In the year 2000, Marshall Mathers III, known by the stage name Eminem, released his third album, titled The Marshall Mathers LP, following up from his previous album The Slim Shady LP. The album was extremely well-received, earning over a million sales in the first week alone, winning the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, and being nominated for Album of the Year. In fact, it would be fair to say that the album was the real launching point for Eminem's career, the defining moment in his artistry. But was it simply a case of "right place, right time", or is it an album that still holds up today?
The first song on the album is titled "Kill You", and is produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man. The song is pretty much what you'd think it is based on the title. In the song, Eminem raps in the alter ego of Slim Shady, rapping about not just his violent impulses, but shows the misogynistic tendencies of Shady, constantly referring to women as "sluts", "whores", and so on, due to abuse from his mother (Shady's mother in the song, although Eminem's mother was not very nice in real life, to say the least). What makes the song stand out, however, is his skill with wordplay. He knows how to keep a good rhythm, and he makes several references to horror movies, as well as other skills (for example, the lines "I invented violence, you vile/venomous volatile bitches/vain Vicodin/VRINN VRINN VRINN!"(that last part imitating a chainsaw revving up)). While the subject matter is dark, he does make it clear at the end of the song that Slim Shady is just a character ("Hahaha, I'm just playing, ladies. You know I love you."). But as dark as that song is, it doesn't prepare for the second song of the album.
The second song on the album is simply titled "Stan". The song is told through letters written by the titular fan to Slim Shady, with the chorus being a sample of Dido's "Thank You". Where the song really works is the progression of the main character into insanity. In the first verse, Stan is optimistic ("My girlfriend's pregnant, too/I'm about to be a father"). In the second verse, he has gone from optimistic to angry ("I ain't mad/I just think it's fucked up/you don't answer fans"), while showing some signs of crazy ("Sometimes I even cut myself/to see how much it bleeds"). By the third verse, all that's left is the crazy ("Hey Slim, that's my girlfriend screamin' in the trunk/but I didn't slit her throat/I just tied her up/See, I ain't like you") right before he drives his car off a bridge, with his last thought being "Oh, shit, I forgot/How'm I supposed to send this shit out?" in a bit of dark humor.
The last verse, and where the song really comes together and stands out, is Shady sitting down to write back to the fan, explaining that he's been too busy to reply until now. Throughout the verse, Eminem shows his true personality, urging Stan to seek help for his issues, while showing how disturbed he is at the contents of the letter. At the end of the letter, he mentions a story on the news about some guy who drove his car off of a bridge, only connecting the dots when he recalls the fan's name. It is a very disturbing, well-written song, and Eminem pulls it off wonderfully, giving the song a large impact. Those last lines still send a chill down my spine, a sign of a great artist.
The third song on the album, "Who Knew", is a rap song talking about the negative ways Slim Shady is corrupting the youth listening to his songs, and Shady's denial of his influence in the chorus, while acknowledging not only his responsibility, but celebrating how rich he is from those corrupted youths. After the seriousness of the last song, he definitely bumps up the humor. However, his humor comes from just how over-the-top the song is. For example, some of the lines in his song are "My life's kinda like what my wife's like (what)/ Fucked up after I beat her fuckin' ass every night, Ike". Taken out of context like that, they are really appalling, and you wonder how anyone could find that funny. But in the context of the song, with Shady gleefully rapping about how cruel he is, it warps back around until you have no choice but to laugh at the song, which is something that is tough to do, but seems to come almost naturally for Eminem.
The first three songs off of this album are a good sign of what's to come. They are balanced, with the comedic tone of the first and third songs offsetting the disturbing and depressing second song, and they all show the touch of an artist who knows what he is doing, and who has a reason for every word he puts into his songs. If this is a sign of what's to come, this is going to be a great album.
The first song on the album is titled "Kill You", and is produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man. The song is pretty much what you'd think it is based on the title. In the song, Eminem raps in the alter ego of Slim Shady, rapping about not just his violent impulses, but shows the misogynistic tendencies of Shady, constantly referring to women as "sluts", "whores", and so on, due to abuse from his mother (Shady's mother in the song, although Eminem's mother was not very nice in real life, to say the least). What makes the song stand out, however, is his skill with wordplay. He knows how to keep a good rhythm, and he makes several references to horror movies, as well as other skills (for example, the lines "I invented violence, you vile/venomous volatile bitches/vain Vicodin/VRINN VRINN VRINN!"(that last part imitating a chainsaw revving up)). While the subject matter is dark, he does make it clear at the end of the song that Slim Shady is just a character ("Hahaha, I'm just playing, ladies. You know I love you."). But as dark as that song is, it doesn't prepare for the second song of the album.
He is 36 in this picture. Commence mind-blowing.
The second song on the album is simply titled "Stan". The song is told through letters written by the titular fan to Slim Shady, with the chorus being a sample of Dido's "Thank You". Where the song really works is the progression of the main character into insanity. In the first verse, Stan is optimistic ("My girlfriend's pregnant, too/I'm about to be a father"). In the second verse, he has gone from optimistic to angry ("I ain't mad/I just think it's fucked up/you don't answer fans"), while showing some signs of crazy ("Sometimes I even cut myself/to see how much it bleeds"). By the third verse, all that's left is the crazy ("Hey Slim, that's my girlfriend screamin' in the trunk/but I didn't slit her throat/I just tied her up/See, I ain't like you") right before he drives his car off a bridge, with his last thought being "Oh, shit, I forgot/How'm I supposed to send this shit out?" in a bit of dark humor.
The last verse, and where the song really comes together and stands out, is Shady sitting down to write back to the fan, explaining that he's been too busy to reply until now. Throughout the verse, Eminem shows his true personality, urging Stan to seek help for his issues, while showing how disturbed he is at the contents of the letter. At the end of the letter, he mentions a story on the news about some guy who drove his car off of a bridge, only connecting the dots when he recalls the fan's name. It is a very disturbing, well-written song, and Eminem pulls it off wonderfully, giving the song a large impact. Those last lines still send a chill down my spine, a sign of a great artist.
Just your perfect, all-American psycho.
The third song on the album, "Who Knew", is a rap song talking about the negative ways Slim Shady is corrupting the youth listening to his songs, and Shady's denial of his influence in the chorus, while acknowledging not only his responsibility, but celebrating how rich he is from those corrupted youths. After the seriousness of the last song, he definitely bumps up the humor. However, his humor comes from just how over-the-top the song is. For example, some of the lines in his song are "My life's kinda like what my wife's like (what)/ Fucked up after I beat her fuckin' ass every night, Ike". Taken out of context like that, they are really appalling, and you wonder how anyone could find that funny. But in the context of the song, with Shady gleefully rapping about how cruel he is, it warps back around until you have no choice but to laugh at the song, which is something that is tough to do, but seems to come almost naturally for Eminem.
The first three songs off of this album are a good sign of what's to come. They are balanced, with the comedic tone of the first and third songs offsetting the disturbing and depressing second song, and they all show the touch of an artist who knows what he is doing, and who has a reason for every word he puts into his songs. If this is a sign of what's to come, this is going to be a great album.
