Well, here we are, Eminem's apparent best album he's ever made. His Classic. I'm really expecting big things from this album after The Slim Shady LP, I absolutely loved that album. There are a few songs I have heard from this album, but I'm actually surprised by how many there are here I haven't heard. Yep, just counted, I've only heard 5 songs out of the 19 tracks on this album. This should be great. Let's get started.
1. Public Service Announcement 2000 (Skit)
This skit is clearly doing the exact same thing as the PSA on the Slim Shady LP, but it's deciding to be more offensive and rude to the listeners compared to the first one. This is a pretty funny intro. I'm not gonna rate it though since this is a skit.
2. Kill You (Produced by Dr Dre and Mel-Man)
This beat is really dope. Eminem's singing at the start of this song is cool. I love his flow at the start. Wow, he sounds so much more aggressive on this album compared to the SSLP. He just said some fucked up shit about raping his mother. Damn, he's really stepping up the offensive factor on this. He's killing this shit right now though.
I'm triple platinum and tragedies happened in two states
I invented violence, you vile venomous volatile vicious
Vain Vicodin, vrin vrin vrin!
Texas Chainsaw, left his brains all
Danglin' from his neck while his head barely hangs on
It's so obvious that he's on drugs in this song man, he sounds legitimately insane. It's fucking dope as hell though. I love this song, I think I might have heard parts of this song before, but never the full thing. This is an amazing song. 5/5
3. Stan (featuring Dido) (Produced by The 45 King and Co-Produced by Eminem)
Yeah, of course I've heard Stan. This is one of the most iconic songs in Eminem's entire career. It's amazing, this is one of my favourite songs of all time by any artist. This has some fantastic storytelling, the chorus by Dido is haunting, and the production is just incredible. It also has one of the best twist endings I've ever heard in any storytelling song. Some people don't see the replay value in this song after they've listened once, but I don't have that issue at all. I love this song every time I listen to it. It's a nice song to just kick back and listen to. If you couldn't already tell, I love this song. 5/5
4. Paul (Skit)
Well I guess Paul Rosenberg is back again. I hope he keeps coming back in future albums. This skit isn't hilarious or anything, but it's cool, I like the reoccurring characters.
5. Who Knew (Produced by Dr Dre and Mel-Man)
This beat sounds dope. I like how he's starting the song off so far.
Shit, you probably think I'm in your tape deck now I'm in the back seat of your truck with duct tape stretched out Ducked the fuck way down, waitin' to straight jump out Put it over your mouth, and grab you by the face — what now?
I like this song a lot so far. The commentary he's making on not censoring music is something I agree with heavily. Music should stay as it is, a place to freely express your emotions and air your thoughts in a creative way. Ironically I think Eminem would have been crucified even more by mainstream media if he released songs like this now thanks to all the offended people out there. Funnily enough he'd also most likely have a larger following too. Anyway. I like this hook a lot. It's basically him saying he never knew he'd influence people so much. He's essentially using this song to say it's not his fault that people allowed his music to have such an impact on them. This is a really good song. I have no problems with this whatsoever. 5/5
6. Stever Berman (Skit)
Well we're on track so far, this is turning out really well. I really like this skit. I can imagine that Eminem would have gone through this sort of shit a lot, with people rejecting his music just because it's offensive and doesn't please everyone. This is a good little interlude. But you know my position on skits.
7. The Way I Am (Produced by Eminem)
This is another dope beat. Wow. Em sounds really pissed off on this song.
I sit back with this pack of Zig-Zag's and this bag Of this weed, it gives me the shit needed to be The most meanest MC on this on this earth And since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve all this tension Dispensing these sentences, getting this stress That's been eating me recently off of this chest
He sounds fucking great so far on this song. He's essentially just letting out all of his frustrations with how everyone perceives him. This hook is great too.
And I am whatever you say I am If I wasn't, then why would I say I am? In the paper, the news, every day I am Radio won't even play my jam ‘Cause I am whatever you say I am If I wasn't, then why would I say I am? In the paper, the news, every day I am I don't know, it's just the way I am
This is a great song. It feels like it just gets better and better as the verses progress to be honest. This is my favourite song besides Stan so far. 5/5
8. The Real Slim Shady (Produced by Dr Dre and Mel-Man)
This is the second song I've heard before. I think everyone's heard this damn song before to be honest. It's another classic Eminem song. I really like this song. It still has a lot of replay value for me, even though it has been overplayed like hell. It's just too catchy and it has really great lyrics.
Y'all act like you never seen a white person before Jaws all on the floor like Pam like Tommy just burst in the door And started whoopin' her ass worse than before They first were divorced, throwin' her over furniture {Aww!}
The chorus is really memorable as well.
I'm Slim Shady, yes, I'm the real Shady All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating So won't the real Slim Shady please stand up Please stand up, please stand up? 'Cause I'm Slim Shady, yes, I'm the real Shady All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating So won't the real Slim Shady please stand up Please stand up, please stand up?
Yeah, this is a great song. Not much else to say. 5/5
9. Remember Me? (featuring RBX and Sticky Fingaz) (Produced by Dr Dre and Mel-Man)
I have no idea who RBX and Sticky Fingaz are. Hopefully they're dope. Apparently this is RBX on the first verse and first chorus. Wow, he has a really different flow. He sounds really dope though, this is such an interesting verse to listen to. It's pretty short but it's really dope. He reminds me of someone I've heard before but I just can't put my finger on it. Sticky Fingaz is starting now.
Life’s a bitch, met her, fuck you if you let her Better come better than better to be a competitor This vet is ahead of the shit, it’s all redder You deader and deader A medic instead of the cheddars and credda Settle vendetta with metal Beretta from ghetto to ghetto Evidence, nope, never leave a shred of
He was rhyming his ass off in that segment. I really like his flow as well, it sounds really dope over this beat. He sounds like Mystikal and Busta Rhymes at times when he's rapping loudly and getting angry. Those first two guys really made this song interesting to listen to. Em's starting his verse now. I really like how they all say the chorus themselves in different ways before their verses. Em's murdering his verse. Damn, he definitely has the best verse. I suppose that's to be expected though.
Sick, sick dreams of picnic scenes Two kids, sixteen, with M-16’s and ten clips each And them shits reach through six kids each And Slim gets blamed in Bill Clint’s speech to fix these streets?!
Man he loves talking about kids dying. That's fucked up. He's definitely angry as hell on this album. Another fantastic song. 5/5
10. I'm Back (Produced by Dr Dre and Mel-Man)
I feel like I've heard this beat before, it's really really dope. Em is killing shit again on this song.
I murder a rhyme, one word at a time You never heard of a mind as perverted as mine You better get rid of that 9, it ain't gonna help What good's it gonna do against a man that strangles himself?
This song is so fucking dope man. He sounds so great over this production. That hook is pretty average to me though, at least it helps to break up the song I suppose. Oh. So this is the song he was talking about on Rap God.
I take seven {kids} from {Columbine} Stand 'em all in line, add an AK-47, a revolver, a 9 A MAC-11 and it oughta solve the problem of mine And that's a whole school of bullies shot up all at one time
Yeah, that line is pretty fucked up. This was not too long after the shooting happened too, so it's understandable why it was less than popular with almost everyone. The offensive lyrics don't really take away anything for me though, this song is too good for that. The hook is pretty average, but it doesn't take away from the overall experience that much. This is a great song. 5/5
11. Marshall Mathers (Produced by Bass Brothers and Eminem)
I have no idea what to expect from this song. Eminem's singing actually sounds really good on this song. This production sounds a lot more like something that would be on the Slim Shady LP, but it sounds pretty amazing. Em is killing shit again.
Double barrel 12-gauge bigger than Chris Wallace Pissed off ‘cause Biggie and Pac just missed all this Watchin' all these cheap imitations get rich off 'em And get dollars that shoulda been theirs like they switched wallets And amidst all this Crist' poppin' and wrist watches I just sit back and just watch and just get nauseous And walk around with an empty bottle of Remy Martin Startin' shit like some 26-year-old skinny Cartman (Goddamn it!)
I really like this song so far. He sounds amazing over this production. Oh shit, he's dissing Insane Clown Posse on this second verse. I can't believe those two were dumb enough to diss him in his prime. They're two of the worst rappers of all time (at least from what I've heard). Yeah, I'm willing to bet that Em spit a better verse than anything they've said in their entire career just then. Well that's fucked up. Apparently Em's mother tried to sue him. Well, she is a pretty terrible mother, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Yeah, this is another great song. 5/5
12. Ken Kaniff (Skit)
Hahahahahah. My favourite skit in rap is getting a part two apparently. Oh wow. This is even more hilarious than the first one. The skit is the two guys from Insane Clown Posse giving Ken Kaniff head. Hahahahahahhaahahhahah.
Uhh, now say my name Shaggy 2 Dope: Eminem! Ken Kaniff: Say my name Shaggy 2 Dope: Eminem! Ken Kaniff: What? Oh, fuck you guys!
If I rated skits this would be a 5. This is funny as hell to me.
13. Drug Ballad (featuring Dina Rae) (Produced by Bass Brothers and Eminem)
This is the third song I've heard before. It's really great. This is a really honest self-reflection of Em's life. Dina Rae's contribution to this song is great. Her vocals really make the chorus, plus I really like her intro as well.
A couple of minutes that bottle of Guinness is finished You are now allowed to officially slap bitches
I love this line. Obviously Em is being sarcastic, and I love the fact that he's calling out people that use alcohol as an excuse to hit women. He has some fucked up imagery in this song.
So let's enjoy, let the X destroy your spinal cord
So it's not a straight line no more'
Til we walk around looking like some wind-up dolls
Shit's stickin' out of our backs like a dinosaur
This is another one of Eminem's best songs in my opinion. 5/5
14. Amityville (featuring Bizarre) (Produced by Bass Brothers and Eminem)
I haven't heard this song before. This hook is kind of annoying to be totally honest. It might grow on me though, I'll see I guess. This song has Bizarre on it, so it's probably gonna be really fucked up. I've heard Bizarre is one of the most disgusting rappers in history, and not in a good way. Em's rapping with a much slower delivery on this song. His first verse was pretty cool, I liked his delivery, but it was really short. This song is describing Detroit as Amityville, essentially a really messed up place. Damn, Bizarre's verse is pretty fucked.
I fucked my cousin in his asshole, slit my mother's throat Guess who Slim Shady just signed to Interscope My little sister's birthday, she'll remember me For a gift I had ten of my boys take her virginity
It's not as bad as I was expecting to be honest, but it's still pretty fucking weird. It's disappointing because he actually has a pretty dope voice for rapping, but I guess someone has to be fucked in the head to balance out all the normal rappers. Eminem's last verse is really good, which brings up the song a lot for me. I still think this is a good song, but I'm not 100% feeling it.
*A few listens later
At first listen I wasn't really feeling this song at all, but after multiple listens I quite like it now. Eminem has some great verses and I actually like the hook a lot now. The biggest problem with the entire song is Bizarre, however he is not bad enough to ruin this song. This is my least favourite so far, but its still a great song. 5/5
15. Bitch Please II (feauturing Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Nate Dogg) (Produced by Dr Dre and Mel-Man)
Here's the fourth song I've heard before. This is probably gonna end up being my favourite on the album to be honest. I absolutely love Dre, Xzibit, Nate Doggs and Eminem's verses on here. Snoop's verse was cool, but it wasn't that great. Dre absolutely goes in though.
Whoa, not these niggas again These grown-ass ignorant men with hair-triggers again (Shit) You and what army could harm me? D-R-E and Shady, with Doggy from Long Beach
I definitely wouldn't say that Snoop's verse was bad or ruins the song, but he really wasn't trying at all.
Got about fifty guns And I love all of 'em the same, bang bang (Word up) Damn, baby girl, what's your name? I forgot, what'd you say it was? Damn, a nigga buzzed (Fuck that) Hangin' in the club with my nephew Eminem (What's up? What up, Cuz? What up, Snoop!)
Nate Dogg's hook is fucking dope as hell. I miss Nate Dogg man. The king of hooks. Anyway, Xzibit sounds absolutely amazing on this song. I lost my shit the first time I heard his verse. He just sounds so gangsta.
I'm the Head Nigga In Charge, I'm watchin' you move You're found dead in your garage With ten o'clock news coverage Gotta love it ‘cause I expose the facade Your little lungs is too small to hotbox with God's All jokes aside, come bounce with us Standin' over you with a 12 gauge, about to bust It's like ashes to ashes and dust to dust I might leave in the bodybag, but never in cuffs
So who do you trust? They just not rugged enough When things get rough I'm in the club shootin' with Puff Bitch, please! You must have a mental disease Assume the position and get back down on your knees; come on!
Yeah, that is his entire verse, but it was just that dope. Then Eminem comes in with my favourite verse of the Entire album so far.
Aww, naww, big Slim Dogg Eighty pound balls, dick six inch long Back up in the heezy, baby He's Shady (He's so crazy!) Give me the mic, let me recite 'til Timothy White Pickets outside the Interscope offices every night What if he's right? I'm just a criminal Makin' a livin' off of the world's misery What in the world gives me the right to say what I like? And walk around flippin' the bird Livin' the urban life, like a white kid from the burbs
I love this song so much. Everything about this is so dope. If Snoop Dogg wasn't so damn lazy on this song it would probably be my favourite Eminem song of all time. 5/5
16. Kim (Produced by Bass Brothers)
This is the last song I've heard before, and damn this is an intense song. I really love this song though. It's fucked up, but it's just so intense and captivating to listen to. The production is amazing. It just sets the mood perfectly. Em is just screaming his lungs out on this song. He's letting out all of his frustrations towards Kim in a furious rage. He said that he wrote this song to show how much he cares about her, because she gets him this angry. No wonder why Kim thinks he's Insane. I think most people would be convinced that he lost his mind if this was the only song they'd heard from Em. This is a really great storytelling song, it's really intense and entertaining, and it leads right into 97' Bonnie and Clyde. This is a great song, even if Em sounds like he's lost his mind on it. 5/5
17. Under the Influence (featuring D12) (Produced by Bass Brothers and Eminem)
I've never heard a song from D12 before, all I know is that Proof and Em are in the group. Apparently Bizarre is too. Damn, I hope he doesn't ruin this song.This beat is pretty dope. Em has a pretty average hook at the start, but it's not too bad. He sounds great in his verse though.
A young-ass man with a trash can, strapped to the back Of his ass so the rats can't chew through his last pants I'm like a mummy at night, fightin' with bright lightnin' Frightened with five little white Vicodin pills bitin' him
Swifty is starting to rap now. He's actually really dope.
I'm an instigator, .380 slug penetrator Degradin', creatin' murders to kill haters Accused for every crime known through the equator They knew I did it for havin' blood on my 'gators
He has a really good flow and sounds great over this production. Well, here comes Bizarre. Ok, he's just saying offensive and weird stuff so far, nothing too disgusting. The line about jacking off in a bed of barbed wire wasn't great imagery though. The worst line is definitely this one.
I'm fuckin' anything when I'm snortin' It's gonna cost 300 dollars to get my pitbull an abortion
Why? Proof has the next verse, it's really dope. I've never heard Proof rap before, D12 seems like a really dope group except for Bizarre so far. I just released Proofs entire verse rhymed. That's pretty sick. Kuniva is rapping now. Kuniva sounds pretty dope too. I liked his verse. Kon Artis is up last. He sounds pretty cool too. Everyone in D12 is a good rapper, but I don't think I'd be interested in checking out anyones solo stuff, except maybe Swift and Proof, definitely not Bizarre. I heard that sick fuck did a song about being a pedophile. No thank you. This song is still really good though. That one line from Bizarre annoys me, but it's not too bad. 5/5
18. Criminal (Produced by Bass Brothers and Eminem)
Well I thought I hadn't heard this song before, but I've definitely heard this intro and the first few really offensive lines.
My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge That'll stab you in the head, whether you're a fag or lez Or a homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest Pants or dress, hate fags? The answer's yes
It's pretty obvious that this lines a joke to be honest. Em's made it really clear he doesn't have a problem with gay people at all, he just said it because it was funny and offensive. He obviously knew what he was doing, because the offensive shit on this album got him a lot of attention. Em is spazzing on this song though. This beat is pretty simple, but Em is making it sound really great though. I'm pretty sure he uses part of the skit in this song in MMLP2.
TELLER: Don't kill me!
EMINEM: Hurry the fuck up! {*Gunshot*}
Thank you! Go, go, go!
I really have nothing bad to say about this song whatsoever. It's just enjoyable to listen to. This is the end of the album on the original version, but I'm listening to the Australian/U.K exclusive release, so there's still one song left, but I'll treat it a bonus track. 5/5
BONUS TRACK
19. The Kids (Produced by Bass Brothers and Eminem)
This sounds like a South Park parody with how Em is voicing the characters. I really like the production on this song. It starts off sounding really positive but with Em talking about all the fucked up consequences of doing drugs. He's really exaggerating the effects of Marijuana. I'm guessing its a social commentary on how demonised it is in society. He's talking about Ecstasy now. Yeah, this whole song is just a parody of what people say to keep kids off drugs. It doesn't really educate the kids at all, but that's not really surprising. I like this song, it sounds pretty great sonically, but I think it belongs as a bonus track, I would have rather had this song than Amityville, but Amityville definitely makes more sense in the context of the album. 5/5
Final Thoughts
Damn, this album is absolutely amazing. I think that this album has just as many great songs as the SSLP, but on this the best songs are really amazing. I think after I listen to this a few more times I'll be able to decide, but I really can't pick between the SSLP and this project right now. I do agree that this is Eminem's best project, however I think that I might enjoy the Slim Shady LP's overall vibe a little more. Regardless, this is an amazing album, and is really a testament to why Em is one of the best to ever do it.
*A few more listens later
Yeah, sorry for doing this again. But I changed my mind. This is definitely my favourite Eminem album. This album is absolutely incredible to me, and I think it deserves a 10. The only problems I have with the album actually have nothing to do with Eminem, and for that reason I don't see the point in discrediting the whole project for those small reasons. (Those reasons really being Bizarre TBH). Em's final "legendary" album is up next, and even this one is up for debate, on to the Eminem Show.
Overall Rating (Regular/Deluxe): (100/100)
Favourite Song: Bitch Please II
Least Favourite: Amityville