Review Summary: But no matter how many fish in the sea, it'll be so empty without me!
"I've created a monster, ‘cause nobody wants ta see Marshall no more, they want Shady, I'm chopped liver." An undeniably true statement, given how controversial the legendary MMLP was... and what was Eminem's response? Bring them even *more* Marshall. I mean, there's a reason this isn't called the "Slim Shady LP 2" or the "Marshall Mathers LP 2"... this is raw, upfront and personal *Eminem*. The Eminem Show is Eminem's most serious album (at least at the time) - it's almost 100% serious throughout, and in doing so, Eminem reveals a hidden side of him that the naysayer public hadn't yet accepted: a profound side. This resulted in the Eminem Show having some of the best rap songs known to
man.
1. White America - This song is DARK, this song is INTENSE, with its booming drums and its dark guitar riffs in the back. Eminem practically shouts and screams his way through some of the dopest, realest *** he's ever sprayed. "So many lives I touched, so much anger aimed in no particular direction, just sprays and sprays / and straight through your radio waves, it plays and plays 'til it stays stuck in your head for days and days," like god DAMN that multisyllabic flow! This is Eminem getting downright political, and it deserves a 5/5 for that much alone.
2. Business - This song sounds so much like "They're Playing Basketball", and I love the superhero spin on Em's usual rap, complete with the sirens in the back and the comic-book-movie horns. Eminem raps and rhymes with the street swag of an urban superhero - and if there was an Eminem and Dr. Dre comic book with writing even half as clever as this song's, you know for a fact we'd all be reading it and getting posters of it on our walls. 4/5.
3. Cleanin' Out My Closet - Honest and vulnerable, the best kind of Eminem. He spit his heart and soul on this song, even going as far as to *sing* in the hook - that's how you know ***'s about to get real on this album. This is the song that turns The Eminem Show from "usual Eminem brilliance" to "Something Serious". 4.5/5.
4. Say Goodbye Hollywood - Eminem straight up admits to selling his soul to the Devil on this track (which, y'know, we all suspected it already, but it's nice to get confirmation), and it shows given the rapid-fire, fiery delivery of lines like "this is not a game this fame the real life is as sick / publicity my ass, consume my ***ing dick! *** the guns, I'm done ill never look at gats / If I scrap, I'm a scrap it like I never whooped some ass." The piano and electric piano on this track is super cool and atmospheric; it feels like a drug dealer on a dark, urban night, bearing his soul. 4/5.
5. Without Me - NOW THIS LOOKS LIKE A JOB FOR ME, SO EVERYBODY JUST FOLLOW ME! You already know. The world really
would be so empty without Slim Shady. 5/5, masterpiece.
6. Sing For The Moment - This song is literally how I discovered Aerosmith. Best song on the entire record - this is a song with message, heart, and meaning, with Eminem rapping and proclaiming some of the realest sh*t you'll ever hear. It's like he's speaking directly to the angry and disenfranchised fans that sought refuge in Eminem's own music, and that melodic hook and that guitar solo at the end just gets me every time. 6/5.
7. Superman - It's so wack hearing Eminem being sexual and flirty, especially when you're so used to him rapping about murdering women. So I'm kinda glad he reeled it back and said *** like "wouldn't piss on fire to put you out" because otherwise it would've been out of character for him. 3/5.
8. Hailie's Song - Eminem SINGING AGAIN! Imagine the courage and confidence it must have taken to record something this sentimental. This is a legitimate pop song, and honestly, I think Eminem's not a half-bad singer - he never goes off-key (as far as I can tell), and I like his personal spin on the vocal melody. I sing this to myself in the shower every now and then, so it just goes to show that he could well have been a singer if he wanted. 4.5/5.
9. 'Till I Collapse - If you say this song isn't on your workout playlist, you're either a fool or you're a total liar. This song makes you *feel* like a fighter, like a hound dog picking fights on the street and fighting tooth and nail. Those pounding drums and the huge claps in the background just f*cking slap. 5/5. Can't think of a way better way to have done this song.
This is the most serious Eminem had been up until this point, and I applaud him for that. He'd built his whole career around being edgy and shocking and daring, and taking this sudden, political and reflective turn must have been whiplash for a lot of his fans. But for me, and for a lot of the real G's out there, we *loved* it. In some ways, I love this even more than both SSLP and MMLP combined. If songs like "Drips" (which is just kinda weird and gross tbh) and the kinda needless "Say What You Say" (although the beat is really good, really old-school and hard-hitting) weren't on here, I'd actually call it his best work. But instead, it has to settle with being his second-best, and that's perfectly fine, because it would feel so empty without him.
FAVORITE SONGS:
White America
Without Me
Sing For The Moment
Till I Collapse
