The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem has great flow but I'm just not a rap fan so I can't appreciate the nuance of this album

Eminem uses one beautiful instance of storytelling in “Stan” to show you how to craft a thoughtful, memorable, substantive response to stardom — then nosedives the rest of the project into a hateful, vitriolic mess of how NOT to respond to newfound fame/infamy. The doubling down on slim shadys whataboutism is full of dates references that doesn’t clear his name or meaningfully divert the attention to the systemic failures that led to so many kids (namely white teenage boys) relating to some sentiments on this record; “Who Knew” is the best example of these misdirections. Dr. Dre’s production doesn’t hit as hard on most of this project imo, the best beat on the album to my ears is “Drug Ballad”, which Dre doesn’t even have his hands on. There are moments of introspection that almost make you sympathetic for Marshall Mathers the person, but it seems like each time he comes up for air, he quickly devolves back into some mixture of slurs and hatred. Did this album shed a light on the awful underbelly of middle America, white men, and cycles of poverty? Yes, in many ways. Did it have to do so with nasty, awful language and aesthetics? Nooooooo no no no no no no noooooo. My two stars all go to Stan.

Eminem is a grandfather now. We have all been alive too long.

eminem é muito ruim caras nem as beats (medianas) salvam esse

duas estrelas pq tem uns beat bom. dito isso, se fosse um preto cantando isso aí, ele teria sido preso rapidinho.

4.5? Yeh!

Did not like the skits. Tracks got very aggressive in the second half.

Klasyczny Eminem. 12/10

Eminem is clearly talented and rhymes like no other. Not the biggest fan because I can't get past the homophobia, misogyny and violence.

Complete

☀︎quand même assez drôle qu’il d’auto-proclame « Slim Shady » ☀︎je pense pas que « Shady » serait capable de « fucking kill you » ☀︎il fait juste whine et trauma dump ☀︎les paroles me rendent mal à l’aise lol. probablement parce qu’elles sont super misogynes et violentes ☀︎Remember Me? est genuinely scary ☀︎slur???? f slur????? ☀︎Ken Kaniff. c’était quoi ça??? non??? à l’aide?? ☀︎c’est juste pas.. agréable à écouter. mes oreilles pleuraient ☀︎Kim est juste pas bonne. genre je trouve absolument rien de positif dans cette chanson. j’aimerais ravoir ces 6 minutes de ma vie s’il vous plaît ☀︎je pense que j’ai jamais été autant contente qu’un album finisse

A lot of angry blabla, screaming into the mic, and sucking sounds.

I was 12 when this album was released. It's no surprise it was all the rage with my classmates back then. This is an incredibly immature record. I'm genuinely shocked at how childish he comes across here. Very cringey. I got as far as Marshal Mathers but bowed out with all the homophobic slurs. Shout out to Dido though.

This is a joke right?

this guy can rap really well i just really wish he wasn’t rapping about you know. all of this stuff lol

8/10…hip hop

An album that defined the sound of the 2000's, crude and beautifull.

I vowed not to read what others would have said about this album, so here are my views. With some songs, I already knew them from my teenage years - "Stan", "The Way I Am", and "The Real Slim Shady". I connect memories especially to the prior song, because one of my ex-boyfriends viewed himself as "Stan", so I had a tough time listening to this song in particular (And another one I will talk about further down.), but I did it anyways, and I do not wish ill on my ex. Something that stood out to me was that with MANY of the songs, there is not a lot of effects used, not a lot of tracks used for each song, etc., so it comes across as very "organic", but not in a negative way. It feels like also, with the meanings behind the songs, they translate very well into how the songs are made (e. g. "Drug Ballad" immediately had me notice the speed, velocity, and the construct of the song getting denser throughout time.) With "Remember Me?" I thought I really liked the gloomy atmosphere created throughout the track, with the deep, moving bass riffs, combined with these really high notes (some kind of synthesizer, most likely). While I was wondering whether the first few notes of the "Marshall Mathers" song were actually sampled from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (?), I noticed it went a bit different than the prior. Either way, this song's so organic as well. I really liked "I'm Back"; it has a very free feel to it. I feel like the synth effect here always reminds me of water drops falling into a puddle of water, but in a musical way (If anybody understands...?). While the bass line, which to me stood out for the intervals that were played, could have been doubled by the vocals, they decided against it, I think. It feels very experimental... With "Kim" especially, however, it does remind me of some really traumatising things I experienced. Physical abuse, attempted murder, and domestic violence are not really a time I wanted to be thrown back into, and I am sorry. What I think it still well-done in this song is: It really frightens me, and having emotions like these stirr up should be a good thing. It is just hard. While I do think that, also from a recent perspective, there are things that Eminem has been doing/saying in his songs back then that he was confronted with time and time again, and that he also opened up about, I do think especially people who've experienced abuse of any kind, they should proceed with caution. If I would have to read this album on a scale from 0 to 10 (I could also do with a scale going to eleven, lol), I would still give it a 7 out of 10.

Emimem

4.5

Overall strong album, with a few classics. Some of the collabs were a little weaker, and it isn't quite up to his best album The Eminem Show.

One of the greatest rap albums of all time and solidified Eminem as the most popular and talented rapper in the world at the time. Don't think he ever hit these heights again but rode the wave a long time. It's an iconic album. 4.5/5. Rounding up to 5.

Eminem is an immensely talented rapper, but I'm just not into it.

Oof. Violently homophobic and sexist, but unfortunately kind of rules. Drug Ballad is a forever jam for me. and Bitch Please II. It's a four.

There’s a couple classics which is why it doesn’t get 1 star, but that bj skit is so gross. All the skits are so cringe.

So... like everyone else, I thought this album was great as a tween when it came out. Thing is... we grow, we learn, we gain perspective. It's not a good album.

Unbelievably edgy but what else do you expect, the actual lyricism is mostly really good and imaginative. Any bad song on here gets cancelled out by Stan/RSS

I've heard it a lot. Since I was a kid. Solid.

I remember its ubiquity in 2000, never listened to it all the way through after my sister bought the CD and we listened to it in her room. I was really struck by the lyrics this go round; the beats don’t really stick to me unfortunately. Drug Ballad had to be my top track, favorite beat and the frankness of Em’s lyrics hit for me having seen too many friends go through addictions. And that’s what you get with a great Eminem track; incendiary commentary on American working class alienation couched in a catchy circus beat to penetrate mass consciousness.

Nicht meine Musikrichtung. 1-2 Songs kenne ich. aber überwiegend nicht mein Ding. 2/5

well i kinda love it

Clean version is pointless, so many gaps in the music. Great album with entertaining lyrics

It's got some absolute bangers but also some weird shit that I'm not into.

One of Eminem's best. Great featuring artists and story telling. Classics like Stan, Bitch Please II, The Real Slim Shady all hold up. Favourites off the album would be Amityville, Stan and Bitch Please II . Kim is a hard listen but finishes strong with Criminal. Album is a 9/10.

2.5 stars. Pretty good but not for me

Есть хорошие песни, но они как-то надоели. В своё время был великий альбом. Пожалуй, если не знать английского, то он ещё лучше. Но сейчас, спустя столько лет, он кажется несколько примитивным.

Meh. I get it as a work of self-expression, but I wouldn’t care to hear most of the album again. If that’s the point, then well done, I’m glad I listened to it 25 years later by subscription and didn’t go out of pocket for the CD. One and done.

First I gotta say that the production is absolutely classic. No bad beats. Second, this is one of those albums that grow on me with time. Theres still some songs I dont care for much, but it has a lot of great material. Stan, The Real Slim Shady and Bitch Please II are all some of my absolute favorite.

He's so angry! He's painted a clear picture of why he's this way - bullies, doubters, haters, and homelife. He does have a lot of problematic themes (repeated calls to kill/hating women/misogynistic lyrics ) but he's oddly aware of it? I'm not sure if the acknowledgment of it is satire or just pure acknowledgement for better or worse. He's good at his craft and when he sinks purely into satire it's fantastic but you can tell he is diving into his demons through the music. Unfortunately, that won’t be enough for me to listen to this again.

Great first album, have listened to this back to front a million times. Classic early rap era Nathan. Can't wait to relisten. 1. Public Service announcement- Album starts with a skit, has been a while since I listened to an album with a skit. It was comforting haha. 2. Kill you- The beat is unreal, classic early 2000's. Definitely one of the sounds that set my brain chemistry for years to come. Song went about 2 minutes too long. Could just be my 2020s brain rot but we get it, you kill people (you don't lol) 3. Stan- An absolute classic, no notes just a banger. Its probably been said a million times but seriously prophetic. Love it. 4.Paul - Skit -not much 5. Who Knew- Honestly what a clap back, this song takes both himself off the pedestal and puts society under a light. Its pretty interesting listening to this album as an adult instead of a 14 year old kid. Its like watching the simpsons as an adult. Listening to eminem with a fully (questionable) developed frontal lobe is like putting 3D glasses on in a movie. 6. Steve Berman - Not much 7. The way I am - This song makes me think the difference between old Em and new em isnt the drugs its the anger the emotion and the struggle. The hook is unreal which is another thing I find the modern Em misses. Honestly this album is so good. 8. The real slim shady -Banger, certified dance floor classic, the words are rubbish and its probably not great for me to bobbing my head along to the terrible things but the turn the mirror on yourself message is still here. Sometimes though you just need to forget all the depth and bob your head along to an all time hook. 9. Remember me - Great beat, songs is boring. Consistent theme in Eminem albums is the (Non-Proof) features being pretty disappointing. I think part of that is the features being worse rappers but also not able to stay on topic like he does. 10. Im back - Rhymes are good, the lack of variation on topics is starting to drag. Beats ok. Not my favourite. 11. Marshall Mathers - Once again the beat is great, the rhymes are great and I can see why I loved this shit when I was a teenager it just carries on a bit. A criticisim I often see of new albums is of extended track lists but this is 18 deep and about 6 of these are the same (Great) song. Pretty bitter and the homophobia and misogyny is starting to weigh it down. 12. Ken Kaniff - Gross 13. Drug Ballad - Finally a different topic (Kind of) and it bangs. 14. Amityville - Boring, no offense to Bizarre but he sucks 15. Bitch Please 2- Classic, Classic, Classic. More of a Chronic era Dre song then an Eminem song. Just slaps. 16. Kim- The song is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and does. I can feel myself wanting to skip it the entire time. Some of the other reviews commented on how intense it must have been making it and I can't even imagine. I do think there has to be some critique of the actual song at some point though, its not actually enthralling or capturing. Its kind of like stepping on lego not the feeling you get pressing on a bruise. 17Under the influence - Ready for the album to end at this point, we get it we can suck your dick. The writing is unreal the beats are still great its just the same shit over and over again. If this was song 7 instead of 17 I would be raving about it. 18 Criminal - I knew this was coming at the end of the album. All timer, absolutely floats on this beat. Glad the album finishes on this makes sure it ends on a 4/5. FT; The album has obvious issues. Its too long, its beats the life out of a few dead horses for shock value and its features are very hit and miss. It is an all time great rap album though. The beats are amazing (Thanks Dre), he is still flowing rather than just trying to get as many cool rhymes in as he can and the commentary (When you sift through the bullshit) is poignant and has depth. I really like this album and Im glad I still think its a classic after all these years.

I enjoyed it definitely some bangers but got a little boring after a while and a bit repetitive but overall a good album :)

Starts amazingly strong. Songs and skits banger after banger after banger. The second half’s drags a tiny bit and the homophobia and misogyny do not age well. Ending with criminal is a high note. Can’t give 5 because of the aging poorly. Would give 4.5 so have to go with 4. Just short of a masterpiece. First half is like 5.5 stars

good when youre in the mood

Excellent

331/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

#556. Some of it may not have aged well, but Eminem was so iconic at the time it's easy to overlook it. The songs themselves are pretty fucking good. 4/5: great.

Oh Eminem, couple of bangers on this one.

A solid rap album! I finished most of this album. For me it feels like something I have to be in the mood for but that’s just me. ‘The Real Slim Shady’ will always be a bop but some other tracks that stood out for me were ‘Bitch Please II’ and ‘Under the Influence.’ I would listen to this again if I was in the mood for it and recommend it to others!

What a waste of talent and production on this pile of hot garbage lyrics. Not for me.

Holy Jesus! The rudeness!

Horror-core HipHop. Again with Slim Shady. First time around this had a kind of freshness to it.

Too much swearing. Why is it so long?

I just love this album. Had happened to buy it vinyls a few days before. Brings back memories from college days

awesome, loved it. old shady og boss man

Second track 30 seconds in is enough to know this is shit. Probably what Andrew Tate listens to.

Peak Album with a very sad story in it

Typical Slim Shady. The flow is still incredible and kicks ass. Would have been better with fewer songs though.

Em is vexing. He's very good, and very bad, and I think he thinks the bad elevates the good, and I don't agree.

He's creative with words, his flow is one of the best, the beats are some of Dr Dre's best. If only he had something interesting to say. But no. He likes to brag how he's an arrogant sexist homophobic drugs addict and that it's alright because he's from a dysfunctional family. Really? What a waste of talent.

Too much incest. Was tempted to give it some more stars for that track of just dudes sucking each other off

A tough listen, it’s clearly a young man processing through difficult relationships he has with his mother and the mother of his child. But as a women it’s a little hard to listen to the violence directed at women. Also, lyrically he’s insanely talented flow is amazing, but the pitch of his voice I can only listen to so many songs in a row before I need to pause. In the end it’s a good album but it’s not really for me

Garbage, 1 star or F-.

Nah

Fine. Not my thing.

I'd outgrown this when it came out, when I was 16, because it's puerile and silly, and there's little of redeeming value. Having said that, I do think - for all its memeability - Stan is a very good, well constructed and quite thoughtful song. It's annoying in a way, because he's clearly capable, but chooses not to bother.

Classic

I once watched The Exorcist in a student halls common room. When the spinny head shenegans started, someone laughed and the whole room disolved into giggles. The film became the best comedy I'd seen all year. This album is a bit like that. It's so violent and shocking that it's comedic. Like Tom and Jerry the sound effects and lyrics become meaningless and funny. There is some great wordplay on here too and the tunes are listenable. The only problem with albums like this (and films and games) is that some non-level headed people can't handle them and take them too seriously (a fact that is aluded to in some of the lyrics). That's when it gets a bit dangerous (like the nut job Stan). So a wider social question is should this/that sort of stuff be banned? Anyway, that's getting too deep. I quite liked it - but then (I think) I'm normal.

I gave this a chance, I really did, but seriously, what the fuck is wrong with him. Half the songs I had to skip cause they were just disgusting and cringy. The only reason why this album isn't a 1 is thanks to Stan... what a brilliant track. Other than that it's very hard to find anything good to say about this album.

HipHop rap, 00s. Classic rap album. Lyrical

I’ll start with the positives, which include masterful beats by Dr. Dre and an unrivaled command of the English language in rap by Eminem. Those elements nearly redeem this album from its sexism, homophobia and violence that have aged like milk. Teenage edgelords may still unite around this juvenile irreverence, but I find it grating.

3 - An improvement for me, but why is there always dick sucking in these albums. Also some very intrusive thoughts that probably shouldn't be voiced

Eminem didn't fall-off. He and his music have just aged poorly. This album sounds like a stroppy teenager. Its so immature - who ever thought that the homophobia and misogyny on show here was cool? Its so obviously uncool that I feel quite embarrassed listening to it. Its only shocking in how cringey it is. The beats stank of early 2000s bling era too - they are quite awful. The skits are predictably atrocious. The main problem with them I guess is that Eminem isn't funny. Songs like Kim where Eminem does various cartoony voices are so annoying. It's weird. Is he trying to be taken seriously or to make a joke? They just fall in odd places in between, I don't like it. And then this album has Stan which is simultaneously so out of place but so perfectly in place for this album. Its weird. But I guess this is Eminem's best song, so overall I think this is still better than The Slim Shady LP. 2.2/5

Lyrics that have not been heard before didn’t even know I wanted

Aged so poorly. Catchy as hell, but damn is it homophobic and violent.

Every song is packed with great lyrics Some good stories and themes. Started to feel tiresome by the last third. Will probably relisten to a handful of songs

Not a fan

It was interesting to listen to this album again after close to 25 years. Certainly I have heard the singles in the interim but not the entire album. For one I am glad that “skits” seem to be a thing of the past. Secondly it’s interesting to remember the controversy around some of the songs and think how those would be different now. Some things have become more permissible and others much less. I wonder if someone hearing this for the first time could be more upset by the challenging lyrics or is it more recognized as shock for shocks sake after many more similar artists, interviews, discord about it. The album itself still sounds strong, the rhymes clever and the delivery novel. It should be heard at least once.

that was pretty edgy

It's a bad good album. I don't really like it. Will I listen to again: 1%

I'm struggling with this one more than I thought I would. I already had The Slim Shady LP, which I rated a 4, expecting to rate The Marshall Mathers LP an easy 5 because childhood me remembers it being better. And it is better. The production is better, his skills as a rapper are better, but as a teen I did not realize how much he complains about being famous and how annoying that is. Listen, when we're talking about Eminem's lyrics, I know there are worse things than that. Much worse. But I was prepared and expected them because I remember those songs. But half the tracks seem like there's at least one line where he complains about fame or being recognized or something like that. And the skits. Good lord. I hate skits on rap albums but Eminem always seemed to have the most obnoxious ones. With all that being said, this is a fantastic album that really changed the game. I remember staying up late listening to the radio to hear "Stan" for the first time. I remember before the song even came out there was so much hype around it and how it was groundbreaking. The Dido "Thank You" sample was absolutely perfect in it. For a period of time, "Stan" was almost profound in early 2000s rap. Eminem performing it at the Grammy's with Elton John was a huge cultural moment. "Stan" kind of makes me cringe a little as an adult, but the impact it had at the time cannot be ignored, and it's still one of the best tracks on the album. Even though I don't vibe with Eminem much anymore because as an adult the angry, bitter lyrics just don't do it for me, "Kill You" is still one of my go-to songs to listen to when I'm mad, and I still remember all the words. "Bitch Please II," "Amityville," and "Criminal" still stand out all these years later, and I appreciate "The Way I Am" so much more as an adult than I did when I was younger, because back then I largely found it boring. And "The Real Slim Shady" remains such a banger. I can't be mad at anyone who hates this album because of the lyrics. Some of them are bad, and shocking, and listening to "Kim" for the first time as an adult was honestly painful. Even when I was trying to be an edgy teen, I knew that song was too much, and it's even worse now. I've been putting lyrics aside for the most part in this challenge, but this album puts that to the test in a way even the Slim Shady LP didn't. I really thought this was be an easy 5 stars for me, but it's not. I'm still giving it a 5 because I'm rounding up from a 4.5, but I'm really seeing the cracks in this album as an adult. With that said, though, Eminem is so good and so talented on this record, and it was such a cultural milestone. And it made a huge impression on me when I was young in a way most albums, even ones I loved, didn't. It's shocking. It's violent. It's of it's time and yet not at all. Some of the most challenging lyrics you'll ever come across, but some of the most talented rapping you'll ever hear. This is 5 stars, but probably the most difficult of all the ones I've given a 5 to so far.

Listened Before? N This has GOT to be one of the most controversial albums on this list- just due to the "love or hate" it factor. Listen - some of the things Em says here are brutal, disgusting, murderous and insensitive.... that's the freaking point folks. Anyone who downrates this album because they think he's being serious is completely missing the point. This is one of the most skillfully made shock albums of all time - while also being one of the most skillfuly made rap albums of all time. Dr. Dre is a master of his craft. Eminem is one of the best rappers (skill wise) of all time. There is no debate. If eminem trolled you into being mad about this album he did exactly what he was hoping he would. Also - GenZ-ers and young millennials who don't remember the year 2000- you had to be there. It made lots of sense at the time.

10/10

This is probably going to be my favorite album on the entire list. Of Eminem's albums, I prefer The Eminem Show over this one, but this is still an incredible album. It was released at the perfect time for me. Just before summer, towards the end of my junior year of high school. I couldn't get enough of this album, I've listened to it so many times. This album pretty much defines my senior year. Eminem's vocal style is just a treat to hear. Yes, the content can be very juvenile and hateful. I don't excuse him for it. But the way he raps is amazing, the rhymes, the wordplay, I just love it. He has two styles I really love. One is the "I don't give a fuck about anything" voice which is fun to hear just let loose and go off rapping. The Real Slim Shady is a good example of this one. The other one is my favorite. It's where it feels like he's trying to stay calm, but you can hear the rage underneath. The Way I Am and Marshall Mathers show that one off well. I couldn't listen to this one like I usually do, just at home while working or whatever. Needed to crank it loud in the car. I had such a blast listening to this, brought me right back to high school, driving around with my friends. Almost every song is a 5. Not a bad song on the entire thing. (I'm ignoring the short skits, they're mostly whatever, not really a plus or a minus). I normally don't write something for every song, but I had to for this one. Public Service Announcement 2000: 5 Ok, I lied, I'm not ignoring every skit. This one is great, sets the tone for the whole album. Kill You: 5 One of my favorites from the album, the words just flow so nicely. So much good rhyming and wordplay. A bold one to start off with, the words are a bit, well, harsh. But a solid song. Stan: 5 Wow, what a song. The story he tells is sad and troubling, and it's something that could possibly happen. The word "stan" is even used today to mean a very avid fan of something. As the verses go on, you can hear the Stan character getting more and more unhinged, and then Eminem comes in as himself in the last verse and finishes it off. Love it. Who Knew: 5 More good wordplay and rhyming. The Way I Am: 5 This one goes so hard. The way he has to deal with both fans and critics loving and hating him. And the beat is just so good. The Real Slim Shady: 5 The song that really blew up from this album. So enjoyable to listen to. Pretty funny as well, this is just pure fun. Remember Me: 4 The only non 5 song on this album. It's still fairly good, just doesn't hit quite as nice as the other ones. Eminem's verse is great, of course, but the other two verses are mediocre. I'm Back: 5 Even more good wordplay and rhyming. Nice beat as well. Marshall Mathers: 5 A slower song, still goes hard. The music and beat are nice, and Eminem keeps up his wordplay. When I first heard it, couldn't get enough, played it on repeat. Drug Ballad: 5 Great sound, the music and beat are nice and the vocal flow is fun. And the words shed a light on drug addiction and how it can affect your life and be hard to get away from. Amityville: 5 Another fun song. Eminem's verses are great, more good wordplay and rhyming. Bizarre's verse is also fun, if a bit, well, explicit. Even more so than some of the other stuff on this album. Bitch Please II: 5 Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and Nate Dogg? Hell yeah. Every one of them bring their own style to this track, and it all comes together nicely. Such a good microcosm of West Coast 90s gangsta rap. A lot of fun to listen to. Kim: 5 This is a hard one to listen to. I heard it when it first came out, and I listened to it this time for this review, but it's the only one I skip when normally doing a listen. It's still a good song, you can hear the pain and anger in his words. The scenario is unfortunately something that can and does happen, and this song is a window into that situation. Under The Influence: 5 Eminem's verse is excellent. All of D12's verses are good too, each member bringing their style. Fun song. Criminal: 5 Yet more good wordplay and rhyming. Ending out on a solid song. Like the way he starts off the song talking about how you need to separate the song lyrics from the man himself, but then ends the talk with him going right back into the Slim Shady persona. Best song was so hard to pick because there are so many good ones. Top three are Stan, The Way I Am, and The Real Slim Shady. I'll give the nod to The Way I Am, but on any given day it could go to any of them. Best song: The Way I Am

Stan and The Real Slim Shady are excellent. Don’t *love* all the gay slurs on Marshall Mathers or the skit in the middle. It’s very of the time it was produced. Really hated the track Kim. Idk how I feel about this as a whole

As depraved as possible and for that it succeeds. No one really rhymes like Eminem, in both a good and terrible way. Standout track is “Stan”, a song that eternally defines the relationship between art and consumer. I wish the album had more Dido.

Lots of adjectives for this album, sophomoric, misogynist, homophobic, nihilistic, disturbing, psychotic, troublesome. Was going to give it a two star until Kim and Under the Influence stripped away a star - I would have taken way all the stars if I could. Oh another adjective came to mind - deplorable.

2000 I was 11 and had just got my first phone, a Nokia 3210. For a couple of pounds – still then a significant enough amount to warrant the request of special permission from mum – you could have a monophonic ringtone sent over and installed. My pick was “Stan”, which I proudly touted around the neighbourhood of a symbol of my maturity (a phone and a ringtone from a sweary song by that sweary man). I think the aura lasted about a week. By then Dido had released “Thank you” as a single and, yeah, I had a Dido ringtone. £2 was nothing to be sniffed at, so the ringtone stayed. (Eminem first heard “Thank You” on the Sliding Doors soundtrack; perhaps not a coincide that “Stan”’s cleverness hinges, then, on a sense of “what could have been”.) It’s strange, given how complicated the contents of this record are, that the memories it conjures are totally uncomplicated ones; memories and feelings common, I’d assume, to 12 year old boys in 2000. Things like the Gadget Shop in Meadowhall, full of plasma globes, 3D pin art boards and robotic dogs doing backflips; excitement over the UEFA Champions League, where impossibly cool concepts like “Marcelo Salas” and “Inter Milan” dominated (if I could bottle the feeling that would sweep over me as the Anthem played before a game… ); holidays in the Canary Islands where I’d karaoke Eminem while my sister covered the Dido parts; McDonalds in the town centre with mates on the weekend. I have to be honest. Listening to Eminem say straight-forwardly reprehensible things stirs in me an awkwardly comforting nostalgia. It isn’t the monophonic ringtone pulled from a song about obsession and matricide I’m nostalgic for, though, it’s the monoculture from where it came. And not that particular monoculture, not at all. Just the general sense of shared experience. Eminem was outrageous. He dominated the discourse with an artistic vision so well honed, rehearsed and genuinely compelling that it’s difficult to imagine a 21st century without his influence. Equally, it’s impossible to listen to the 20th century from where he was speaking and not feel some severe cultural cringe. That tension cannot be ignored when listening to an album like this; it shouldn’t be apologised for or excused. Across this record, Eminem’s sometimes ironic, sometimes convenient appropriation of the “reluctant superstar” trope (ciao, Cobain) combines charismatically with his ear for excellent production (either his own, or his collaborators’). And while the lyrical themes may more than justify their parental advisory sticker – you have to say he’s consistent. This is a tone poem of a total breakdown that doesn’t care who it takes down with it (but in fact takes everyone involved in to the very top, critically and commercially). Eminem shocked the world. It’s a shame really that the only people who can command that sort of attention today are committing atrocities. Who knows, maybe the monoculture had its uses. Or maybe I just want a time machine. Damn.

Public service announcement had me dying of laughter. Say what you want about this album, it has a lot of character. Super strong late 90s/early 2000s vibes. Eventually it got a bit repetitive for me

For me Eminem is unique in his genre. I like the way he plays with the words and raps about heavy themes. Some songs are a bit too dark. The collabs with some other rappers weren’t necessary, but overall a great album. It’s hard to choose some favourites because it feels like an album where the songs are connected and even tough some songs are great on its own, they are part of the whole album story.

думаю любителям репа очень понравилось бы, но я (рокер) не в восторге.

Tricky one, his talent is truly exceptional. He hasn't hurt anyone in real life. His career was driven as an antithesis to the manufactured boy/girl groups. However, the misogynistic and homophobic language feels from another era entirely and I find I don't vibe with it the way I once did.

No thanks

I wanted to hate this album more than I ended up doing. Some of his lyrics are still super misogynistic and homophobic though. Stan is a good song. The skits and jokes are stupid. I'm confused. Kim is one of the songs I'm the most on the edge about. It's either a masterpiece or the most horrible, wife-abusing piece of shit I've ever heard. I guess I'll go with my system as usual: -1 star for innovation. -Half star for lyrics. Some stuff is great and some stuff is just plain awful. -1 star for instrumental/voice quality. His flow is nice. -0.5 stars for a good album mix. I don't care about the stupid skits. -1 full star for catchiness. Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? Overall: 3.5 stars .

5/5

bad

I became a rap fan towards the end of middle school (circa early 2010's.) As a Midwestern privileged white kid, you would think Eminem and I would be a match made in heaven- which was the case for many of my peers. Truthfully, I really never gave Eminem a shot. Heard him on the radio, but avoided him in pretty much every other respect. To me, he was the fox wearing, monster drinking, type of rapper, and my preppy adjacent sensibilities couldn't jive with it. However, listening to this- I have a much greater appreciation for Eminem. Can't say I love the super aggression, and the slurs/horror core rap is sometimes pretty intense. Topically this is pretty foreign, but I suppose I could say that for a majority of albums I do enjoy in the rap genre. Where this project shines is in the melodies, rap flows, and the instrumentals. The hooks are catchy, the content is original as hell, and Eminem is not afraid to be himself and piss of the masses. Wouldn't say I am a fan of Eminem, but I can say that I definitely have missed out not listening to this album prior to today.

Not my cup of tea but still love Eminem!

25 years hasn’t let this age well. This album in its day brought a legion of angsty young white men to relate to an album mired in homophobia and misogyny. Stan is an all right track, but musically this does very little and lyrically it’s offensive.

Musically I really enjoy this album. Eminem has a great rapping voice. He has a way of building tension with a delivery that has tons of manic energy and it makes the songs explode. Now for the elephant in the room. Lyrically this album is why women choose the bear every fucking time. What the fuck Marshall?

5 stars and I never want to hear this album again.

So so

Rap music is not really something that I listen to. It was interesting to hear about a man who was uncomfortable and struggling with fame. Just not really my type of music.

A true gem by my standards as someone who doesn't listen to or gravitate to this genre. The depth of this album is just okay, but the all the great tracks hold this up. Bonus points for Eminem being one of the few rappers of which I can clearly understand the lyrics.

Holy christ two songs with listens in the BILLIONS on spotify. Way more of a fan of the gentle eminem than the aggro eminem, crazy amount of homophobia, pretty over it half way through

This is a classic album, both in content and in ways some of the content has not aged well. Balancing my memories of listening to this in my CD player on the bus to school against the high level of homophobic language used is an exercise in containing multitudes. That aside, it's got a few too many tracks, and I'm glad we've moved away from having skits. Let the music do the talking!

I'm not sure all elements of this record aged well. I think I can admit this was probably groundbreaking for the time, although cannot say fully why. It oscillates between mega-hits and stinkers. He spends too much time tripping over himself to say even more offensive and shocking things.

eh. Eminem is truly talented and has impeccable flow but he's just not my thing

1/14, 7%

Poor choice bro.

Problematic in 2025

Sound of my school life basically, this, 3001 and slipknots debut album probably. I do prefer the slim shady lp but this is still iconic. Everything this lad touched turned to gold for years but shame he's still peddling the same sound now 25 years later when raps moved on. High 5.

Nope. I hate this fucker. I know it's his best album. I don't care. I've heard plenty from this record, clearly his one of his most introspective albums, but still full of that shock-for-shock's sake shit he deals in. I know he's influential- but I'd aver it's mostly for the worse in the culture that he ever had any career at all. Burn it.

Previously rated: The Slim Shady LP (2/5) ***************************** The opening skit gives you a great idea what you're going to get. A load of disgusting garbage from a depraved mind. Some of it was creative, yeah, so? It doesn't make up for the awfulness. I felt ill after listening to this. Hopefully no more on this list.

I have always enjoy Eminem, aside from that Recovery album, LOVED listening to this again.

I’ve never been an Eminem fan. After listening to this album, I’m still not an Eminem fan. It’s just not for me. I recognize the talent that he has but him music just doesn’t speak to me.

2 classics if I truly turn off my brain and try not to think about how violent this album and his content is. Misogynistic. Homophobic. Good to leave in the past.

Não sou muito adepto ao rap, mas ver grandes produções assim, o artista tirando melodias incríveis, é de se admirar.

The music and beats are great. The delivery is among the best in the business. But this is one situation where I can't avoid paying attention to the lyrics and it's just too vulgar for me to really enjoy.

Intro to my 160,000 Word Essay "Does Marshall Mather Matter?": Ok. So, Eminem is a generational talent who is capable of crazy word play and, yes, he has mellowed over the years and expressed regret about some of the views expressed in his early albums. Also, I understand that there can be value in expressing your darkest thoughts and fantasies as a way to vent them from your system. But, the question remains: How much interest do I have in climbing down into the muck and wallowing with Eminem while he fantasizes about beating and murdering women and gay people and raping and impregnating his own mom? How much can be forgiven as art or free speech expression, and how much is tacitly approving of the hate and action this might encourage in people who could have similar thoughts and views, and might be encourage to act on them. Let's dig in, shall we.

Man, some of these songs are seriously amazing - catchy, clever, blisteringly honest - and they're utterly taken down by the not funny nor truly sarcastic misogyny and homophobia. Never heard an album I enjoyed so much yet never want to listen to again.

That this album was so controversial so as to go in front of congress is quaint in this day and age. Skits are always stupid af. Kim made me incredibly physically uncomfortable. Some good songs, 4* Highlights: stan (probably the first fucked up song I heard as a tween in the early 00s), the way that i am, real slim shady

The songwriting and arrangements on this album are brilliant but the violence, misogyny and homophobia made it a hard listen. I don't think this album has aged well, it's frankly, quite juvenile. Before we get into a discussion about the character in the songs is not the same person as the artist, or these are just stories or whatever, there's no nuance or teaching moment here, it's just violence.

La deluxe ha anche le tracce solo strumentali che, per quanto possano essere ripetitive, sono godibilissime Promosso a pieni voti come tutti gli altri album di Eminem

Not bad.. for Hip Hop

The album was undeniably a cultural zeitgeist and I was a massive fan in high school because... I was in high school in the early 2000s. I despise this now. His cleverness and cultural questioning doesn't justify the raw hatred this man is spewing. I've listened to way more hip hop/rap since high school and there's just SO much out there that is so much better than this album. I gotta say, I really thought "1001 albums to listen to before you die" would base its ratings on "excellent music" and a little less on white boy popularity contest.

is dit het beste hiphop album aller tijden? Zeker niet. Was dit desondanks de soundtrack voor mn jeugd? Nee, ik was eigenlijk net de generatie daarna. Maar ik heb zo ontzettend veel Eminem geluisterd en hij is absoluut verantwoordelijk voor mn liefde voor hiphop dat dit album voor mij persoonlijk bijna alleen maar bangers bevat. Ohja, de Ken Kaniff skit... Wat een drama godver. De muziek verder is echt goed, wel zwaar gedateerd en vol leunend op shock value. Maar Holy shit, Ems flow is echt fantastisch. Luister naar Drug Ballad, hij flowt zo ontzettend soepel daar over de beat, das gewoon echt genieten. Kim is nog altijd een van de beste, heftigste voorbeelden van pure horrorcore. Er is bijna geen nummer dat ongemakkelijker is om te luisteren dan dit. Dit album is voor mij nog altijd generational en gewoon een fantastisch voorbeeld van waarom Eminem tot de GOATs gerekend word. Niet alles is nog even sterk, en nummers als Kim zijn verschrikkelijk, maar het past in die tijdsgeest nog altijd. Ik ben niet helemaal objectief, want Eminem is absoluut de eerste artiest waar ik echt fan van was. Maar toch, is dit een welverdiende 4 steren voor mij! FAVO: Kill you, Stan, Who knew, The Way I Am, The real slim shady, Im back, Drug Ballad, Bitch please 2, Criminal

Some of this is hard to hear now that I’m older (though to be honest “Kim” felt weird as a kid too). But Eminem is locked in for this album, even Shakespearean at moments (like “The Way I Am.”).

This album changed everything! Eminem is the GOAT

Slim Shady self reflecting on his persona, toxic fandom, and the unintentional effects his lyrics have on people who don't understand that it's not meant to be taken seriously. And also, it's still incredibly violent, misogynistic, and homophobic. Eminem has undeniable talent. His use of different rhyme schemes is impressive. And he drops so many memorable bars. Dre's production here is great. It screams 2000, but it's still very solid. All that being said, the content is ROUGH. I didn't really like it when it came out, and it's still hard to listen to now.

This guy sure has a potty mouth! If you can ignore the lewd, rude n’ crude things he says he does have a good flow and a natural ability for creative rhymes. I would’ve been fine if a good half hour of this had been lobbed off, especially since so many of the songs cover the same topic of people not respecting him enough. I had fun listening to this as a time capsule of pop culture in 2000 but can’t see myself ever coming back. In terms of ranking the rap albums so far on this list, I would much rather listen to this than Gang Starr but Wu Tang is still leading the pack. Standout - “The Real Slim Shady” is a catchy ass song. Mother of God… - “Ken Kaniff”

Have you ever been around a kid who just learned a naughty word? The first time they say it, it gets a rise out of you. Then they say it a hundred more times and it’s just annoying. It’s been a while, and I’d kinda forgotten how ridiculous this 2000s shock rap is. At this point in my life it’s not shocking, just rather silly. And mean-spirited. Eminem has/had some talent and Dre’s production is quality. There’s some real pathos buried in here, but it’s undercut with teenage murder fantasies and insults. I’m not looking forward to listening to this again.

“Hee hee my mom would be so angry if she knew I was listening to this! I’m so edgy!” Stan is pretty good though, but mostly because of Dido

Enjoyed this album, a few big tunes on there, and those I didn't know were alright as well.

I don't like or get this type of music apart from Stan there isn't anything here for me. Also, the "Skits" are annoying as hell

There’s something really gay about extreme homophobia isn’t there? I liked some songs to an extent. Was enjoying Stan but the ending beat me over the fucking head in the most obnoxious way I ended up hating it. Part of me feels like Eminem thinks his fans are morons and enjoys fucking with them.

Its HIM. Eminem just delivers every fucking time man. So good

Haven’t listened in a while. So good

Well, I liked it back then in my Teens. I did not even understand half he sang. Today the rap is good, but why listen to him insulting each and every one? Why waste my time with this aged hate?

The Marshall Mathers LP is a much better album than The Slim Shady LP but it is still not very good. Instead of just having bad songs (with the occasional hint of something decent) this album is somewhat more of a mixed bag with it actually having some good songs. The instrumentals have gotten a slight upgrade from the last album with none of them being overly annoying and actually having a structure. The rapping has improved a little bit too in some songs where in others, it remains overly cringey. This album is not good, don't get me wrong here, but if you gave me the option between listening to this and The Slim Shady LP, then i would pick this album any day of the week. Best Song: The Way I Am Worst Song: Under The Influence

dont like eminem i just dont think white people should rap

This was an experience. The lyrics are what they are, and it gets beyond uncomfortable at points. But sonically, this thing is front to back bops, which is the primary reason for this rating.

irrelevant

This album really was the emergence of Eminem and Slim Shady as we knew him. The Real Slim Shady was an anthem that I think had the greatest impact when he and a mafia full of bleach-blonde white dudes, and muscle shirts walked in to the VMAs and shot to the world. But behind the shock value, there are also some deeper songs such as the Way I Am, and the tragic storytelling of Stan. It’s also hard to dislike the song ****** Please II with Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Xzibit. Overall, this album is definitely a classic, especially in the Rap world.

Random thoughts: * "Kill You" has an awesome beat. If this could have been made into a clean version, I guarantee this would have been a huge hit. This is my favorite Eminem track. Despite the lyrics. * He channels some serious fury onto tape. "The Way I Am" is so good because you can feel his energy coming through the headphones. Meanwhile, "Kim" is just crazy scary. I wonder how he was able to actually record that. I forgot how crazy that track was. * So many tracks that I forgot about but were fun to listen to: ""Remember Me?" (love the RBX flashback which is still one of my favorite tracks from The Chronic), "Drug Ballad", and "I'm Back". * Overall, this is the best Eminem album in my opinion. This was insane when it came out. Still remember people talking about this album so much!

Stereotypical post massive fame album though young boy has got a little more insight than most into his situation and the world that made it possible. Anyway mostly more of the same from the other one on the list but some nice production, variety, and he is undeniably at the top of his powers. Brings his friends along too. Would that he could properly turn his tongue on the world, but latest releases are undeniably not at this top of his powers.

I remember buying this when it came out and I was like... 9 or something. I had only heard 'The Real Slim Shady' before, but on the way home my mom wanted to listen to it in the car just to see what it was about, and let's just say it was a bit rougher than I expected. She was very nice and didn't judge me or get angry, but I still got so ashamed about all the foul language that I sold it to a friend. Good times. Now, to the music. This type of music is definitely hard to review today. Just like with some of Dre's albums, I don't think you'd get away with making an album like this today. Hiding behind his alter ego Slim Shady is not an excuse to project all the misogynism, sexism, homophobia that you get here. In that sense, it has aged really, really badly. At the same time, the rapping is extremely tight and many songs are definitely timeless classics. The first part is the strongest, with some real bangers like 'Stan', 'The Way I Am', and 'The Real Slim Shady'. 'Kill You', 'Who Knew', 'Under The Influence', and 'I'm Back' are also good songs, though not of the same calibre. The latter half is not as strong, which coincidentally is also not produced by Dr. Dre. And let's not go into details on 'Kim'... Jesus Christ. It's baffling enough to imagine how someone can make a song like that, but then to release it is as well? Insane. And then there's all the skits, which just like on Dre's records, are really juvenile and just stupid. Something that can only be made up by an immature teenage boys club for sure. Despite all of its flaws, I still think this is a 5 star record. It's just all over the place, and it certainly evokes strong emotions - both good and bad. The record is very well produced and sounds incredible, and so does Eminem. I also shouldn't downplay just how good the good songs are. And even though it's ugly in a lot of places, is is interesting to go on the trip this album takes you on and experience something quite more rough and different than your average 70s vanilla rock album.

What a mixed bag. Part infantile shock rap, part introspective and part joke rap. The infantile shock rap feels very dated. I guess around 2000 it could be edgy to hear this stuff on the radio/CD but now when one can just read whatever on the internet the titillation of hearing about someone wanting to have sex with their parents just sounds lame. It’s just the internet. The introspective rap really shines, “The way I am” is a great and poignant song, so is “Stan”. Stan goes to a quite dark place and shines a dark light on what fandom can do. While “Stan” is an uncomfortable and dark listen, “Kim” just crosses the line. Maybe it is that it names Eminem’s ex wife specifically but I mean come on. An explicit murder fantasy about your ex is just unsettling and shocking. I think it’s the most uncomfortable I’ve been listening to a song since “Polly” by Nirvana. Lastly the jokes are hit and miss. The beats are really great and Eminem’s raps are incredible. One of my favourite lines is from “The real slim Shady”: “Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell records. Well, I do, so fuck him and fuck you too”. It’s just a great and childish line. The highs are really high on this album but the lows are pretty damn low. Also the second half just falls off a cliff, it’s an incredibly front loaded album. The guest raps are also pretty bad and really just showcases how much better Eminem is. While an argument can be made that this is both homophobic and sexist, I always feel like the shock-value is the most important and I’m prepared to give this a pass. Going to settle for a 4 star on this. It could’ve been a 5 but without the hits it could also been a 1.

Lemivem? Eller var det Femifem? Oavsett vad så är det ganska bra.

The beats are fantastic independent of the lyrics. His flow and rhymes are incredible

The good stuff is excellent. The slop is really sloppy. I never really got into Eminem, even though I am probably the ideal age and perfect demographic for him- light skinned guy from the suburbs. Public Service Announcement 2000 Kill You Stan- yuuuup- great cut from Dido, great story, great passion- he is at his best when he is looking at the world differently Paul Who Knew- Eminem makes interesting points about people being hypocrites, but a lot of times it just feels like he is excusing his own behavior Steve Berman The Way I Am- what made this a single? The Real Slim Shady- if Eminem had more songs like this, he could be in the conversation for greatest rapper ever. But he doesn't. Remember Me I'm Back Marshall Mathers Ken Kaniff Drug Ballad Amityville- whatever Bitch Please 2- Dr. Dre was never a great rapper, and he got worse over the years- still probably the best ear for beats and sound ever. Nate Dogg may be the voice in hip hop ever. Kim Under the Influence Criminal- wait, another song about how his music shouldn't bemisinterpreted? How many of these will there be? The Kids

Another hard one for me. Musically, this is good, and Eminem has impeccable rhythm, lyrics etc... one can't deny he's an amazing rapper. I also like the music with a simple yet effective rhythm section. What I like less... even though some of the lyrics are good/autobiographical, why do there need to be the homophobic phrases - I have not been convinced they are "in character". Even without this, why do we need all this a$$holes, d!ck sucking etc... OK maybe this was cool and daring in the 1980s but come on, be a bity more creative. Could be a 4 or a 5 purely for the musicality and influence - but alas.

Dudes corny as hell

Too long, boring and bad hiphop music, but Stan is a Stan(dout).

Belangrijk hiphop album. Tussen mijn 14 en 17 was ik enorm fan van twee artiesten: Eminem en Nirvana (ja, ik koos graag de meest opbeurende songteksten). Dus dit heeft wel een enorm nostalgisch gehalte voor mij. Wijs album met zijn beste nummers dus: The Real Slim Shady, Stan, Kill You, Criminal ... 4.2

this is a classic, no doubt about it. even if you feel a bit oversaturated in terms of eminem's sound (i know i am) and usually prefer different kinds of hiphop this is just undeniable. 8/10

This was fun

I really didn't want to listen to this... I decided to listen to slim shady and leave it at that.

Perfect album!

Ugh. This album came out the same week I turned 14, and I HAD to have it. I loved this album and in hindsight, I have no idea why. The themes in this album don’t hit as hard for a literal child, though. This time around, I couldn’t even make it through the entirety of “Kim” before I had to skip to the next track. If I was just hearing this for the first time, I’d give it a 1. For the nostalgia of the better songs, I’ll give it a 2, but I hated having to listen to this. I was actually relieved when Dr Dre came on in “Bitch Please 2.”

Legendary

3 stars

To my ears the most accessible of his releases (from the 1001 assignment)

A bit one note for me You’re angry. Check. You’re really clever and great with words/lyrics. Check. Great production. Check. Dated throwback from the early 00s where it was cool to be violent and casually misogynistic.

First, I got this on Valentine's Day. Christ! OK, again, as a kid of the 90's - 2000's, OF COURSE I bumped Eminem. What white boy didn't? Even had the 2x12" subs in the truck rattling my car apart. 😂 His third album, but much anticipated after his success of The Slim Shady LP, this is brutally dark and raw, and too much at times. The writing is sharp, but the anger can be exhausting. Not bad, but not always enjoyable. Playlist Additions: - Stan - The Real Slim Shady - Bitch Please II

Listened: 12/02/2025 Album no: 19 % rating: 69% Fave Song: Stan A banger album I listened to LOADS in my youth. Some of this obviously hasn’t aged well but absolutely no one would be surprised at that, some of it has aged well however and sonically it is sounds great. Stan is still such a banger all these years later. Great to return to this one!

Excellent lyricism and production - on a purely musical level, I love this album. Dr. Dre's co-production shines with iconic beats and instrumentals that perfectly match the energy of the vocals. The complex rhyme schemes are impressive and unmatched. While I love the sound of it, the subject matters often felt over the top. Songs like "Kim" reminded me of a 14-year-old on Xbox trying to be as edgy as possible to get attention. Favorite songs were: Marshall Mathers The Real Slim Shady 9/10

I LOVE this album. Obviously some of the lyrics are a little rough in hindsight, but I am not going to let that stop me from appreciating it. The skits are all hilarious. The lyrics are insanely creative. Nobody does it like Shady. It's making me want to dye my hair blond again.

This album has a lot of misogny and homophobia which has aged very poorly. I am not going to lower my score based on this, it is a relic of its time (pretty recent), but it should be acknowledged. At the end of "Kill You" he assures us at he actually loves the ladies, and he has avoided the last decade of cancellations and abuse scandals unscathed, so maybe he was a nicer guy outside the studio. Still says a lot of messed up stuff though. "Stan" is one of the most famous songs ever. The word 'Stan' has fully entered the modern lexicon. It sees more usage than ever to refer to overzealous fans twenty years later. The song itself is sad and hits really hard. I think a nonzero amount of Eminem fans saw themselves in this song. "Who Knew" is an interesting self reflection. I wasn't part of this moment but Eminem experienced a lot of cultural backlash. A lot of people with poorly behaved kids blamed Eminem for making them that way. I don't blame Marshall, who had a very messed up childhood himself, for asking the parents to look at themselves and see if they're as good of parents as they believe. The "Steve Berman" skit makes me laugh out loud. 'You're rapping about homosexuals and vicodin!' Good self awareness in here. "The Way I Am" contains even more refutation of America's parents outrage at Eminem transforming their children. Marshall sure is mad about it. His anger is palpable throughout the record, and you don't here that a lot. "The Real Slim Shady" is incredible. It's laugh out loud funny. 'Will Smith doesn't need to cuss to sell records..." is such an amazing line. There's thirty more lines that funny in this song. Besides Weird Al, I'm not sure I know anyone funnier in music. "Remember Me" is the first song I don't really like. I don't like the concept, it's grating. "I'm Back" is another insane song. 'Please Slim, put down Christopher Reeves' legs!'. That's messed up. but really funny. He isn't battling America's parents anymore, but talking directly to his fellow celebrities. I wonder if he ever met J-Lo after this song came out? The onslaught of cultural references in this song definitely date it. 2001 was a long time ago. "Marshall Mathers" goes really hard. He's got more to say about his fellow celebrities. Some homophobia. He definitely wasn't out to make friends. He's kind of combining his messages from "Who Knew" and "I'm Back". 'I'm not a wrestler guy...' is funny. "Drug Ballad" is an underrated song. The beat is awesome and I love his flow on this song. "Amityville" also doesn't do it for me. "Bitch Please II" is incredible. This could just as easily be on "2001". Every verse is amazing, and the beat is classic Dre. "Kim" is off the rails. "Under the Influence" is another underrated banger. The beat is so amazing, Eminem's flow is pristine and perfectly fits the production. This album is greatness. Dr. Dre and Eminem were a match made in heaven and fused perfectly on this record. There are three songs I don't care for, but the rest are all incredible. Eminem was the greatest rapper on earth for a stretch of time, and this album was part of that. I'm glad he has found more peace and is no longer this angry, but I am at least grateful that he turned all that rage into something this enduringly dope. 10/10

This was good! But less good than I thought it would be. Will only listen to 2-3 tracks again.

A change is coming

Proof that my parents needed to hide both the liquor and the CD player

72 minutes. 72 fucking minutes of a successful famous man whining about the problems of success and fame. Still, it’s well delivered, and the production is clean as - I’m tempted to knock a star off for popularising Dido but that would be churlish. I’m very unlikely to listen to it again, but it wasn’t total shite.

there can't be too many 4* albums where the main content is about beating or murdering your wife

I do enjoy Eminem when he shows up on a Dr. Dre track and he is definitely talented, but I'm just not into the whole joking about kidnapping and abusing women or homophobic schtick. And it got more and more disturbing. The song "Kim" is going to give me nightmares.

Stan ist gut, wenn auch etwas lang und eintönig. Der Rest ist einfach nur Fremdscham. Kim und Under The Influence gehören zu den schlechtesten Liedern, die ich je gehört habe.

Pretty impressive for a hip hop album made by a second century warlord

The singles of this album were part of my childhood and early teens (TRL/MTV era) got into the album, knowing pretty well that this project had more than questionable lyrics, but that 1-2 punch of Kill You and Stan is so great that it is almost forgivable. If only the second half of the album didn't feel so damn dragging. Ken Kaniff is one skit too much on a 70+ minute album. Kinda wished that this album came after License to Ill instead of Sinatra in between them. 7/10 Whoever told Em to write The Way I Am and Real Slim Shady after delivering the first draft of the album was the MVP of the project https://youtu.be/eOAiwE48g10

I dunno man, there's flecks of gold in there but it's really hard to listen to in 2025.

he Marshall Mathers LP is a landmark in hip-hop that resonates as a true masterpiece. Eminem’s lyricism on this album is nothing short of extraordinary—every line is meticulously crafted with wit, raw emotion, and biting social commentary. I absolutely love how his lyrics cut deep, revealing both his personal struggles and his razor-sharp critique of society. One of the most impressive aspects of this album is Eminem’s flow. His delivery is fantastically fluid and dynamic, shifting effortlessly from rapid-fire verses to more deliberate, contemplative moments. Whether he’s spitting out intricate rhymes or pausing for dramatic effect, his flow keeps you hooked from start to finish. Tracks like “Stan” and “The Way I Am” showcase this prowess perfectly, where his cadence and timing elevate the storytelling to an almost cinematic level. The production throughout The Marshall Mathers LP is near perfect. Every beat and sample is carefully layered to complement the narrative. The dark, moody instrumentals set a fitting backdrop for his introspective and often confrontational lyrics. The balance between raw energy and polished production creates an immersive soundscape that pulls you into his world. I find that the seamless blend of innovative beats with his explosive vocal delivery is one of the main reasons the album stands out even years after its release. That said, there are times when the album can feel too aggressive for aggressive's sake. Some moments come off as relentlessly hostile, where the intensity seems dialed up to 11 simply to shock rather than to add substance to the narrative. This hyper-aggression can occasionally overshadow the subtle nuances in his lyrics, making certain passages feel more like a burst of raw anger rather than a carefully crafted expression of his inner turmoil. Despite these minor drawbacks, The Marshall Mathers LP stands out as a monumental work in the world of hip-hop. Its fearless lyricism, fantastic flow, and near-perfect production combine to create an album that feels both intensely personal and universally influential. Even when the aggression borders on overkill, it’s a part of the raw, unfiltered expression that defines the album. For me, this album is nothing less than a masterpiece, a work of art that pushes boundaries and remains as relevant today as it was when it first exploded onto the scene. A well-earned 5/5 stars

Aside from the obvious things that didn't age too well, this is a fucking crazy good album. A bit long - probably could've shaved a few tracks (especially Under the Influence and the Ken Kaniff skit, and most would probably say Kim lol) and it would've been even more impactful imo, or at least to me. The way it transitions from Kill You to Stan to Who Knew is absolutely fucking BONKERS and blew me away, holding my interest for the first half entirely. Second half still overall killer, little filler. No wonder everyone ate this shit up back in the day, and I'm still eatin' good tonight.

Imagine if you will: A white boy in michigan who loves violence. P good production and beats! Stan is very good! Kim is the worst song i've heard on this list by far though! !so women

I am not beating the Eminem fan allegations with this one.

7/10 It’s really good, and I think we’re past the point where annoying white people who don’t listen to Hip Hop keep claiming that this is the greatest Rap album of all time, it’s messy but I respect it a lot. Vulgar Horrorcore imagery, foul humor, genuine introspection, and pure unfiltered intrusive thoughts, that’s what you’re gonna get on this album. Being offended is exactly what Em wants, American audiences have been exposed to the oversaturation of violence, sex, celebrity coverage, conservatism, and media coverage. Now that there’s a pretty white face speaking what the counter culture was thinking, you have to hear whining and bitching from the media and Eminem in 2000. There’s a possibility we might roll this album but I’ll go ahead and say it anyways, I always thought the Slim Shady LP was the better sister album. What made Eminem, particularly “Slim Shady” so successful in both the mainstream and the Hip Hop community is best described by this Dave Chapelle clip FD Signifier (shoutout) used in his “Eminem and the White Rapper Problem” essay. https://youtu.be/XYzXoIF1JjE?si=ngDLttczUQbNUMpO I think the SSLP allows Eminem to be a lot more fun, absurd, grotesque, and ridiculous with his persona in a way that felt a bit less on the nose with what it was obviously doing, I think the Marshal Mathers LP does a bit too much to over explain what the bit is, since he had less attention on him and was a genuine Rap Anti-Hero during this time. Both also have some pretty great production featuring Dre and Em’s best beats. MMLP deserves its praise bit its flaws are blatantly obvious in retrospect. A lot of the humor is very dated, relies too much on gross out jokes and shock value for the sake of sounding mean, some songs where he’s talking down to you, couple of dogshit fearures, and truthfully some embarrassing moments where he shows too much of his intrusive thoughts and revenge fantasies, as much as we can respect how vulnerable and honest they are as an outlet for him. Eminem eventually followed up these sister albums with two albums of varying quality, MMLP2 which is a solid album in concept but ultimately fails because of his fixation on technicality and abuse of high IQ puns/dad jokes, sounding like a constipated robot now, and The Death of Slim Shady, which has the same problems but this time about cancel culture and how you couldn’t make a Slim Shady album today because everyone is too sensitive or whatever. But that kinda doesn’t mean anything now in an era where one of the biggest rappers on the planet is an attention whore down on his knees for Hitler, I promise you, no one cares that you said the R slur anymore Slim, you’re like 50 now, Nas is dropping better shit than you now, you have no excuse. It goes to show how far down Eminem has fallen today when he continues to live in the shadow of these two albums in the larger canon of Hip Hop while his white mediocrity continues to keep him afloat in the mainstream. Thank God we have Danny Brown to actually pick up the ball Em fumbled with XXX. Anyways, favorite track would probably be uhhh Ken Kaniff

7/10 lot of good stuff here, some bad stuff here. 2-07-2025

Kind of insane. Like very good musically and awesome production but super angry music and I don’t know if I like how it makes me feel. Probably will listen to some of these songs again.

Motherfucking rap!

Despite not being a fan of 90s hip hop I've got a lot of time for Eminem. I like his multiple personas (little bit Bowie-esque), his rhymes are very clever, he's definitely got an ear for a good sample, and he's undeniably influential. That said, this is the second Eminem album I've listened to now and the second I haven't enjoyed. There are some really good tracks (The Real Slim Shady, Bitch Please II) but there are also some I hated (Remember Me, Kim), and others that were ruined by attempts to shock with violence, misogyny and homophobic slurs. Then there are the awful skits that unnecessarily pad the album out to a bloated 72 minutes. And no, Eminem, I'm not going to suck your cock because I don't like your music.

A difficult one to rate. Put gently idk if I can relate to all the imagery? But it’s told in such an intuitive way esp in the more narrative based songs. And honestly it feels endearingly emotionally authentic? This album feels like when you have a DMC with a proper wrongun’ at the end of the night and you’re glad you have a story but never want to see them again

A lot of homophobia in the lyrics. Also I stopped listening during the song ‘Kim’ because that was a horrible experience.

Forgot how much weird shit is on this one. Couple bangers though

The Marshall Mathers LP is the Follow up to the Slim Shady LP, when Eminem had to confront commercial success and media controversy inspired by the violent, misogynistic and homophobic lyrical content of his debut. The rapper's response was to double down on his antisocial persona with "Kill You" while simultaneously calling out the hypocrisy of parents who expect popular culture to be a babysitter in their absence. "Kill You" is followed immediately by the Dido sampling radio single "Stan" which inspired a millennial slang about toxic and pathological celebrity worship. "Who Knew" reflects on Eminem's rags to riches story while reflecting on "how much damage can one pen do?" His flow is prodigious and the production is much better than the debut, and after revisiting his debut I feel like the homophobic content protested by GLAAD was sort of blown out of proportion.

This man is very, very rude about many people.

Didn't listen to this for a long long time, forgot how violent the album is. Technically the rapping is great, it's fast and well articulated. There is no doubt about the theme of this, it's fuck everybody, I don't care about anything. Dr. Dre did his part regardign beats, the album is pretty tight in that regard, perhaps just a bit repetitive. There are some great songs on this, and there are also some really bad ones. Makes you wonder what could have been if the themes on the album were just a bit less aggressive and hostile towards pretty much everybody (women, homosexuals, other musicians etc.). But then again, maybe that's the reason the album got so famous in the first place. Having said all that, the album is still a classic and for sure worth checking out, both for the music and the context in which it came to be.

I obviously know Eminem and his many hits, but I don’t think I ever listened to a full album of his so this would be interesting. This is vintage Eminem, using his classic sound of fast rapping of comically violent and outrageous lyrics. Beats are mostly straightforward, and the melody lines are simple and effective. This got a couple of Eminem’s career defining hits - Stan and The Way I Am. The other songs in the album are also good. I personally found it got a bit tedious about midway (I’m Back) but I’m sure that fans of Eminem’s style can enjoy this front to back. This album definitely merits inclusion in this list, being the mainstream breakout of the best selling musician ever. I can’t say that this has become my favorite album or anything. Three stars.

Reminds me of High school, I wasn't a massive hip hop fan back then, as I've grown up I've matured to enjoying bits, this album has some great beats and some very witty lyrics. Thoroughly enjoyed the majority!

Ugh. I don't understand why people like this.

prime

"Car-crash record: loud, wild, dangerous, out of control, grotesque, unsettling", but ultimately captivating" - Rolling Stone magazine's Touré

"The Real Slim Shady" and "Stan" - definitely great hit songs of 00s, but that's is all for me. Not a fan of Eminem rap style

Among all the other great tracks on this album, Stan stands out as the pinnacle of Eminem's career, and is simply one of the greatest rap songs ever written. The Real Slim Shady is another all-timer. However this album had more low points than its predecessor. The lyrics are equally as deranged as the Slim Shady LP, but they feel more malicious and even darker, which makes for an occasionally uncomfortable listen. Favorites: Stan, The Real Slim Shady, Bitch Please II Least Favorites: Remember Me?, Ken Kaniff Skit, Kim

Well I still remember a hell of a lot of these lyrics despite not having listened to it in probably 20 years. I listened to this all the time on the bus in high school after it first came out. I can’t say it aged well, but as a piece of morbid entertainment, it’s entertaining. Helps that enough time has passed to know he is likely not a murderer. I’m not sure he deserves as many Grammies as he has won, but he does have a way with words.

Some songs aged very badly. Some classics

Some classic Eminem hits on this album. Most unfamiliar songs were really fun and different. "Skits" were hit and miss.

Vabbè un classico anche se non mi fanno impazzire i suoi dischi per intero

Didn't age well in some aspects but it's iconic.

I didn't listen because his last album has not aged well lyrically with lyrics of sexual volence and misogyny but I know this has Stan on it so gave it 2 instead of 1.

Legendary. But has aged pretty bad. However this was a genre and social defining moment and deserves a 5 star off that alone

Awful taste, but great execution.

eminem is like the yngwie malmsteen of rap. yes you're very good at the technical skill of rapping, preternaturally good, even. this shit still sucks though

extremely funny to me that this album birthed stan culture. anyway, a bit much for a 7:30am listen. s/o to my childhood friends who heard the rape, homophobia & domestic violence of it all and were like "yeah, this DOES feel like being 11 [flips someone off]"

Boy! This is hard to listen to now. Even at the time all of my friends would be like "it's just Eminem doing his thing" but trulyyyy was it ever good, overall, as an album. I have to admit some of the singles still really hit but this experience as a whole is not enjoyable.

да неинтересно, ну записано норм

So many good songs on here. Em's lyrical flow is what you would expect. Top notch bars with a lot of edge and anger to them. This seems to be around the time he really started to pop and was dealing with fame, exposure, and having a fandom.

Some might say this is peak Eminem. There are a couple of bangers here, but the rest is mid Slim.

Stan left me shocked! I was invested. Still not my thing tho. 2 out of 5.

TDS suffer

This was a great old school hip hop albun

definitely shouldn't listen to this

Aside from a couple hits, Eminem is not someone I enjoy listening to. But I'm reviewing this in the context of an artist who reflected our culture in a way that had never been done and consequently changed our culture so profoundly. We are so careful to be politically correct that we take certain topics and ignore them entirely. This album is like the diary of an 18 year old American boy, completely unfiltered, but also real and relatable for so many. It forces us to confront those topics - the most ugly, terrible parts of our humanity. They are real, and by discussing them, Eminem gave voice to so many other white American teenage boys. It might be ugly for the rest of us, but I respect that we are forced to confront them and acknowledge that their existence.

Iconic. I loved the classics: Drips, The Way I Am, The Real Slim Shady, and Under the Influence. I didn't vibe with a lot of the other songs, but some of them had some good beats. I also appreciated the flow from listening to this album consecutively and how the skits flowed into the following songs thematically. A positive 3.5/5 stars.

2+ Stars (6/15)

My second favorite Eminem album.

I said goddamn! This is one of, if not THE, greatest hip hop album of all time. Nuff said.

Fantastisches Album, fast jedes Lied top

Classic.

Classic Eminem album.

Classic Em, every song is good

the corniest motherfucker,, probably has the joker as his phone wallpaper

Great album that I have heard many times. I think that it's great with some excellent beats and lyrics delivered flawlessly. Drug Ballad was always a favorite back in the day even though it obviously got no radio play. Good stuff with some emotional content as well. I'm sure that I will listen to this many more times.

This album is over the top. It's violent, misogynistic, and homophobic and at the same time it's pretty self aware. Stan and Who Knew dives into that a bit. He says he's just messing around with his Slim Shady character and people are taking his lyrics and acting on them. The jokes are intense but he's calling out that they're jokes. I don't know if the jokes are okay but he said he makes "fight music for high school kids" which is kind of what this is. I was so into this album in high school. It's full of high school toilet humor. It seems like maybe he's struggling with his rise to fame in this album. He addresses how he doesn't love getting stopped in the streets and how he didn't realize people would take his lyrics so literally. It's hard to deny how talented he is and there are so many songs on this album that are classics in my opinion. In summary, this album is quite offensive and I've docked points off other albums in this list due to being offensive. He does call out pretty clearly to me that he's making jokes and that he doesn't want people taking them seriously but I still don't think that makes the offensive jokes okay but honestly I'm just not really sure.

Wow. I don't even really know how to rate this album. Has there ever been an album more controversial than this one? Its rap, its horror, its hardcore, its punk. I don't know if there is any other record that has this much attitude with it. On one hand, I could rate it entirely on the unsavory material and give it a 1/5 or I could rate it on its boldness, self reflection and satire and give it a 5/5. The shock factor alone leaves you trembling, but the cleverness and wordsmithing is next level. You can really see how Kendrick was inspired by this stuff. In some ways it reminds me of the comedy of George Carlin, where its so damn smart that you love it but it's also damn dark and shocking that you don't really know how to palette it. I'm not sure when I'll re-listen to this. It was somewhat nostalgic because I remember when this came out and how controversial it was. MTV was kind of at the height of its power and celebrity culture was at the peak of its toxicity. So it's kind of wild that he pulled off this album and flamed throwed everyone with it. But damn it's a hard one to get through.

Awesome!

Listen. The guys said he doesn’t make black music, he doesn’t make white music. He makes fight music.

he said it himself- he makes music for high school kids. this did bring me back to freshman year (In the worst way). tough one to finish, but its not for lack of skill

It’s hard to believe how many culturally important songs are on this one single record. Maybe I am biased because I grew up listening to it, but it really seems to have helped to define a generation. Stan is 6 minutes, but you wouldn’t know by listening to it. The Way I Am is so angry but so honest. Amiteyville goes insanely hard. The whole album is just such a sweaty violent trip. It is offensive. It is disgusting, shitty in a lot of ways. It certainly enabled a lot of homophobia in the early 2000s. But what it does, it does perfectly - is arguably the best. I can’t exactly recommend it. But if you want to listen to some violent horror rap, there is no substitute.

Hmm. It definitely has a lot of shock factor that it acknowledges and it knows it’s gonna cause a lot of controversy and conversation. I initially thought maybe it was just over the top, but by the time I got to the end I think he’s just shining a light on real feelings people have. And there are points on the album it can get very uncomfortable to listen to, but that’s art. And to diminish the album to just middle school angst and dick jokes does it a disservice. I usually don’t care much for the cultural impact of the albums as much as the music itself, but I do think this album is worth an intentional listen through. At the very least, if you aren’t an Eminem fan because all you’ve heard is Lose Yourself and Real Slim Shady, listen to Stan.

Still know most lyrics 💀

Music for edgy teens who never even heard of other rappers. The guy was nearing 30 on his album and still writes as if he's just learned how to swear. I don't like the beats here, I don't like the lyrical topics on most songs and I really don't like his type of humor and the skits. Eminem only ever seems to punch down when trying to diss other artists too. Where did Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera hurt you?

The best of the best

Great hip hop album.

No other album on this list is gonna have Tom Green references or simulated oral sex by the Insane Clown Posse…… Eminem is honestly really interesting, I see the appeal and I’ve continually tried to get into him. His voice is really strong and he was engaging with his image/impact right from the get go, which I do find compelling. The production here is good too, of course. It’s all very overwhelming lyrically, and while there’s good moments, I just think it’s mostly stupid. But this will not be the last time I listen to him, so who really wins….

I hated it. Just not fun to listen to for me. I like Stan though.

I will not be taking any questions but i do like it .. i just think it lags and there a lot of skippable songs ... funny enough one of the things i appreciate about this music is that it is so incredibly emotional, not really like positive or good emotions but very emotional in a way you kinda don't expect from rap music of the era ...

decent and wild and nasty and predictable and outrageous

Why is he so angry!!!! kind of insane how many hits are on this though. I knew i had an eminem phase as a teen but didn’t realize how deep i was in it because i knew most of these songs lol Again though… why is he soooo angry… calm down girl DIDO ON THE TRACK BABY!!! Stan is soooo good…. it really is just sooo hateful though. like it’s hard to ignore all of the lines about raping and killing women.. i just.. you can’t really find an excuse for it and it’s really disturbing that every song has a mention of some kind of intense violence against women?? Kim is a disgrace of a song like it’s truly so upsetting and more upsetting thinking about how much i loved that song as like a 13 year old girl!!!? just gross alright it’s starting to get longgggg i am losing steam Overall it’s very of its time and its so good for so many reasons but also just makes me so uncomfortable at the same time.. and i guess thats not a bad thing but at the same time its just.. deeply misogynistic and idk how much i can vibe with that!!

Ok. C'est vraiment très dur de mettre une note à cet album. D'un côté, c'est un classique. Y'a des chansons qui sont devenues légendaires (Stan, The Real Slim Shady), et d'une manière générale la plupart de l'album est très agréable à écouter si on arrive à prendre du recul par rapport aux paroles. Après tout, c'est Eminem, il pense rien de ce qu'il dit, et ça ajoute au côté comique de la chose. Et puis y'a Kim. Là ça a été vraiment dur à écouter. Vu le scandale qu'à causé Orelsan en France avec Sale P*te (aucune idée de ce qui est censuré ici ou pas), j'ose même pas imaginer ce que ça a été pour lui. Heureusement que le début du morceau d'après permet de décompresser un peu, ça a transformé Kim en un moment de "... ... ... C'était quoi ça ?" au lieu de me dégouter jusqu'à la fin de l'album. Du coup l'album est très réussi. Même avec ça je pense que Kim a eu parfaitement l'effet voulu sur moi, et ça c'est vraiment très fort. Mais ça a aussi approché voire dépassé mes limites en termes de ce que je suis capable d'écouter.

3.5 Ya know, if anything, this project has made me respect Eminem more, at least the earlier stuff. I like horrorcore a lot and his early work fits pretty comfortably in that genre. I say I’m impressed, while simultaneously maybe agreeing it’s WILD that this dude was so popular, especially with kids in the 90s. Kids should not have been hearing this!!! I found the content difficult to get through at some points, and I’m an adult who LIKES horrorcore! “Kim” is one of the most harrowing songs I’ve listened to in this journey. I was physically uncomfortable while it played.

Better than the last Eminem album and further cements him as the Rap God. It's also really funny how a lot of people are complaining that this album is too inappropriate despite that being the point (Although the homophobia is pretty bad and didn't age well). I'm not giving 5 stars because the second half isn't as good as the first but still a solid album. Also "The Real Slim Shady" is a banger!

Very vulgar

it might be a bit of a shock to tell you that, as a Colorado native, i've never seen a single episode of South Park. i hesitate it to call it my "culture", but it and the general cultural output of Matt Stone and Trey Parker have been forever linked to my state. hell, they had a South Park t-shirt ban at my elementary school. all this hullabaloo has been going on around me and now all of a sudden these guys have Tony Awards and they own Casa Bonita (and apparently the food's a lot better -- what a letdown). honestly? i've never really felt the need to engage with it. partially because South Park is always going to be viewed through the lens of its edginess and how well that holds up as comedy (although arguably we're entering a golden age of saying slurs to be subversive) so there will always be stuff like Manbearpig that dates it to this continuous era of raised-eyebrow skepticism, and partially because it just seems exhausting. they had like, a COVID special a few years back, and the idea of Matt and Trey letting me know what they think about COVID using the weird PC principal character i hear tell is about as appetizing as biting my own finger off and swallowing it. i can do weird voices about things i don't like by myself, thank you. it seems exhausting to continue to subject yourself to that. all that said, i am a bit surprised there's only two South Park references on The Marshall Mathers LP, a surprisingly serviceable Cartman impression and a pretty bad one of Mr. Garrison. most of the record's comedy stems from Eminem's reaction to becoming a breakout success and immediately deciding to take a shit on stage in front of everybody while flashing two middle fingers behind your back. in a sense, your investment in the LP is dependent on your investment of Eminem/Slim Shady/Marshall Mathers as a character, and his position as a provocateur in rap. i, unfortunately, don't find this character compelling. i kind of feel like i'm just sort of listening to a guy try to stoke more media attention by saying loud, obnoxious things. its a put on, and i know its a put on, and it makes the whole thing come off as flat. i don't exactly hate it, but i'm a bit worn down by it. i feel like we only really get actual emotional development on two tracks: "Stan" and "Kim". i don't really have much to say about "Stan". rickthelai says its one of the few times on the record where the persona drops and he actually considers the effect his music has on others. i do think it's still hiding under the persona of the performer, but i do understand that it's at least a little vulnerable. it's a classic for a reason, and it sounds great. "Kim" is another story. yeah, i do think he's still "in character", but the character here betrays a deeper insecurity and anger behind the mask. he doesn't rap on this track so much as scream at himself and enact a melodramatic fantasy of enacting messy, manic revenge on his ex-wife. musically it's quite bad, with the chorus feeling really lazy, like someone trying to make a theme song for Dracula off the top of their head, but god the fucking verses. and it feels actually gross, not a fake horror movie gross about fucking a girl's slit throat or whatever. there's a sort of vent-like quality to it -- Marshall Mathers the real ass man would not have actually done this to his wife, but a part of him at least thought about it. that alone is a dark, personal thing that you'd have to be either crazy or stupid to show your friends, much less an entire record going public. that takes actual balls. the next song is him rapping "you can suck my dick if you don't like my shit" over what sounds like Scheming Weasel by Kevin MacLeod. such is the tragedy of Eminem -- there is a real person behind those middle fingers, but if he could replace his head with a fist permanently flipping the bird, he would. also, i don't care how much of an edgy asshole you are, putting a skit of Shaggy 2 Dope and Silent J double slurping your gay character's penis in stereo should be grounds for legal action. that's not cool, don't ever do that shit again.

this is 12-year-old boy music. even the funny or clever lyrics are really impossible for me to chuckle at (except derisively) because of the all-encompassing misogyny and homophobia and also the ABJECT STUPIDITY of literally everything he’s saying. he has a serious victim complex and it’s boring as fuck. i think this record has value as a document of a specific cultural moment at the end of the 1990s, in terms of how it captures the hand-wringing and pearl-clutching about pop culture and sex/drugs/violence and how intensely ironic it must have felt to have tipper gore as the VP’s wife while the clinton scandal was going on, strains of the satanic panic getting revived with the judas priest suicide lawsuit and then columbine, the fearmongering around gangsta rap as mainstream white culture absorbed more and more hip-hop-adjacent aesthetics, etc. some of the beats are pretty good i guess. but it’s just dumb. it did make me want to listen to dido.

I rolled my eyes at having to listen to this in full (again — it was once my college homework to do so), and my coworkers said I might be surprised by how much I enjoyed it. And they were right….it definitely had its moments. He is a pretty good storyteller (even if I don’t always care for the way he talks about women in the stories he’s telling, but obviously I knew to expect that going in). “Stan” is still really insane and I do think that’s a kind of timeless song, especially as the conversation about parasocial fan-celeb relationships rages on. I still find him really irritating in his delivery and vocal style but admittedly he is good and some of these beats are catchy. The main barrier to getting fully into his music even from his peak, is that he just sounds like a loser to me. Idk I just don’t find him cool or compelling as a person in basically any regard. And that is a major obstacle for me when listening to rap considering they are literally talking to you. And maybe I’m discriminating against #loserrights and that makes me small minded about the genre but whatever. The moments I liked were all *despite* his voice, delivery, and personality — basically all the things that draw other people to his work — so I don’t think I’ll ever really be able to consider myself a fan. *Fav tracks: Stan (feat. Dido), The Way I Am*

One of the earliest albums I remember from my childhood. Like many Eminem albums, it's a mixed bag of highly serious with highly immature. There's no denying the impact this album had, but there are some painful tracks to get through that do not hold up to the quality of other songs. So my faults for this are not "this did not age well", but rather song to song the album suffers quality consistency when it released and as it stands today. As an album in Eminem's greater catalog, musically this one is a bit overrated, and think he came through a lot more consistency overall with the follow-up, The Eminem Show. I still appreciate a few lesser known gems on this one though like Amityville and Bitch Please II.

I was 20 when this came out and angry. And even though I was a metal head, this was still up my alley. Listening now, it's a little harder to take. Kim is ROUGH. But I still get it. And this record, as wild as it is, it's still full of touch points.

People acting shocked that Em said some crazy shit not knowing he's been about that life. 🙌🙌

Deb : 2 - it's better than 1, I didn't switch it off Sian : 4 - fabulous album with witty, clever lyrics Overall score 3

Awesome, made what he thinks...

É o Eminem. Não tem como ser ruim

Що я нового можу сказати про The Marshall Mathers LP. Це вже сучасна класика, яка і зараз звучить "свіжою". Хоча, лірична складова може багато кому не подобатись в наші часи, в 2000-х це, взагалі, був "шок контент" якого пересічні люди лякались та звинувачували у всіх проблемах "тодішнього покоління". Але, що на мій погляд, по-справжньому, відокремлює цей альбом, як, в принципі, і попередній The Slim Shady LP - це те як, надихаючись спадщиною хардкорного хіп-хопу минулого, Ем зміг його переосмислити і подати у новому, досі не баченому раніше, вигляді. І при цьому - продемонструвати "новий рівень" технічності. Не без допомоги блискучого продакшену від Dr.Dre, звісно. Далі буде альбом, що задумувався як Magnum opus Маршала - The Eminem Show, який ще буде на рівні, а потім якість кожного наступного альбому Ема буде падати все нижче..., але це вже інша історія

Love this album so much and still know probably 90% of the words. Will certainly continue my multi-decade streak of never listening to the track "Kim" again, though. Perpetual yikes on that one!

Nostalgia.

Apparently much of the lyrical content and attitudes are 'unacceptable' these days (according to my millennial son), but I find him to be the best rapper I've heard - which admittedly isn't saying much. Given that the second word spoken on the appalling Kendrick Lamarr album was "nigger", I don't see what's so unacceptable about Eminem. It gets 4 stars, which is easily the highest possible rating for a rap/hiphop album.

Not my thing

5 stars. Just a great album.

I stan.

hard to argue with the impact it had.

Different, interesting

Not for me. 2/5. Although Stan is a great song.

I'm rating this based on the amount of times I listened to it over the last 25 years. I'm not sure how this listen would have been, but it was not conducive to the environment I was in over the weekend to give a run-through. I hope I can update this when I have a chance this week to listen.

Eminem at his peak. There's definitely a nostalgia component to my rating, but his two first albums blew my mind, and are what got me into hip-hop.

Ooh what a naughty boy!

Didn’t listen

stan is banger

Very 15 year old me, mostly still holds up

it's rap, but not too bad, some decent music

What can you say about this? Musically I am not a fan of hip hop, but this is not bad. But, it is weird and obviously the guy has some issues. No matter what they say "oh, you didn't get it, he meant this or that" some songs are weird. I would have given this a five, but I will drop it to four.

10/10 Masterpiece

Like a lot of old hip hop, the lyrics are all bit dated on some songs. Too much lyrics about how cool the artist. Still can’t deny how good the album sounds though.

I’ve liked some Eminem songs in the past, and I expected to enjoy this album (even if only as a guilty pleasure). Really, though, it just came across as cringey and juvenile. I get that that was kind of Eminem’s thing, but I couldn’t get into it and found myself looking forward to it being over.

He seems a little angry.

Lyrics are as childish and, in places, repulsive as I remember. But they are undeniably catchy, and so over the top that they cross over into being enjoyable again.

I like the beats and the hooks for the most part, but the content here is a drag. It's very of-the-moment in a way that dates the album (not even factoring the edgelord bullshit that really sounds stupid and juvenile with 25 years of distance).

Not an Eminem guy, but this made me like him a bit more. Witty, edgy, juvenile, uncomfortable, and dense. A must listen. Kim is top 5 most uncomfortable things I’ve listened to. Standouts: Kill You, Stan, The Way I Am, The Real Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers, Drug Balled, Bitch Please II, Kim, and Criminal.

Very entertaining. Often hilarious. Front loaded with massive hits. The hits are poppier than I remembered. Some of the cultural references have dated and the violence is off the scale but this is a very well written and produced album. Eminem's personality carries it.

Its Fantastic.

Good when I was a teen. Find Em punishing to listen to these days. Hilarious that the top review guy seems to think Eminem is a band.

It's good. Not great. Extra points for honesty.

This has got some bangers without a doubt. But that overall vibe is just not for me.

Loved this album. Feel like it hadn’t aged well but still love some of the songs

One of his better ones.

It's an outstanding album that seems to get better with time. The lyrics were prescient about the hopelessness of the world to come where a handful of people call all the shots for average people.

Whoa. I never listened to this. I avoided all the hype and now I see what it was all about... and all the bad stuff too. I can't say that I enjoyed this, especially the first track. Damn!

Over four years ago, “The Slim Shady LP” was our first album from the generator. I scored it a 3, but didn’t write anything. I have written something for every album since then, but going back now to write my review for “The Marshall Mathers LP” as my second-to-last review, I don’t know quite why I rated Slim Shady the way I did. I mean, I have some idea. I listened to a lot of Eminem early in his career, and I knew both of these albums well. But what do I think of them 25 years later? It’s complicated. Such unfiltered rage, with a mask of humor, shocked America when Eminem burst onto the scene in 1999 and 2000. But it didn’t come out of nowhere. In fact, it was right at the peak of shock culture, at the end of a decade filled with gangsta rap, Girls Gone Wild, and everything extreme. Provocative for the sake of being provocative, constantly pushing the envelope, seeing what you can get away with, seeing who you can piss off. How much did I recognize all of that at 19 years old? Did I have reservations about the content while shamelessly rapping along? I certainly do today. But I also can’t deny Eminem’s talent - his incomparable flow, his witty if disturbing lyrics, and even his hand in production and guiding the sound that make it stand out so much from other Dr. Dre proteges. We’ve listened to lots of other music on the list that openly admitted or plotted violence and crime, both in a confessional way and in a fictional storytelling way. Something makes the way Eminem does it feels different though? Slim Shady is of course a strange amalgamation of fictional character and semi-autobiographical, or perhaps just a part of Mathers’ subconscious, part of his psyche, a bit of himself he tries to repress. But with Slim and elsewhere Eminem is more visceral than his peers - with everything. And then there’s the misogyny. (Again, we’ve heard that elsewhere.) And the homophobia and transphobia. Is it all just Slim Shady? But isn’t Slim Shady still Marshall Mathers? There’s actually a lot of nuance to what Eminem does in his lyrics and with his use of the Shady persona. He’s walking the line of satire, he’s being transgressive and provocative to get reactions and sell records, he’s blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, between id and ego, between the darkness within us and the face we put out to the world around us. It makes for such an intense listening experience.

Super conflicted about Eminem. Do I think he is the most talented rapper on this list? Yes. Do I think his lyrics are often abhorrent? Also Yes. What he saying is so objectionable and yet the way he says it is so objectionable. I have been pondering why this is true for 2 decades now and I don't think I will ever figure it out.

The lyrics describe violence in great detail. I find it ironic that Lynne Cheney used her senate position to pin societal violence on musical artists. Did she rail against the Iraq invasion, that killed hundreds of thousands, and ultimately turned out to be based on…what? Who advocated vociferously for that action? 🤔 Did Lynne Cheney advocate for any sort of gun control to stem the violence? Background checks? Metal detectors everywhere? Mental health resources? Anything at all? I’ll wait. Maybe the above is a case of whataboutism. In fact it is, but like many culture war subjects, the manufactured outrage distracts from real ills/solutions and falls flat. I view the lyrical content through the lens of an artistic expression of Eminem’s inner fantasticized feelings. It’s like he let the world in on his therapy notes while putting them to hook-y beats. It’s offensive as hell. So are the Piss Christ and political rally speeches. I could do without the over the top misogyny though. Kim is one track that is very difficult to listen to. I usually skip it. One thing is clear to me though, Eminem is the most creative hip hop lyricist I’ve heard. His ability to string words and phrases together is unmatched. The guy is a genius.

5/5

There's no disputing that this fella can rap!

Really intense. Confirming that hip hop isn’t really a genre for me.

It's one of the more controversial albums on this list. I can see why some people hate it. However, I'm one of the fans of this album. Eminem's lyrical ability never disappoints me (apart from one moment after 2004). I also have no doubt that "Kim" is the most disturbing song on the whole 1001 album-long list. 5 stars for "The Marshall Mathers LP".

I love some of these songs, but I can't stand the spooky scary skeletons vibe and the degenerate lyrics. Stan, Kim and Real Slim Shady are great pieces of art though