The Slim Shady LP

Man I forgot Eminem was horrorcore adjacent at the beginning. Like a lot of these songs sound like if ICP was good at rapping. But that’s what separates Eminem from other shock artists, the dude can spit. So while not all of the subject matter appeals to me in my 30s like it would have in my younger days, this album holds up thanks to fantastic beats and Eminem’s endless bars.

not for me

A really unpleasant listen. I bought this album in high school when it came out and remember being impressed with the cleverness of some of his rhymes. But even those lyrics are elementary compared to the subsequent albums. So many of the songs fall back on pure shock value. “Just Don’t Give A Fuck” is probably a favorite because it seems to have the closest thing to a genuine message. If I could give half stars this would get a 1.5 just for the humongous impact this album had and for its impressive use of repeated multi-syllable internal rhyme spurts.

I understand the appeal to middle schoolers and high schoolers when it came out (I was one of them) but it does nothing for me in my 40s.

I guess I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5, though it’s not without an obvious level of bias.

I just have an unapologetic soft spot for this album – years ago, when I was trying to really get into rap for the first time, I went through a number of decently acclaimed 90s “mainstream” rap albums, and this was one of them, alongside stuff like 2pac’s “All Eyez on Me”, Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” & “2001”, both “Ready to Die” & “Life After Death” by Biggie, and overall, just a lot of other “basic” 90s rap albums. Nothing deeper than the “guys a white person might be able to name” level, really. I was probably just a little too young for it at the time, if we’re being honest, but it did give me a better appreciation for the genre, and it’s the spark that would eventually lead me to becoming a proper fan.

All of that aside, how does the music itself hold up? It’s definitely Eminem circa 1999, when Slim Shady could say whatever the hell he wanted and get away with it. Obviously, within a lot of modern contexts, so much of this album has aged poorly, and yet in some ways, that’s the entire point. Slim Shady is a psychopathic misogynistic bully, a pathological liar, and just a slimy little shitbag asshole who you’d never really want to give the time of day to. Eminem does not do anything that indicates that you should actively like Slim, nor does he ever really encourage him as a sort of “hero” figure. He’s the protagonist, yes, but you’re just trapped along the ride to watch him.

The line between Slim Shady & Marshall Mathers is pretty well drawn here, and I’m choosing to give grace for the period – this album is very dated to 1999, with references that almost nobody might get nowadays, save for the bigger stuff (like the OJ trial or the Lewinsky scandal), but that also means it comes with the sort of language that just doesn’t fly anymore. As far as how it’s used here, given that it’s played for ridiculous over the top comedy effect, ala a Wayans Brothers film like Scary Movie, or just the general South Park-ish / Jerry Springer culture of the time, I’m not as inclined to police this album’s tone like I might with other stuff. It is sort of a “you had to be alive at the time” thing. I’m not defending it, at least not in the sense of “we should normalize it again”, because we absolutely should not – it’s just one of those weird societal things of the late 90s / early 2000s that was later exploited (and are still currently being exploited, honestly) by the very, very worst actors to perpetuate true hate & bigotry when others weren’t trying to do so. It doesn't necessarily make it OK, but it does give it some level of leeway, at least for my brain. That said, I'm speaking for myself – I refuse to speak for the marginalized people that were affected by this, and if they didn't / don't like it, then they have every right to voice those concerns.

So, with my lack of policing, I’m basically at the point of “How entertaining is the album?”, and I think it’s still pretty entertaining. Eminem’s flows, rhyme schemes & structures are on full display, even for a debut (I know, I know, "Infinite", but shh), and it’s complemented by some great production. When this album succeeds at its over the top bullshit, it just glides, and I think it glides all the way up until “Cum On Everybody”. It kinda falls down a little bit afterward, but not that badly. There’s really only one track that felt like it went too far for me, which was “As the World Turns”, but beyond that, the only knock on the album I have is that it’s just a little bit long, with a few tracks that feel sort of unnecessary, or some outros that feel like they last forever. Obviously, I’m giving a lot of grace here, and if I’m being totally honest, it’s probably closer to a 4 than a 5… but I just have too many memories associated with this damn thing, so I feel good about giving it a 5. Forgive me, perhaps.

I was enjoying this more than I expected, but the longer it went on, the more I just couldn't stand it. The beats are good and he's undeniably a good rapper, but the lyrics are just so cringy and immature. It's just over the top violence, misogyny, and homophobia. The tongue-in-cheek rap battle against his conscience was pretty clever and somewhat funny, but I kind of lost all interest by the time we get to the part where he's rapping about taking his infant daughter to bury her mother at the beach. That's just not even remotely funny to me. In part it feels like he's exaggerating his real life experiences and frustrations, but it also feels like he's just trying to be edgy for the sake of being edgy and I really just don't have time for that nonsense.

Well, it was only a matter of time before I got an album from Eminem on this journey. Given the Detroit rapper's continued presence within the culture, you'd figure at least an album or two of his would show up. We get to start with the album that broke Em into the mainstream, The Slim Shady LP.

Slim Shady, Eminem's violent alter ego, originally made his debut on The Slim Shady EP, as a voice of anger and frustration for Em to vent through after the failure of his debut album Infinite. Unfortunately, the EP wasn't selling many units, and it certainly didn't stop Em from getting evicted from his home. The next best thing he could do was head out to Los Angeles and compete in the Rap Olympics, ending up in second place, and handing out his EP to the attending staff from Interscope Records. The EP was sent to CEO Jimmy Iovine and then shared with the founder of Aftermath Entertainment, the legendary rapper/producer Dr. Dre. Through Dre, Em got his second wind.

This album is built upon the foundation of work by Em, Dre, Dre's frequent collaborator Mel-Man, and Em's previous producers, the Bass Brothers. As a result, these songs are bolstered by bass-heavy beats and well-done sampling akin to the West Coast hip hop and G-funk that Dre helped pioneer and Em felt influenced by. From "My Name Is" built off the sample of Labi Siffre's "I Got the...", to the drum-and-bass with prominent piano combination of "Guilty Conscience", to the haunting synth melodies that purvey in the background of "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" and "Rock Bottom", to the upbeat disco groove of "Cum On Everybody", to the guitarline and heavily distorted bass on "Bad Meets Evil", the soundscape of this record is vast but with this demented angle to match the persona of Slim. Granted, not every song I heard had the best backing track, such as the filtered scream sample throughout "Just Don't Give a Fuck" that became irritating, or the vocal filter placed around Em's vocals over the funk guitarline on the hook of "My Fault". But for the most part, these tracks have a solid base for Shady to come alive.

At this point, we should get to the lyrical content. Like I mentioned earlier, Slim Shady was Em's violent alter ego, and through Em's still-developing but hungry lyrical flow and rhyming, Shady could go off with his cartoonishly violent stories. From his introduction on the track "My Name Is", to the angel and devil on the shoulder as played by Shady and Dre on "Guilty Conscience", to having his daughter help him throw mommy off the pier on "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", to the people that want to imitate him on "Role Model", to the perverse sex jam that opens with referencing Kurt Cobain's suicide on "Cum On Everybody", to the literal "Fuck the World" in a similar vein to 2Pac on "Just Don't Give a Fuck" and its sister track "Still Don't Give a Fuck", to the wild-west cold-blooded team-up with Royce Da 5'9" on "Bad Meets Evil", the venom which Shady spat through Em was palpable and had some good shock value for its time. There are even a few moments where, through Shady, Eminem shedded some light on his life problems, such as the school bully he faced on "Brain Damage" or the struggle to maintain a minimum-wage job on "Rock Bottom", and its those moments in nearly breaking character that stood out well in my view.

That said, not every song has lyrically aged well. Besides the obvious references that have become dated, such as going onto Jerry Springer's show on "Role Model", there were some stories as told by Shady that I just did not find compelling to listen to. I wasn't invested in the accidental overdose of a girl on mushrooms on "My Fault", or the terrorizing of various women on "As the World Turns". The story of being a white trash drug dealer on "I'm Shady" seemed predictable by the time it came on, and the interpolation of Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman" on the hook can be viewed as either kinda cool or cringe-inducing depending on perspective. Between these few half-baked songs and the multiple skits, the album becomes tedious in trying to maintain shock value for an hour.

As such, I view The Slim Shady LP as more historically significant. This album brought one of the most prominent rappers to the limelight and helped influence a multitude of next-generation rappers. I know that Slim Shady has become a double-edged sword for Em, as the people kept clamoring for Shady while Em tried to kill him off more than once and try to move on. But at the end of the day, that dark side of humanity through Shady is an exploration that I found some enjoyment in.

Absolutely abhorrent lyrics. Depressing. Sad and disgusting... (mostly.) That being said, 5-10 greatest beats of all time and no bad tracks. So... four stars. Be honest.

I know I’m not supposed to laugh at this stuff, but…🤣. I figure as a woman I can get away with it more than some of you.
I’m gonna save the 5th star for the Marshall Mather album, but if I could give this 4.5 I would.

Man, this shit really sucks.

ne.

The fine blend of a wordsmith and xbox live's voice chat.

Skill definitely... but... ooh wowee look another edgy thing well done who's a good boy oh wow look another crime to rap about for the bingo chart oh wowee another group of people to pick on great job...

It got old rapidly. I get the idea, I just think it's aged like milk and is repetitive. That said, some bits were interesting underneath the surface level of edgyboi. I don't think I'll listen again but get why it's on the list.

Funny but disgusting and stupid as fuck.

Pretty much the same as the other Eminem album we had; some reasonably good production, talented rapping, but let down by the subject matter. Is this a different mix/edit of My Name Is than the single?

1999, une année charnière, un pied dans le cynisme fin de siècle, l'autre déjà dans l'inconnu numérique. Le rock alternatif que j'avais tant chéri commençait à se regarder le nombril, et le hip-hop était sur le point de devenir la nouvelle pop, le nouveau punk, le nouveau tout. Et puis, il y a eu ce type, ce gamin blanc, blond platine, qui débarquait avec la caution du Dr. Dre en personne, prêt à foutre un coup de pied dans la fourmilière bien-pensante de l'Amérique.

Je vais être honnête, à l'époque, j'avais un peu de mal. Moi, le mec qui venait de se taper des années de post-punk, de noise rock et d'expérimentations sombres, je voyais débarquer ce phénomène avec un mélange de curiosité et de méfiance. Surtout que le buzz était assourdissant autour du "rappeur blanc qui va tout péter". On en avait déjà vu passer, des "nouveaux sauveurs", mais il fallait bien admettre un truc : le son était là. Et c'est la première chose qui frappe encore aujourd'hui en réécoutant "The Slim Shady LP".

Avant de parler du bonhomme, il faut parler du parrain. Dr. Dre venait de passer une décennie à définir le son de la West Coast, et là, il offrait à son poulain des productions d'une propreté et d'une efficacité redoutables. Des boucles minimalistes, des basses rondes et menaçantes, des petits samples de guitare funky... La toile de fond parfaite, un décor de banlieue proprette sur lequel le personnage de Slim Shady allait pouvoir déverser ses fantasmes les plus dégueulasses. Sans la production de Dre, l'album n'aurait été qu'une mixtape de détraqué, mais avec lui, c'est devenu une superproduction de malade mental. C'est ce contraste qui fait toute la force du disque : le son est lisse, presque radio-friendly, mais les mots sont des lames de rasoir.

Et les mots, parlons-en. Le personnage de Slim Shady, c'est le putain de Gremlin qu'on aurait arrosé après minuit. C'est le subconscient de l'Amérique blanche des classes populaires, gavé de culture pop, de frustration et de rage, qui explose en une gerbe de rimes techniques et de blagues de mauvais goût. C'est violent, c'est misogyne, c'est homophobe, c'est tout ce que vous voulez. Mais merde, qu'est-ce que c'est drôle et intelligent par moments. C'est un cartoon gore, un épisode de South Park sous acide. Eminem ne cherche pas à être un gangster, il ne se prend pas pour un dur, il se met en scène comme un loser magnifique, un type qui n'a plus rien à perdre et qui décide de dynamiter toutes les conventions.

C'est là qu'on touche à la fois au génie et à la limite de ce disque. C'est pour ça que ma note ne décolle pas vers les sommets. "The Slim Shady LP" est un exercice de style brillant, mais encore un peu unidimensionnel. Le personnage de Shady est tellement énorme, tellement outrancier, qu'il prend toute la place. Les cibles sont faciles : sa mère, les filles, les figures d'autorité... C'est de la provocation adolescente, même si elle est exécutée avec une maîtrise verbale qui laisse pantois. On sent le potentiel, la technique est déjà là, affolante de précision et de flow. Mais l'artiste, Marshall Mathers, est encore caché derrière le masque grimaçant de son alter ego.

En réécoutant ça aujourd'hui, avec le recul de ses oeuvres suivantes comme "The Marshall Mathers LP" ou "The Eminem Show", on comprend mieux. "The Slim Shady LP", c'est l'introduction, c'est la pose des fondations. Les récits deviendront plus profonds, l'introspection plus douloureuse, la critique sociale plus affûtée. Ici, on est encore dans le pur défouloir, le "regardez comme je peux être choquant". C'est nécessaire, c'est ce qui l'a fait connaître, mais c'est une première étape.

Alors, 3 sur 5, c'est une note juste, c'est l'album qui a mis le feu aux poudres, qui a prouvé qu'un type pouvait venir du rap et avoir la même attitude nihiliste et provocatrice que les punks de 77. C'est un disque important, un marqueur de son époque, et une porte d'entrée fracassante pour l'un des artistes majeurs du 21ème siècle.

Eminem is a single god. Literally every album has at least one or two songs that are pure masterclass. But somehow I have difficulties listening to a whole album of his. Maybe we should have put the best-of album in the list, this would have been an easy 5/5

The Good: it’s a Long Play!
The Bad: which is a lie… as this came out as a CD…
The Ugly: The Slim Shady CD sounds like a covert government agency…

Hi, my name is… and what an impact that song had on those who were not that much into rap back in the ‘90s
Maybe more people tuned in as MM is white?
Maybe more people tuned in as MM did skits in his videos?
Whatever the reason might have been, MM showed up out of nowhere and people paid attention.

Now, rap still isn’t my thing, but the way that MM rhymes is third to none, as second to none is Jacques Brell.. you might want to look him up.

What do I give this LP?
I don’t know… I liked some stuff, didn’t like some other stuff…
3* down the middle...

This is the 2nd Eminem album in the past week, and I expect this one to be worse than his 2nd album. A lot is very amateur, the skits are not fun(ny), his later albums are much better. The talent is there, but the content hasn't aged well, 1*
Highlights: my name is

"I don't give a fuck, god sent me to piss the world off" - a perfect quote to sum up this album

I grew up listening to Eminem, and the lyrics don't really shock me anymore. I've always assumed it was an alter ego when he raps. I do understand why people find it offensive though!

I knew a lot of these songs and skits already, and even though I'm not usually a fan of skits, it was enjoyable! My Name Is - probably the biggest song on the album, but there's quite a few big tunes on this one

I think my score was influenced a lot by nostalgia, because some of these songs did not age well lmao (still think they're bangers). Eminem is also very good live so I'm probably biased 😆

5 ⭐️

a sick and demented album that has an undeniable charm to it. showcases eminem’s talents well