Who is Paul to Eminem? All about the rapper’s associate and former Def Jam CEO featured on 'Houdini' 

On May 31, Eminem unveiled the first single of his upcoming album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace), titled Houdini, named after iconic magician Harry Houdini.

The track begins with a voice recording of his longtime manager, Paul Rosenberg, who appears to share his distaste for the forthcoming album in the skit. The lyrics in the classic Eminem trope go like this:

“Hey, Em, It’s Paul/ Uh, I was listening to the album/ Good f*cking luck, you’re on your own.”

Throughout the song, he continues to mention Paul. For instance, in the third verse, he raps, “Cancel me, what? Okay, that’s it, go ahead Paul, quit/…F*ck my own kids, they’re brats (f*ck ‘em)/ They can screw off, them and you all (yeah)/ You too, Paul.”

This is not the first time Paul Rosenberg has lent his voice to Eminem’s project. In 1999, he contributed to the skits of Slim Shady LP.

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Paul Rosenberg is the co-founder of Eminem’s Shady Records

Paul Rosenberg is a music manager and a former entertainment attorney best known as Eminem’s longtime close associate, manager, and personal lawyer. They first met in 1997 when the rapper was creating the Slim Shady EP.

Now 52 years old, Paul is the founder and CEO of Goliath Records and the ex-CEO of Def Jam Recordings. He also owns a management firm called Goliath Artists, which was formed in 1996.

He is also the co-founder and former President of Eminem’s Shady Records and the former co-producer of the rapper’s hip-hop radio station Shade 45. He hosts a weekly podcast called Paul Pod.

He has also been associated with musicians such as The Knux, DJ AM, Action Bronson, Danny Brown, Spark Master Tape, The Alchemist, and the pop-punk band Blink-182. He was also the general manager of Steve Aoki’s label, Dim Mak Records.

A Detroit native like Eminem, Rosenberg currently stays in Alpine, New Jersey, although he spent a significant part of his life in New York City for his work. He is married to Pablo de Morale.

Paul has co-written the skits for the 2009 album Relapse with Em and voiced his eponymous skits for rapper Xzibit’s 2002 album Man vs. Machine. He frequently collaborates with Slim Shady on his music videos, films, TV appearances, and other business ventures.

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Exploring the background of Houdini

Last month, during the NFL Draft, Eminem announced the release of his 12th studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace). On May 20, he posted the teaser of the first single, Houdini, on his social media with the caption, “… And for my last trick!.”

A week later, he launched an Instagram reel with magician David Blaine over FaceTime and announced that he would unveil Houdini on the last day of the month. He told Blaine that for his “last trick,” he would “make my career disappear.”

The 51-year-old rapper previously honored Houdini in his 1999 track Role Model, in which he discussed the magician’s world-renowned death-defying stunt, the Chinese Water Torture Cell.

Houdini is co-produced by Eminem and his close associate and longtime collaborator, Luis Resto. It also mentions Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting, Steve Miller’s band Abracadabra, the controversial beer brand Bud Light, R. Kelly, and trans influencer RuPaul, among others.

The music video of Houdini is a direct tribute to his 2002 single, Without Me, and shows two personas of Em, one from the past and the other from the present day.