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