RATING: 97/100. NEAR FLAWLESS ALBUM.
What other rapper would take a shot at Lauryn Hill on their debut album if not Eminem?
‘The Slim Shady LP’ is a triumphant piece of music. Not just for Eminem - but for the rap scene entirely. A white kid from Detroit risked it all to get himself a rap career and he made it; not only did he make it - he made it and launched into superstardom with his “debut” album.
This album introduces us to the alter ego we all know and love - Slim Shady. The whole album is this character personified and the album is sequenced in a very refreshing and enjoyable way. The thing about this album is that it’s genuinely fun to listen to. I’ve listened to this album more times than I can even think of and I STILL have fun with all of these songs.
Eminem did something not many rappers can say they did. He made an album, his first “real” album, and it shot him up to a superstar in just one day. The release of the iconic ‘My Name Is’ was a complete smash hit that blew up in just one day.
This album changed Eminem’s life and who he was as a person. This album completely turned things around and brought him out of his financial struggles. This fame would lead to other problems in his life - as fame is not without consequence, but this album helped him in more ways than someone can count on one hand.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:
Pretty much sums up the album and the vibe of the LP overall. It progresses into the next and most iconic track of the album ‘My Name Is’ very well. I think this intro really shows the sound Eminem was going for and the style usage for the “announcement” was very clever. Adds a little bit of slight comedic flare to the album as well which is scattered throughout very well.
It’s such a short little intro but I love the concept of it and how well thought out the overall idea of it was. It really captures the essence of ‘The Slim Shady LP’ and the alter ego Eminem has gone into full force with on the album. He plays the character almost absurdly well and starting the album with a warning on just how deranged and off the rails some of his content is just seems so fitting.
The intro was spoken by record producer Jeff Bass - one of the most influential people in the formation and continuation of Eminem’s career. He would later follow up this intro with ‘Public Service Announcement 2000’ on Eminem’s acclaimed second album - ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’. I personally like the 2000 one better since I think it REALLY captures the “don’t care” attitude of Eminem and his Slim Shady alter ego (despite this album being THE Slim Shady project). The intro concept was even more fleshed out by that point and I think the comedic value of it hits especially hard on the second installation.
‘Public Service Announcement’ may seem very simple - but it was very well researched. It checks the boxes for the real format for a warning/PSA like this one and the overall execution of it was nailed.
MY NAME IS:
The first song Eminem and Dr. Dre recorded would go on to be the very thing that made Eminem the star that he was and continues to be. The infectious and silly rap track was wonderfully produced by all-star production legend Dr. Dre and the two worked together astonishingly well. It’s clear the two of them had chemistry from the minute they started working together.
Eminem stated on the Genius annotations for this page that he and Dre recorded three or four songs the day ‘My Name Is’ was created. Eminem can only remember three of the four but Dre insists that it’s four - which one of them is right? I guess we’ll never know that for sure.
The release of this track as a single is what gave Eminem the realization that “this isn’t a joke anymore”. He realized how serious things were getting for his once failed rap career and he successfully made a hit single that launched him into superstardom. This fame of course came with repercussions that affected him and his life greatly, but there’s no denying the impact that Eminem had - especially during these early periods of his career (not including his “real” debut, ‘Infinite’. This is more seen as his debut album and it is in my eyes as well since I feel as if he wasn’t quite Eminem just yet when he started. He was still developing as a rapper.).
Being in the studio working with Dr. Dre already had Eminem with this “we made it” feeling, but seeing the video for ‘My Name Is’ on the TV for the first time is when it really hit him. The song changed him and who he was overnight. Within just one day Eminem went from being nearly unknown to having people following him around knowing him, his songs, and most importantly; his name.
And if you think about it this song really is the perfect introduction for Slim Shady. It introduces us to him in this in-your-face and silly way - this silliness is mixed with his dark, oftentimes disturbing ways of speech. His persona is shown on this song incredibly; it doesn’t have to be the darkest song on the album to really capture the essence of Slim Shady. There’s something so incredibly special about this track - it’s a timeless classic that still sounds fresh to this day, all these years (and decades) later. No one could make a song like this but Eminem - and no one could make a beat like this but Dre. Together they made the perfect musical pair - Eminem on the mic and Dre on production.
Eminem spoke on a signing he did at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square - it was right after the release of the single and when he was subsequently launched into superstardom overnight.
“While I was there, I got served by a court processor. They knew where I’d be, and they had to physically serve me. The guy got tackled. He was stupid. You don’t need to physically serve someone anymore, like in the movies. But the guy was being a cowboy. It was some lawsuit from my mother, I think.”
This early on in his career Eminem was already being sued for the content in his music - and there was much more where that came from. He’s no stranger to lawsuits.
The creation of this song came naturally. Dre showed Eminem the beat and the sample he had made and within seconds Eminem started rapping the now iconic chorus of the song. It came to him just like that. I think one thing that isn’t talked about enough is just how good of a freestyle rapper Eminem is on top of his abilities on his written work. He’s a quick thinker and a quick spitter.
This song is a clever work of satire in many ways. Eminem is already ripping on countless different celebrities and real-world issues within the first few lines of the song. The very opening line is a jab at parents who expose their children to violent shows/media from a young age and how these things can appeal to such young people. It’s also poking fun at how people think rap music can ruin a child’s mind and attitude - some even think rap music can ruin the lives of those who listen to it.
The iconic Nine Inch Nails line/reference brings NIN (band) into the discussion of how rap artists aren’t the only ones using violent and controversial topics in their work. Rock music has been seen as “demonic” for the longest time and some people still believe this in the modern day - it hasn’t changed much. This line also further jabs at children being overexposed and desensitized to violent matters like this - seeing it as comical rather than scary. In this case, Slim Shady is responsible. In these first lines he is promoting the exact topics parents fear to these kids that he is addressing.
The entirety of ‘My Name Is’ shows how bad of an influence Slim Shady is and just how reckless his behavior is. It shows how violent, disobedient, and oftentimes crazy he is. This makes ‘My Name Is’ the perfect introduction to the character who we would go on to see a lot more from.
Every lyric in this song is witty and clever. The writing on this song is absolutely incredible and it’s a track that stands out for content alone. That paired with the hard hitting, bass-filled beat is enough to create the perfect rap song and the perfect introduction to Eminem - more specifically his Slim Shady alter ego. There’s more than I can even write about when it comes to the lyrics for this song and just how well done they are. Reading the Genius page for this song really made me realize just how clever this song is and how clever Eminem is as a writer.
Another thing that sells this song so well is the amount of charisma Eminem has. His deliveries are all flawless and he mixes disturbing content, controversy, and comedic undertones to mock countless different topics - all while introducing himself as Slim Shady. Many of the lyrics were changed for the final release of this track because of their explicit and controversial nature. Sometimes Eminem took it too far with the lines he spat. Eminem’s mother also sued him for the content regarding her in the lyrics of this track and she discussed how upsetting some of the content on the song was for her to hear.
CLEVERNESS IN THE LYRICS OF ‘MY NAME IS’:
“Wanna see me stick nine-inch nails through each one of my eyelids? (Uh-huh*)”
Both a mock at the violent role models some children have and a reference to the controversial and dark band Nine Inch Nails. It’s a subtle reference that was very cleverly done.
“Wanna copy me and do exactly like I did? (Yeah, yeah*)
Try 'cid and get fu**ed up worse than my life is? (Huh?*)”
Slim Shady wants these children to see him as a role model. He describes practically every single thing you should NOT do and paints it out like it’s fun - especially in his tone, one of the things that makes this song. His deliveries are incredible all throughout the track.
These ad-libs scattered throughout the song are a clever nod to the opening line and how he is seemingly directing these lines towards impressionable children - he wants them to see him as a role model when he is very clearly the opposite of that.*
(This color is repeated in two lines [for the ad-libs in this line and the previous one]. Color repetition will not be corresponding lyrics/points further on.)
Eminem had a very rocky life and would continue to battle issues and struggles in his personal life for years to come. This line reflects on this in a very clever and well thought out way.
“My brain's dead weight, I'm tryna get my head straight”
Light wordplay brought to my attention by a Genius annotation. The word “weight” can also be heard/used as “wait” as if he is telling the person he is talking to to hold on a second while he gets himself together - unfortunately there is no getting yourself together when you’re Slim Shady.
“And smacked her so hard I knocked her clothes backwards like Kris Kross”
Very humorous and well thought out reference to the young hip-hop duo Kris Kross who rose to fame with their song ‘Jump’ and wore their clothes backwards (seen on the cover of their debut album) - one of their defining artistic traits during their early years. Very clever line that really shows you the type of rapper and writer that Eminem is. Lines like this one show of the type of persona he was using and just how well he played it.
“My English teacher wanted to flunk me in junior high (Shh)
Thanks a lot, next semester I'll be 35”
This line has truth to it - some (quite a bit) of the content on this album is somewhat autobiographical - Eminem did actually fail the ninth grade three different times. He would go on to drop out of highschool - he saw it as unnecessary since he was focused on his aspiration of a rap career.
“At Warren Lincoln High School […] there was a rule at the time: Anyone with more than ten absences would have to repeat the school year, so once he hit 11, he just stopped going. After flunking freshman year for the third time, he gave up entirely. “I was like, I wanna be a rapper, what do I need to go to school for?” Em recalls. “I didn’t think it was that ridiculous. I do now that I’m an adult, ‘cause I realize, what if I didn’t make it? I wouldn’t have been shit, and I’d be working at the same fu**ing job, flipping burgers and washing dishes.”
It wasn’t due to a lack of intelligence, it was more of a lack of willingness. The absence rule made it hard for him to pass - sometimes you can’t control being absent from school and it has nothing to do with how you can perform in a classroom. It’s clear that he didn’t like school and he had his slow building career in mind - but this would end up working in his favor.
This lyric was also meant to be much more explicit - it was originally written as a line about teacher-student relationships but was changed when people believed it was an act of homophobia. Labi Siffre was the reason for the change of the line because of his status of being an openly gay man (his song was sampled for the beat of this track).
“Stop the tape, this kid needs to be locked away (Get him)”
This is another line that mocks the reception of Eminem’s music and his lyrical content. He is using a different, comical tone for this line that really helps to sell this line. The beat stops when this line is said - leading into the next line in a very striking way.
“Dr. Dre, don't just stand there, operate”
This line is very clever for many different reasons. The usage of Dre’s stage name and the operation line works well considering he is a “doctor”. In this case he is “operating” on the beat - this can be taken as him operating on Eminem, but in truth Dre is saving the beat; saving the song.
This line also makes me think of Dre’s very early, pre-N.W.A. days where he would dress up as a doctor with the World Class Wreckin’ Crew. This line also helps to aid the transition into a new beat - leading into the horrorcore section of the song with the more spooky sounding atmosphere. Eminem used a lot of horror imagery and lyrics in his music and it was a vibe that he uses heavily in his work - especially his early work.
“Clothes ripped like the Incredible Hulk”
This line is a reference to Eminem’s clothes being torn up from his poverty. He didn’t have the money for nice, reliable, and brand-new clothing. This is also a reference to comics, something he has had interest in since his childhood - and something he references in his music quite a bit.
This album is full of other clever and incredibly written lyrics, but those are the ones that really stick out (and why they do). This song won Eminem a Grammy award very early on into his “real” rap career and he became a household name almost overnight - even with such a controversial track.
GUILTY CONSCIENCE:
This song is one of many that really shows how much of a storyteller Eminem is. The lyrics here are absolutely chilling and the way each story is told and how the track comes together is something not many rappers could do the way Eminem did it.
Eminem is lended a helping hand from Dr. Dre who plays the “good” side of the conscience while Eminem, as Slim Shady, plays the “bad” side. Dre advises against the horrible actions that Shady is condoning and encouraging - leading to arguments between them and scathing insults thrown from Shady. Making a song this extreme on your debut album is SUCH a risk to take - especially writing lines that bring up controversial events that your producer/mentor was involved in, but Eminem did it and it worked.
I feel as if this is one of Eminem’s most jarring and intense songs. The tone is so grim whenever Eminem is rapping and even without him rapping - the tone of the events is just so… dark. The atmosphere in this song is done to absolute perfection and the flows on this track are otherworldly. A song like this wouldn’t work with any other two artists. Only Eminem and Dre could pull something like this off.
“Dre and I were in the gym one day, and we was talkin' about song concepts and shit. Dre said that we should do a song together called “Night ‘n’ Day”, where everything he was sayin', I was sayin' the complete opposite. So I thought about it, went home that same night, and wrote it.”
Dre loved what Eminem had come up with - it might not be the right material for a radio hit like ‘My Name Is’, but the song was still certified gold by the RIAA in 2018.
“I remember going in and doing a couple lines, he would lay a couple lines and I laid a couple lines, and after I laid mine I just remember him tipping back in his chair, you know, like, almost fell over laughing so hard, I think it was the “Mr. Dre, Dr. Dre, Mr. N.W.A”.”
Eminem takes more and more risks in each song and this is probably one of his most outrageous and offensive tracks because of the subject matter and how gruesomely detailed these stories are. The radio version of this song is not quite as gruesome but the effect of the track is still very much there. I honestly somewhat prefer the radio version because of the iconic added chorus that replaces some parts of the song. I wish that they kept that part in the original track - but I see why they didn’t.
BRAIN DAMAGE:
This is a more boom-bap track that sounds a lot like Eminem’s older days that date back before this album was released. The thing that stands out so much about this one is the rhyming in it. There is a ton of rhyming in the track and it shows off how incredible of a writer Eminem is. Along these rhymes is a very good storytelling track - this track does it all.
Songs like this one aren’t necessarily what Eminem is known for but these are the ones that really show off his true, unfiltered talent. The descriptions of his childhood bullies and his school experience told in this way was such an incredible idea that was executed to absolute perfection.
This song is based on real events in Eminem’s life. Of course these scenarios are told in a more horrific and dramatized context but the inspiration from his life and how he was bullied is real.
DeAngelo Bailey, one of the bullies mentioned in this song, attempted to sue Eminem for one-million dollars in 2002 - 3 years after the song was even released. The case claiming that Eminem slandered him and fabricated stories about him was dismissed by a judge who wrote her own rap song about her decision to dismiss the case (yes, this is real).
“Motherf***er used to beat the shit out of me. I was in fourth grade and he was in sixth. Everything in the song is true: one day he came in the bathroom, I was pissing, and he beat the shit out of me. Pissed all over myself. But that’s not how I got really fu**ed up. [One day he] came running from across the yard and hit me so hard into this snowbank that I blacked out.”
Some of the events are told in a fabricated way that rhymes better and of course sounds better on the song, but there’s no denying that Eminem really was bullied and that these stories are based on true events in his life. It was so bad that Eminem’s mom filed a lawsuit against the school in 1982 for allowing this bullying to continue happening to him.
Eminem was physically and (assumingly) verbally assaulted by DeAngelo and other students - but DeAngelo is the one who really stuck with him throughout his life and it’s not hard to see why.
The official document of the lawsuit filed by his mom includes the following injuries (including but not limited to):
Bruising
Multiple wounds
Lacerations
Nausea
Abnormal sleepiness
Anti-social behavior
Nightmares
Cerebral concussions
Loss of consciousness
With this information it’s even more clear why Eminem felt the need to rap about these experiences. He is no stranger to rapping about his personal experiences - no matter how horrible they are, and this song is one of the earliest examples of that.
The writing on this song is worth applause. This is one of the most underappreciated Eminem songs and the rhyming in this song is something not a lot of other rappers could do. The way Eminem manages to rhyme some of the craziest things here just shows off so much of what he can do.
THE RHYMES OF ‘BRAIN DAMAGE’:
*Each occurrence of a color is a rhyming word/phrase.
[Verse 1]
These are the results of a thousand electric volts
A neck with bolts
Nurse, we're losin' him, check the pulse
A kid who refused to respect adults
Wore spectacles with taped frames and a freckled nose
A corny-lookin' white boy, scrawny and always ornery
'Cause I was always sick of brawny bullies pickin' on me
And I might snap, one day just like that
I decided to strike back, and flatten every tire on the bike rack
My first day in Junior High, this kid said
"It's you and I, three o'clock sharp, this afternoon you die"
I looked at my watch, it was 1:20
"I already gave you my lunch money
What more do you want from me?"
He said, "Don't try to run from me, you'll just make it worse"
My palms were sweaty, and I started to shake at first
Somethin' told me, "Try to fake a stomach ache, it works"
I screamed, "Ow, my appendix feel like they could burst
Teacher, teacher, quick, I need a naked nurse"
"What's the matter?"
"I don't know, my leg, it hurts"
"Leg? I thought you said it was your tummy"
"Oh, I mean it is, but I also got a bum knee"
"Mr. Mathers, the fun and games are over
And just for that stunt, you're gonna get some extra homework"
"But don't you wanna give me after school detention?"
"Nah, that bully wants to beat your ass and I'ma let him"
[Chorus]
Brain damage, ever since the day I was born
Drugs is what they used to say I was on
They say I never knew which way I was goin'
But everywhere I go, they keep playin' my song
Brain damage, ever since the day I was born
Drugs is what they used to say I was on
They say I never knew which way I was goin'
But everywhere I go, they keep playin' my song
Brain damage
Way before my baby daughter Hailie
I was harassed daily by this fat kid named DeAngelo Bailey
An eighth grader who acted obnoxious, 'cause his father boxes
So every day he'd shove me in the lockers
One day he came in the bathroom while I was pissin'
And had me in the position to beat me into submission
He banged my head against the urinal 'til he broke my nose
Soaked my clothes in blood, grabbed me and choked my throat
I tried to plead and tell him we shouldn't beef
But he just wouldn't leave
He kept chokin' me and I couldn't breathe
He looked at me and said, "You gonna die, honky"
The principal walked in and started helpin' him stomp me
(What's going on in here?)
I made 'em think they beat me to death
Holdin' my breath for like five minutes before they finally left
Then I got up and ran to the janitor's storage booth
Kicked the door hinge loose and ripped out the four-inch screws
Grabbed some sharp objects, brooms and foreign tools
This is for every time you took my orange juice
Or stole my seat in the lunchroom and drank my chocolate milk
Every time you tipped my tray and it dropped and spilt
I'm gettin' you back, bully, now once and for good
I cocked the broomstick back and swung hard as I could
And beat him over the head with it 'til I broke the wood
Knocked him down, stood on his chest with one foot
Made it home later that same day
Started readin' a comic, and suddenly everything became gray
I couldn't even see what I was tryin' to read
I went deaf and my left ear started to bleed
My mother started screamin', "What are you on, drugs?!
Look at you, you're gettin' blood all over my rug" (I'm sorry)
She beat me over the head with the remote control
Opened a hole and my whole brain fell out of my skull
I picked it up and screamed, "Look, bi**h, what have you done?"
"Oh my God, I'm sorry, son"
Shut up, you ****
I said f**k it, took it and stuck it back up in my head
Then I sewed it shut and put a couple of screws in my neck
[Chorus]
Brain damage, ever since the day I was born
Drugs is what they used to say I was on
They say I never knew which way I was goin'
But everywhere I go, they keep playin' my song
Brain damage, ever since the day I was born
Drugs is what they used to say I was on
They say I never knew which way I was goin'
But everywhere I go, they keep playin' my song
Brain damage
[Outro]
Brain damage, it's brain damage
I got brain damage, it's brain damage
It's probably brain damage, it's brain damage
Brain damage, I got brain damage
PAUL - SKIT:
This is the first of many skits involving Emienm’s manager, Paul Rosenberg. He is the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings and was an entertainment attorney which was mentioned on this skit since that was what he was doing when this album was being made. He is the current CEO of Goliath Records and was the former president of Shady Records.
These Paul skits have been a staple of Eminem’s albums for years and he is heard warning Eminem of how upsetting and offensive the content on his albums is. This is the most polite and calm Paul skit as they progressively get more offensive as you go further down into Eminem’s catalog. These skits are a huge part of Eminem’s albums as they have become very well known from their consistency of appearances on his albums.
IF I HAD:
““If I Had” was off The Slim Shady EP. It was written when I was stayin' at a friend’s house. I was living with a couple of roommates at the time. I wrote that shit the same week my car broke down. My fu**in' engine blew out and a bunch of fu**ed-up shit was happening all at the same time. I wrote the song during the summer of ‘97, but I didn’t record it until that winter.”
The downer tone of this song is a slight departure from the rest of the content on the album. It ditches the humorous undertones of some of the songs on the album to give a more introspective look into what Eminem was going through before the fame. This album came from a very upsetting and dark period Eminem was going through and this song reflects on this in more of a poem style of a song rather than your traditional rap song.
This song is more of a Marshall song than a Slim Shady song. He introduces himself as Marshall Mathers at the very start of the song and it is clear that this is a more real and serious look on what he was dealing with rather than a song filled with Slim Shady’s violence and outrageous lyrics.
I think this song is a bit of an introduction to the more dark songs that follow it on the album. It is a shift in tone and the poetic, spoken word opening sequence for this song was a very interesting touch that really helped to elevate the message that Eminem was using for this song. It also somewhat reminds me of 2Pac and his poems; I think he took some influence from Pac on this opening poem.
Eminem speaks on his experiences on this track; and not in a very positive light. It’s no secret that he’s been through a hell of a lot, and this song really reflects on the things he has been put through in his life. This track is a combination of things Eminem is tired of seeing, hearing, and dealing with.
‘If I Had’ is a track that was formed on pure emotions alone; and not the good ones. The lyrics of this track reflect heavily on both sad and angry feelings that Eminem was dealing with during the time it was recorded & written, as well as things he would deal with for years to come. The main theme of this song is how poor Eminem was before his fame. This track was originally on ‘The Slim Shady EP’, which came a little bit before this album did; he was incredibly poor during the creation of the EP and it was a challenge for him just getting by with what little money he had.
‘97 BONNIE & CLYDE:
One of the darkest and most disturbing Eminem songs is definitely ‘‘97 Bonnie & Clyde’. This song details Eminem dumping his ex-wife Kim (as well as his step-son and Kim’s new boyfriend/husband [?], presumably) in the river, not only with his baby daughter present, but with her helping him.
This track was originally known as ‘Just the Two of Us’ when it was released on ‘The Slim Shady EP’ just a year before this album came out. This song is kind of the sequel to ‘Kim’ in a sense, the two songs line up - and by the way the story is told in both songs, ‘Kim’ comes before the events in this song despite being from the album after this one.
Hearing Eminem speak in such a childish tone while a murder story is being told in song form is truly chilling. The storytelling on this song is absolutely phenomenal and the way the song is put together is incredibly impressive.
The sounds of Hailey talking/babbling on this song are actually her. Eminem brought her into the studio to record her “lines” for this track.
“I lied to Kim and told her I was taking her to Chuck E. Cheese that day,” Em recalls. “But I took her to the studio. When she found out I used our daughter to write a song about killing her, she fu**ing blew. We had just got back together for a couple of weeks. Then I played her the song, and she bugged the f**k out.”
Kim was understandably not very happy when she heard this track and how Eminem used their daughter's voice in the song without her permission on it.
Hailey plays Eminem's partner in crime on this track. Eminem is telling Hailey lies about how Kim is fine and explaining her “weird” behavior (her being dead) with excuses that… well, a child would probably believe.
“When she gets old enough, I’m going to explain it to her,”
“I’ll let her know that Mommy and Daddy weren’t getting along at the time. None of it was to be taken literally.”
“Although at the time, I wanted to fu**ing do it.”
I think it’s safe to say that Eminem and Kim didn’t have the healthiest of relationships. That might even be a big understatement.
BI*CH - SKIT:
This skit was a real voice message from Zoe Winkler - the daughter of Henry Winkler, yes, that Henry Winkler. She describes how she was offended by the content on this album and downright disgusted by the album and the lyrics contained within it.
Eminem offered Zoe 300 dollars to use this message on the album; she didn’t need or want the money so she denied and proposed that he had to go out to dinner with her for permission to use the message, which he did.
"The whole way down, I was thinking, 'Yo, I'm gonna have to smack this girl,' " he says. "There I was, all ready to defend myself. And then when I got there, she was like, 'Oh, hi, Eminem, it's so nice to meet you!' . . . The whole thing just flipped on me."
ROLE MODEL:
Slim Shady describes himself as the exact opposite of what he is… a role model.
This track has another boom-bap beat like ‘Brain Damage’ and it is a similar song to that one in my opinion - maybe just because my dad loves both of those songs. The lyrics here are very clever and make up one of the songs that describes Slim Shady’s characters in the best way possible.
This is a similar song to ‘My Name Is’ in the sense that it shows off who Slim Shady is and what he’s all about. It shows Slim’s personality and how downright psychopathic he can be a lot of the time. He is describing brutal situations and claiming that his behavior should be repeated as if he were a good influence… a role model (not.).
He is once again taking jabs at how kids look up to him and how he is seen as responsible for bad behavior in the kids who listen to him.
“I was just fu**ing around when I made this song. To me it’s just a rap record. The message behind it was just complete sarcasm. I wanted to be clear: Don’t look at me like I’m a fu**ing role model. Dre and I were in the studio at his house, and he had made the track first. I had started a rhyme the night before and I hadn’t finished it yet. When I heard the track, I said “Yo Dre, I got a rhyme that goes with that” I finished the rhyme and started writing the song in the studio. I finished the first verse, knocked out the second verse, and then I wrote a hook. Then Mel-Man thought of the part that goes “Don’t you wanna grow up to be just like me?” I said “Yo that’s perfect”, ‘cause I was talking about the same shit. You know, smoke weed, take pills, drop out of school and all that shit, So he had that part of the hook and I filled in all the blanks. “I came to the club drunk with a fake ID / Don’t you wanna grow up to be just like me!” This was one of the first three songs I did with Dre when we began working together.”
This is one of the more early songs of Eminem’s career and you can kind of tell when you think about it. It sounds similar to songs like ‘If I Had’ and ‘Brain Damage’ in terms of both beat and flow. I think this track shows off Eminem’s flow and ability as a rapper incredibly well - it shows how well he can pace his words on his tracks.
LOUNGE - SKIT:
This skit was made before ‘My Fault’ was made in full, and it contains lines that would later be featured on the track.
MY FAULT:
One of my personal favorites from this album is this track, ‘My Fault’. This track has it all: an incredible beat, incredible flow, melody, storytelling, and that classic, absurd Eminem humor. This is one of the most well rounded and catchy Eminem songs in my opinion and it’s another underrated gem from this album and his discography.
Jeff Bass, one of Eminem’s producers (and writers) came up with the general concept of this track; which is reflected in the skit that comes before the actual track. That idea was brought to the table and got a skit before the song itself was even made.
The storytelling on this song is very well done and the way it progresses was done with clear expertise. The usage of characters and how they interact with one another is also very well done - it’s another highlight in terms of just storytelling alone for this album.
This song kind of came to be after some goofing around one night between Eminem and Jeff who were laughing while slowly creating the lyrics. Eminem slightly based this song off of a real experience he had - but of course the whole situation is changed for the comedic nature of (most of) the song.
KEN KANIFF - SKIT:
Another introduction to a character/series of skits that would become a staple in Eminem’s discography. Along with the Paul skits, these Ken Kaniff skits would be used on later albums and the character was even referenced on his most recent work.
I really love how Eminem makes these characters for his albums and then sticks with them for years. He still remembers Ken Kaniff and makes these skits on his work and I think it’s both really funny and really awesome.
The character breaks in this skit just make it even more funny. Eminem has some really good skits on his albums and he probably could’ve done a comedy career if he wanted to.
Eminem actually put this on the album without the permission of Aristotle (an underground MC); which led to a fallout between the two friends. Weird thing to get so upset about, but it seems everyone had it out for Em while he was making this album and even after the fact.
COME ON EVERYBODY:
“I thought, ‘What if I make a dance song my way?’”
This is probably one of the most fun tracks on this album; and possibly one of the most fun Eminem tracks period. This song really does make you want to get up and dance and the cleverness of it is also great. It still has that Slim Shady charm and feel to it while being a more dancey and upbeat track that sets itself apart from the others right from the start.
There isn’t really much to say about this track overall because of the nature of it, but it’s one that I come back to a lot because it’s so fun. I really love the fun Eminem tracks like this one.
ROCK BOTTOM:
A similar song to ‘If I Had’ and the only other non-Slim Shady song on the album is ‘Rock Bottom’. It was written when Em really had hit rock bottom, and it is one of his most personal songs.
“When I wrote the song, it was right before the Rap Olympics happened. It was during the week when I had gotten evicted from my house. I was stayin' across the street from where I used to live. It was a street called Novara out in Detroit. I was staying with these two roommates, and this dude told me that he had cheaper rent for me and I should come live with him.”
“So me and my boy went across the street to live with him. We were paying out rent to him, but the s.o.b. was keeping our rent and wasn’t paying the landlord. He took the rent, saved up his own money, and bounced on us. So one day we come home and all our shit’s on the fu**in' front lawn. We never could catch the motherfu**er. Till this day, we haven’t caught him. It was a real fu**ed period in my life (no surprise there), and I felt like I had hit “rock bottom”.”
This song wasn’t meant to turn out as sad as it wound up being, but it wouldn’t have hit quite the same if it was uplifting like it was intended to be. The raw emotion of this song is unlike any other song I have heard and it’s so unique to Eminem. It’s something other people can relate to if they are in a rough situation like he was; but it stays so true to what he was going through at the time.
“That was the worst time ever, dog. It was like five days before Christmas, which is Hailie’s birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something. I wrote “Rock Bottom” right after that.”
Eminem was dirt broke, addicted to drugs, and going through one of the worst periods of his life during the time he wrote this song. It makes me so sad reading about him and the things he has been through over the years - but it’s so relieving knowing that he is thriving now and sober. He has made it so far since this time and it’s such an amazing thing that he lived to tell the tale after his multiple overdoses throughout the years of his life.
JUST DON’T GIVE A F**K:
Eminem wrote this song while staying at his mother’s house. He was getting tired of not being able to provide for Hailey along with the other things going on in his life which led him down a dark road of drinking and drug use which was out of character for him previously.
Despite this song being written during such a rough patch; it’s one of the defining songs for his Slim Shady alter ego. It’s out of character for who he normally is on the outside - and some of it is more how he was feeling on the inside with all of the troubles he was facing.
This is another song that I think is very dependent on the rhymes. It isn’t a storytelling track like ‘Guilty Conscience’ or ‘My Fault’, it’s a song that rhymes all throughout like ‘Brain Damage’.
The lyrics here are very clever and it somewhat reminds me of 2Pac’s ‘F**k the World’ (this track is actually mentioned in the lyrics here too) in terms of tone and theme. Eminem captures this feeling to perfection and makes one of his catchiest early songs with this track.
SOAP - SKIT:
This skit is a spoof of soap operas - specifically ‘As the World Turns’, which is also the title of the track proceeding it.
The skit features vocals from producer Jeff Bass and rapper Royce da 5’9” playing the two different characters featured on it.
AS THE WORLD TURNS:
‘As the World Turns’ is a song without meaning - Eminem even said this himself. It’s meant to be a more comical, “white trash” song showing off the nastiest sides of his Slim Shady alter-ego.
The song frequently references the soap opera with the same title of the song - the title was taken from the show; hence the references scattered throughout the lyrics of the track.
This song is simply Slim Shady comically terrorizing people and showing his true colors. It ain’t pretty. This really shows off how good Eminem does with comedy and I love it when comedy is mixed into regular, non-comedy rap albums like this. This album and a lot of the songs on it are a prime example of that.
I’M SHADY:
This song feels a bit like a sibling track to ‘My Name Is’. It’s another track that explains who Slim Shady is in a cheerful manner, no matter how disturbing the lyrics may be. I think this song is just as fun as ‘My Name Is’, and it’s a bit of an underrated gem in Eminem’s discography.
This almost feels like a better introduction to Slim Shady than ‘My Name Is’. It really brings up all of the elements of who Slim Shady is and the way it is arranged is masterclass. The chorus of this song in particular feels a lot more like the character of Slim Shady.
I really enjoy the feeling of these “intro songs” that introduce us to the characters Eminem portrays throughout his music. The beat of this song is a lot of fun; but it’s Eminem’s charisma and comical charm that really sells it.
BAD MEETS EVIL:
Probably one of my favorite collaborative tracks ever, ‘Bad Meets Evil’ shows off the skill of both Eminem and Royce da 5’9” who play a gunslinger duo in a western setting on this high-paced track.
It’s like the two of them are having a battle on who’s the craziest.
Jeff Bass also appears on this track as the cowboy speaking and setting the scene at the very start of the track. His part really sells the concept for the song and I really love the idea they went with for it - it still feels very fresh and the idea itself was incredibly unique.
The two rappers would later form a duo under the same name, and this song just shows how well the two of them worked together. This will always be one of my favorite Eminem songs, especially when it comes to this album.
STILL DON’T GIVE A F**K:
The sequel to ‘Just Don’t Give a F**k’ is a lot more grim and hard-hitting than the first part. This is one of the darkest sounding songs in terms of production on the album and it makes the lyrics that much more haunting.
This track really shows off how well Eminem can flow - his deliveries are flawless. The writing on this song is very fitting for both him and the album and it serves as a fitting closer for the album.
It restates the central points of who Slim Shady is and it mixes a lot of the themes and feelings of all of the tracks on the album for one powerful closing track. I honestly don’t listen to this track like… ever; but I probably should. I forgot how amazing this track was.
Slim Shady would return only a year later on the similarly titled ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’.
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