How Eminem used AI to bring Slim Shady back to life in his Houdini video

Eminem's latest albumThe Death of Slim Shady (Coupe de Glace)was the funeral for one of rap's most popular and controversial figures.

Slim Shady, the foul-mouthed alter-ego of Detroit's most famous MC, was first introduced to the masses in the video for “My Name Is,” the debut single from Em's major label debut. Slim Shady LP. With a slightly creepy but bemused smile, Slim Shady told his kids to “stick a nine-inch nail in one of my eyelids.” From there, the character helped Eminem (real name Marshall Bruce Mathers III) sell millions of albums with his deft mix of cutting-edge cultural commentary, sharp wit, and boundary-pushing affection.

But as rap has grown, Eminem has had to deal with a changing audience that sees Slim's trademark blue bars as inappropriate and offensive, so now, at 51, Eminem has decided it's the right time to say goodbye to his beloved alter-ego for good. Earlier this year, his team Detroit Free Press It came in the form of a fake obituary for Slim Shady, which read in part, “His complicated and troubled life has come to an end, and his legacy is no closer to resolution than the way this man left this earth.”

To convey the message of “peace,” Em decided to bring back Slim Shady not only in the song but also in the video. “Houdini” is The Death of Slim Shady (Coupe de Glace), is a throwback in a way. Produced by Eminem and Luis Resto, the song has the same vibe as Eminem singles of yore; its playful beat (taken in part from Steve Miller Band's 1982 hit “Abracadabra”) sounds like the music for a crazy amusement park ride, and “Houdini” could be “Without Me Part 2.” The song's opening refrain makes the point by referencing the 2002 single “Shady's Back. Tell Your Friends.” But it's the comic-book-like nature of the video, and the appearance of a young Slim Shady performing alongside modern-day Eminem, that makes the song stand out.

But how did Eminem recreate his 20-year-old self? With the help of AI and Metaphysic. Founded in 2021, Metaphysic offers a suite of tools that enable artists to create and manage digital versions of themselves that they can manipulate and use in their own projects or license to third parties for films, TV shows, and other commercial projects.

The company's flagship product, Metaphysic Pro, allows creators and artists to create “a portfolio of high-quality data assets that will be used to create AI, voice, and performance,” as the website describes it. So if you're a platinum-selling rapper who wants to protect your image and likeness from the onslaught of coming artificial intelligence, you can sign up with Metaphysic to build a database of your face, voice, and performance videos from any point in your career. Metaphysic will then help you draft the licensing paperwork, so you can maintain control over your AI self.

At the moment, the law lags behind state-of-the-art technology, leaving little to stop corporations and unscrupulous actors from exploiting celebrities' images and likenesses. But if a third party decides to create a digital version of you without your permission, Metaphysic will alert you when it finds such instances on social networks and video platforms. At a time when actors, musicians, and other creatives are increasingly fearful of unauthorized use of their faces and voices, Metaphysic strives to provide some protection and control.

“We're here to help people protect themselves and at least understand what's going on,” says Ed Ulbrich, Metaphysic's chief content officer and vice president of production. He's rushing to catch a flight, but he's still extolling the virtues of Metaphysic and AI. “It's not unreasonable to think that people should own their likeness. They should own their biometric data. They should have access to their AI self. They should be able to control it. And if you're an individual with command, we don't own it. We maintain it for them, but it's up to them whether they want to license it to somebody.”

Ulbrich is an unlikely torchbearer for the benefits of the AI ​​revolution. He went to art school and was trained as a traditional painter, but when he first saw CGI he knew everything was going to change. After a brief stint in advertising, he saw James Cameron's 1991 blockbuster and Terminator 2 And then he realized what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. So he packed his bags and moved to Los Angeles, where Ulbrich landed a job at his filmmaking hero Cameron's Digital Domain VFX shop. After rising to CEO, he left the company to head up Deluxe Entertainment's VFX and virtual reality team.

Ulbrich has worked in the VFX industry for over 30 years and has worked on some of Hollywood's classic films. Titanic, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Black Panther, And more recently, Top Gun: Maverick. By any standard, he's had an incredible career, but he believes it may now be out of reach for younger artists.

“In the ’90s and early 2000s, I watched the jobs I loved turn into factory work,” he says. “The film industry grew so much. I no longer sat in a cinema with filmmakers. [with] I would look at the shots with a laser pen, take notes, and help make movies with directors. It became a global business. [a business where you had] “We got government subsidies and we put money back into the studios, so we decided to have factories all over the world. I got to run manufacturing facilities. I didn't dream of working in a factory. I went to art school.”

He believes the tools Metaphysics is building will lead to “a complete renaissance of creativity.” Which brings us back to “Houdini.” The video for Eminem's lead single from his 12th album was made possible by Metaphysics' Live product, which enables real-time photorealistic face swaps with live performances from actors. The tool allowed Eminem to look 20 years younger in no time (and, according to Ulbrich, no money).

Here's how it works: First, the Metaphysics team figures out the specific scope of the project: who is being de-aged or face-swapped. Then they gather all the assets they need to build the model (old photos, videos, audio samples, etc.). It takes Metaphysics just under two months to train the AI ​​model with all the assets they've collected. The team tests the model to make sure it looks accurate and works properly, then they set up all the production equipment on location. And then it's showtime.

“If you would have asked me two years ago whether I could make a video like this with the time and budget I had, I would have laughed,” he says.

Materials aside, what's most striking about the video is how lifelike and realistic the young Slim Shady looks. Everything from his facial features to his movements is enough to be mistaken for the real person. And Ulbrich says that's because he's real. “People say, 'You created Slim Shady,' but we didn't create Slim Shady. Let's be clear: the real Slim Shady played the real Slim Shady. We just helped him by giving him something that makeup couldn't achieve. We had him play himself, but through CGI and other technological interpretations. He's playing him.”

To help Em relive his younger self, Metaphysics provided another product: the AI ​​Mirror. Built around a giant 85-inch LED monitor, the AI ​​Mirror works in tandem with cameras and soft lights so people can walk up and see the AI ​​projected onto their face. So before the cameras started rolling, Em could see exactly what a young Slim Shady would look and move like, helping him get into character. “You get to see yourself as you were 30 or 40 years ago,” Ulbrich says. “It's pretty magical to actually experience that.”

Truly abracadabra.