Review Summary: Eminem defines hip hop
within an album. Perfectly.
From the moment you heard him underground, what was he? A white boy with a low, harsh Midwest accent, with a lyrically gifted brain. Year 1996 rolls around, you see him release his debut, Infinite. Album barely had any recognition towards such, and was barely given any comparability to his later releases. Year 1999 and 2000 comes around, Eminem sky rockets above outer space, and re-defines much of the Hip Hop genre during times of increased number of Boy bands, and Teen Pop groups. Little did you may know, Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP, was certified Diamond. No one on the face of the earth has ever come across receiving such a reward towards the work. Now, at that time , No one could take a white man rapping seriously. It was like a black man attempting to sing in Country. Eminem's voice and lyrics proudly paid off on this record. He did what no artist could do at the time, tell a complete story in an album.
Now onto the Tracks (Not the skits, there is really no point in talking about them)
1. Kill You- It begins with Eminem staggering us about his mother and how his father hated him. He forces it down our throats on this one. Eminem is very aggressive on this track and is confident that he will achieve some sort of success. The chorus packs a punch. Eminem basically says "Don't screw with me ladies, and you won't go into the grinder." The beat is a start-stop method. In my opinion it could have been much better. Eminem as well raps fairly fast compared to most of the record. This is one of my favorites on the record. Highly recommend it. 5/5
2.Stan- Song tells a story. There's no doubting it. It describes an obsessed Eminem fan doing whatever he can to meet him, and going overboard. The main person singing the Spoken Word, Stan, gradually gets more furious as the song progresses. In the first verse, he calmly writes his first letter to Em. The second verse, he starts become aggravated. Upon the third verse, he goes insane. Stan ties his girlfriend up in the trunk, and for Em not writing him back, he drives his beat up car over the bridge, apparently drinking Vodka in the process of doing so. The chorus is a sample of Thank You by Dido. It's very emotional. But in my opinion, not like this one song *cough cough* track 16. Very good track. Breathtaking and mortifying. 5/5
Who Knew- Awesome. This song deals with all the problems of todays society, and how Eminem faces it. He describes everything from a 17 year old uncle driving 90, with 3 kids, to parents letting their girl wear makeup at the age of 12. Very good, relaxed beat. The bass is abrasive. The only downside of it, is that it's a little short. Clocking in at 3 mintues 47 seconds, I feel there should have been more to the verses and outro. Engrossing song. 4.5/5
The Way I Am- Harsh. Very harsh. Eminem doesn't breath at all. I'm serious. He's very pissed at what record labels are throwing at him. Apparently it's trash. This song is hardcore rap in a way. The beat is very techno feel like, and the lyrics are head pounding revolting. The beat is an in between church bell ring, mixed with a quiet piano in the background. The main standpoint in this album is the chorus. I like the punch Eminem delivers upon speaking it. Em lets everyone know he is whatever he says he is. Basically, Eminem is telling the truth about everything he feels in his life. Everything in this song flows together smoothly and deserves a big 5/5
The Real Slim Shady- Probably his most well know song on the album. It begins with a Tangy beat mixed with a drum machine. This song is not meant to be taken seriously, as for most of his songs on the record. This song deal with today's music, and controversy surrounding all of it. Eminem talks about Britney Spears, Christina Agulara, and many more. The Real Slim Shady has more of an upbeat form to it. Fantastic listen, 5/5
Remember Me- Bland. Boring. A chore to listen to. The beat is nothing more than generic. Basically the beat has nothing too exciting on it to grab your attention. It's a drum machine, and a quiet high pitched bass to go along with it. A can spraying goes with it as well, and a sprinkler like sound bounces in every now and then. Although the guests, RBX, and Sticky Fingaz rip it apart. RBX raps a little slow, and more laid back, while Sticky Fingaz shreds it to pieces, and uses a somewhat superb nasally like voice. Sticky Fingaz talks like he's literally on pot. He kills it. The chorus gets more and more intense as each person says it. The song is a filler. Nothing really too cool happen here. It's NOT terrible, just generic, and boring.
3.5/5 for the lyrics.
I'm Back- Very laid back and chill. Eminem raps slow and delivers a chorus that makes a person take a breather and just think, "There's nothing to worry about, life is great." I'm Back is 5 minutes and 10 seconds long. The beat is actually sort of like Remember Me's beat. Slow, and not so fierce as for the Way I am's and Kill You's beat. The lyrics are very good in this one. Very complex and a cool melody. I love this one. 5/5
Marshall Mathers- Rich song for the record. The chorus is Eminem talking in a quiet tone. But Saying that no one is to mess with him. A little like Kill You's chorus. This is the song that caused ICP's feud. Eminem talking trash about them. Calling them both flamin' faggots. The guitar sounds dreary, and plays a vital role in this tune. It adds the atmosphere and emotion. Sick song. 5/5
Drug Ballad- Easily one of my favorites. Very,very emotional. The beat is simple but good. Dina Rae is feature in it. She yodels here and there throughout the chorus. The lyrics touch me in some way. They describe Eminem being on drugs, and how he still needs to mature. He reflects on life, and tells everyone to keep your head up as best as you can. This song will most likely make you think for a minute about your life. How it's maybe evolved, depleted, or stayed the same. Song holds a good standoff off for itself. 5/5
Amity-ville- Comical and hilarious. Bizarre is the key point in this song. Bizarre is a type of character who really doesn't set a point for himself, he just provokes himself to think of the most perverted, disgusting things to say. Boy let me tell you something, he says it. And does a damn good job. Bizarre excelled on this tune. He writes the craziest lyrics on the planet. The beat is haunted house themed. Eminem hums the dun-dun-deun-dun-dun-dun-dun at the beginning. The chorus rules. It swifts you off your chairs. Eminem as well delivers somewhat of elusive lyrics. The rhymes are out of this world. I find myself playing them over, and over again to make out the words sometimes. I like to jot down lyrics to his songs. hehe. Anyways, I very much enjoy this track. It sets the mildly dark mood for the record. 5/5
Bitch Please II- Sexy. The beat is pumping. Again, an upbeat track. It features a wide variety of guests. Xzibit, Snoop Dogg, Dre, and Nate Dogg RIP. They all succeed. The chorus is killer. It's a 5 minute song and delivers a relaxing experience throughout. Recommend you buy this one. 5/5
Kim- Kim. Kim.Kim. I don't know about you, but I really don't think Eminem really likes Kim on this track. It is so emotionally draining even I had a hard time listening to it at first. The intensity of it is enough to make Hercules piss his pants. It might make you suffocate in a way. The beat is very dark, and frighting. The lyrics throughout really make you stop and think; Is Eminem like this in real life? The answer is No. Despite how much Eminem hated Kim, he never did anything like that. Although, Eminem truly every now and then, had thoughts about killing her. The song ends with putting her in his trunk. I guess so the cops won't say. Breathtaking. One of the scariest pieces of music to ever hit the Hip Hop industry. Trust me. 5/5 No questions asked.
Under the Influence- Ok track. The chorus is cool. Eminem is obviously high on this one. Perfect song to listen to in the car. The bass melody is actually pretty complex. It directly corresponds with the pitch of Em's voice in the chorus. It features D-12. The only thing I didn't like about it, was the length. I felt it kind of dragged on a little, getting all of the D-12 members in. Never the less, good song. 4/5
Criminal- Outstanding way to end the album. The beat is very island based like. It packs a hard hit. It's very upbeat as well. The chorus is incomparable to the others in my opinion. The verses shine much so. During the bridge, a gal at the bank receives a rude awakening. He is shot by Eminem! It's very funny. Well, It's violent, but not in the sense to where it makes disgusted, or scared. At the very end, the song ends with a gunshot bang. The end. Song gets an A and is a standout. 5/5
Honestly, I wouldn't know of a person who wouldn't like this. You see everything here. The passion, aggression, violence, and hatred. The only thing holding it back, is the beats. They could have been much better, maybe with more funk and complexity. Doggystyle anyone? Anyways, this wraps it up. You won't be disappointed when you listen to this. If you do, go listen to your Lil Wayne then sucka.
