Eminem fans think new companion album to ‘Music to be Murdered By’ is dropping this Friday

An unverified press release alleges that the new album will feature collaborations with Bon Iver, Phoebe Bridgers and Royce da 5’9"

Eminem fans are convinced the rapper will be releasing a new album on Friday (18 December).

Rumours surrounding potential new music from the rapper began circulating after a number of hints appeared online.

It is suspected that the rapper – real name Marshall Mathers – will be dropping a companion piece to his January release Music To Be Murdered By.

The follow-up, supposedly titled Music to be Murdered By – Side B,  is expected to drop in three days.

NME reports that artwork for the unconfirmed record has emerged, while an unverified press release, which announces collaborations with artists including Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver and Royce da 5’9”, continues to circulate on social media.

Some fans, however, are sceptical about the validity of the press release, drawing attention to Bon Iver’s alleged involvement as an indicator of its dubiousness.

To them, it is unlikely that the indie-folk artist would appear on another of Eminem’s tracks after the backlash to his past collaboration with the artist on the song “Fall”, which appeared on 2018’s Kamikaze.  

Rapper Crooked I – whose Circle of Bosses logo appears at the bottom right of the press release – similarly called into question the legitimacy of the claims, sharing a post on Twitter reading: “Dear Stans.. I can absolutely not confirm ANYTHING that has my logo on it. Sorry guys.”

Detroit News reports that other hints include a holding page for the album on the popular lyric site Genius, as well as leaked photos of the Grammy-winner against a green screen. 

If the rumours turn out to be true, this will not be the first time that the rapper has surprised fans with new music. 

Both of Eminem’s two previous albums – Music to be Murdered By and Kamikaze – were released without warning.

The 48-year-old recently made a surprise guest appearance on Saturday Night Live alongside comedian Pete Davidson in a mock rendition of his hit 2000 track “Stan”.