"Surprising in the best way" — Fans react to Eminem's Houdini sampling Steve Miller Band's song Abracadabra

Eminem has finally released Houdini, the first single of his new album titled The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). The superstar rapper alludes to the disappearance of his rap career in his latest track, featuring icons like Dr. Dre and 50 Cent.

The song gets its name from the world-famous escape artist, Harry Houdini, and samples Abracadabra, a hit musical number from Steve Miller Band. Fans have taken the social media by storm by expressing their initial reactions after listening to Eminem's single.

Many longtime enthusiasts seem to have been pleasantly surprised by the sampling of the Abracadabra tune, as one of the X posts reads:

"Upon arriving home I immediately sat down to listen to the @Eminem single. It’s well-written, self-aware, defiant, and humorous like everything he’s released in sobriety is. And the Steve Miller Band melody sampling? Genius. And surprising in the best way."

Other reactions from Eminem fans are as follows:

"I see Eminem has also been listening to that Abracadabra song a lot. No complaints here. Steve Miller Band or Sugar Ray tho?," a fan wrote on X.

"Eminem sampling Steve Miller Band is very unexpected!," another netizen posted.

While some netizens praised the 80s vibe of Houdini, a user talked about the song's seemingly controversial references.

"Good way to start out… love that 80s tune by Steve Miller Band!," an X user lauded the single.

"The blurb from Paul, the Steve Miller Band sample... The "chicka chickas" that sound straight out of 2002...Yeah Eminem's new song #HOUDINI is NASTY!!!!," a comment read.

"I'm down with any song that bring back the Steve Miller Band's Abracadabra," a netizen stated.

Eminem has already announced that The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) will feature the demise of his longtime alter ego, Slim Shady. In fact, he even organized an obituary in the Detroit Free Press to bid farewell to Slim Shady.

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Eminem's Houdini features several pleasant as well as controversial references

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Eminem's Houdini follows a classic release pattern with his longtime manager, Paul Rosenberg, sharing his opinion on X shortly after its release.

"Hey Em, it’s Paul. I was listening to the album… Good [expletive] luck, you’re on your own,” Paul wrote on X.

Houdini features several references, from sampling Steve Miller Band's chart-topping Abracadabra to referencing Megan Thee Stallion's shooting debacle. The rap excerpt reads:

"If I was to ask for Megan Thee Stallion if she would collab with me / Would I really have a shot at a feat? I don’t know, but I’m glad to be, back," he quips about Megan Thee Stallion.

Furthermore, Eminem (Marshall Mathers) assumes his typically controversial style and calls out American drag queen and television actor, RuPaul. He also references his own children as 'brats'.

"Cancel me, what? Okay, that’s it, go ahead Paul, quit / Snake [expletive] prick, you male cross dresser, fake [expletives] / And I’ll probably get [expletive] for that (watch)."

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Houdini is a callback to Marshall Mathers' 2022 hit Without Me and features many guest appearances

Houdini is seemingly a callback to the rapper's 2002 hit musical number, Without Me. Eminem begins Houdini with lines that rhyme with his 2002 hit.

"Guess who’s back, back again / Shady’s back, tell a friend."

In fact, the music video is also a direct homage to the classic rap. The 51-year-old enters an animated portal that takes him back to the time when Without Me track was released.

The scene features two Eminem(s), one from the present and the other from 2002, as they rap along to Houdini. Moreover, the comic-strip-style scene showcases guest appearances from juggernauts like Snoop Dog, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Pete Davidson, Alchemist, and many others.