a channel called Dylan Talkz Clips, where Tom reacted to the boycott.

And what he is basically saying to such boycotters is that their actions are unjustified. And why? Because they really don’t know what said song would be about anyway. And it would seem that he is basing his argument on the belief that many people, considering some things he may have said about Slim Shady in the past, were under the impression that he would use the opportunity to drop a diss track against Eminem. But as you can see in the analysis above, the contrary rather proved to be the case.

Below is Tom’s reaction to the intended boycott: