The Slim Shady LP

Its aged poorly. There are signs of his flow/talent in patches but they are drowned out by sensationalist 'look at me' lyrics. The whole album feels performative, like a 90s skit reel, and even the songs that aren't skits feel so because its just 'look at me punch down on women or punch up at celebrity culture'. Its just shock and in parts just disgusting - we see you clearly 'Guilty Conscience'. The songs speak more to what a white rapper felt they needed to do to get attention in 1999 vs the rapper Eminem was and became after this album. Wildly, I remember buying this record at 16 and being a fan.

The surrealist torrents and their masterful scaffolding are the hook, but the humour’s soured as it feels like generations have taken the nastiness and dumped the dramatic irony.

As for the Marshall Mathers LP, I enjoyed this when it came out but it has aged extremely poorly despite Em's obvious talents as a rapper. I assume everyone knows how "My Name Is" owes its existence substantially to Spurs legend diamond geezers Chas'n'Dave?

And here he is — the favorite of 99% of millennials who grew up watching MTV, whether they were into rap or rock! On his debut, Eminem delivered the kind of standard-issue rap common at the time, for which he was trashed by both his peers in the genre and music journalists. In response, Em got angry and crafted this album through his alter ego, Slim Shady. If you didn’t know that, you’d think the guy belonged in a mental asylum: over Dr. Dre’s heavy, fat beats, he lays down lyrics of grotesque violence — with a brand of black humor so intense that, while I was listening to the album, a cop on the street actually stopped me to check my ID. Even Marilyn Manson refused to feature on one of the tracks — that should give you an idea of ​​the level we’re talking about. Today’s generation is different; many take these lyrics at face value, crying out, "How can you listen to this? Is this supposed to be funny? Do you also find a penis drawn on a fence funny?" Well, exactly — a penis drawn on a fence is one of the funniest things on the planet!

Very distinct voice and style. A few really good songs. But a lot of “look how edgy I am”.

Is The Slim Shady LP the best rap album ever? Not by a long shot. It is better than some I've heard.

The album starts off like a train with my name is and guilty conscience. Then it goes off in a mess of sub Simpsons skits and weak raps. The first 2 songs elevate the album beyond average

Musically it is surprisingly good, but the lyrics isn’t very good.

My honest reaction: "Dude STFU"

Definitely not enjoyable ahahahah

Lots of skits in this

Yo, The Slim Shady LP ain’t dark, it’s try-hard in a trench coat, Like a kid yelling “I’m insane!” just to stay afloat. Every line begging shock like “please give a shit,” But it’s edgelord spam over a half-decent beat kit. Whole album sound like a tantrum that got signed to a deal, Like Dr. Dre found a headache and said “this’ll sell, it’s real.” But real ain’t just screaming every thought in your skull, Half this shit sound like your brain buffering on null. You ain’t breaking no rules, you just farming reactions, Turnin’ outrage into streams, that’s transactional rapping. If controversy was talent, you’d be Mozart-tier, But take that away and it’s a void we hear. Yeah, it made waves, but so does a loud-ass crash, Don’t mean it’s art, sometimes it’s just trash. Aged like milk in the sun with the cap screwed loose, Now it’s more awkward than dangerous - truth. Slim Shady LP? More like Slim Shady OD, Too much bullshit, not enough actual MC.

Maybe his best album?

IMHO The top rap album

The production and rhymes are there. The lyrics have aged terribly. There's absolutely disgusting behavior detailed all over this project. Maybe it's a character, but it's not a character I care to hear from again. Rating: 5/10

Incredible rapper but some insane lyrics. I think he gets better in later albums

it was not as painful as i expected. did he just get worse after this?

Does not age well, or maybe I don't. I don't know. The main single is still kind of fun, definitely of it's time.

Man, sooo edgelordy lmao

i'm too old for this crap

7.1/10

Fantastic album again. Iconic, influential, fun. Not as big an impact as his next album, but still great overall. Divisive though I'm sure.

This has aged so poorly, & that's probably why it's rated as low as it is

Dated

Unhinged. Eminem is a defining artist for my generation... not for me tho.

It would be a masterpiece if it wasn't for the dumb skits. 4

I appreciate this album got tons of white kids into mainstream rap, but let's be honest, it's a very cheesy album. Backed by Dr. Dre's crisp production, Eminem introduced his cartoonishly violent Slim Shady alter ego on the lead single My Name Is, which triggeried non stop media controversy with its relentless shock rap lyrics. Some songs have that 90s vibe that still holds up to a point, but for the vast majority of this album, it hasn't aged well. It's not necessarily a bad album, the production value is there, it's just a bit naff now. 6/10

Genius album

gotta respect em, this project was a crazy freshman project to release Would I listen again: some of these songs, yes. Deserves to be on this list: he's literally the goat (kind of) 3.4

It’s kinda crazy to see how much Eminem matured lyrically in just over a year between The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP. What’s even crazier is how strangely immature he sounds on his debut. In just about an hour, we’re subjected to many skits (some of which you’re apparently not allowed to skip), while Eminem works his way through themes of relationship violence, murder, early fatherhood, suicidal thoughts, blatant drug use, misogyny, and plenty of other cheery topics. The beats and samples can be pretty catchy, especially on his first single, “My Name Is,” but that wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I was pretty damn glad when this was over.

Eminem is likely the best rapper the world has seen thus far and this album really shot him into the stratosphere for the public at large. Outside of the obvious violent and misogynistic lyrical stylings, the beats underneath are outstanding thanks to Dr. Dre. Rap really isn't my thing, but I can recognize talent and Eminem has it in droves.

Listening to this album again made me realize what a piece of shit I was as a 17 year old for giving my parents computer and my brain a virus from downloading this on Napster.

I never realized My Name is was the intro to this. What a way to start the album. Eminem was very formative to me in my MTV youth years. But as ive aged and become a more well rounded music fan some of these songs still hit. The rhymes and production were obviously always there but can identify some of the more complex themes in this album. No MMLP but still overall great. HOW YOU GONNA BREAST FEED ME MOM YOU AINT GOT NO TITS

Someone's review said the album is funny but also embarrassing. I try to do the job of context with these things. I know that Eminem and Slim Shady are two different characters. So I can appreciate that Slim Shady is an alter ego, an exaggeration. I think that is hard for some people to do. But I'm going to rate it on that feeling.

I had Eminem's other album a few months ago, so I have an idea of what to expect from him. Of course, it's technically excellent rap, with some of the most tightly packed rhymes and masterful flow of any rapper. However, the lyrics are dumb and awful as usual. Seriously, can this guy shut up about violently killing people and shoving his penis into them? Such is the dichotomy of Eminem; awful lyrics delivered very well. I liked this better than his other one, though. This album is ranked #5 of 23 albums for 1999. Other 1999 albums rated by me: Californication(1/23)-2 Play(2/23)-1 The Soft Bulletin(4/23)-4 Central Reservation(9/23)-3 The Man Who(10/23)-1 HMS Fable(17/23)-1

Not quite October yet, but this is a good spooky season album. Prior to getting this, felt like I would have given it a 3 since I don't think it's as good as Marshall Mathers LP, but honestly this is hitting today for me. Could be the season, could just be it's better than I remember, either way, today's a good day. I'm just going to ignore the skits. Most of them are pretty short anyways, and I typically don't count skits against an album. It's interesting how out of place My Name Is on the album, given how upbeat it (And it's sample, Labi Siffre's I Got The) and weird it is when the rest of the tracklist is so dark with it's horrorcore styles. Still fantastic and classic song, but yeah. Beyond that, this album is just filled with great flows and beats. Guilty Conscious is good, but the breaks to introduce the next character really slam the breaks on the momentum of the song. Brain Damage is fantastic with it's plinky guitars giving it that spooky vibe. If I Had is a more dark R&B style track that vibes, but I do think the lyrics/flow aren't as strong as some of his other stuff on the record. Then you have '97 Bonnie & Clyde, the sequel to the absolutely harrowing Kim on the Marshall Mathers LP. Knowing Kim, this song kinda loses some of it's horror when you know that it gets so much worse. This song is kinda quaint in comparison, although still solid. Role Model brings back some plinky guitars that gives that Halloween in Detroit vibe that I love. Couple that with an insane flow from Eminem, just a fantastic song. Classic Slim Shady song. After that, the album does start to drag a tad with My Fault and Cum on Everybody, two songs that I would honestly drop from the album. Side note: If you dropped the skits (I'd leave Public Service Announcement) and those two songs, this could honestly be a really tight 50 minute album that might be a 5/5. But Em brings it back with Rock Bottom, probably on of the best tracks on the entire record. Guitars on this album are just bringing the horror vibes and I love it. Just Don't Give A Fuck is a solid track. The the screaming bell sound does get old by the end of the song, but a great flow from Eminem keeps it interesting. As the World Turns, I'm Shady, Bad Meets Evil, and Still Don't Give A Fuck just keeps things moving though and finish off the album nicely. Feel like I could appreciate those songs more if My Fault and Cum On Everybody were dropped, just because the runtime does exhaust a little by the end. But yeah. Classic record from Em, better than I remembered. I'm sure some of my praise of this and MMLP are due to me being from Detroit and kinda feeling like I need to hype up artists from my area (Especially as Eminem's reputation has kinda took a hit with his later albums not being that great), but SSLP and MMLP are legitimately great albums. I'lll have to relisten to MMLP again. I do remember it having similar issues with it kinda having a few songs that aren't up to snuff, but the highs are definitely higher than on SSLP.

Well, Eminem. I have heard a lot about Eminem, not much of it good. I have never heard his music. Enimen has an alter-ego Slim Shady who writes and performs the songs. It is typical rap music: lots of rapping with drum machines in the background. It became tiresome after a while. The only thing I liked about the album was that the first couple of tracks were amusing. First there was the Public Service Announcement. Then, there was the hit My name is Enimen. It has a great line which one of the Spice Girls/ I want to impregnate. Maybe, Enimen has a future as a stand up comedian. Unfortunately, this levity petered out after the first two albums. This is not a very good album. Two stars but I guess rap fans will love it.

classic Eminem

i dont like this wigger music (aside for a few aight songs that are derivative of earlier alt rap songs which is acceptable because I believe in artistic inspiration but I'd also just rather listen to those).

Jcrois qu'on pourrait faire un effort mais c'est tout le temps misogyne ses paroles quand même??

lo escuché 500 millones de veces, eminem supo ser mi artista favorito, a pesar de que ahora mismo no lo escucho tanto sigue siendo de los artistas de mi vida, no va a cambiar jamás eso, este album y MMLP siguen siendo su mejores laburos, no tan fan de TES y Relapse top 3

2.2/5

Everyone has said it. My man can rap, the production is undeniable, the themes are dated, juvenile and hard to hear. Misogyny, murder and rape just aren’t very cool. But damn what a talent. Glad he eventually made it past this era

Raw New Eminem is not as good as later Eminem.

It's fine. Not really my thing, but not bad.

Never really listened to a full em album. I’ve liked his stuff but never enough to really commit. I can’t say this changed my mind. Mid 3

My Name Is is great. The rest of the album may be a bit juvenile for a 30-year old.

the music itself is good but the violence and misogyny make this a hard listen

While The Slim Shady LP has its merits (almost exclusively in the production), I wasn't a fan when it came out and I'm not a fan now. Eminem has unquestionable talent, especially with his flow, but it's wasted on juvenile horrorcore lyrics and over the top high school silliness. I much prefer the more serious Eminem of the future that folks will be scared to start beef with because the retaliation will be real enough to give them pause. Nobody is scared of Slim Shady or his rhymes. I know this is a hot take so I'm going to see myself out, but 1999 me was far more into Mos Def, MF Doom, and DMX 🤷‍♂️

Great delivery and really sharp storytelling. The rougher beats work well with it.

Eeesh. Very dated. So many skits. The whole thing where there’s some sound effect or voice punctuating every line. Most of it really doesn’t hold up, but when he dials back the horrorcore a bit he’s still got some bars. I'd add that, in particular, where he's actually talking about material struggle (e.g., "Rock Bottom") as opposed to comedy-horror-rap goofiness, a bit of it holds up pretty well. I get why this album felt dangerous at the time (I had it, I was 15), but it's pretty dumb. He is a very gifted rapper, but sheesh the topics man. However, MICHIGAN MENTIONED: References to "pop bottles" "working at GM" on "If I Had" and "I said whatup it's nice to meet ya/I'd like to treat you to a Faygo and slice of pizza" on "As The World Turns" - Marshall is a true Michigan Man.

interessante, a volte mi perdevo nella canzoni

Tuesday, 15 September, 2026 Because I was 16 when this came out, and from the Detroit area, this album gets personally elevated. I find it mostly funny.

Enjoyed the production and overall sound of this but the lyrics are absolutely disgusting (and I am no prude). Edgelord pish.

amazing album, from the greatest artist of all time

This has a fun, juvenile energy missing from his later records. Still a bit tedious after awhile.

Slim Shady. So much anger, so much bitterness turned into humor. Eminem knows his hip hop roots, and he doesn’t pretend to be anything but what he sees around him. These characters, Stan, Clyde , Paul, Slim Shady. These character sketches and the story behind them each imply either a sense of guilt hidden behind bravado or outright need for forgiveness and understanding even as they dis and gross out and disgust everyone they can. This is nearly 30 years old, but it’s still fresh. The chorus voice of “Rock Bottom” sounds like the exactly where the character lives.

Some good jams on here, but it's a touch excessive.

I just don't get it. I don't find the music very interesting. His rapping is unique but it doesn't really work for me. His whole edgy persona feels so forced and uninteresting. Very, "I am a 13 year old and just learned about the word fuck".

Liked My Fault and Rock Bottom.

Idk how to feel about this maybe I will come back to it soon

Didn’t listen to this one. I hated it when it came out and that hasn’t changed.

It's a very amusing and easy listen. Hard to say it's great but in a time and place it was seminal

Album #154: The Slim Shady LP - Eminem Genre (W): Hip-hop, horrorcore Singles: My Name Is, Role Model, Guilty Conscience I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: I really hate this. It’s produced well and I think his rhyming and lyrical skills are really good, but I despise his voice and how repetitive everything is. The shock value ends up dying after a while, so this just feels like a chore to sit through. Disappointed. Favorite tracks: None of them.

7/10- Same issue as all Eminem albums. It does what it sets out to. It’s a lot of trauma poured out through immense talent and a label that let him say whatever he wanted.

I have the same issues with this album as I do all of Eminem's early work. His flow and rhyme schemes are creative, the beats are fine, but the subject matter is too raunchy to consistently listen to. I understand he did this for shock value, but having to listen to an entire song of Eminem having his daughter help throw his dead wife into the lake is too much.

Slimmer than I remember but still phat

I have always felt about Eminem the way Hansel felt about Sting in Zoolander: The music he's created over the years, I don't really listen to it, but the fact that he's making it, I respect that. If he had come along when I was younger and angrier, I probably would have been a huge fan.

I really hate Eminem and have never understood the appeal. Listening to this album only confirmed that feeling. People talk about his style and skill, but to me he has nothing. Just a miserable voice that grates from the first track and never improves. The whole record feels like it relies on shock and attitude instead of anything actually interesting. The delivery is harsh and the personality that comes through is unpleasant rather than compelling. There is no warmth, no real musicality and nothing that makes me want to keep listening. The production is clean and typical of late 90s Dr. Dre influenced hip hop. The beats are polished and well put together, but that only makes the voice and overall tone more annoying by contrast. Good production cannot save material that does not work for me. The Slim Shady LP is a complete miss. I get why it was big, but I still cannot stand it.

if i wanted to hear a white boy rap i'd listen to the beastie boys over this. this is also his weaker album. good, but not special.

Last track

Oh my god. Ok cringe lord. Thanks for the psa dickhead. What is this. What?? Gen Z's trying to cancel who?? Eminem?? Listen here kiddies. Ok look I understand this was very refreshing and abrupt at the time in its cavalier and disrespectful nature but now in our era of forced nonchalance and cynicism, it's just fucking boring and overdone and cringe. Everyone is edgy and wants to kill themselves. You're not cool for being violent. This is so fucking bad. God sent you to piss the world off?? God I guess my gripe with this whole mentality and aesthetic is just how fucking self-centred it is. God sent you to piss the world off?? You're special because your eyes are open to the harsh reality of the world, and you don't try to find any good in it?? Then just fucking kill yourself. You're not special you're just a dickhead who brings everyone's vibes down. Your denial of anything worth living for in the world is what makes it worthless. Smile dude. Smell a fucking flower. Watch a kid walk across the street with their parents and chuckle a little. You and your struggles are so small compared to everything good in the world it's so fucking annoying you choose to dwell only on your own malcontentedness. This is genuinely painful to listen to. Wow. You're so fucking edgy dude. You're so cool. Everyone thinks you don't care about anything, congratulations, you're a spineless shriveldick annoying fucking freak that no one likes. Fuck you. Holy shit I didn't realize I was that passionate about this. I don't wanna listen to this. I think I just hate Eminem actually. Dr. Dre is fine. But this is just kinda not good. Hello?? What?? What tf are you on about?? Eminems a pedophile?? Is this a narrative?? Wow. How touching. It's all about his struggle as a white rapper. WHO GAFFFFFFF OMGGGGGG. Fuck u. Those people who told him he'd never make it as a white guy should've told him harder. "If I had one wish/I would ask for a big enough ass for the whole world to kiss" Wow. Poetry. That is lyricism. Ok so I did think this would be a decent one but it's about murdering your wife. Sure. No like sure. Kill yourself. Fuck you. I know I sound very Gen Z is trying to cancel Eminem?? rn but this just genuinely isn't good. What is the appeal of listening to this. Fuck u. And yeah I bet it is your fucking fault. What tf is he on about?? The album is my rock bottom. You look shady. Genuinely what is he on about. Fighting the demons in his head dude. Fair enough but why tf is that my problem now. Favourite: If I Had/Still Don't Give A Fuck Least favourite: My Name Is

Angry young boy breaks through

Not at all my listening choice. Who cares what I think? Even I have to admit I really have nothing to say here. Default stars: 3. Despite being bored by Brain Damage...oh, well.

Obviously not all of this aged well. You can also tell where Eminems career would eventually end up already. Some of these lines are cornball city and they sound exactly like the “edgy” kid you knew in 6th grade. It did get a few chuckles outta me though and i definitely understand its place on the list as someone who was 8 when he started blowing up and knows what impact he had on culture at large back then. Still absolutely live by the rule that I will not trust anyone who cites him as one of their top 5 rappers. Big ol yikes there.

Eminem is a technical marvel and one of the best rappers to ever do it. Sure, the lyrical contents are often immature, offensive, or straight fucked. There is something deeper though, how a mind can be shaped this way through a challenging upbringing. Plus it can be funny as hell. There’s plenty of fiction and some reality, leaving the question where Eminem ends and Slim Shady begins. But the package it’s delivered in just works for me. The beats aren’t something to wow you, but they’re fitting for music - sometimes grimy, sometimes bouncy. But Eminem can grab a listener and force their attention to what he’s saying, and that can be a good or bad thing depending on the person. I fully recognize if I first heard Eminem now, I’d probably think of him much differently. But growing up during his heyday, it’s ingrained in my mind and holds a special place despite the fact that I’ve grown into a well-adjusted adult.

Definitely showcases his flow skills, and there’s some personal nostalgia for how shocking this was at the time and how exciting it was for white kids all over the country. Some things are dated, like the silly background voices he has in like every song, but overall it was a groundbreaking album and a lot of the skills still hold up. I mean come on, he really just goes for it here, even if it leaves you shaking your head or cringing, it’s still visceral

Lots of nostalgia with this one but it does feel quite cringy now that I’m not 14.

Just so not for me. Adolescent cringe.

4/5

love when rap albums have that “i just pirated photoshop” art vibe. this isn’t as good as “the marshall mathers lp”, but it seems less angry and hateful. another album of its time, but not in a great way. “my name is” is still pretty good, but idk if the rest holds up. most beats are pretty forgettable. and i am not a fan of female backup singer repeats parts of raps in the background trope. lazy.

While I respect the idea of writing your anger away from yourself. This was a fucking awful listen. I'm glad he seems to be a better person today.

This was... an interesting listen. In a way I've gained a newfound appreciation for the person he ended up becoming. Still an excruciating listen, though. I'm never revisiting this album again, but I'm glad I listened to it regardless.

Haha…ha? The guy needed some semen in his butthole.

Just find it puerile and sometimes unpleasant. 2.

I like it probably more than i should, obviously not to be taken seriously, like a horror movie. Particularly like Guilty Conscience. Clever but wrong

I'm not really into horrorcore and this album, to misquote Anthony Burgess, "Real horrorcore it was, no viddy good" Having said that, I've been staying in a motel this week and both the prior Parton and this one are probably good motel albums - banging out Guilty Conscience at 2am definitely earned me a new level of respect around here - so can't really go below a 3.

A defining moment in hip hop, and like nothing I’d heard before. My teenage son loves it. His middle aged dad less so. It’s still bundles of fun and you can’t deny the boy had talent by the bucketload, but like any Eminem album I’ve heard it fails to keep me engaged for the duration.

Iconic album that brought Eminem on the map, but one that has maybe not aged the best despite some really iconic songs. The biggest asset is that Eminem is incredibly skilled and back in the day used to be completely unique and have a ton of personality. Right from the bouncy beat and Em's cartoonish flow on My Name Is the album starts off in such a cool way. The song is still fun and endlessly quotable after all these years. Then Guilty Conscience is this super humorous battle-style back and forth between Eminem and Dre, another really creative track that has aged pretty well. The album is at it's best when the personality shines the most without making the listener feel cringe, but unfortunately a lot of the humor did not age that well. I can imagine that in 1999 it was different, but unfortunately the album has moments that are rather corny. My Fault and Cum on Everybody are prime examples, the comedy of these songs wore off for me, and that's even before we get to the weak hooks and so so beats. There is other very good songs like Brain Damage or Rock Bottom where his rapping is on full display, but the album as a whole is rather inconsistent and somewhat dated. Still, it's a relative high point in Eminem's inconsistent discography.

Immature vile shit

The arrival of Slim Shady... perfect cover for a dark and entertaining album that plays like a cult classic horror film.

I have to say that this is a really well made record. It's cohesive and although it's an hour it flew by. Eminem also has a great flow. However, the content sucks. Lots of misogyny and violence. I know "Slim Shady" is a character, but still, pretty gross and disturbing. One star for "My Name Is".

kind of a tough full listen

More deliberately provocative and offensive rhymes from Mr Mathers. As with e.g. Marilyn Manson, I find artists doing this to be more charming with their efforts to anger me than anything else. There's lyrical cleverness for sure, but then the self-indulgent skits and effortfully distasteful subject matter sours me to him. As with anything, and especially the artists on this list, it's too one-note, not enough variation for me in emotion, theme, or tone.

Familiar with this album. His style of rap broke the game. Would I listen on the reg now? No, but I respect this.

Breaking Bad: The Musical

My name is has a very catchy beat, but nothing else was much remarkable to me. I mildly and cathartically enjoy the dry irony and satirical references to kids listening. Songs like my fault present funny, often terribly depraved, and/or tragic stories that are nevertheless entertaining, so I think I get enough out of this to give it a light 2, even though it's too long

See review of previous Eminem album, which was released a year after this one. When this one popped up last night, I was filled with dread and dismay, but when I woke up this morning, I realized, wait, I don't have to subject myself to this stuff again. Fool me twice? No thanks! 1 star. For the reasons stated previously. Life is too short.

Really funny and entertaining. Yeah it's too long and he beats the themes to death, but it's so funny that people are still offended to this day and he's making fun of them ON the album. The irreverent humor was ahead of its time. I enjoyed the skits and the production by Dre. I liked this significantly more than the Marshall Mathers LP, which I gave a 3, because this felt more playful and goofy. I don't know if I can give this a 4 though. It's not something I would choose to listen to. It's hardly even music, it's so different. More like sketch comedy. I'll say this is high 3 and MM was low 3

Familiar with this name. Not a fan of rap crap.