The Slim Shady LP

Got a little taste of a Sandler comedy CD. He obviously acknowledges it as childish with the beats used and the font on the cover. Even coming in prepared it elicits a response on several tracks, so I guess that makes it art.

Another one I listened to quite a bit when I was younger. Not my favourite by Eminem; some of the tracks on this one just don't hit, buts still solid and has some ironclad bangers

It goes without saying that nobody could drop a project like this today. At least, not without being shunned into obscurity, or at least a very niche fanbase. And yet, Eminem is one of the best-known rappers on the planet (#15 artist on Spotify as of today.) I'm not here to tell anyone they shouldn't be offended by the lyrics. As a bisexual man, I have a pretty good perspective on the potential impact of this kind of content. But I make the personal choice to take it with a grain (or several) of salt. Obviously, Em is rapping about being a horrible person. That's the whole point of the Slim Shady character. As you hear at the very beginning, "the views and events expressed here are totally fucked, and are not necessarily the views of anyone." If you're the type of person who can take the blatant shock value as entertainment, you're in for a ride. The storytelling is so cartoonishly fun and ridiculous. The wordplay and rhyming are impressive. Eminem is a master of that craft, and you can tell he's enjoying himself while stitching all these syllables together in such an off-the-wall fashion. He's got a few pretty sticky hooks in here too. But we can't forget to credit Dr. Dre, who crafted the perfect sound for this debut album, which undeniably screams "slim shady." Not for everyone. But if it works for you, it's a hell of a good time.

I don’t think I could realistically listen to this album on a regular basis, Eminem has never been my thing, but as I dug into this one I did gain a new appreciation for him as a rapper. Especially considering this was effectively his debut, the flow and the metaphors and use of language is so strong. Found it interesting, especially listening to the Blueprint before this and Doggystyle after, how he never used the word “nigga”. Every word is very thought out. And while many of those words were construed as misogynistic when this first came out, it’s clear that generally speaking most of what he is saying was meant as parody, black comedy, or in many cases fantasy. The production is also surprisingly strong for how old this now is. At the of the day this album is more like a critically acclaimed movie where you know the plot is full of hard, painful moments, but ultimately provides a vignette into a certain section of humanity.

Holy shit bad meets evil is fucking awesome. Overall a really good album. I know being offensive and punching down is part of Eminem’s brand but there are a lot of lyrics and skits that hit really wrong listening in 2023. Still a good album but there are a couple of weak tracks and some lyrics that bring down otherwise great songs.

An interesting listen. I never really got into Eminem. I remember when this album was huge among my classmates. I liked My Name Is (still do) and other singles that would come along over the years were either fairly enjoyable or annoying to me. I never cared enough to actually listen to a full album. Anyway, I get why this was a hit. There's a lot of good songs here, but also some pretty big duds in my opinion but more good than bad. I'd like to note that I hate 97 Bonnie and Clyde. I had a daughter with a woman that I now hate and even I find that song disgusting. For reference I enjoy a lot of gross out death metal and goregrind kind of stuff and those lyrics rarely phase me but this was just ick. Overall, I liked this. Would listen to some of these songs again and wouldn't be opposed to listening to more of his albums. I think I somehow underestimated one of the most celebrated rappers of his generation. A 3.5 for my enjoyment,a 4 for understanding why this was huge and impact.

Such a great album, raw, thought-provoking, it pushes boundaries and limits. Great lyrics and beats. The album tails at the end, although 'SGDAF' is a great closer.

The music, okay. The lyricism? Outstanding. The way he takes social ideas an remolds them to fit his needs is amazing.

The tricky thing about edge-lord style satire is that if it goes over your head, you may take away exactly the wrong lessons from it. While it's clear from the very beginning with disclaimers like public service announcement that Marshall was self aware enough to understand this risk (in later albums he turns the premise on its head and doubles down), unfortunately a certain type of suburban white appropriative douchebaggery was inevitably birthed out of the success of the Slim Shady LP. The vessel of toxic masculinity becomes heralded earnestly instead of exposed, like American Psycho and Fight Club before it, and so many after. Granted there are other elements that don't hold up outside of this, but I don't hold him uniquely culpable for the moments I winced listening. Now to the positives - on the whole I really respect just how deliberately this record was made in order to create a world of its own... the man knows how to Emcee. It feels more like a radio play than an album - it's borderline histrionic, with characters sharply defined, centered around a deeply compelling, if often violent and pyschosexual story - a formula he would refine and repeat to great success across many subsequent albums. The gritty loops undergird the atmosphere of terror and paranoia he wants to elicit - it's like a nightmare you can't (and don't quite want to) look away from, and his passion really comes through. He's acutely aware of how he will be received and executes his vision so so clearly from a production and lyrical standpoint and that's commendable. At the same time, I think it's completely fair and in fact more interesting to rate these records based on how much they resonate with with us as individuals vs an attempt at impartiality, and for me the second half of the album starts to blur together. I think it would have been stronger with fewer tracks!

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the audacity it requires to write a song about telling your child that you murdered their mother. It’s insane. This album is high energy, crass, violent, infectious, and could not be made today. Like the MM LP, from a rapping and production standpoint it’s impeccable. He just seems to be having so much fun and is so self aware that I don’t see how you can’t like it. My favorite is I’m Shady, where he breaks down some of the braggadocio from earlier in the album. I don’t think this beats out MM LP (which I regret not giving a 5), so this gets a 4.

Great lyrical skills are already on display on his major-label debut. Also present is the irony that permeates Eminem's best work. All that said, this one is a four star and the The Marshall Mathers LP gets five stars in my book and is the one that should be on this list.

Not my genre but hard to deny his talent. Can’t tell if it’s an act or genuine anger being expressed. Regardless, it’s a compelling album.

While the opening track (not including the introduction) might be one of the greatest introductions to a new artist of all time, the album as a whole is rough to listen to. I know he was being controversial and disgusting on purpose, but it is stil A LOT to listen to for an hour, even if the worst part of me finds some of it funny. I cannot imagine hearing this for the first time in 1999 having no idea who this guy is or what he wants with my children. Production-wise the Dr. Dre beats sound fantastic. I also have to wonder if Eminem/Hillary is the only instance of a rapper endorsing someone for President who they threatened to kill/assault on an earlier album? Would do a 3.5 if possible.

Serious surprise in how good this was. Corny as hell in places but really tight flow, fun parody. Sometimes it's corny to the point of unpleasant but like 70% of the tracks i would say are good. this is an album to be listened to shamefully, alone, but listened to nonetheless

I was a broke 18 year old metal head when this came out. I was down with Em at the time but had other CDs to buy. By the time of his next record, I was a fan. But I never owned this one and only really knew the hit. This record is alright. it doesn't have the hooks of the Marshall Mathers LP but it's still got that flow and great beats. Not Em's best. But it's up there.

Highlights: My Name Is, Guilty Conscience, Just Don't Give A Fuck, I'm Shady 4.5/5

This was in frequent rotation in my early years. Eminem changed the hip hop game for me.

I like it!

A classic Eminem album. Still fresh after all these years.

Actually pretty good. I was not expecting to like this, but this was a pretty decent album from M&M. The album could be considered controversial at points.

Perhaps the rawest Eminem album, before her came to understand his flow. This album is still super ambitious, we learn how messed up this guys life is/was and the dark comedy that he wants us to believe is or isn’t a joke. It’s very clear from this album how talented the man is, but you can tell there is some room for growth. The content is extremely dark, which I think is absolutely fascinating. His rap game is sinister and well thought out. White trash rap certainly took of with this album, and he became the hip hop Elvis. I prefer his work that follows this, which is more balanced and mastered, but that’s not to say that this isn’t incredible.

Sick beats

Good album disliked the skits.

Excellent first album from Slim. Even better to come. 4.5/5

I'm back lyrics are amazing.

Good, but I can't listen to it for an extended period.

So much more entertaining than I remembered, enjoyed revisiting this, it was a right laugh.

Persona on persona, Marshall Mathers as Eminem as Slim Shady. The artist, the mask and the cartoon. Much more satirical than I recall it was at the time.

Probably his best album.

He was really good from the start. 3.7

What the fuck

LP

Some cringe lyrics but for the most part of the album slaps. Shout out Ken Kaniff from connecticut. I NEVER MEANT TO GIVE YOU MUSHROOMS GIRL

Still a fantastic raw album filled with pain, addiction, and great rhymes

fado

all good

Oh man, takes me back in such a big way. Some ANGRY music, can see why I liked it so much at that point in my life. Hard to believe it was 24 years ago. Feels like it was so recent. Not nearly as good as the stuff that comes after but it was so revolutionary at the time, have to keep that in context.

I very much enjoy the quality of this album. It sounds so catchy, although the stories are rough. There is loads of cleverness and creativity, although I really wish Eminem could been a bit more creative about how to treat those cheating hoes.

A ton of rapping mastery on this album. This is a bit tough because of Eminem’s alter-ego perspective. Is the misogyny part of the character? Or not? There is a lot of horror in this album, but it is essentially a horror album. So is it wrong to have a character express such horror? I cannot deny the storytelling is incredibly compelling - even though the tales are often extraordinarily dark. This often made me very uncomfortable, as intended I think. This is another one where the score I give this is both two low and too high.

The greatness of this album is that Eminem made everyone lose their mind when this came out. The bad about this album is compared to his other ones it’s definitely his rawest and the beats are good but not great. Some of these songs are great and I still like them to this day. Probably my second favorite album of his. 8.4/10

forgot how popular the inbetween track skits used to be. some of this stuff doesn't age well but man there's a ton that just slams

This is a really good record on so many levels. A nice follow up to Superunknown, here is the soundtrack to the reality of the decline of American exceptionalism, Soundgarden were warning of what was to come, Marshall tells us here it is. This is like a concept album, not quite War of the Worlds, but there is a narrative playing out as he covers pretty much every aspect of his life in the American underclass. He ticks every box: violence, family dysfunction, poverty, death and suicide; this record gets it all out there. 8 Mile helps us to understand what his world was about, and how a 20 something child of this type of socio-economic dysfunction would express himself. As such, can we really decry what he has to say, despite whatever discomfort some of those themes bring? Put it this way: I'd much rather he expressed himself as an artist and got the reaction, than not at all, which is where we are at right now with the identity politics fascism prevalent today. I'd match this up with Fear of A Black Planet in calling it for what it is, the tracks are relentless, in your face, angry and funny. It goes without saying that the beats are good, and Dre knows how to get everything out of this white guy. Brain Damage is easily the best take I've heard on bullying, Role Model calls out the so called hero worship, he knows where he's from and why it's not worthy. Great rhymes sustain the misery of poverty in Rock Bottom and the whole thing hangs together brilliantly. The thing I really love about these album reviews is getting to peek behind the curtains as to how they've been made and I'd reckon Chas and Dave playing on the Labi Siffre sample has made my year...my name is..my name is..there ain't no pleasing you.

I’ve listened before and enjoyed but I do find it crazy how My Name Is & Guilty Conscience are first - low-key feels downhill from there. The album is outrageous and hilarious though. I really appreciated If I Had this time round

Insanely hard. Just so grotesque and personal in some tough bars with phenomenal production for the time.

Beh che si puo' dire, era ai suoi tempi d'oro.

This man is insane and brilliant. Rap and Hiphop are not my genres but I make an exception for Eminem. His lyrics and storytelling is so good you just listen to the whole album like a book. Even though some songs are weird it’s still good. Favourite songs: - My name is - Guilty conscience - Rock bottom

4 i’ve listened to all of em’s discography so listening to this was a throwback. it’s not his best but for a debut album has some solid tracks like guilty conscience, bad meets evil, my name is and role model

Klassiker. Eminem kam damals schon komplett polished an den Start. Krasses Produkt und Image seither.

I get why this shook the world when it came out. A little edge lord-y 20 something years later but I still like it.

good rhythm good rapping and storytelling very violent and graphic definitely rated R -Rock Bottom -Brain Damage -Guilty Conscience

It has been quite some time since I have listened to this entire album. I used to listen to it quite a bit. However, it is not Eminem's best album. A lot of memorable songs, but the skits are not necessary.

The beats and music are fine, if maybe a little bit minimalist, but it's really just there to support the rapping which is really well executed. The lyrical themes span from juvenile, pervy, violent, suicidal and just plain dark. There is also a theme threaded through the album of recognizing that all of these lyrics are depicting terrible awful things and that people shouldn't be listening to them and that he's horrible for writing them. Mr. Mathers should probably consider therapy. I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars for this because I won't probably listen to this again (3 stars) but the self reflective lyrics are telling me that I shouldn't listen to it (4 stars).

It’s my first time listening to this, somehow, and I think it’s very good - the Eminem sound/style is much more fully-formed than I expected. Ok, there a couple of places where he’d still not quite worked it out, and a few weaker tracks in the middle, but it’s an impressive debut all the same. It must’ve stood out from a mile away back then - there still isn’t anyone else who sounds like this. 3.5 / 4

Nice.

Greatest rapper ever? Maybe. Funniest rapper ever? Abso-fuckin-lutely!

fav songs: my name is guilty conscience role model rock bottom 3.8

Disturbing stories, well told

Yep, the general misogyny, homophobia and nasty fantasies read very differently in 2022 to 1999...back then the offensiveness seemed more intent on using offensive language and slurs as part of an attempt to shock and punch up against a stuffy establishment, with little attention to the offence it might cause to those that it literally punched down on as apparent targets. That doesn't excuse its lack of awareness of harm, and its a good thing most people have moved on from what was pretty immature and hurtful stuff. I have little time for the rhetoric of calling things cancel culture, and free speech warriors demanding their right to offend...but wonder if the transition of ownership of that offence from the establishment to marginalised groups of people may have done more to protect the establishment than it has to protect those who are truly vulnerable. Politicians have become more shocking than rock and rap stars, who have been left looking a bit vanilla in comparison and that's pretty scary. I don't have any answers, just more concerns. Despite all this, this album still sounds great. Slim may say some terrible stuff, but he says it well.

aged poorly, lyrics are rough, rapping is great, emotional content real, ugly mirror to society-type album.

I you would hear Eminem today for the first time, you would think there is no way that becomes a successful artist. Too scatological, to rude, homophobic… …But this was an enormous hit back in the day! I had not listen to this for a few years and thought I would not like it as much but well, I’m a sucker for the music from my youth. The album is loooong and I think it coulda have done without some of the tracks, but truth is Eminem can really rap and was fun as hell back in the day. There are some tracks not as funny but that hit you right in the face, I still have “If I had” on my daily shuffle, and I think “My Fault” is an excellent commentary on drugs and raves… the skits sound dated af but back then they were a huge novelty and many artist had them on their albums. This is a good record thar captures its moment greatly even if this kind of album would not fly nowadays (I’m all for evolving societies and all that so don’t mistake my comments as a criticism on woke culture or anything like that)

I have actually ended up going to 4 star simply because of how good Rock Bottom is. And the Ken Kaniff skit made me laugh.

Some great stuff on here

Great fun. Raw and abrasive, but humourous storytelling

This album is written from the perspective of Eminem’s violent Alter-ego Slim Shady. The listener is taken into the depth’s of Shady’s mindset to the point where reality is blurred. Songs that talk about abusing his ex-wife Kim make it impossible to find where Shady ends and Marshall Mathers begins. We get a look into a life of poverty and the anger that comes with that. It’s clear that Shady is out for blood and he wants to put the world in its place and he’s not totally wrong for feeling that way.

Hip hopowy tydzien, bylo czarno to tym razem bedzie bardziej bialo, a wspolnym mianownikiem bedzie N.W.A, klasyczny material z 99, pierwszy album Eminema, ktory byl komercyjnym sukcesem, pierwszy kolab z Dre, pierwsze pojawienie sie jednego z najbardziej znanych alter ego rap gry, czyli Slima Shadiego, do ktorego odnosi sie tytul plyty, ktora opowiada w dosc komicznie horrorowym stylu historie tego jak doszlo do zrodzenia sie postaci Slima, wiec bedzie tutaj o trudnym dziecinstwie i abusujacej matce i ciezkich narkotykach ktore w tym pomogly, dalej o budowaniu wlasnej rodziny i jej samodestrukcji, jesli mozna to tak okreslic, bo to jest chyba najbardziej dramatyczny watek ciagniety na plycie, bo jak inaczej okreslic kawalki o pozbywaniu sie ciala matki swojego dziecka, razem ze wspomnianym dzieckiem i jeszcze samplowaniu go na traku, jak ma to miejsce na traku bonnie&clyde, nagrywanym jeszcze gdy mieszkali razem, a o czym baba dowiedziala sie dopiero po wydaniu plyty, kolejnym waznym punktem plyty jest chemia jaka maja miedzy soba Eminem i Dre, nie tylko podczas wspolpracy na produkcji, ale nawet gdy wymieniaja wers za wers jak na guilty conscience, nagrywac cos ze swoim idolem, a jednoczesnie brzmiec jak jemu rowny, to dopiero nazywa sie debiut, kolejnym waznym featurem jest trak bad meets evil nagrany z royce da 5'9", ktory jest zapowiedzia powstania pozniejszych kolabow artystow w duecie, prawie godzinny krazek przepelniony jest skitami, wiec lacznie trakow jest 20, ale wczesny Eminem jest jednym z tych artystow, ktory potrafil wykorzystac skity do budowania narracji albumu, bo sluchajac tej plyty mozna sie poczuc jak sluchajac horrorowego audiobooka, nie bez powodu niektorzy gatunkowo klasyfikuja go jako horrorcore, bo pomimo tego, ze nie ma tutaj masakr i hektolitrow krwi, ale czuc bijacy ze zwrotek z poczatku manie, potem zlowrogi niepokoj, ktory przechodzi w cos smutniejszego, a jednoczesnie glebszego, tylko po to zeby na koncu wrocic do poczatku trakiem still dont give a fuck, rollercoster i jeden z najbardziej klasycznych krazkow jakie bialy rap ma do zaoferowania, na plejke leci wspomniany guilty conscience i najpopularniejszy utwor albumu, czyli my name is, ktory byl ogrywany na mtv ponad 10 lat po premierze, az tak klasyczne jest jego surrealistyczne brzmienie i komiczne widelo

i'm an Eminem fan so... <3

Listen to this a ton when I was in HS. Solid album with some surprisingly good songs. Rap album skits have always been dumb

Guilty pleasure … really enjoy

I really like this. And its good. I wish I had liked it when it was out, but I learned of it much later.

13th June 2022 Listened throughout the day while working from home. Put away kitchen stuff and made our bed in the evening! Aggressive, lyrical, funny, you can see why Eminem made such a splash. Technically outrageous rapping.

He is quite good at the rapping.

Even at his lowest, Eminem is entertaining, and Slim Shady is far from low. It drags a little at the end and rides very close to my red gonzo line, but ends up a weak but obvious four. The focus on characters on this LP keeps it from sliding into the rut of the followup and emphasizes the real disturbing parts. It might be a little less dynamic, but I preferred the production of this effort as well.

While there are some very offensive lyrics and ones that haven't aged super well, I still really appreciate his rhymes. Early Eminem will always hold a special place in my heart.

Em's ultraviolent LP is a full exploration of the Slim Shady character is twisted, disturbing, and full of hot button celebrity culture chicanery. The songs themselves are tight and the samples come together to have incredible sonic textures; see Just Don't Give A Fuck. I can't tell if I was angry when I started listening to this album or if listening to this album made me angry.

Since I've listened to this album so many times, of source I would be happy to review this album. My experience with Eminem's music is special, since he was basically the first rapper that I listened to. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment that I listened to Eminem's music, but I think it was either in the Recovery or MMLP2 formula. This album has a very special place in my heart, since it was the first album that zi got on vinyl record. I wanted an LP player so bad for Christmas, and you can probably tell that I was super happy when I got the Expanded edition last year. Before I go into the review, I just want to tell you guys that I have not listened to Infinite. I've heard the title-track which slaps, but I haven’t listened to the entire project due to it being off streaming services. The production on this album was a head of it's fucking time. I know that this album was literally released at the end of the 90s, but so much of it slaps. The snares on "Just Don't Give A Fuck" and "Still Don't Give A Fuck" slap ass. The sampling on this album is so good, "My Name Is" and "Guilty Conscience" are the two that really come to mind. There are some things that I do dislike. "If I Had" sounds like the cheesiest Eminem track, it has too many skits and it isn't really as shocking as it once was. FAVOURITE TRACK: It would have to be "My Fault". The storytelling on the track is fucking incredible, and it’s all thanks to the tone of it. Eminem isn't taking the situation as a joke, so that just makes you care that much more about it. LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: "If I Had" 7,5/10

Zeer goed album met een paar klassiekers

The one just before his rise to fame as the poster of rap, leaving a fresh perspective of Eminem being poor, struggling for success and his childhood past. It's very good overall. Everyone knows My Name Is and Guilty Concious is a great back and forth between Eminem and Dr Dre, but also liked Role Model, If I Had, Brain Damage and My Fault. It does dip a bit towards the end with a few forgettable tracks. Apart from that it's very funny at times, little outdated with some pop culture references and insults, and some interesting stories. It was also interesting hearing Marshall Mathers LP first and finding out some of the skits (Paul, Ken Kaniff) and some spoken messages ("A lot of people ask me..." at Still Don't Give A Fuck).

That Marshall Mather is a crazy dude. This album is crazy. Good.

It's really amazing lyrically. He embraces his anti-role model persona and has a pretty solid stable of songs in this list. I'm still not a skit person, but they work here as well as anywhere i've seen.

Love

Surprisingly good

4.0

Very good W Eminem

Man is this ugly – just totally lurid and shocking – but also real funny and inventive. It meant to provoke, of course, trolling before trolling was cool, and succeeded spectacularly. Certainly the moralizing critics had a point about it being toxic, however much one wishes they would pipe down and/or make an effort to get in on the joke. The mushroom song is hilarious and horrifying at the same time. “Bonnie & Clyde” sounds cool but then the lyrics sink in – just ghastly especially in contrast to the “Two of Us” sample. That Maryilyn Manson thought it too shocking says everything. Beats are solid chill and there are nice-touch sound effects all over the place; the whole thing is set up to showcase the rhymes and storytelling, which is as it should be as Em raps spectacularly at times. Les Nessman and Marty Schottenheimer are two fave name-checks. Honestly, I hope my kids never listen to this, and for that I can’t decide whether that means Slim Shady deserves bonus points or demerits. I don't want to like it or admire it as much as I do; it too often goes too obviously for shock value. But hard to argue with the ambition, the narrative concept, and the vast majority of the execution. 3.8 for 4.

Lacerating. Raw. Brutal. Too long. But fuck me.... 4

I prefer the MM LP but this was undeniably a rap debut of huge importance. These are fast flowing and quick witted rhymes backed by solid beats and catchy melody but it's the extremely dark material and humour that defines the arrival of Eminem and his alter ego, Slim Shady. It is hard to think how this level of misogyny, homophobia and violence would be tolerated if released today. It makes for frequent troubled listening, then and now. But that shock and horror is part of the intended experience.

Pretty great

Goofy skits but potentially the best Eminem album

For his debut album, this album goes hard!

Seriously good stuff.

Great Friday album. 1st time I’ve listened all the way through. Thoroughly enjoyed this album seemingly made for 7th graders

I had almost forgotten how playful and outrageous Eminem's early lyrics were, interspersed with those skits. Eminem gives the world a glimpse into his lower socio-economic class upbringing (although potentially slightly exaggerated). His flow throughout is quite loose and free coupled with his cartoonish, satirical alter ego, makes for a fun listen. Anyone taking these lyrics at face value need to check themselves. Best: My Name Is Worst: Role Model

Hip-hop de Eminem. Me ha gustado.

Flott debutalbum

Peak Eminem

Loved Eminem as a kid but not listened to him in a long, long time. I was dreading going back to this when it came up. Like going back to an old N64 game and seeing how shit it is. This felt similar. A childhood favourite that in my mind probably should remain there. However I thoroughly enjoyed that little blast of nostalgia. This has always been his best album and the best songs on it aren't the hits. As vulgar is it is funny. Shame his later output couldn't come close to this.

Most of the songs are so catchy and comical, even if I didn't expect it to be so violent. A great listen.

Eminem's first proper album to hit the mainstream, while shocking today for some with it's subject matter, still holds up as a great record. Favorites: "My Name Is", "Role Model", "Rock Bottom"

Produktion ist mittel bis super, habe den ganzen tag ohrwurm vom guilty conscience beat gehabt. Inhaltlich sind paar sachen ziemlich übel aber der grösste teil angenehm cartoony, kombiniert damit dass eminem damals tatsächlich noch ganz lustig war kann man sich das deutlich besser anhören als die neueren sachen. Hat mich unterm strich nicht komplett weggehauen aber konnte ich mir gut anhören, highlight war glaube my fault, fand das ganz geschickt dass man sich da die ganze zeit nicht wirklich sicher ist ob das jetzt schlimm sein soll oder lustig, das war da ja auch insgesamt so sein bit. Halbe sterne hätte ich gerne

I found this album quite interesting because I had never really listened to rap before heard it. The lyrics are funny,cutting and downright crude at times. Overall an album worth listening to with an open mind if you are not a rap person.

3.8 - this was a fun album. Eminem is a master lyricist and Dre’s beats pair perfectly with them. A strong bit of nostalgia here, too, even though I think this is the first time I’ve ever listened to the full album. Pretty violent record - but it’s so over the top that it’s more campy/funny than outright offensive. Still - there feels like a lot of filler to the album, especially the skits between the majority of songs.

This burned CD was passed around my high school and we would use our school's CD burners to burn copies for anyone who wanted it. This was primarily because none of our button-up parents would have approved it, and we could label it with "Slim Shady" or something because our parents only knew who "M&M" was. This album took me back to those days as I hadn't listened to it since probably 2000. It does not hold up as well as I thought it would, though. Em is trying WAY too hard to be edgy, but he had to establish his Slim Shady character, which was unknown in 1999. Still, the rhymes are other-worldly. If I'm rating it base purely on today, it's a 3, but I'm bumping up to a 4 because of the nostalgia and Em's ability to spit fire.

After being introduced to The Marshall Mathers LP through this exercise. I was prepared to be similarly blown away by this album. I wasn't. Still a great album, funny sometimes even hilarious, some excellent production but not up to the standards of Marshall Mathers, it is missing the emotional depth of that album as well as the almost frightening honesty. Still a hell of an album 4 🌟

i love this album, its clever, creat lyrics, doesnt bore and the skits are kind of funny putting the whole slim shady act together

Since it's probably one of the most striking album debuts in the history of rap, it's interesting to assess how *The Slim Shady LP* is holding out more than two decades after that game changer broke all the hip hop rules you thought you knew at the time. Eminem's hectic, cartoonish flow, hilarious-slash-offensive lyrics, technical chops as a rapper, and controversial persona are very much a part of popular music history today, so much that it's actually a little difficult now to realize in which *ways* this first album indeed broke all the rules. The rap game was a seemingly simpler affair then, its opposition between east coast and west coast giving everyone enough basic landmarks to find their way into it (to sketch the whole thing in oversimplistic terms, it was G-funk L.A. vs. rougher developments in NYC--we're leave Atlanta aside for this piece, as well as other strands more or less outside the whole gangster influence, from Wu-Tang street weirdo poetics to the cooler, smoother boom bap heirs of that earlier jazzy "Native Tongues" scene...). This clear-cut world, however, was before Eminem, or rather, should we correct, before his "Slim Shady" alter-ego snarly told us all *what his name* was for the first time. Less a gangster than a dangerous, irremediably irresponsible, white thrash psycho raised in one of them middle-west trailer parks, Slim Shady was the very definition of a loose cannon. And as a rapper's version of Batman's Joker, he was a character actually far more disturbing and downright outrageous than any of those MCs still stuck into circular ego-tripping exercises, too busy launching diss tracks from one coast to the next to really break new ground.                                                       Enter Marshall Mathers, who, even though he picked a "side", so to speak, by collaborating with Dr. Dre of N.W.A and The Chronic fame, was still smart and savvy enough to let his crude lyrics, nasal voice, unsavory statements and faster-than-light rapping abilities speak for himself without much of an afterthought as to where his place should be in the "game". Of course, Captain Obvious must have a say here: Eminem is indeed not only a brilliant rapper, but also, he is a white rapper, with all the necessary consequences that such an obvious statement entails. Others have analyzed this elsewhere. Let's just say that one can only imagine how Dre must have felt producing that white-thrash genius, more of an ally to hip hop's cultural cause than Elvis ever was to the African-American songwriters and artists of his time (speaking of *white* rappers, we're not forgetting the fantastic Beastie Boys, but they couldn't count here, having chosen the arty sidelines of that world as soon as 1989, when *Paul's Boutique* came out). With Eminem's irruption, however, one can easily argue that a very important gate for strands of modern black music that were hitherto despised by the mainstream music industry had been blown open at last. Hip hop at large could finally reap what it had sowed for two decades. And more importantly, Dre, as an important and historical actor of the U.S. rap scene, was also at the helm of this phenomenon, not only counting his newly-earned heaps of dollars, but also counting the ways in which said phenomenon could benefit everyone in the "game" in the long run. But what about the album itself, then? How fresh does it sound now? Just as its author, we won't mince words: the first half is brilliant, almost pitch-perfect. But the second half is not so good as a whole, and this even in comparison to other hip hop masterpieces which often tend to go on a little too long, avoiding the necessary edits that would make them shine even brighter (just like your humble servant here). On the side of the good stuff, there's the funky, Rhodes-driven opener and first single "My Name Is", a grand preliminary statement as to what Eminem's crazy antics are all about. But it's really the second song, "Guilty Conscience", that brilliantly sets up to the task of showing what we're up against here, setting the bar so high on a lyrical standpoint that the album almost doesn't recover from it after. Featuring Dr. Dre playing the part of a better angel urging lost souls to err on the side of caution and dignity (this here is already a riot to write about!), the track is not only a showcase of Eminem's narrative abilities, but it's also a genius opportunity for him to display his talents as an actor delivering hilarious punchlines, each one more shocking and outrageous than the one before. You've probably guessed it already, Eminem plays the part of the miniature devil facing Dre from the opposite shoulders of said lost souls, and he's so competent in this role that the so-called angel finally gives up all pretense to decency and joins the side of pure evil at the end of the song (we won't spoil the way Eminem convinces Dre to join his ranks here... Let's just say that anyone collaborating with Mathers needs to share his self-deprecating sense of humour). What works so well in the track is that it starts as a concept where the two rappers are initially only playing a role, but because of Slim Shady's sheer malevolence, such concept soon goes off the rail, and even Dre-as-a-real-person doesn't come out of it unscathed. Nothing is off-limit, not even disrespecting the album's own executive producer. Carnival at its best here. Next is "Brain Damage", an exploration of childhood trauma that also goes off the rail to become a mix between Garbage Pail Kids and a gore flick. It is one of the best tracks musically speaking, with its unstoppable bouncy beat and intricate west-coast-style samplings. But the real centerpiece of the album only comes a few tracks later, and here it's not so much its music than its overall concept, along with Eminem's chilling delivery, that will send shivers down your spine. "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" is horrorcore at its most disturbing and off-putting, telling the dreadful yarn of a man killing his ex-wife and getting rid of her body with their daughter in tow, the unrepenting murderer even lying to the small toddler throuhout the song, denying how much of a monster he is (just look at the cover of the album to have an inkling of what the song is about). In the next record, "Stan" will explore such a sociopathic narrative thread even a little further, but for those who are already familiar to that later track, suffice it to say that this is how everything started when it came to Eminem as a horror master... An aside here, about 'unreliable narrators'. Some commentators at the time were quick to put blame on Eminem's possible deleterious influence on kids and their sense of morality (often in conjunction with their condemnation of the mock-satanist shock-fest of Marilyn Manson). But it is somewhat misleading and even downright stupid to think the kids Eminem was adressing himself to were not aware all of this was just entertainment, a play, an act, spooky tales aimed at placing them into a rollercoaster of conficting and intense emotions. In a way, Mathers later beat those commentators at their own game when he created the 'Stan' character during the course of his next album. Here was an Eminem fan dumb enough to take everything at face value, and so become an unhinged danger for himself and others. But... well... newsflash: 'Stan' doesn't really exist. Just as 'Dada' in " '97 Bonnie And Clyde". Or even "Slim Shady" himself. It's that old "Fight Club" twist all over again, is it not? Teens' minds are always blown away by it, but meanwhile, there's never been a killer-rampage enacted in the name of Eminem or Tyler Durden. It's just pure, trangressive fun. Phew... I guess PMRC members can start sleeping a little better at night now. It will be easier for us to slit their throats in their sleep, at least. See what I just did up there? Mathers does that all the time. There's never a sure way to know when he's playing an act and when he's dead serious during the course of the album. Well... there's never a sure way to know *if you're not paying enough attention*. Case in point: "Role Model", where Eminem makes it clear he is not one of them, nor should be considered as such. For instance, this is the song where he lists the drugs he is truly addicted to as opposed to the ones he has no interest in, contradicting other statements elsewhere on the album (including that ironic "Er... Don't do drugs..." in the short skit opening the LP). Such intricate, truly postmodern way to mix truths and falsehoods does not merely offer cheap thrills in most songs, it is also a testament to Mathers' multilayered, rich, and even thought-inducing writing. Eminem is smart enough to consider his listeners should still exercise their free will and sense of agency in our sick sad world, contrary to the conservative boomers who found the mirror he was holding up to us all too dreary and unbearable for their delicate, hypocritical tastes. Unfortunately, past "Role Model", that multilayered, thought-inducing writing starts to wear thin a little, as if Mathers was at pains to find any effective way to fuel the demonic machinery he so brilliantly ignited in the first part of the record. At some point, just as you go through this piling-up of shock treatments, you start to feel a little numb, a little anaesthetized, and it doesn't help when you already know that Eminem's technical chops as a rapper with a machine-gun flow will get *even better* than this in the next LPs. Some of the imagery even sounds a little immature at some point, a pitfall that was probably unavoidable given the nature of Mathers' initial intents here. And the music itself sometimes loses its momentum. Indeed, it must be pointed out that a huge chunk of the tracks' instrumentation in the LP, mostly those composed by the Bass Brothers, does not fare that well today, and one has a sneaking suspicion that even in 1999, such instrumentation could pass off as clunky or slightly outdated, especially when compared to the songs Dr Dre produced himself. The drums, in particular, often sound flat and overmixed, a flaw that will fortunately not occur again in the subsequent albums, where Dre will be more directly involved. For the first of those, *The Marshall Mathers L.P.*, it seems that Eminem effectively course-corrected most of those shortcomings at least. This second album might also be slightly overlong, but there, the killer tracks are sprinkled throughout the record so that the latter never loses its steam. And it is an asset that *The Slim Shady LP* can't boast about. Rather than listing the underwhelming tracks in the album, maybe it's better to list some of the best one-liners that are still peppered throughout it, in spite of all that lost steam. At least we'll end up on a high note. "But I don't get pissed, y'all don't even see through the mist / How the fuck can I be white, I don't even exist" ("Role Model"). "I'm about as normal as Norman Bates with deformative traits / A premature birth that was four minutes late" ("Role Model" again). Or *this*, about a girl overdosing on mushrooms at a party, with the unmarried girl deliriously moaning : "I don't even have any kids and I can't cook," and Slim replying: "I'm over here, Sue, you're talking to the plant, look!" ("My Fault"). And we should probably mention that two of the best punchlines come at the very end, in "Still Don't Give A Fuck": "I get imaginative with a mouth full of adjectives / A brain full of adverbs, and a box full of laxatives". Either this or the following boast: "Now how in the hell am I supposed to get out of debt? / I can't rap anymore, I just murdered the alphabet". All bragging aside, Eminem did not murder the whole alphabet yet at the time of his first major debut. But he sure came close to it in the couple of records that followed. [Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 996 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 0 Albums from the list I might include in mine later on: 2 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 3 ]

Well conceived album, holistic and flows well, ultimately not my kind of music but deserves the accolades it and received

"Holy shit! He's alive! He just opened his eyes. I did it! I DID IT! Dr. Frank would be proud!" "rgggh..." "And here goes his first words!" "rghhhh... Fuck you!" "Perfect!" *** "You are Slim Shady, my alter-ego. You are made of every angry experiences and thoughts that I have ever had. Your job is to tell the world all about you. About what makes you, and maybe even about who made you. You are already gifted with literary skills, and all the words that I memorized from the dictionary, so you can work now." *** "Find him!" "Really? But he is white!" "I don't give a fuck if he is purple, if he can kick it, I'm working with him" "Okay, okay..." "..." "I heard that he's one of your big fans, Dr. Andre!" "Hmmm mm? I think I'll love giving those verses some life!" *** "What the hell are you listening to this time, son? Another edgy rap isn't it?" "It's just some new hip-hop guy, mom" "Just some new hip-hop guy, eh? But he does sound different, let me hear... hmmm... Jesus Christ what the FUCK are you listening to young man? You... ... ... *** "Hahaha rap god fast" *** "Was all of these... me, daddy?" "Yeah, this little girl in the picture is you. And that little voice in the special song was also you. We all made it when you were a baby" "But... was it about... killing and disposing... mom?" "Errrr... not exactly. These things shouldn't be taken literally you know?" "Geez..." "..." "So... what was all of this... thing all about?" *grabs a cigarette* *** "Hahaha rap god dude during the '90s... wait WHAT THE HELL?" "hehe beats good"

Holds up okay

Makes me hype

4.5

A quite good album. Eminem handles classic themes in a cynical way. And the closing "Still Don't Give A" recapitulates this tragic leitmotif in a quasi-classical epic. (7/10) FT: My Name Is

22 years later and this album is no less transgressive than the day it was released. This was definitely the sound of 1999-2000, though I probably won't listen to it much in the 2020s.

Still a good record…age has not necessarily helped it though given the climate of the world today

Takes me back to being 17 and working at Sam Goody. Brash and angry, Eminem's lyrics and delivery are full of lunacy and humor. Dre's production helps to hone the words of an unknown but gifted rapper into an album that changed the rap landscape

Muy buen álbum

really intense, graphic and at times funny

This guy really is a master of clever wordplay and interesting rhymes. The lyrics can be a little too edgy for their own sake but if you take them as Eminem supposedly intended - fictional accounts of a terrible character - it's easy not to get too upset by it. Still it sort of detracts from the otherwise impressive album.

Ich fand ihn immer gut. Dieses hip-hop-Album ist das erste in dieser Liste, das sich zu Recht darauf befindet.

The classic debut, all piss and vinegar and darkly funny.

A familiar face! This is actually the one OG Eminem album that I've heard already, and I do like this one a lot. You can hear a lot of raw energy and talent here. Not super dazzling with the lyrical acrobatics as he would do on future releases, instead leaning on outlandish jokes and storytelling to shock and awe. Back when he had a story to tell, not just awfully hot coffee pots. One of my classic jokes is "which Eminem album about killing his ex-wife is your favorite?" Until further notice, this is mine. Favorite tracks: My Name Is, 97 Bonnie and Clyde, Rock Bottom, Bad Meets Evil, Guilty Conscience. Album art: Love this one. Cool color filter, great picture with the baby next to him and the ex in the trunk. Love the crayon font too. This one holds up. 4/5

Very good although lyrics have aged poorly.

Eminem gets away with the usually tedious art of outrage for its own sake by being so blatant, self-conscious, and funny. '97 Bonnie and Clyde is still too much for me, and if that invites the charge of moral hysteria so be it. He didn't just write it and put it on the album, it was made the cover art. Overall though the talent is too high a level to dismiss.

Not Eminem's best work but it set the tone for what he could do and showcases his latent talent. My feelings are probably coloured by nostalgia because I first heard this years ago in school when I was 15. It brings back good memories and at the time I thought some of this material was a lot funnier than I do at over 20 years remove. Coming to it completely cold I'd probably only give it 3 stars now.

Rating Em is always complicated, and I've always preferred the MMLP, but to give this three stars feels a little unfair of me.

Excuse me, can I have attention of the whole class for just a minute? The Slim Shady LP is great, but not Eminem's best. 4

Prose master! Also the master of the tonal shift as he flips back and forth between comedy and more serious topics. The Eminem Show and Marshall Mathers LP are more nostalgic for me but this might be one of his best albums.

Wild album, only a few really standout tracks, but the overall explicit content and themes clearly set Eminem up for what he'd become. Pretty nasty stuff obviously meant to ruffle feathers. Definitely deserves to be on the list.

Soft 4 stars. Definitely interesting. I love how he can combine creepy content and hooks together

Oh da, album koji me je vodio kroz godine i godine. Iako se znam vraćati tu i tamo na njega, ne mogu zaboraviti koliko je utjecao da moj ukus i ljubav za glazbom. Definitivno top 3 njegovih albuma, nema premca. Pošto znam da sam odrastao na njemu, ali sad znam da sam i prerastao nekako. Svakako zaslužuje jako dobru ocjenu, i zbog nostalgije, a i kvalitete.

Skoro pa najbolji od em-a, jedno razdoblje mog života je i bio

This eminem album created a generation of rap listeners. Explicit and juvenile.

Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first: there are way too many skits on this album; there’s a lot of filler tracks which sound far too similar; and the homophobic and rape references are tired and repetitive. Now the good stuff: the lyrical wordplay is astonishing and even at this early stage in his career, Eminem shows huge promise on the road to become one of the greatest rappers to ever do it. And that he does it via this cartoonish, over the top, vile alter ego Slim Shady renders it all the more astonishing. The closest comparison I can think to make is with Slick Rick who told similar, goofy, x-rated stories; but otherwise, Eminem is in a class of his own with subject matter, humour, wacky sound effects, all of which turns him into a cultural phenomenon. And you can see why disaffected youth would be thrilled at this attitude - here is a rapper who, rather than saying he’s the best in the world, is saying he was bullied, feels awkward and makes jokes, letting his hidden inner monologue of odd thoughts become his outer monologue, a deranged steam of consciousness. I can’t give the album five stars - I’m saving the fifth for his next album - and also because the album is far too long - but this is groundbreaking, impactful, powerful stuff.

In classic Eminem fashion, this album would be way better if the 3-4 worst songs and the skits didn't exist. My Fault, Cum on Everybody, and '97 Bonnie and Clyde stand out as stinkers, and the production throughout the album is very tinny on the vocals and high end of the beats. However, my nostalgia goggles keep me from being too critical. 7

Eminem déjà si fort, on regrettera que ce marginal de Robert a encore voulu se la jouer different en ne selectionnant pas The Eminem Show dans sa liste de 1001 albums. C'est comme organiser un gros repas d'anniversaire sans gâteau, ça ne devrait pas exister.

I really like this album. While it is not in my top albums at all time, it definitely bores me. The psychotic lyrics, insane (both figuratively and literally) delivery mixed with the weird sense of humor from Eminem is incredibly refreshing in both hip-hop and music scene even now, 30 years later.

Funnier than I thought

There will never be anyone else quite like eminem. I don’t think this is his best album but it’s definitely up there.

A classic

Pretty good actually

Great storytelling.

fun listen. cringe jokes. great voice. great lyrics. reminds me of school. Marshal is so full of himself it's hilarious, I feel bad for what he went through, yet I don't relate to his personality much. I don't find him as wise or experienced as people say, but he's got guts.

It is absolutely outrageous how he got away with these lyrics. Seems like almost every verse he says something that would get anyone instantly cancelled today. Love the different flows and more of an R&B influence this album has versus his later ones.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: My name is, Guilty conscience, Role model

Listening feels like playing two truths and a lie but still makes me wonder more about his experience which is the mark of a good story-teller. Not as refined or cohesive as other albums of his but great lyrics and very compelling. Gritty raw reflective dark violent. Guilty conscience, brain Damage, role model.

Gonna be honest, never listened to an Eminem album. Obviously heard a lot of his more popular songs and remember listening to a few from The Eminem Show, but never specifically an album start to finish (haven’t really done that with many albums in general). But holy fuck this is the edgiest shit, Guilty Conscience had me somewhere between this 😂 and this 😨 It was a funny album, My Fault was a funny story. I think the problem with the way I listened to this album was that rap is all about the lyrics not necessarily the music. Listening to the later half while on discord playing games made me lose that closer attention to the words and made the music as a whole sound a bit same-y. However, it’s Eminem so I’m stuck on my rating a bit. Maybe another album would be higher.

Some questionable lyrics on tracks but overall a classic.

Always enjoyed a bit of Eminem, this was no exception. I think Marshall Mathers LP is an objectively better album though - other than My Name Is and Guilty Conscience, I think Slim Shady LP lacks stand-out tracks that Marshall Mathers LP provides.

Obviously has something to say, lyrically powerful but the best is SO repetitive

A bit crass but fits the style

None

Goed. verhalende teksten met interessante plottwists

Het off-beat rappen, de stemmetjes en gevarieerde beats maken Eminem voor mij een van de betere rappers. Toch blijft het niet echt mijn genre, maar dit vond ik precies wel nog oké om te luisteren

Distinctly remember watching the music video for Guilty Conscience on MTV! Great intro to Eminem and his collaboration with Dre.

SHACK is absolutely loving it. Tops off and knee slides everywhere. Windmilling in a toddler's face. You can't deny the impact this had on a generation...especially on SHACK in that song where they discuss fucking a 15 year old.

oh slim, you have my heart

Only listened to half, but it was all v good. Didn’t enjoy this at the time due to being overplayed. But seeing him live and having the time has helped me appreciate it

Classic

classic zep. v good guitar hard rock

4.3 - Just listened to Marshall Mathers EP and I can understand why critics find that one slightly more compelling - it's more challenging, brazen and raw than Slim Shady. I just happen to enjoy listening to this album more. The amazing rhymes are here, the incredible flow, and Eminem sounds less jaded, more bouncy and just funnier.

“The Slim Shady LP” by Eminem (1999) Well, obviously this is not for the squeamish, the qualmish, the prudish, or the priggish. But it is intelligent entertainment with a coherent critical worldview, albeit one marred by the Marxist propensity to interpret morality through the lens of class consciousness. In Eminem’s case, the class in question is the transracial American proletariat [full disclosure: That’s me]. On a record produced for profit. How utterly bourgeois. Setting that huge internal contradiction aside, this is a very good album. The cover art depicts a man taking a break during an outing with his toddler daughter, the purpose of which is to dispose of her murdered mother’s decaying corpse (reference “‘97 Bonnie & Clyde”). Like I said, this is not for the squeamish. The songs on this album are fictional character sketches and narratives which are intended to express the feelings of many in the contemporary ‘under’ ‘class’ who will consequently go out and spend ten bucks or so (which they can ill afford) to be entertained by this. And the ‘middle’ ‘class’ youngsters can toss some disposable income in the direction of the guy who broke the race barrier in the rap industry, thus assuaging their subliminal white guilt. And the ‘upper’ ‘class’ disregarders of culture can double check to make sure that Universal Music Group/Interscope Records is included in their stock portfolios. In the meantime, Marshall Mathers III has a big royalty check. I get it. Eminem’s voice is initially disappointing—a cartoonish tenor framed in an accent that is suspiciously eclectic. His “Slim Shady” character’s intonation sounds like he can’t decide where is in the black/white binary or which side of 8 mile he came from (sorry, someone had to say it). But his voice on “If I Had” sounds more natural. He seems to be able to take rap further along its original trajectory. Shock is not the objective. Expressing the rap themes with less inhibition than his predecessors. For a guy who thinks “God sent me to piss the world off”, this production is satire reminiscent of National Lampoon Comedy Hour, but deeper, danker, and more repulsive. Yet while it repels, it is easy to see its magnetism, like a monopolar particle force. Beats created by Dr. Dre sometimes approach the sublime, evoking an ethereal mood (“‘97 Bonnie & Clyde”)

Me gustó. Un recuerdo de adolescencia cuando era un rebelde

Je connaissais beaucoup de tounes. C’est un bon album. Probablement un des c’est meilleurs avec mm lp. 4.65*

reminds me of middle school

No su mejor disco pero si bastante arriba. Un debut inesperado y fuerte en su momento creo que hoy en día no es necesario tratar de defender o convencer a nadie de la habilidad e ingenio en lírica que tiene. Técnicamente de entre los mejores exponentes del género a mí parecer lo más importante que tuvo fue sacar al hip hop de un estanque absurdo en el que todo se trataba solo de presumir cuánto ganan y cuánto dinero tienen o cuántas viejas traen. Saca el ritmo y hace rimas del más alto nivel pero llevándolas a una realidad de White Trash, no presume, se queja de lo mierda de la vida, tiene problemas mentales, en resumen es más cercano a la realidad que la fantasía que prevalecía en el momento con otros artistas. Todavía verde en algunas cosas pero para ser el primer disco que sacaba es algo brutal. Cannibal Corpse y Slayer pueden intentar cuanto quieran pero Bonnie and Clyde sigue siendo quizá la canción verdaderamente más oscura de la historia.

A lot funnier than I remember but dark as shit.

what put em on the map

Me gustó mucho el álbum. Sin ser experto en el tema, imagino que este disco rompió muchos estereotipos sobre el rap, además de iniciar una carrera muy exitosa para Eminem. Además de la parte musical, me gustó mucho que cada canción narra una historia, y que hay canciones que se hacen referencia entre sí. La única razón por la que no le pongo 5 estrellas es porque el álbum Marshall Mathers me gusta más.

Em says some pretty messed up stuff on this album

Eminem's always on point. Gets too real sometimes

Classic Eminem, can't go wrong

What does a rapper who mostly sings about his own fame sing about before he's famous?

First time actually listening through the Slim Shady LP and paying attention to the lyrics. Good album, and clearly set the foundation for Marshall Matters LP.

Didn't finish but fun to listen too. Very much "high school Ben" album

#0001 - Start Jan 12 2021

Disgusting lyrics. Loved it

Moja ulubiona płyta eminema, dużo klasyczków z tamtąd pochodzi, bardzo lubie

all and all, a pretty good album. it's kind of in your face about some stuff, and the lyrics are a bit like Big L, but the flow and lyricism is great.

Brilliant and vulgar.

Probably my favorite Em project even though there are some stinkers. His attitude and image work a lot better before he worries about being heralded as the best rapper ever

1999. Key Songs: My Name Is, Rock Bottom, Guilty Conscience

3/22 4.5/5. Slim shady been crazy. Standout Tracks: My Name Is, Guilty Conscience, If I Had, Role Model, Lounge (Skit), My Fault, As The World Turns, Bad Meets Evil, Still Don't Give A Fuck

heard most of this at some point over the years, was suuuper popular when I was in high school. holds up well, too. guilty conscience and my name is still rule. 4/5.

Eminem is brilliant. He’s in a very small group of rappers that can make any two words sound like they rhyme. And every line is a pun or a play on words or a diss. That being said, he sure does spew a lot of hate and I can’t stand behind that, even if it’s a joke or said to make a point. -1 star.

glad the generator gave us the marshall mathers LP first. Listening to both in 2026, with the other album first, it’s clear that there was a lot of room for him to grow. this album is kind of what I expected when we got the other one - incredible rhymes, top notch production, fun for a 12 year old.

I love Eminem—he's my favorite rapper—but I don't think this album is his best. I definitely prefer the sadder, more depressed and melancholic Eminem over this crazy, cartoonish style. Plus, I find the skits really annoying since they just interrupt the flow. I still saved the darker tracks like 'Rock Bottom' and 'If I Had' because they fit my vibe, but overall it's not my favorite record of his.

He's undeniably a huge talent but this album is mostly just really really depressing to listen to and I think about 80% of dudes that really loved his album have voted for Trump.

"The Slim Shady LP" established Eminem's reputation as an exceptional rapper. In the role of his alter ego Slim Shady, he tackles controversial topics such as violence, drugs and sex, usually in a highly exaggerated manner. In doing so, he employs direct, at times vulgar language and misogynistic, violent clichés, yet a certain ironic distance from Shady’s posturing is clearly evident. If one wishes to peer into the hopeless, embittered, brutalised soul of the marginalised ‘white trash’ in the American heartland, this album offers an excellent insight into a social class that has been left to its own devices for years. Drugs, violence, sex, and hatred of everything and everyone are portrayed here in very graphic terms. In doing so, Eminem proves himself to be a highly skilful wordsmith who has far more to offer than just a string of swear words. Musically, however, it naturally remains rather limited. A few beats, a bassline, a couple of funky chords – none of it is worth mentioning. But I understand why this album was so important and why it remains highly relevant even today. But musically speaking, though – and for me, despite all the street poetry, this is what matters most – there simply isn’t much to be found here.

i don't know if I am meant to take this seriously or not and maybe that's the point, but I didnt hate my time listening to this.

While I'll never understand the "no, no Slim Shady is a character so it's FINE that he talks about murdering his ex all the time" crowd, I have to admit that this was a little fun. Dare I say... good for a concept album.

Eminemin lapsellinen törkyhuumori toimi vieläkin yllättävän hyvin. Monta hauskaa biisiä, mutta pituutta voisi olla vähemmän.

pretty good stuff

Innovative and a wizard with words. My Name Is rules, but most of the rest of this weighs it down a bit for me.

Decent overall, plenty of dated bits for sure but some moments crack me up like GO GO GADGET DICK. Loses points for a guinea pig death lyric 😠

Eminem is at his best when he's being silly. There's some of that here but the beats are great throughout and his delivery isn't heavy or self serious, even when the subject matter is, which makes it much more listenable than some of his later stuff. Lyrics are too often too explicit and gross for this to go in any sort of regular rotation for me but it wasn't bad at all.

#964. There was a time and a place for this, but like so much of the content of this book it just feels dated and a bit of a chore to get through. 3/5: acceptable

I enjoyed some songs but prefer The Marshall Mathers LP

More historically significant than must listen. Enjoyed some songs back at the time, but even then it wasn’t for me. First and last time listening to whole album. A lot of it did not age well. 0 songs added to playlist.

I was going to say this album didn't age well, but honestly I think it's as horrific today as it was in 1999. Can't deny the talent though.

this slim shady fellow seems pretty rude. favorite song is Rock Bottom. strong 3

Rating: 6/10 The absurdly vulgar and offensive debut by Eminem. Very unique. The eeriness of the album cover grows stronger when listening to '97 Bonnie & Clyde as the song it's depicting. Pretty front-loaded, and the best tracks unsurprisingly are the Dre productions. Songs like Guilty Conscience and '97 Bonnie & Clyde are some horrific content and straight up horror-core vibes, but when I think about it I would compare it to a grizzly slasher movie, still worth the critiques of its content though, even though Shady is obviously a character. I find most of the Bass Brothers' production and beats are not the most dynamic, largely depending on Eminem's storytelling skills and outrageous lyricism & vocalism to carry. The second half honestly gets a bit boring and drags on a little too long. Out of all those tracks, Rock Bottom is good and the closer finishes strong. A lot of value in this very interesting piece of art because of the discussion it enables since the day it came out

I had forgotten how controversial this was amongst some conservative groups when this first came out. Just the right mix of vulgarity and humour for me.

Violent, absurd, dark, weirdly comedic. The guy has talent as a wordsmith but is totally fucked up. I'm ashamed that I smiled at some of the absurd comedic violence. Maybe that's what he was aiming for? I fear he wasn't though. 2½

This is a tough one to rate. This is the album that started one of the most dominant runs in rap. It was considered controversial, offensive and shocking to the whole scene at the time. The hunger with which Eminem raps here and on the following two albums is undeniable. The whole cadence is addictive to follow, That being said, I don't think it holds up that well. The rhyme schemes are entertaining and delightful but some of the punch lines rely on contemporary events and personas. The shock value quickly grows old when you are not 13. The beat selection is also on the safe side without really leaving a lasting impression outside of the singles and some other songs. The skits can still be fun. Unfortunately it feels a bit too long for its own good. It is influential for a reason but it's been nearly three decades and it shows. My favorite songs are "My Name Is", "If I Had" and "Still Don't Give a Fuck".

Not my jam but I understand the appeal. It is also clear to me now why there was such an uproar in the 90’s when this was released. I hadn’t heard it until today.

Not as good as I remembered it. A lot of just okay songs with the couple bangers that everyone knows.

It was a big thing back then. I guess he's good at what he does.

Not quite as strong as MMLP

Talented

The verbal acuity is off the charts. The lyrics are, well... Let's just say I'm not the target market, even though Eminem and I are the same age. By the time this record came out, I found myself not really into the kind of overt misogyny and homophobia found here. That said, there are some lyrical gems on this album, and it provides a window into a world that exists outside my own experience.

Sounds better coming how do the speakers of a 1996 Ford Taurus.

Listened to on my Apple EarPods. This album is one I have listened to before, but many years ago. Although I love hip hop, I would not categorize myself as an Eminem fan--in fact, I don't really like his music much at all (what I've heard, at least). Whether that be the edgy raps from 'Slim Shady' or the rehabilitated anthemic pop raps from Marshall Mathers, I find myself historically skipping over his songs. I do remember enjoying 'The Slim Shady LP' from my initial listen, and 'My Name Is' was always the one track I could point to as a fun song I'm not embarassed to thrown on in the car. Upon this revisit, I feel about the same as I did before. Cohesively, it works quite well as a rap album that is unlike many others; deliberately brash, brazen, edgy, with horrifically evocative lyricism and storytelling that feels purpose built to push the boundaries of what is "acceptable". It's the type of album where most of the songs would get a side-eye if you just randomly tossed it into the aux, but as a full listening experience does well to paint a picture of harsh reality through an extremist lens. Unshackled descriptions of rape, drug abuse, and violence are spoken in a giddy manner, but one that feels far from glorification or lazy edge. Perhaps it's the mix of serious tracks like "Rock Bottom" that help shine a light on the idea of this album--a man that has lived through the tribulations of poverty, violence, drug abuse, abandonment, and uses the 'Slim Shady' persona as the teller of these tales, as the sometimes-comic-sometimes-terrifying indulging in the worst of the behavior. It's interesting in that way, how the vocal and proud endorsement of these actions provoke feelings of pity and tragedy, like beyond the absurdity of it is a unfortunate reality of how life is, especially in these poverty-stricken areas of the US where it's hard to lift yourself up and out of the environment around you where you see all these things. It helps that Eminem really flexes the creative writing muscle, making so that even in the limited topics he does cover (repetitiously so, as the album reaches the back half), he's saying the same things in different ways. Multiple times I found myself giggling at just how ridiculous some of the bars were on here. Still, beyond it's unflinching vision, I can't say I love this album. I'm not a huge fan of Eminem's nasally voice, the choruses are weak on the whole, it runs long even though he begins running through topics he already speaks to at length, and I don't find much of the album traditionally "listenable", at least to my sensibilities. Sorry, but for as fun as a song like "Guilty Conscious" is, I can't see myself throwing it in any playlists. So for me, it remains as an interesting project, boldly pushing musical boundaries but remaining an album that feels most appropriate in it's own quarantined, occasional listens.

...

Starts with an absolute banger and it can only go downhill from there. I get the whole character thing, ‘’ 97 Bonnie & Clyde’ is taking it too far though, actually disturbing, which is probably the point

The album that put Mr. Mathers on the road to superstardom. Never realized how shockingly violent and misogynistic the 'Slim Shady' persona was, and it's hard to excuse those themes decades later, but I can still acknowledge the time period it was made in. It's clear that the man still had a lot of growth ahead of him, but the foundations were largely put in place on this record -- the lyrical flow is light and punchy, and Dre's production makes for a crisp musical package.

In my generation, Eminem was considered a sacred cow — not only for rappers, but even for rock fans. Maybe in the 2000s he really was a star and sounded fresh, but now all of this sounds very old and stupid, except for a couple of beats

eh

Too many skits. Too much juvenile humour. A couple of classics aside it's not aged well.

Klart bedre end den første vi havde med ham, men hans South Park ass rim er en stor kæphest for mig, og så er han virkelig ikke en albumkunstner

Havde ikke regnet med det at nyde den her i 2026, men synes faktisk det styrer en smule? Langt hen ad vejen sjove beats, super offensive men ikke nær så hateful som Marshall Mathers LP så teksterne har imo ældet en del bedre (eller også lyttede jeg bare ikke ordentligt).

Tells a story better than I thought

Definitely heard some at the time, Edge lord 90s rap, but still fun. Good production doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Weird how similar it is to Licensed to Ill, although this has a lot more dud tracks. Heard before? Some Owned: No 59/243 (24%) Will I get: No

If you don't listen to a single word I actually quite like Eminem's general sound but unfortunately if you pay attention to the lyrics, abandon hope all ye who enter here.

Ja wel geinig, rap is alleen niet zo m’n ding maar ach.

More if an obvious parody album than Marshall Mathers which i gave 5 stars. This is at times lyrically as funny but maybe the slim shady alter ego lives in a world that’s a bit more depressing. Also feels like the beats on this are a bit too minimalist on the beggining (at least up to My Fault, which is hilarious) and the vocals not quite enough to carry it. Marshalll Mathers also souns a bit more melodic overall.

The Views And Events Expressed Here Are Totally Fucked 1001 Albums Generator 251 (3/19/2026) My Name Is is obviously an all time classic. Even the edgy verses feel somewhat novel during the first real song on the album. And that chorus. Amazing. However, I think around the line "If I had a million dollars, I'd make the whole world suck my dick without a condom on" (from If I Had), I started realizing that this is just what the next hour of my life is gonna sound like. At least 6/20 of the songs are skits. And out of the 14 actual songs, you have like 3 classics (My Name Is, Guilty Conscience, and '97 Bonnie & Clyde), although out of those, My Name Is is the only one that I think you could casually listen to outside the context of this album. Imagine throwing on '97 Bonnie & Clyde during a party. Lol. Additionally, you have 4 other songs that are all really good (Role Model, Rock Bottom, Bad Meets Evil, and Still Don't Give A Fuck). Rock Bottom in particular is the closest Em gets to conscious on this album, and Bad Meets Evil is the hardest beat on the whole thing. All the other songs range from really cringe and hard to listen to to fine. My Fault is pretty funny, while As The World Turns really is not. Meanwhile, Just Don't Give A Fuck is really experimental in its production. Without this album, we don't have Eminem, for better and worse. This is the album that elevated him to superstar status and in 1999, he said "This last Christmas, there were so many fucking presents under the tree ... My daughter wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But she's got one now. I can't stop myself from spoiling her.". I don't know. He's a crass S.O.B., but I think even in 1999, there was a good heart in there somewhere. It just didn't show on The Slim Shady LP. 3.5/5, rounded down to 3. Favs: My Name Is Bad Meets Evil Still Don't Give A Fuck Least Fav: As the World Turns

A pretty good album. Some funny bits, just a bit long for the content. 3/5

A long Eminem album.

I feel the same about this album as the as the other Eminem album.

I listened to some of this album on its release, but this is the first time I’ve listened to the whole thing. Enjoyed this even if some of the lyrics are questionable!

Eminem is a very interesting figure in music history. Some white guy shows up to the hip-hop world and starts rapping about some of the most fucked-up shit that had been released commercially at the time and quickly becomes one of the most revered rappers of all time? Love him or hate him, you have to admit that he has a career path unlike anyone else. But that reverence had to start somewhere, and The Slim Shady LP is where that seems to be. This is the album that put him on the map, and it is certainly interesting to go back to in 2026. Yeah, let's not beat around the bush. This thing has aged. It's a little uncomfortable to go back to this, honestly, but here's the thing. I think the knowledge that Marshall Mathers has mellowed out over the years allows me to detach the material of his earlier albums from the person that he is today. He's like the anti-Kanye in that regard. Cause, like, with early Kanye, you have nice albums that you have to separate from a guy who's become deplorable, but with early Eminem, you have these fucked up albums that you can separate from a guy who has chilled out a lot. Interesting thing to think about. In a way, it's good that he released these albums because it allowed him to let out his anger and frustration without actually doing evil shit. All I'm saying is that we should be glad that "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" is a work of fiction, because that song is fucked, dude. As far as the music itself goes, it's pretty good! The production is solid, though not quite as refined as it would be on albums like The Marshall Mathers LP or The Eminem Show. It's a different vibe, for sure. Shady hasn't really found his footing yet, though he does still display some strong talents on here, especially on the rapping front. For as absurdly offensive as many of the bars are on this album, they are well written and flow in a way that hadn't really been done before this. Shady's performances on this thing bounce from being gleefully obnoxious like on "My Name Is" to just done with everything on "Rock Bottom" like it's nothing. Good stuff. The features are all solid. The skits could be a lot worse. I think the shtick kinda wears itself out a bit by the album's end, but it's not that bad in the pacing department. Ultimately, The Slim Shady LP is an important album, both in and outside of Eminem's career, though it is a little hard to go back to today for various reasons. It's a good start that laid the foundation for one of the biggest names in hip-hop history, but it's one that has since been outdone. High 3/5. I thought about giving it a low 4, but I feel like this is the kind of album that's more likely to grow off of me than grow on me, so I'm going with the high 3 to future-proof my profile, you know?

he's one of those legends of the industry, and my name is will always be in the lore... but this ages so poorly. Yikes some of these lyrics

Crazy album, this dude was just saying anything at all. Good flow and funny, I think he improved in his next few albums though. This one at times felt like shock value for the sake of shock value. He found a better balance in the next few years

mi è piaciuto più di marshall mathers ep

Eminem is one of my favourite artists, and this record is his beginning, and it's very good. But I can say that because of some of the lyrics it didn't age well at all. I am waiting for the Marshall Mathers LP as that one is more mature and it has way better songs. Anyway, even though this is worse than I remembered, I still liked a big part of it. In the end, this is the start of a living legend.

I remember liking this in high school?

Iggy likes this - found a clean playlist of this on Spotify. We had to unpack a lot about Kim and Hailie. I prefer funny Eminem to the Eminem that wants his daughter’s help killing mom or is questioning whether or not to date rape someone.

used to listen to eminem a lot in middle school

I used to be a big fan of Eminem, but yeah this one didn’t age well.

Wasn’t expecting to like this as much as did. Not that I was going to be shocked, get the theatre of it all, that it's satire. It's just it's cartoonist violent misogynistic horrorcore label thing ain’t my thing, music, film or book. Accepting that he is a talented rapper. And has a way with making words flow. I will say it's a good one time listen, get that the "character" is a pathetic bragard and outlet for the artist , and prefer this take that the hedonistic real braggards of rap/music. Yes it's open to misinterpretation, to take at face value, the line between truth and fiction but you can say that about everything, and hate sits everywhere at the moment in much worse and influential places than a record. Don’t think I would want to revisit again anytime soon after 1 hearing, but it has it's place contentwise and he is good musically, 3 Star.

Irreverente Interesante como siempre hay maneras de innovar no importa el genero ni la época Hace satira de temas muy relevantes aún hoy Algunas cosas ya serían más cancelables en este momento pero el estaba contando sus experiencias o de cercanos 3.5

Already listened. A bit rough around the edges and has aged poorly in places. Shows good promise though and some good earnest songs

Slim shady needs a therapist

I thought I was an Eminem fan. This aged like milk

Pretty good

What happened to rap skits? This was good but was too long, like a lot of rap albums and albums from the 90s.

Can appreciate the musical quality here but there is definitely some drop off towards the end . Overall a bit average.

Creative storytelling lyrics. Hate some of them though. Listened before? N ⭐⭐⭐

good album, usually not for me but this one is good. 01/29/2026

When this came out I loved this album, it was edgy and pushed boundaries with great Dre beats. Completely over the top and fairly new for white MCs at the time. But as I listen to it now the lyrics are just too over the top and have not aged well. I can give it props but it is something that I will not relisten to except maybe My Name Is

Guilty Conscience is still insane.

This is still pretty good. I was expecting it to not hold up but with the exception of a couple three songs. It was good

Kinda funny at times but sometimes it was just overbearingly crass. Favorite Tracks: My Name Is, '97 Bonnie & Clyde, My Fault

I recently bought this record on cd. Yeah, it’s pretty fun! However nothing special

Comes out with maybe one of the more memorable openers on an album of all time. From there nothing really hits the same way. Can’t deny Em’s ability to tell a story and rhyme the entire time, it’s incredible, but the content of the songs just didn’t resonate with me. Product of my age I’m sure.

Too many skits. Could have afforded to cut those out and just stick to music

Dear Slim, This album has aged very poorly. Sincerely, Stan

I remember buying this album back when I was in Okinawa. I had heard My Name is and thought that this would actually be a great album. What I will say is that I was underwhelmed then. Yes Eminem can rhyme and rap but the album was just a bunch of shock and no substance. It got old real fast. Also it wasn’t entertaining. I was never a big fan and made through the album once or twice back then and never listened again. The topics were horrible. As I came back to the States he became a huge star and everyone was a fan. I just couldn’t listen. Listening today. I feel asleep twice with how boring his schtick is. His whining. His talk and content just is stupid. Is it a joke yes. Is it funny anymore? No. I don’t think his punchlines were always funny then. Some of his features back then were memorable but this album is way too long and not good.

Guilty conscience … cancelled

I liked this album and already had a couple songs saved on my library. I never really like Eminem’s violence, but for the most part, his music is good.

I can pretty much always do with less women/children screaming and crying sounds in my music. Overall I liked this album, Eminem has so much fun with the wordplay and is crazy talented with a great ear and intuition for flow. The production is great besides the unfortunate choice for all the crying sounds my god. I like the skits, and I usually don’t like skits. The content isn’t so much “offensive” as it just starts to feel boring after a while, like I’m rolling my eyes a few songs in. I like the comparison to a horror movie, but the best horror movies make use of pacing and variety so that the shocks remain shocking. The bizarre- and ridiculous-ness of the concept make it mostly work for me. Definitely earns its place on the list!

Instant classic. Must listen for the genre. Slim Shady was upfront, edgy, unruly, but through all the act, depicted the deep difficulties of growing up in poverty. The homophobia and misogyny was crude at the time and is aging like rotten milk.

I LOVED this album when it came out. Listening many years later, I have perspective. There are too many skits. Still a tent pole album. But 3/5. Sorry Slim.

Surprisingly for me, I liked this album. Like most rap artists the language is pretty saucy, however, the lyrics aren’t repeating the same offensive words over & over. There’s actually a “story” to each song & you can understand what he’s saying. I understand why Eminem is a rare breakthrough artist.

Kind of unspectacular rap. It's quite palatable though, and the variety within the album combined with the flat lyrics makes this a good listen-to-once. Don't do drugs.

My fault jest pojebane

I find this overlong and bloated. Enjoyable in parts but I did run out of patience.

I'm just not a fan of Eminem's music. I was already in my early twenties when this record came out, so I was past the middle-finger stage of my youthful emotional development, and I didn't relate to Slim Shady. That being said, I am a fan of rap, and it's undeniable that, in terms of wordplay, Eminem is one of the best rappers ever. And Dr. Dre's beats are almost always top-notch. I get annoyed with the persistent horrorcore aspects of this record. The Slim Shady LP is fantastic for what it is. I just don't want it. Three stars.

2.5

Rare Eminem W. Even though he's known for his "edginess", it's a bit grating at times Fave track: My Name Is

It was interesting to finally listen to this as an adult after it being so taboo as a kid. O felt myself miss a beat every time a lyric was spoken that would usually be censored on the radio. Otherwise, the songs varied between interesting and boring for me.

Pretty alright. Has some bangers ("Real Slim Shady") but as an album I never really dug it. I don't like "Stan"... so...

All the other Slim Shady's really are just imitaties.

What a throwback. I actually hated Eminem, still don’t love him, but some undiscovered appreciation here

Not the worst but man did that feel really long for just being 59 minutes. Standout track: My Name Is

It’s tough bc the album is good but wow the misogyny hits harder as an adult.

What they didn’t show in 8 Mile was just after filming when Len Houmous destroyed Eminem in a freestyle battle! It was remarkable! 3.3 9/20 Role Model

2.5

Another 1999 rap classic—notoriously over-the-top. (3)

Its pretty good

All sounds the aame

Not my genre. But My Name Is rocks.

Public Service Announcement n/a My Name Is 4 Guilty Conscience 3.7 Brain Damage 3.5 Paul (skit) n/a If I Had 3 97 Bonnie & Clyde 2.8 Bitch (skit) n/a Role Model 3.2 Lounge (skit) n/a My Fault 2.4 Ken Kaniff (skit) n/a Cum on Everybody 3 Rock Bottom 3.3 Just Don't Give a Fuck 3.2 Soap (skit) n/a As the World Turns 3 I'm Shady 2.8 Bad Meets Evil 3 Still Don't Give a Fuck 3 Score: 3.135714286

I’ve written this before, but evaluating rap albums is a blind-spot for me. Eminem seems almost like a contemporary to me, as well similar aged and I can remember his career from Dre protégé to music icon. I stopped listening to his music decades ago, so I don’t know how he’s considered in the rap community, but culturally he’s attained almost a mythic status, mostly because of the way he shielded himself from celebrity and drama. As a result, it seems like when he does something, it actually matters, like true artistry, on par with the way a novelist might work. This album is probably not his master work, and in retrospect it’s a creative cry for help (in a way), but it also establishes what he does: mix pain with humor, in a way that is decisively human. I’m sure Eminem will come up again on this list at some point.

Listened November 2021. There's no denying it caught fire at the right moment and was probably revolutionary for a lot of angsty teenagers, but I think a lot of it has aged quite badly and there's only a few songs I'd want to hear again.

3.5

Banebrytene og ikonisk. Eg elske rap. D e någe utrolig imponerende med godt oppbygde vers med trippelmeininger og rim. 97' bonny & clyde e psycho, sykt bra fortellerevne då D e mye drøyt her då, men d e imponerane fordeom Beste sang: My Name Is

Hard one to rate... On the one hand, the raw talent is incredible. On the other hand, the obnoxious persona is... Well, obnoxious. No getting around that. I don't think this is his best work, but clearly Eminem is damn good at what he does, and that's on full display here. Will I be listening to this album again? No, probably not. Will I listen to some of his other music? Absolutely. It seems a shame that such a talented wordsmith would waste it on this stuff, but I know for a fact that he doesn't give a f*** about my opinion on that, and on some level I gotta respect that.

The lyrics have aged like milk but I can’t deny his impact on hip hop.

This album is brimming with contemporary references and lyrics that have aged grossly. Man, I forgot how dark this album is. I kinda see why parents were losing their minds over it.

t sounds like edge kitsch now but that’s only because sure Em blazed the way for a generation of imitators. I don’t think Em gets enough credit for how often he makes himself the butt of the joke. A lot of the hate and vitriol is very self aware ignorance and directed back to the self referential character of his own frestion. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of hate, misogyny, and bigotry. It’s crass, rude, and juvenile. But it also felt like the antidote to the sugar pop landscape of the 90s. The Clinton era of feel good was brought down by Shady and he had a part in ushering in hip hop firmly into the primary pop landscape. Eminem did to bubblegum pop what Nirvana did to hair metal. Eminem and Jackass took the whole world and allowed all of us to welcome a world of offense into our homes. They rightly scared the shit out of well mannered folks and took a firm hold on a generation. This album scared the hell out of me when I was a 10 but I thought it Em was hilarious by the time I was 13. I do think that his stylings are kind of what holds the album back. When he pokes fun at Ron Goldman, Bill Clinton it feels more like time capsule than timeless classic. It makes the whole album feel a bit anachronistic. I love the spirit of rebellion, the Hedgeburgian double reminder that Em doesn’t give a fuck and still doesn’t give a fuck is a lot of fun to listen to. Murdorous bars directed at Kim don’t necessarily have the same type of charm. Eminem’s writing skills are undeniable. His ability to spit and create a hit is still nearly untouchable but this does feel like looking back at the ghost flame button up shirts I owned in middle school. Still, a solid album.

This album is the most sincere and the most darkest rap out there.I hope it's everything the persona was thinking and not Eminem.Most of the lyrics are a huge no in every field.I'm not surprised that only My Name Is was out as a single.Still the production is fire i must say and actually takes you in that misogynistic,satirical horrorcore,West Coast,G-Funk trip. 3/5

Cool lp I’d not heard in full. Singer and lyrics are excellent. I like how he’s playing an exaggerated character called Slim Shady complete with cartoon violence. The word play is elegant and ingenious, you feel every word has earned its place. Backing music is a bit pedestrian and the lp is a bit too long.

I enjoy Eminem well enough, but how many albums of his do we need in this list? One should have been more than enough in my opinion, and I'd prefer the Marshall Mathers LP over this one.

V/rv

Iiiiii neverrrrr meantttt toooooo give you mushroooooomss girllllll 🤣 I have to say it. Lounge (Skit) was one of my favorite parts of this album. It brought me back to The Beach Boys Today album -- The inception of the Slim Shady alter ego is kind of neat (anthropologically & psychologically speaking). Seeing how Infinite never got Eminem off the ground, I wonder what kind of life Eminem would've lived had he experience some success in 97'. According to the wikipedia, it was a rap battle competition in LA in 98' that got him noticed enough for his Slim Shady EP to get into Dr Dre's ears. And it really wasn't until early 99' that this hits the scene (when he's roughly 27). 3.5 stars and rounding down. There are better Eminem albums.

Some good ones and some stuff that's just too over the top for no reason other than shock value

Old Eminem

Dark Eminem apbum

There’s some good stuff on here and some not so good. Fun to hear his not really humble beginnings!

Nice beats, nice rapping. Very good hip hop for its time. His humour might seem offending nowadays, but still is very good