The Marshall Mathers LP

Culturally this was transformative for white dudes doing rap, in high school I remember Eminem being mostly shock and kind of funny, but I didn't listen to it much. It was kind of a fun joke, but now... ehhh it does not hold up well at all. Super important album in rap and 00s, but do I wanna listen to it? Hell no.

I guess I'm too old now, my nostalgia for the music is battling my adult brain because the childish skits and lyrics just don't do it for me anymore and I had to fight to slog through this one.

This isn't so much a review as it is an introspective look at why I'm a goddamn hypocrite, so buckle up. This album is crazy homophobic and misogynist. I gave another album on this list a 1 because of one anti-semitic line, so what's wrong with me? I guess I'm more willing to excuse it when every track bangs and I listened to the album everyday in high school. Eminem lampshades his shitty attitude at every turn - "I don't really hate (slur), I'm just using this to sell records" he basically says, allowing us to excuse ourselves for enjoying it without ever having to consider why such perspectives sold so well in the first place. In a world where video games and Marilyn Manson were being blamed for Columbine, it was easy - natural, even - to slip into a "This doesn't affect me, it's not who I am" attitude concerning whatever you listened to, and if you didn't really have a problem with homophobia in the first place, it made it even easier. This album is hard to listen to today, but I can still do every word of about half of these songs and there's a part of me that doesn't want to let go of it. So, I've landed on a 4. Is it right? I don't know. Best track: The Real Slim Shady. P.S. If you don't think representation matters, take a look at how many white kids my age were suddenly into rap when Em came onto the scene

A decent amount of good to great songs, but boy does the whole shock tactic of Eminem’s lyrics run dry by the end of it. Could’ve really left most of the second half out and it would’ve felt much better to listen all the way through. 6/10

good rhythm, striking vibes, harsh lyrics

Classic.

Thought 1: I remember when "Stan" came out, and how I liked the sound of it. Then the radio started playing Dido's "Thank You" without Eminem and I said "thank you" to the radio stations. What I liked was Dido. Thought 2: I found it interesting, especially after listening to his backstory in The Slim Shady LP fairly recently, to hear the follow up stories about what it's like to go suddenly from a challenging life in invisible survival mode to being a spotlighted celebrity with expectations to behave in an educated, courteous, and social manner. This being after becoming famous for being the opposite, and then suddenly being held responsible for those ill folk who would take him as a role model. It makes sense that this was stressful and I thought this was a story worth telling. Thought 3: Fuck this poisonous, horrifying hour-and-a-quarter of soul-destroying, anger-filled, hateful, violent vileness. He can complain about what people say, and certainly states at the same time that he doesn't give a fuck, but shit like this makes the world so much worse, and I think Eminem is fully guilty in making it so, intentional or not.

I guess I would have classified myself as someone who likes Eminem. I found his singles ear-catching, but listening to these albums full of anger and hate in one sitting is exhausting. I definitely find the production excellent and the backing tracks very appealing. Eminem has surrounded himself with talented folk. But, at least for this stage of his career, I have a low tolerance for his story, as told on these tracks.

Listened to ten and a half tracks. I don't need to hear more.

Eminem spends much of this album on the controversy that surrounds him. Is the self-reflection on this compelling? I’m not sure. Did Elton John’s famously controversial performance of “Stan” with Eminem give me some breathing room to like this despite the challenging nature of the lyrics? I’m not sure of that either. Some of this is cartoonishly extreme. Some of this was disturbingly extreme. And sometimes the shift between the two was jolting. Other times I wasn’t sure what to be thinking at all. Is this better than rapping about “big screen TV’s, blunts, 40’s and bitches?” It seems to be saying a lot more than that kind of rap. And I certainly walked away with a lot to think about. So how do I feel about this? I think today I’ll go with my gut reaction that this is a remarkable album and accomplishment and lean into this as a work that is designed to provoke and shock.

Some absolute belters taking me back to my teenage years. Couple not too bothered by but still a good album

Lyrics too violent for my taste.

Stan and The Real Slim Shady are obviously bangers and there’s some nice production in other parts but man, he’s such a cringey edgelord like bro, your whole “I don’t give a fuck” attitude doesn’t work when your constantly making disstracks why are you dissing everyone if you don’t care? 5/10

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: some tracks for sure but I feel his whole ego comes out in the skits and they are embarrassing and lack any humour whatsoever Favourite song: Track 3 - Stan

It's aight

This album stands out with it’s aggressive delivery and controversial subject matter. The album's lead single, "The Real Slim Shady", is an instant hit and showcased Eminem's ability to blend humor with social commentary. Other notable tracks on the album include "Kim", "Stan", and "Criminal", all of which showcase Eminem's incredible wordplay and storytelling abilities as well as stretching the boundries of lyrical content. One of the most striking aspects of The Marshall Mathers LP is Eminem's willingness to be brutally honest and confrontational in his lyrics. He doesn't shy away from difficult subjects such as drug addiction, domestic violence, and mental illness. This honesty and vulnerability, combined with his unique flow and lyrical dexterity, make for an incredibly powerful listening experience. It's worth noting that some of the lyrics on this album are controversial and may not be suitable for all listeners. Eminem uses explicit language and deals with taboo subjects such as violence and homophobia. However, this is an integral part of the album's appeal, as it reflects Eminem's unapologetic and uncompromising approach to his art. It's an album that pushed the boundaries of the genre and solidified Eminem's place as one of the most talented and influential rappers of all time.

Nostalgic, but also just really good.

Skipped much of this homophobic trash and will skip the other album too.

It's not possible to listen to this in 2023 without recoiling from what was considered perfectly normal in lyrics. This is the supreme rap album of all time though. The tightness of the words over the music, the genius of his phrasing, the fun and the craziness of the singles. It's the finest example of its genre and still blows a storm.

Slim Shady! Shockingly I like his voice, despite the almost whiny ness of it. The lyrics were questionable and the album was a little long for my liking. He has better albums, and I think he overused Slim Shady a tad too much.

An album that sounds like it was made by every 14yr old shithead degenerate sitting in the back of the lunchroom throwing crackers at all the "nerds" and girls while calling them sluts. What a fkng tool. Too much great hip-hop in the world to put up with this bullshit. Hardest pass possible. 1/10 1 star

An iconic album for the genre that is quintessential Eminem

Appropriate for the first album to be by the artist who got me into music over two decades ago. Eminem is unbelievably gifted and one of the most technically gifted rappers of all time. Shocking to listen back to some of the lyrics I was listening to as a young teen.. Pretty good album, likely to have enjoyed this more as a teen.

i'm not sure how to feel about this album. listening to it in 2023, it has aged *really* poorly in many ways. the lyrics are incredibly raw and real, but they go too far by today's standards in many cases. that being said, it's still a remarkable display of eminem's songwriting prowess, and i can't take that away from it.

Better and deeper than expected at points, but also loads of early 2000s hiphop queerbashing for no reason. Other than that pretty interesting and sometimes goofy record.

Hi marshall

Why do artists think it's artistic / creative to include dick-sucking tracks on an album? I can not believe I have to sit through that, because that sh*t is just so uncalled for and so unnecessary. I was enjoying this until that came on, it really pissed me off.

I’m not a hip hop fan and frankly this was way too violent. Not sure how Marshall wasn’t committed to a mental institution after this one. Yet surprisingly, it kept me engaged, the songs were well formulated, and it was fun to listen to. Maybe lost some juice towards the end, but sheesh he’s got some bars. Quite possibly the only instance of a white man being a credible rapper. I am notorious for over ranking my true feelings on hip hop, so here ya go.

It takes some weird kind of talent to get people to rally behind rapping about raping your mom and killing your baby mama. That being said, I’m a fan of this album. I got grounded for stealing it from my uncle when I was like 7, and 14 years later I see my dad’s point … I liked this album though, his coming out interview from The Interview makes a whole lotta sense. 3.5 stars

weird that they chose the album cover for the clean version. This was produced by Dr. Dre and it always sounded like an extension of 2001 to me. I can't listen to Stan a single more time.

Eminem goes super hard. One of the best to do it. Great album.

Ahh the favorite album of my middle school bullies/former close friends! As skilled as Eminem is at his craft his influence and legacy both broadly and on me personally from those shitheads worshipping him docks this down quite a bit.

Some impressive lyricism, but it’s not musically interesting enough to keep me engaged for most of the album.

When it's in top form, the writing and delivery all razor sharp. Hard to get past the hate and homophobia though.

not my style

Not usually my thing but quality album. 4/5

Solid album with some bops but some songs just 100% miss

i mean cmon it has Stan on it. Early eminem hits too hard

Although I appreciate the art, I could do without the violence, homophobia and misogyny.

One of the most overrated albums ever. People who say this is one of the best hip hop albums ever are either A - Racist or B - Haven't listened to rap outside of Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Macklemre in which case calling this the best rap album would be reasonable. Obviously some great songs on here but some of the lyrical material and production have just aged horribly. Barely anything Eminem speaks about here is relevant today and most of it is just super edgy, offensive or weirdly sexual 7/10 just because this album has high highs and influenced a lot of mainstream hip hop at the time

Eminem establishes himself as one of the goat rappers with an accessible yet highly aggressive and smooth vocal delivery capable of expressing all sorts of emotions, keeping his cool and honest persona at the forefront. His lines are clear, fast, passionate, and poetic, capable of telling intricate stories and dialogues with such natural emotional delivery. The skits are funny and serve a necessary purpose, and the tracks flow seamlessly from one to the next, especially impressive considering the extensive length. The music itself is labeled as horrorcore and is probably the best example of the genre, full of minor key synths and piano melodies reminiscent of horror movie soundtracks and dark cabernet, with influences from industrial and reggae in the beats and effects. Tons of creative devices and samples used to make each song memorable, always something new to noticed on repeated listens. Tons of hits, and most of the songs are essential (again, very impressive with its double length).

"The Marshall Mathers LP" is the third album by American rapper Eminem following his hugely successful "The Slim Shady." This album was even more successful debuting at #1 on the Billboard charts. It was produced by Dr. Dre and Eminem. A lot going on here. The music is defined as horrorcore, hardcore hip-hop and satirical. Yep. The word transgressive work was also used which I had to look up and is a work aiming to outrage or violate morals. Mission accomplished. The lyrics are introspective with thoughts on his rag to riches, criticism of music and the music industry and estrangement from his family and wife. Lots of controversy as the lyrics taken at face value are violent, homophobic, misogynistic and mentions Columbine. Is he being satirical though? Many critics find this album to be Eminem's best. An announcer introduces Slim Shady as a guy who does not give a fuck about what you think and is going to kill you in "Public Service Announcement 2000." That rolls right into "Kill You." A slow beat and repetitive keys. A song about his struggles with his mother. A sinister laugh and Slim is still going to kill you. "Stan" uses extremely effective sampling of Dido's "Thank You" giving a haunting feeling matching the lyrical content. And the lyrics detail with obsessed Eminem fan Stan who repeatedly writes him detailing his life and struggles with his girlfriend and other chilling things. The story does not end well for Stan. Brilliant song. The second single "The Way I Am" has repetitive tubular bells and piano with the beat. Great authoritative rapping. His negative impact on the youth culture. "I Am Who I Say I Am." Creepy and amusing keyboards highlight the first single "The Real Slim Shady." A great repetitive chorus. "Please stand up, please stand up." He pokes fun at Brittany Spears and Fred Durst among others. The music on "Bitch Please II" sounds like it's directly off of Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" as well it should as Dre as well as Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Xzibit take part in the rapping. And then we come to "Kim." Christmas bells open which goes to the Exorcist theme (I see you "Tubular Bells" connection) to chaos. It was supposed to be a love song to his girlfriend Kim. Well, he struggles with his wife, he is going to hit his wife, can't live without his wife and eventually kills his wife. Ahhhh, love. I'm exhausted. There's no doubt to the brilliance of Eminnem's rapping, lyrics and music on this album. A very busy album. However, you interpret it, it's a trip worth taking at least once.

Mislike Dido sterkt, men ellers greit. Minne meg om når eg va liten

The lyrics and skits on this album have aged like milk, but you can’t deny the raw talent and production quality here. I have to admit I was even bopping my head to the wildly homophobic ‘Marshall Mathers’. ‘Kill You’, ‘Stan’, and ‘The Real Slim Shady’ are standouts

A stone-cold classic.

Wow, this is brutal. Clearly he’s talented but some is just too hard to listen to.

This was so much that it was difficult to process. On the positive side, the beats were great and it is clear why Eminem is considered one of the best rappers ever. "Stan" is an incredible song, and throughout the album Eminem rightly points out a lot of society's hypocrisy in caring more about song lyrics than violent imagery in movies or actions of their President. BUT, these are not just any explicit lyrics, they are REALLY explicit, disturbing and sometimes just go too far. There's a way to do satire subtly or make points without constantly resorting to shock value. Of course all of the lines about gay people, people with mental disabilities aged horribly, but I still think it must have been offensive for the year 2000 too.

Maybe not his best work, but certainly up there, cracking lyrics and delivery, great beats, still sounds good to this day, has aged well, although it's very dark in places.

Last fm artist #477 I have a feeling this album has not aged well. Either that or we've all grown up and realised how shit these macho rappers are in the shadow of some of what conscious hip hop is doing. Drags a bit actually. I found myself wanting it to be over towards the end - checked out

Damn classic. By buying this record, you are in fact, kissing his ass.

Terrible music!!!

Not. a fan

Edgy for the sake of it

Very strong story telling, and a good insight into how Eminem dealt with absolutely blowing up with fame (i.e.: badly). Very transgressive, and it's interesting to think about how to balance the artistic value against the intentional offensiveness. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Hoo boy. I'll never forget the first time I heard a song by Eminem. A friend of mine in my geometry class let me listen to "My Name Is" on his Discman, and my head practically exploded. I'd never heard anyone use language like that, and I was cracking up at the crass things Eminem was spitting out at lightning speed. This was my first time listening to this particular album, and it's amazing. Eminem's rhymes and flow are absolutely insane. I just can't fathom what it takes to be able to rap like he does. The subject matter on this album is insanely dark, but Eminem has so many different ways that he uses to convey these themes. The beats on this album are incredible as well, and it's insanely well produced. I don't listen to a lot of rap, but Eminem's beats are instantly recognizable to me, and I think that takes an immense talent. Since most of the other reviews mention it to some degree, I guess I can't talk about this album without mentioning the homophobic, misogynistic, and violent content of the lyrics. A lot of the lyrical content here is pretty uncomfortable to listen to. I think a lot of the more offensive content is spouted off by characters/personas that Eminem has invented, but that doesn't take any of the edge off of it. Is it okay to play the role of a character who says words and phrases like this? I don't know. When we have visual movies about cultural tumult (World War II, The Civil Rights movement in the U.S. etc.), people being represented on screen often spout hateful rhetoric, and we generally accept it, because it's historically accurate, and history is often a long road of terrible deeds that come from terrible thoughts and words. Is it okay in this sense too? Homophobia and misogyny were clearly alive and well at the time this album was recorded, and people who held these types of views were certainly thriving as well, and in my view, that gives these lyrics an unfortunate realism. But what does it mean when someone can create personas like this? Ultimately, I don't know how to feel about art like this. I think this album is incredible as a piece of music, but I don't enjoy listening to things as dark as this.

Yuck. No thank you.

I love albums that make you go “did he really just say that?”. Eminem does horrorcore surprisingly well on this record. The production is great as well. Some of the lyrics are immature, but that’s just part of the character he plays.

Genius, mesmerizing, evocative, catchy in places, also deeply awful and fully deserving the explicit tags. The music and production are perfect. It's all so good I can't tear my ears away. Also so so offensive. I get the hyperbole and high drama and dark humor. I get it, I do. But still. Minus a star for the violent misogyny and homophobia, even if only performative. Absolutely belongs on this list.

A bit much but he's a lyrical gebius

I know I'm going to be in the minority, but this album is so violent I couldn't finish listening to it. I'll give it 3 stars because Eminem is talented & a good story teller, but the misogyny & anger is off the charts. This is my main gripe about rap & hip hop, and it honestly turns my stomach. I couldn't listen to this album when it was released & I couldn't finish it now.

100 / 1069 Didn’t age as well I thought it may but still a decent album. Would be 3.5, I’ll round down.

Legendary album

already liked him etc

I like Em's writing, but I absolutely hate hip hop albums that are over an hour. 3.5 / 5.

……too much anger and swearing for my current stage in life/mental health.

If you rhyme violent, misogynistic abs homopobic bullshit, I guess that's art. Sorry bout your childhood, Slim. Get therapy. Oh, but at least this album introduced more people to Dido.

This is a hard one to rate because at the same time Eminem is shamelessly provocative, over the top homophobic and misogynistic, and just out right ridiculous while also doing some of the greatest rapping of all time on immaculately produced tracks. I’m going with a gut feeling of 4 stars.

2.5

eminem sendo eminem. album sensacional!

A pretty violent album containing so many of Em's classic hits, including "Kill You", "The Real Slim Shady", "The Way I Am", and his best song (IMO), "Stan". I guess it's not for everybody but I think it's a great reflection of his difficult upbringing. 10/10.

Klassiker!

Music for angry incels.

I dreaded listening to this one.. Surprisingly melodic at times, but way too much profanity in an effort to be edgy. Random skit in the middle. I almost never pay attention to lyrics on a first listen, which is almost a requirement for rap. Also, I think I listened to a shorter version, and I'm not at all inclined to look up the longer one.

Absolutely hated it.

I've never been a fan of his. When he came out I thought he was crass. Now I think he was just immature. Either way, not my thang. I give him 2 stars for his rhyming skills alone.

Not really a twang fan

ok i was pleasantly surprised by this album, once i forced myself to listen objectively i liked it a lot more.

1/17- Before bed the day before first classes

Its prime Eminem, enough said

A real gem when it first came out

Does it make me uncomfortable? Yes. But do I think it's a great album? Also yes.

I did not enjoy it

Classic. First half is great, but the constant shock attempts start to wear thin the longer you go on. "Stan" is still incredible.

A hard one to rate - this is by far one of my fav hip-hop albums on the list to date given the 5-star bars and overall exemplary wordplay that Mathers is able to lay down faster than one can blink. That being said, the homophobia and misogyny that crops up in the later half of the album is hard to stomach and permanently strands the LP in the early 2000s, unnecessarily aging what could’ve been a timeless album. Gonna have to hit the middle of the road and give this one 3/5, but man I wish I could give it the full 5.

Even worse than the rampant homophobia is how annoying some of the songs on this album actually sound

Couldn't finish it. Childish, sexist and homophobic. He's just a little angry prick

Vous savez très bien que la popularité de la rap music est en chute libre depuis le lancement de ce générateur. Cet album est toutefois excellent, il faut l'avouer. En réalité, son seul gros problème est qu'Eminem passe son temps à nous expliquer que son surnom, c'est Slim Shady. Il nous le répète à tort et à travers : Slim Shady, c'est son surnom. Et très clairement, on en a rien à foutre que les gens l'appellent Slim Shady. Vraiment rien à taper. Mon surnom à moi c'est Robtentaculaire et je ne vais pas en faire un album pour autant. J'invite eltrapeze à nous donner son avis dans les plus brefs délais.

Le Slim Shady, comme il s'époumonne à nous le rappeler (car oui son nom est bien le Slim Shady), souffre ici d'un mal profond lié à son style musical. Chaque bon artiste de hip-hop est en effet atteint du syndrome de la camaraderie. En voici les symptomes: - L'artiste propose un excellent début album, grâce à son talent, qui enjoue l'auditeur - L'artiste se trouve soudain pris d'un élan de camaraderie, se remémorant les bons moments passés avec ses amis rappeurs (nuls pour leur part) - L'artiste se décide à inviter ses amis rappeurs (toujours nuls) sur son album - Les amis rappeurs (nuls) viennent massacrer le travail du rappeur talentueux Cet album du Slim Shady (car c'est bien lui le Slim Shady) n'échappe malheureusement pas à la règle.

Didn’t finish but it was surprisingly good

This is ultimately Em’s magnum opus but it definitely hasn’t aged well at all. Stan is the standout on this record, one of the best examples of storytelling in hip hop.

-Hey I get the reference of "I'm just playing ladies, you know I love you" to the "I'm just playing Diddy, you know I love you" from something from Kamikaze. Also the "I wrote it on a starter cap" from "Stan" and "Killshot." Definitely got those references in reverse -"Stan" is a classic famous track and tells a great story of an obsessive fan and a good response from an artist -"The Real Slim Shady" is a classic rap song. Lots of fun flows and rhymes. Also hilarious and fun. Love the lines "Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell records / Well, I do, so fuck him and fuck you too" -"Kim" is crazy violent. Really surprised me -Intro to "Criminal" is a funny bit on people taking all lyrics literally -Lots of tracks I enjoyed. I really like the slightly goofier stuff instead of the violent stuff but all of it kept very good flows and great storytelling

Great storytelling and there’s no doubt Eminem is a brilliant rapper but musically meh and it feels long and unfocused in places

This sucks, it’s offensive for the sake of being offensive. I get it, you hate women, you hate gay people, you hate everything, you’re so tough. Shut up Marshall, you fuck, Interlude skits are lame fillers for dorks, no humour whatsoever, blow job skit with insane clown posse was gross. It’s so damn annoying, I guess he’s clever enough and Stan was actually the only redeemable track on this but fuck that nasally delivery. I forgot how ridiculous the early 2000’s were and this reminded about the worst bits of it. If you want to listen to aggressive, violent rap that doesn’t suck, listen to Clipping instead. I don’t know how I got thru it all. 1 star

Very skilled, not my style of content, a little bored by all the killing threats

Didn't like it, not my kind of music

The definitive Eminem. This album made him a legend.

Grand

My 10 year old son is into Eminem and it's been fun listening to this together and arguing about whether it's a 4 star or a 5. Well, despite some great tunes (Stan particularly) a record with skits and casual (if part of a persona) sexism/homophobia etc can only get a 4. And I'd you don't like it, Marshall, you can duck my dick.

classic em

Not my taste, but appreciate the talent and production values

Terrible language and attitude. But the music! A masterpiece!

This is tough. You get the clarity, talent and absolute rawness mixed in with the lyrics of a 16 year old spotty incel locked in his bedroom. Or do you? Is the character? Is that the point? Reality is I don't care, you suss it out, I'll hum along to Stan and then move on with life

This one was draining.

Eminem reacts to his newfound fame, with his trademark tongue twister rhymes. There’s fantastic production by Dr. Dre, and some lines are genuinely funny, but the pure shock of Em’s debut feels stale here (not to mention the shocking amount if homophobia and misogyny-I mean, there’s an entire song in which he imagines graphically murdering his ex-wife).

Aged like milk.

Another reviewer called this album “chaotic, over the top horror”. I think that sums it up pretty well. Through the use of his characters Eminem aims to shock and offend, while distancing himself a bit from the challenging content. As many others have noted, his skill as a rapper and the catchy, unique beats make this a pretty great album. I remember being fascinated as a teenager when this came out. Still, as an adult the violent and sexist lyrics are sometimes hard to swallow. Giving this one four stars because of its uniqueness, production value, and skill. Though I don’t think I’ll be listening to this one through very often.

This album has like eight + slappers and is peak eminem. It pains me to let you know: I like this album.

ya, that was interesting. Couple of songs/things whatever you want to call those just made me feel bad. But, some of the songs that were actual songs were just okay. Would not actively seek out.

white trash america fur sure. some classics, some songs that are tough to listen to, but goes places very few albums go. especially ones as popular/influential as this one.

This album has some obvious classics, but it also had some stinkers for me. It felt illegal to listen to Ken Kaniff at work and Kim was... wow. Some of the songs sound better when you don't listen to the lyrics, which I think kind of defeats the purpose. Overall pretty decent though.

This came out when I was 20, so was on the top of the target for this - And at the time the bravado, the jokes, the skits, all seemed funny, and the whole thing was a real rush, pushing the boundaries. Revisiting that 20 years later and honestly it's just crass. "it's just a joke!" people would say... but then it does become a playbook for the worst people out there. Stan is meant to be the answer to that but it's a weak response to the rest of it. Can't deny the songwriting is outstanding - so I can't rate it lower than 3, but really, the fact that this became so acceptable and mainstream has to be seen as a bit of a failure all around.

Nope

Slim Shady does not give a shit. So edgy. Is it supposed to be funny? If it is, then maybe it’s not just my kind of jokes. If it’s real then it’s super cringy for an adult to stick with the same character for a second record and keep up with the same childish, angry verses. The beats sound pretty childish too. This is a time capsule of the MTV TRL era and it sucks.

(NEED A RELISTEN) Much better than expected. This was peak Eminem, when as an artist he was approaching his own controversy in a creative, genuine, unapologetic, and angst-filled way. Not to mention his technical ability being not only shown off, but also complimented by pop-beats and collaborations, such as Dido.

Mjög löng, hlustaði bara á helminginn. Góður rappari en ekki alveg mín tónlist

Listen

Great rapping, subject matter is quite dated. Good for its time but struggles to hold up in the modern era

Some good songs on here, but it feels front-loaded and it gets old.

Thought the beats and rapping were OK, but couldn't deal with the blatant homophobia. Too bad. 1/5

I should dock this album. Slim’s shtick should come off as cringe and the casual homophobia, misogyny and ableism should make it unlistenable. But no, this is still an all-timer. The elements that date it only make him sound dangerous in an almost charming way, and when he’s not dropping the f slur, Em’s delivery is impeccable. The features and beats are largely incredible, too. A

I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this. I never listened to Eminem other than hearing his singles when out and about. Lyrically, there are a lot of great ideas here - Stan is the standout with its epistolary structure and point of view, Who Knew made me chuckle a couple of times, and The Way I Am and The Real Slim Shady has some cutting critiques of the music industry. Unfortunately, a lot of the lyrical themes have aged like milk. Homophobia? I think it turns out have a lot more respect for Eminem as an artist and songwriter than I assumed that I did, but this probably isn't a record I'll be listening to much in the future, if at all.

My interest in Eminem basically evaporates with most everything he put out after this album and 8 Mile. The shock value stuff plays more absurd today, but probably works better as humor now then it did in 2000. Maybe the 1-2 punch of Kill You and then Stan does enough to deflate the Slim Shady character as just that, a character. Or maybe it is because Eminem's sense of humor never really was successful on the albums following this becoming just way to cartoony. The three gigantic singles on the album are still the highlights and I think this album is the highpoint of Dr. Dre's second act as a producer. He's got a couple more years with some big pop hits, but after In Da Club, even the Eminem singles he produces are pretty lame. Who Knew is my favorite album track and lays out the Eminem/Marshall Mathers/Slim Shady ethos pretty clearly (along with having a chorus that I get stuck in my head at least once a month even though I don't think I've heard this album at least in 15 years), which maybe is the magician revealing enough of his trick. Amityville with Bizarre and Under The Influence with D12 are the most over the top ridiculous songs that it is also hilarious to think of anyone taking anything on this album seriously at all. And Bitch Please II is a pretty great west coast (+Detroit) posse cut. Eminem as a producer doesn't have many tricks in his bag but here they're fresh at least (which combined with his interest in fancy MC skills instead of actually having something to say probably explain why I haven't really cared about any Eminem album or even really songs after this specific era). Listening to this album again, in a time where I've adopted the "all public life is performed and therefore there is kayfabe outside of just wrestling" mindset. Kim is interesting as a theatrical piece, but other than that is just gross not only because it uses real names. But maybe he needed to remove all audience empathy from the character in '97 Bonnie & Clyde. That all said, I couldn't stand the hate slurs used back in 2000 as a 13-year-old and they're still awful in 2022. That is something that dates this album more than anything else (including the very 2000 pop culture references). It would be just as good if not better without them. Eminem is creative enough to do that. This might be a classic hip-hop album, but unlike some of the other all-timer LPs, it is always going to be locked in the year it came out.

It’s like the music is good but he’s cringe

yeah no

Eminem is a great rapper. I don't love all the themes he chooses, the mysogeny and homophobia. The little skits don't interest me.

Ok

There's talent here, but I still can't stand the sound of any of this. His voice, the jerky beats. It's super cool he got to make several albums so that he could talk about how much he wanted to kill every woman in his life. Stan is dark in an interesting way. The Real Slim Shady is an abomination.

What a mess. But before I dig into how horribly misogynistic this is, I want to also mention just how cheap the entire package sounds. It's absolute dogshit! Anyway, 'Stan' is overrated, most of the beats are boring and although I chuckled a couple of times, there were many more times where I had negative reactions that verged on the physical. What was his beef with Christopher Reeve anyway?

There's so much cleverness in some of the word choices here. I actually do like the tone of Eminen's voice and the style and some of the beats and all of that. I can get behind the creativity. But it's a damn shame that all of that is poured into content that sounds like the rantings of a 12 year old edgelord writing on a fanfiction subreddit. I tried real hard to be open minded, going so far as to just imagine I was listening to a concept album that was written as if it was the story for a horror film. But even that didn't hold up. And I shouldn't have to do that much work as a listener. This was just a bad era for music. It's lazy to blame the media, but I kind of blame the media. It created this weird feedback loop where people like Eminem and Marilyn Manson got publicity for being controversial so then they started to write songs about how they were controversial in order to create more controversy, which of course only fed the media what they wanted, and, really, was any of it actually good music? Prolly not. Unless you're the writer of this list and then ALL of it was shit you HaVe tO HeaR beFoRe yOu DiE!!!

I’ve never really been an Eminem fan and this album is a good example. The “hits” seem too much like “joke rap” to me and I really can’t take him seriously. He’s a very gifted rapper and talented, but aside from the lyrics, the music just really isn’t very good.

Though some unsettling lyrical themes and references, this record excels at storytelling. Would have been a 5 but for the sometimes distasteful lyrics.

Couldn't finish it. Sounds like an angry 14 year-old edge lord.

This was one of my favorite albums growing up. It is an amazing piece of work. I would have given it a 5/5, 15 years ago. It is also extremely influential. "Stan" is now a word in the OED and Kendrick Lamar had a track on his latest album that was a clear nod to the track. It's lyrically and conceptually very clever and it's supposed to be provocative, however, looking back I don't think the homophobia and misogyny on it is ok. Even if it's justified as being a commentary on his relationship with the media at the time or as being spoken by a character. The fact is that the homophobia and misogyny on this album was parroted in real life without the context and without any sense of irony and it certainly contributed to the damaging homophobic environment that young gay people had to endure growing up at the time. Because of this, it's hard to rate. I will have to settle on a conflicted 3/5

Classic. Amazing. Iconic. Love.

One of the greatest ever to do it. Dark with some humour in thrown in. Obsessed with it when I was younger and proper enjoyed listening to it again after yeaaaaaarsss.

This is the first album we have had so far that had the biggest impact on me. This album took over my school, it was the talk at footy and all my mates. My poor mum must of felt sick walking past my room one day and hearing ‘Kim’. Eminem just came out of nowhere for me. I looked at the charts and in 2000 the top 5 albums in the UK were Robbie Williams, a greatest hits for The Beatles, Westlife and Moby. Just full of pop and here comes this fella who’s performing in jumpsuits and hockey masks, rapping about killing the mother of his kid and telling kids to do drugs and rape sluts. I genuinely believed that Eminem was really a nut job when I was 10 years old and he almost had some boogeyman persona. I love this album and always go back every so often and now realise just how funny it is.

Very raw. Hard to rate. Some amazing stuff in here, some stuff I never want to listen to again.

Not that good

surprisingly memorable - I had heard it in the past, and christy could sing some of the lyrics!

Fire alarm, packages, lunch bookstore mccarthy andys, kickball fun, hang, some not funny

I know little of rap but this is seriously engaging. I'd listened to it before for another 'Best Album' poll and it was lurking waiting for a relisten. Still disturbing and in your face. For me this is the best.

One of the best rap albums

Genius obscured and nearly completely undermined by scandal and controversy. Eminem's ability to craft rhymes and flows within, across and all over bars is mind-boggling. But it's hard to hear it (or show it off to people) when so much of the lyrical content is explosively offensive.

Hard to see the great parts past the homophobic shit

Phenomenal album. He went up another level with the next album but I can still remember listening to this and thinking this guys legit. Yes, some of the lyrics are troublesome in terms of homophobia and misogyny and I'm ok to seperate the art from the artist but I understand if others cannot as it's hard to listen to at times. Stan and The Real Slim Shady get most of the attention but there isn't a bad song on the record. 5 Stars.

This album is very controversial and tough to rate. Very homophobic and misogynistic which makes sense coming from his background, but doesn’t excuse these blatantly crude lyrics. So on one side… yikes. And on the other side, he is creative at his art, he puts the words together in unique ways that are really interesting. Overall a tough album to rate.

This is music for dorks who think they're tough. Eminem is an uber dork.

Slim shady is the only song i liked but whos surprised by that

GOAT

Gave it a four cause of its classic tracks.

Bra låtar men cringe aura. De edgy texterna och delivery:n funkar inte för mig.

Vulgar

now that I am An Old I can recognize that this album is musically impressive and also honestly kind of horrifying in a way that didn't quite hit when i was 16

The victim complex schtick gets tiring after a bit but there are some great songs and beats on here. Was going to be a 4 but some tracks on the back half (especially Kim) and all the skits bring it down.

There’s some really good content on this but it loses its edge with some of the lesser known songs.

There’s some iconic songs in here (Stan especially), but there’s also a lot that made me uncomfortable.

I can't decide if all the lyrics about his public image and his relationship with his fans and all that is interesting, or self indulgent and repetitive. Any way, some good stuff, but pretty of its time as well

Some good songs, but definitely not my favourite Eminem album. Some really awful stuff on here, TBH. 2.5, rounded down because it gave me a panic attack.

I was a teenager when this was released and I really liked it at the time. I've since grown up, my sensibilities have changed and though the quality is still there, the whole thing is just a hot problematic mess of misogyny and homophobia. There's some monster talent on this, great beats and hooks by Dre and some great tracks like Stan that will always stand up but now it's hard to listen to. I won't be coming back.

If you enjoy your misogyny and homophobia with a side of fat beats and slick rhyming then look no further.

Didn’t like the violent words, felt like an onslaught

I mean, what's there to say. It's Eminem. Clearly a standout and influential with his harsh style.

Didn't age well

jeez this album is 72min - stan is a good song, 1 star because of the effect this album has had on white guys.

It’s funny cuz at the rate I’m going when I’m thirty…this whole bag of Viagra isn’t working… It was funny when I was 20; it’s more dead-on now that I’m 40. Such a high-water low-brow album. Also, probably the best horrorcore album of all time. I love it all.

Proves that you can polish a turd.

flow, hooks, beats, vitriol

Really good hip hop album. Lyrics are extreme but I understand the context and the point he's trying to make. Big time nostalgia for me on some of the tracks.

Loved it! Brought back many memories.

Liked the way I am and Stan. A few what the hell tracks. Not a big fan overall of him or this album.

I’m a pretty big Eminem fan, having heard everything he’s ever released (Overground), and while this is not my favorite Em album I can see why it won a Grammy and is fondly looked back upon. For most of it I don’t exactly care for the subject matter that he’s rapping about, be it spousal abuse or homophobia, but I love the sound and the vibe of the songs…short of Kim. I still can’t squeeze any entertainment value out of that one. The hits like Stan, RSS, and The Way I Am are still amazing and deserve all the acclaim they get but the deep cuts are where this album shines to me. Dr. Dre’s production is almost top of his game with some cool samples and beats. Not my favorite but there are lots of songs that have grown on me over the years and I’ll listen again as I’ve listened before. Favorites: Kill You, Stan, Who Knew, The Way I Am, The Real Slim Shady, Remember Me?, I’m Back, Marshall Mathers, Amityville, Criminal

4 I feel like I’m missing some context with this album having not heard The Slim Shady LP, but I still really like what I heard. It reminded me of Pinkerton in some ways in that it’s a sophomore album dealing with the struggles of adapting to the sudden fame acquired from the debut, though compared to Weezer, Eminem seems to process with it in a slightly… different way. It’s violent, it’s sexist, it’s homophobic, but it’s a character (I hope) whose arc I enjoyed following across the album. The skits were also entertaining interludes that helped keep the album interesting and feel a lot shorter than its >60 minute runtime. I think I need to explore more of Em’s discography to truly appreciate this album, but I’ll likely be listening again. Favorite songs: Stan, Kill You, The Way I Am

Some of the beats and lyrical flow are inspired, but that doesn’t make up for the absolute garbage lyrics. The takeaway is that c. 2000 Eminem was a man child who couldn’t handle criticism and compensated by threatening to rape women.

8/10 a rap classic of an angry young man

Masterpiece.

bought it when it came out.....love it !

Not my favourite, a bit too edgy

Very good, and confusing, listened to album of 45 minutes and there are versions of 72 min and 75 min and whatever.

Eminem, wat een heerlijke nummers maakt hij.

In een grijs verleden veel gedraaid, cool om weer te horen. Hoewel Hiphop nooit mijn ding is geweest vond ik dit toch best tof.

Niet echt voor in de stemming vandaag. Beetje doorheen gescrolled. Op de hitjes na toch weer een hoop niggaz, hommes, bitches etc. Boring.

Mimimimimi! bitch! Mimimimimi fuck shit! Mimimimimimi suck my dick! Mimimimi-mimimimimi-mimimimi! Zeikstraal.

Ik heb dit soort muziek altijd een beetje gemeden. Gisteren begon ik er dan toch maar eens aan. In het begin viel het me mee, maar daar kwam ik van terug.

Love him or hate him, Eminem is honest almost to a fault, and seems to have no qualms about bearing his soul, his trauma, his perversions, thoughts, feelings, fears, humor, no matter how corny or juvenile or primitive, he doesn't hold back, and I can respect that. How does the end product hold up? This is music for angsty adolescents by a man who isn't very far removed from being an angsty adolescent himself. And a man who has clearly been through some shit, but hasn't had a chance to fully mature yet. A lot of the references are very time specific and hence aged poorly. A lot of the humor is corny and redundant. But the classic cuts are iconic enough to validate the entire jumbled mess. And as much as I hate Em's hooks, his flow and lyricism on here are undeniably original and unique. Belongs on the list but doesn't warrant repeat listens.

It legit annoys me that I like this. I shouldn't like it. Mathers is an obnoxious, homophobic asshole. His lyrics are disgusting, his delivery cocky and irritating. But the record bounces. The flow is fluent, the imagery is vivid. God that's annoying.

Hip-hop. Un 4, venga.

Un 4 porque algunas canciones cansan.

Haha, this is funny af. Edgy lyrics that have a whiff of punk energy about them. Eminem is a blast of the past for me, I grew up listening to him but never checked out an album of his in full. This was great, and discovered some cool tracks from him I've never heard before. I preferred the 'funny' ones, but songs like Kim were heavy and it surprised me that I found it so hard to listen to. Maybe because the abusive aspect of the song felt too real. Overall, 4 stars for Mister Marshall. I'll definitely be revisiting some of these songs.

They say people have gotten too soft and a record like this would not fly nowadays, but I don’t think that correct, I think it could only happen once. Em took advantage from newfound openness toward foul vocabulary and made an outstanding album, even better that the first time, his lyrical genius really shows on this one even if he spends it in profanity (gratuitous or not). Efforts like Stan or The Way I am really stand out. All this years later that Drug ballad really hit hard, and we can say everything about “Kim” but damn it is display of talent but also despair and hurt. I like this album. Funny note, my copy of this album back in the day was a bootleg and this final mix sound weird to me lol

It hasn't aged as well as some albums of the same era, but in context, it's one of the best.

Not into rap

Theatrical anger. Never really cared for him back when this album came out, but I listened to it all the way through for the greater good. Kim was...uh, an interesting "song." For me, it's "meh."

This album aged better than the Slim Shady LP. I still find it hard to believe how into Eminem I was in middle school, I could have ended up much differently if I had kept listening to him religiously. It is a pretty good album, but I just hate the use of slurs in pretty much any music so it takes me out of it when it is just so prevalent.

Loved listening to Eminem in my jr. high days, it feels and sounds as edgy and shocking as it did back in the day. The production is nearly flawless (especially on songs like Stan and The Real Slim Shady). Nearly gave this album 5/5 but I'm reminded of how blatantly homophobic and misogynistic hip hop was (and still is).

i like it tbh, but i dont usually listen to rap

heard it

i’ve always struggled with eminem. the production and actual rapping are genuinely brilliant. the lyrics are terrible, and i just really cant get past that. i don’t think i can go below a 3 just because of the technical proficiency here, but with better (less heinous) lyrics this could easily be a 5.

God, my old review is so cringeworthy. No use defending some of Eminem's rhetoric here, no matter how ironic it may be. There are just better rappers worth more of your time, and while there are some great songs here, it does not deserve to be considered among the best.

He’s alright

Solid em

Edgy white boy rap

Another great album from my youth. Eminem was the first person, or rapper, that has introduced hip hop in my circle. His influence is undeniable, especially in a non-english speaking country, because he provided an idea that you can listen to rap in different language and stl immensely enjoy it. You can take any album from 90s or 2000s and it will open a box with great memories. As for Marshall Mathers LP, it is an album wealthy with hits and great songs. 'The Real Slim Shady', 'Marshall Mathers', 'Kim', and of course my favourite song, that I can still listen to on a weekly basis - Stan. The way Eminem is telling a story on this album, oscillating between a jokingly lyrics and funny, catchy beat, to an intense, almost horror like rapping style with a beat keeping you on your toes. Extremely well done songs. What brings the album down by a little is the coup songs that were probably made just for shocking purposes, like the 'Drug Ballad'. Nowadays, the line of shock was pushed so far, that this album feels almost family friendly. Other drawback is those couple songs featuring other rappers. I feel like Eminem, at least back in 2000s, had such an unique style, that bringing different artist on this album was a way to show how much better Eminem is at the moment. But overall, great album, I will listen to it again and again in future.

I liked it very much some years ago, but nowadays, I comprehend the worst parts of this album. However, the music is so nice, and I like this hardcore hip-hop (thanks to Wikipedia for the new term) style that Eminem plays so well, and I'll rate it five stars if the lyrics were not so awful. I understand his anger and his motivation to write and record these things. Still, it's necessary to recognize these problems at that time with the exact measurement we used to realize his musical geniality.

The definitive shock rap album. Has some great hits and hilarious bits. Pretty incredible how much of this album has inspired the current pop culture.

Boring and edgy

Rap/hip-hop, the subject matter is almost always going to be in some way controversial with how explicit it can be, but in the midst of all that can be significant messaging, good and bad. It is important on a listen through, to try and hear that. Eminem is not really an exception here, but it bears to note that 1001 is largely subjective, but this review is going to try and be objective anyways in spite of that. Controversy and rough persona aside, Eminem has an unbelievable capability of near total clarity. His creativity and rhyme are near ridiculous in that at no point would a listener consider that they could have written something like he does or deliver it with the authority that he does. "Stan" was one of two runaway hits, putting both Eminem and Dido on the musical map in the early aughts. The impact of "Stan" is felt when listened to as a single, but even more pronounced when listened to during the album. The album begins with lewd references, and tough misogyny, not really a winning combo in a so-called culture war, but then we are forcefully pivoted into a story about a fan's cry for help and slow descent into a murderous resentment at having felt abandoned by Slim Shady. "Steve Berman" is an interstitial sound clip warning listeners that Eminem is not run of the mill, followed by "The Way I Am" reinforcing the idea that Eminem refuses to be molded by the genre. It is fair to assume that he has remained mostly successful with that. Not even halfway through the album, Eminem has already opined on parenting, hypocrisy, with plenty of social commentary that any reasonable person may balk at, and then regrettably find to be agreeable. This album was a very quick follow-up to his first album, a lament of his meteoric rise in popularity is present in "Marshall Mathers" who to this day, no one knows him by that name. Scathing rebukes of pop music, politically incorrect euphemisms/designations, Eminem separates himself from his personal identity in an attempt to stay Eminem on tour and on TV, but keeping Marshall Mathers at some kind of distance. This might seem strange given that the album is literally self-titled or that his moniker is onomatopoeia for his initials, but Eminem teaches a valuable lesson here. He has successfully established boundaries for each person he is. He's the real Slim Shady (monopolizing his identity), whose name happens to be Marshall Mathers (his actual person), but we know him as Eminem (the person he wants to be hated but also the most understood). Towards the album's conclusion we are subjected to a hard drama on the song "Kim" where the characters seem real but the events are embellished, seeing as Eminem was not placed in prison for admitting to murder. The further into the listen, the question does present as to why 1001 included this album. The social contribution is without question, as is his talent and sustained career. The mentorship of Dr. Dre, Snoop, and others certainly play a part in Eminem's success and those by themselves are significant endorsements. The importance of this might be complex, from the racial controversies he endured at the start to whether or not Dr. Dre and Co. are viewed as selling out to "white" audiences. Either way, time has told a better and more compelling story of people the best at what they do, finding each other and doing it together.

It was great back when I was a teenager

Unfortunately, this album is great. It's true that 90% of the lyrics have not aged well in the slightest but it's also true that almost every song is catchy or interesting. The real slim shady was one of my favorite high school songs and stan is a great song about obsessive fans but Kim is like the most violent song I've ever heard and homophobia and misogyny run rampant throughout the whole album. This has led me to a dilemma where I want to rate this album a 5 because I like almost every song but I also don't because I'd have a "guilty conscience" lol. Whatever fuck it

Kinda wondering if half the reason I like this is purely down to nostalgia? Most of this album holds up really well & I still really enjoy the majority of it - some songs, I’ve got to admit, do make me really uncomfortable to listen to now. But the album is DEFINITELY a product of it’s time. Oh, and I could really do without the Ken Kaniff skit…. Favourite tracks - I’m Back, Bitch Please 2, Drug Ballad

Love it, already knew a lot of the songs but some had slipped through the crack. I'm just happy I got to hear them

Bangers were frontloaded but still a solid album with great singles

ok hlakka til

I am just not the audience for this

A masterpiece of shock rap, some of which has stood the test of time incredibly well, some of which has aged very poorly

It stands up after 22 years. It's still one of the most consistent rap albums ever, and tries a bit of everything consistently. Some of it has aged very badly, mind. Kim, in particular is very uncomfortable to listen to. But it's still great.

3.9⭐️

It's very expansive. And Eminem is a bit of a genius. But, I don't know if I should rate this at all. On the one side, if I don't like it, I should suck his dick, because he doesn't care. Otherwise, I'd be kissing his ass. I don't want to do either.

This is a really strong album for its antagonistic and attitude-fueld rap. Unfortunately too much of it carries a misogynistic and homophobic payload which is completely overdone and unnecessary. He attempts to excuse himself of responsibility but that only shows that he knows exactly what he's doing. It's unfortunate, because other than those aspects of the lyrical content, this album is great.

This is the third album from American rapper Eminem produced by him and Dr. Dre. The album is transgressive - which means it seeks to outrage a listener with themes that are opposite of basic morals - and features introspective lyrics surrounding Eminem's life, including his rise to fame, his personal life troubles, and the public's criticism of his music. As is the norm for Eminem's music, the album was surrounded by controversy, but this only propelled the album's popularity, allowing it to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and stay there for 8 weeks. This LP was a critical and commercial success; it's certified 11 times platinum which awards it diamond certification, won the 2001 Grammy for Best Rap Album, won the 2001 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance with track "The Real Slim Shady", and is widely regarded as Eminem's best album. With dark - even gruesome - lyrics riddled with swears overtop heavy bass lines, Eminem is able to produce something beautiful and eye-opening. It's easy to criticize this album as homophobic, misogynistic, violent, nihilistic, or everything in between, just based on the subject matter. However, Eminem is a master with words and he's able to spin the verses on their head to make them sound amazing, while the words - singled out - can offend thin-skinned individuals. Fortunately most of the album was left uncensored, but the censored version is almost impossible to listen to with all of the muting and injected sound effects meant to cover up any bad words and lines. Eminem has many lyrics on this album that poke fun at the people critical of his rapping, and he even admitted to purposefully going overboard on this album for the critics. This album is like a train crashing into a car. It's chaotic, loud, unsettling, perhaps even gory, but above all - you can't look away. If it wasn't for Eminem being a lyrical genius and having some awesome hooks and rhymes, this album would not have performed so well. But when one is as dedicated to their craft as he is, then it's only normal for it to be popular - as well as controversial. This album continues to appear on lists for Best Albums to this day and that goes to show how great this album is. I highly recommend this album to anyone, but it'd be best if the listener is at least over the age of 14.

I'm a big fan of this guy, but this isn't his best album. I get that it's "Marshal" - not Eminem or Slim Shady - so it's more "real" or whatever. This album's just a little too angry for my taste. But, it's still good.

If you like rap, the ability in both the writing and the delivery is undeniable. And the underlying commentary about the pious tendency to equate words with actual doing of things (or even endorsement) is apt, even more so in its time. But I find the product exhausting at length, the relentless kill kill kill. Like this current genre of movies where the action scenes are copiously punctuated by (when not entirely composed of) people getting shot in the head at point blank range.

good, full is not exactly my type, but "stan" is one of the best songs ever made!

Yes, he has a talent and there's absolute classics like Stan. But you can't look past the content of so many of the tracks. The homophobia and misogyny just ruins it.

This is the only album I've skipped so far. Yes, Eminem is talented, but then you could say Hitler was a talented politician.

I've listened to this album so many times throughout the years. Classic "modern" hip hop album (not really modern now as it's 22 years old). Eminem and Dr. Dre's production for this album is insanely good. There's so many awesome tracks. Eminem's flow, rapping and lyrics is hard to beat.

250 albums in and I think this is the most entertaining hip hop album I've had so far. Hip hop isn't my style but Eminem may be my favorite

Phew - forgot how good this this was. ground-breaking for its time!

Obviously some stuff that would be problematic today, but it's still a pretty great album. There is a reason that an entire generation of angsty youth connected with Eminem

He's a great rapper with great beats, but I remembered why I didn't like him even back in the day. Angry lyrics about wife beating and rape just aren't for me.

I just don’t enjoy these lyrics. Some of the music is good, but I just can’t get past the lyrics

Beginning was surprisingly self aware and socially aware. Then the album becomes what we all expect from Eminem

It's alright

Catchy, funny and irreverent as fuck, this is one of the best punk albums. It makes you laugh not just because Eminem can be hilarious but because his rhymes and deliveries are often quite ingenious and brilliant. Dre's production is great as well, his steady bass riffs contrasting with Eminem's mercurial flow and occasionally creating an almost polyrhythmic feel.

I don't even care, I love this album. Eminem is hilarious and bitter and performatively goofy and disconcertingly honest all at the same time. I wish the first hip hop album this list showed me wasn't by a white dude but that takes nothing away from the Marshall Mathers experience. Tip: listen to Stan and The Way I Am as companion pieces.

Amazing album all the way through! The lyrical genius of Eminem with a lot of other great artists. This has been one of my favorite album since high school.

One year after The Slim Shady LP, Eminem reveals a darker and more honest side with The Marshal Mathers LP. As with all Hip-Hop from this era, it shows its age with the inclusion of short skits throughout, but thankfully they aren't too invasive. Huge hits spawned from this album, which made Eminem a household name worldwide.

Started of cringey on the first track, definitely wasn't impressed at that point. Got into a few killer tracks after that. Great production on every track beyond. Definitely an album for the time but didn't age as well with the constant homophobic references. Over all a solid album

Dope

Why oh why oh why do rap albums have to be sooooo long. Anyway, the big singles everyone knows, but the relentless dissing gets a bit wearying and the beats aren't as interesting as say Wu Tang. So by the end its all a bit samey.

Je ne suis vraiment pas fan du propos. Ça prendrait toute une préparation pour que je laisse mes enfants écouter ça. Il y a certainnement une bonne quantité d’adultes qui auraient besoin d’une préparation aussi. Autrement, Il a clairement son truc à lui. Il ne sonne comme personne et personne ne sonne comme lui. Mais pour compléter ce que je disait plus haut, je dirais que je m’amuse seulement quand il prend un angle humoristique (ex. : The Real Slim Shady).

Très confrontant comme album pour plusieurs de ses textes. Une production impeccable. Quelqu’un a décrit son style comme horrorcore rap. On est vraiment là souvent ici, particulièrement avec Kim. La chanson Stan est un classique avec un beat parfait.

Classic

i'm quite torn about this album. i'll start with the positives: there's no denying how catchy eminem's songs are! these hits are fire. "stan" and "the real slim shady" are such bangers after all these years. the cultural significance of those two songs alone! i grew up listening to some of eminem's music and i never realized the horror aspect of his songs. "amityville" in particular. i was impressed. but despite eminem creating good music, i have some serious concerns. i didn't fully realize as a kid how often he says certain slurs. or how awful his murder fantasy song "kim" is. i suppose you could say it's only a horror story, but considering that is his former partner's name and domestic violence is very real--well, i have reservations. it makes me very uncomfortable to listen to that song. i always do admire artists who are not afraid to be their true self (he even wrote "the way i am" to show this!). i suppose this is just eminem just expressing himself through music. if you're able to focus on just the music, well, he does it very well! i'll be fair and give a middle of the road vote of 3.

Eminem entered into an arena invented and owned by Black artists. Despite his white privilege, this is one area where he truly had to work to stand out, as white rappers were historically not successful and/or were not taken seriously. By this point, Eminem had already found his celebrity status, but this is the album where Eminem became fully realized, showing that he wasn't just copying Black artists, and leaving his official mark on hip hop music. He combines catchy riffs, well written lyrics, and dexterity masterfully. The talents, styles, and quirks that are sharpened on this album changed the face of hip hop and set into motion his immense career with albums following these formulas. Eminem has an obvious snarkiness and stupidity about him that he really hones on this album, making it easy to see the irony and sarcasm in his work. These are an important component to his work; as he works through his incredibly stormy upbringing, this album is a sort of proverbial mirror held up to white people, showing said white people the ugly sides of themselves and their culture that they don't want to acknowledge or admit to. Using his newly found platform of huge success, Eminem does all of this to make a statement and commentary on white culture, on what is arguably his most provocative album. White people want to like and be a part of hip hop music? Well, be careful what you wish for, because like it or not, now the bad and ugly of white culture is in the spotlight. The price to pay for being white and wanting to enjoy an incredibly successful white rapper is acknowledging, consciously or unconsciously, that this album isn't about a third party, such as Black people in Compton -- it's about white people and the fucked up things they do right in your own town...it's about white people you know and associate with, and it's maybe even about you. From a music enjoyment perspective, I like this album okay, a couple of the songs I like quite a bit. But Eminem has always been hit or miss for me, as has a lot of hip hop music; it's a fine line to draw between commentary and glorification of the troubled things many hip hop artists rap about, and Eminem is not immune from that. But it is undeniable that, for many reasons, the cultural impact of this album is significant.

As good as I remember it. Almost every track is a banger. Lyrics aside, the driving patterns and rhythm structure that is vintage Eminem used was truly groundbreaking.

Can tell it’s early 2000’s rap. Lots of west coast influence in the production. Not a huge fan of this album, the shock rap didn’t age particularly well, nor did the liberal use of slurs or violence against women. The main hits off this album still hold up.

Always been a good album, but sadly it's not one of my favorites anymore. I feel like I've grown out of it a lot overtime. It's still got great performances across the record however.

Still as fresh today. Too long with some edits it get a better rating

Way more misses than hits, but still a fun time capsule of what everyone I knew in middle school was blithering about at the time

Ein junger Mann mit viel Wut und noch mehr Therapiebedarf. Ermüdend. Die Nummer mit Dre und Snoop Dog ist der einzige Lichtblick. Stan fand ich noch nie so gut.

The first 1/3 to 1/2 of the album is ok, I guess. The songs about dealing with his newfound fame have a point but I think young people wouldn't get what he was trying to do (and I'm being generous here), but then it degenerates into misogyny and homophobia.

I tried on this one, I really did. Of the 400 albums I've listened to this is the first I gave up on. This is easily the most sophomoric shit I think I've ever heard. It's just shit. There's not even any peanuts or corn to be found. It's just more of someone with the fucking mentality of a 13-year-old, rhyming dictionary in hand, talking about his dick and raping, assaulting, and murdering all those "worthless bitches". The frightening thing is this "man" wields influence on impressionable children. 13-year-old boys listened to this and think this is how women are meant to be treated. We call them "incels" now. This has no inherent value. It's not parody. It's not trying to shine a light on some difficult to understand social construct. It's just a asinine little boy talking about his dick for an hour. This album is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in his rambling, incoherent "music" was he even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Didn't expect to give a 5 but here we are

Only one rapper can make a horror film out of a hip hop album. The lyricism is so vivid and imaginative, you visualize his words as he raps and rhymes his words like no one ever. The album has top botch Dre production, with several of Em’s massive hits. It is a classic, his best album, and a staple in hip hop and horrorcore, the genre that made him iconic.

Unfortunately only a bit better than the Slim Shady LP. Still can't get behind the slim shady persona and it's silly, immature song topics. The more serious topics were the better songs however 2-3 good songs couldn't make up for the long runtime and a series of rather uninspiring songs

Don't think this is as strong as some of his later stuff but there's some good tracks here. As per usualy the skits detract on subsequent listens

Maybe I wasn't in an Eminem mood, but I found myself enjoying The Slim Shady lp more than this. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of great tracks here, some of Eminem's all time greatest even. At the same time, the quality here feels more all over the place. Em's trademark anger, while handled well in some places, can feel pretty tiring for this albums duration. I also wasn't too keen on how much he focused on his growing popularity in the lyrics, like its fine for two songs, but especially towards the middle of the album it felt like thats all he wanted to talk about. Favorites: "Stan", "The Real Slim Shady", "Drug Ballad"

The overall vibes hammer pathless thrall of difficult listening. I feel if you don’t care about people/media think and say about you, then writing an album about it defeats purpose. Some good beats & lyrics, but too dark overall for my liking

börjar rätt bra men det känns lite emellanåt lite tramsigt på ett sätt jag inte uppskattar

What a whiny bitch.

"Stan" and "The Real Slim Shady" are absolute 5's. Rest of the album, not as good, but not bad either. 4

This will never be in my top ten, but it's hard not to like the storytelling in Stan, quite like The Way I Am too. Otherwise not much that caught my attention Not too keen on some of the profanity, explicitness etc e.g. My name if Marshall Mathers

Damn Em. Worried bout you

Both Eminem albums? 1 year apart. Nah. Surely you drop this one to make room for something new and groundbreaking. Still, when I look at what's on this it's hard to argue against. Bought it, like everyone else when it came out, same as the debut. Kind of not interested in listening again though.

Day 1. There is a lot to love about this album. There's a lot that makes me very uncomfortable. "Kim" is a horrible track.

Eminem's beats and rapping ability are impeccable here. It really holds up. Lyrically though damn this has NOT aged well. Truly from a different time.

Textes fous, interprétation malade, production de feu.

Has it's moments, and I enjoyed it.

Gets a higher vote for old school listening. It isn’t actually that great now with age.

Undeniably a unique talent. I'm glad I took a listen.

Türkçe yazalım. Dota oynarken dinledim lanei kaybettim

Vaikka tiedän et kyseessä on alterego on tätä paikotellen aika raskas kuunnella. Julmaa. Oli kyl hienoo 2018 nähdä Eminem roskildes ku siel oli 200 000 ihmistä mutta kyl vähän häijyy tää tekee. Tykkään enemmän ehkä siitä tän levyn jälkeisestä superstara-aikakaudesta enemmän. 2/5

Juuh vähän on vaikee kuunnella, vaikka monta ihan teknisesti hyvää biisiä.

Eminem on epäilemättä teknisesti yksi kaikkien aikojen taitavimmista räppäreistä, mutta tää levy ei kyllä oo tekstiensä puolesta vanhentunut erityisen hyvin. Homofobialla ja väkivaltafantasioilla ei ihan kauheesti enää saa shokkiarvoa, ja ne tuntuu lähinnä lapsellisilta. Sanotaan nyt kuitenkin 3/5

What I lik of rap and hiphop music is the social claim that is shown in its lyrics. Interesting point of study. Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (/ˌɛmɪˈnɛm/; formerly stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclaimed as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Eminem's global success and acclaimed works are widely regarded as having broken racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him widely controversial, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass, and has been cited as an influence for many artists of various genres. About Rap and hiphop. Interesting is who is assumed as a "subculture" (which should be the culture in this case?) Hip hop music or hip-hop music, also known as rap music, is a genre of popular music developed in the United States by inner-city African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx borough of New York City in the 1970s. It consists of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. It developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti writing. Other elements include sampling beats or bass lines from records (or synthesized beats and sounds), and rhythmic beatboxing. While often used to refer solely to rapping, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of hip hop culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.

I appreciate what Eminem is doing, it's just not for me. Fave: The Real Slim Shady, The Kids

Ugh, the guy can rap alright, but he's a massive tool. The homophobia, misogyny, and general edgelordishness of it all are pretty tiresome. 😒 Fave track - eh, "Stan" I guess - gotta give him props for managing to verb a proper noun...

Até que funcionou bem pelos hits da época da mtv e bases interessante.

Second Acts, or careers, are normal. Some are built out of necessity. Look no further than one Kenneth Charles Osmond. He was so identified with his brilliant performance as one of the more iconic characters in television history that he had no choice but to retire from acting altogether (save for reboots which allowed him to slip right back into the Eddie Haskell character) and become a police officer. And imagine how Ken Osmond must have felt when he first heard that kid who starred as that "Little Squirt" channeling all of his anger towards law enforcement on popular music. Tony Dow must have rolled his eyes every time he'd hear the Beave call Larry Mondello fat. But we should give Beaver credit for at least waiting until Hugh Beaumont died before embarking on a new, albeit controversial career. Barbara Billingsley approved, but that wasn't surprising given how well versed she was in speaking jive. It was still shocking for millions of fans to learn Beaver Cleaver grew up so angry and hurt. Oops. I'm sorry. I thought this was The Jerry Mathers LP.

Not my taste

Pretty good, can't see myself listening to it much in the future though.

This album put me in a bad headspace. I can appreciate the amazing wordsmith Eminem is, but this horrorcore genre filled with misogyny and homophobia really bothers me. I wonder who this album is for and where the enjoyment in listening to can come from. I definitely won’t be going back.

A deeply unsettling album characterized by Eminem’s aggressive, yet self aware lyrics. Despite its unsavory moments, of which there are many, this album is a cohesive statement on fame, notoriety, and the insanity that comes with it. Eminem knows his violence towards women is wrong, he knows his homophobia is misplaced, yet he persists in it continuing a self destructive cycle consumed by fame. Say what you will about the violence and misogyny in his content, Eminem’s sound is distinctly his own.

Vraiment solide, mais la chanson Kim... oh mom dieu.... 5

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Kill you, Stan, The way I am, The real Slim Shady, Bitch please

Apart from Stan, it's terrible.

Great beats, questionable lyrics

Hmmm. The beats are awesome (Dr Dre's influence surely), the rapping skills are top notch and even the humour is welcome. But the misogyny and homophobia is toxic and impossible to overlook, maybe more so with the passing of 20 years or so. I still can't work out whether it is all front or not, but that probably isn't the point.

- as a person that doesn't really care about rap i always liked this one for some reason. it was the shocking lyrics, the violence, sex, humor. I just couldn't turn this off (it was on cassette and i was 10 and english was my second language...) - yes he sounds like an asshole but I didnt care back then - Stan is amazing song with amazing sample and storytelling, scary background screams and best plot twist ever - the "I'm Slim Shady, yes i'm the real Shady....." tongue twisting, yes please, and that classical piano sample (sounds like Bach) makes it more comical. - Marshall Matters with the guitar! - I will never forget about the blow job skit - Bitch Please II has sick beat and I always wondered what was the weird organ/piano sound..... - Kim is just scary, skip - Criminal again shows great storytelling - deserves to be in 1001 albums, but some songs make it 4/5

Beats are good, the rest I could leave.

High 4

never really been an eminem fan, but it turns out teenage me heard this album in my friends car so much that i know it pretty well. I was tempted to give this a high score as some of the tracks are pretty good and its fairly solid as a full album, but there's some massive elephants in the room. calling people faggots in a song is pretty wild for these days and the fucking skit songs make my skin crawl.

Ahhh Marshall Mathers...a name I haven't heard since... Well since he fucked my dad to death. It was the eve of my 15th Birthday, the usual crowd gathered round my parents' house for nibbles and drinks. Eminem swaggered up, pants riding high and jeans around his knees. Without any thought or hesitation, he'd pushed my dad into the pantry and rode the dick off him until they both bled.

@SHACK #bingo

Still angry.

Slick, with great production. I don't like the dude, but this is pretty infectious.

A hard one to rate - creative, great production, but unpleasant - hadn't listened to the whole album before, won't listen to it again

Brilliant album.

I can't do this to myself, the sniggering idiocy of the introduction was enough

Slaps