"Habits" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his twelfth studio album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024). It features American singer White Gold and was produced by the performing artists along with Narza.
Composition and lyrics
Over a beat with piano,[1] the song revolves around Eminem battling the negative influence of his alter ego Slim Shady, referring to his impulses to treat dark and serious matters with humor in his lyrical content.[1][2] It starts with a conversation between Eminem and Shady, in which the latter forces the former to take half of an Ativan.[2] In the lyrics, Eminem attacks the current climate of political correctness[3] and mentions Caitlyn Jenner before alluding to the people whom he has offended and related topics, such as both cisgender and transgender women, pronouns, "genderists", little people, "gingers" and censors.[1] In addition, Eminem declares himself as "mom-shaming, dad-shaming, fat-shaming, mansplaining"[4] and says that critics are "mad because they can't tame me".[5] In the chorus, White Gold sings from the perspective of Shady, describing him as a drug that Eminem is addicted to.[2]
Critical reception
The song was met with generally positive reviews. Robin Murray of Clash wrote, "'Habits' deals with addiction, but it's all surface level; after a sombre opening it then switches into full Shady mode, taking down 'cry babies' and even – oddly – 'gingers'."[6] Merlin Alderslade of Louder praised the production, stating it "create[s] a fraught and brooding atmosphere for Eminem to spit his frenetic bars over".[1] Gabriel Bras Nevares of HotNewHipHop cited the "percussive speed-up" on the song as one of the particular highlights of the album.[7] Fred Thomas of AllMusic commented the song "has the pop sparkle that took him from the underground to the radio".[8]