The Slim Shady LP by Eminem
The Slim Shady LP is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999 under Web Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitment by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, the album features production from Dr. Dre, the Bass Brothers, and Eminem himself. The majority of the record's lyrical content is written from the perspective of the rapper's alter ego Slim Shady, whom the rapper created on The Slim Shady EP (1997). The lyrics are noted for their over-the-top depictions of violence and heavy use of profanity. The album was met with both critical and commercial success; critics praised Eminem for his unique lyrical style, and the record debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart behind TLC's FanMail with 283,000 copies sold in its opening week. The first official single, "My Name Is", peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Slim Shady LP went on to be certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The record won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, and in 2003, the album was ranked number 273 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The Slim Shady LP turned Eminem from an unknown rapper into a high-profile celebrity. Interscope Records awarded him with his own record label, Shady Records, and he embarked on an extensive touring schedule to promote the album. In the summer of 1999, the rapper frequently performed on the Vans Warped Tour and in hip-hop clubs. He also became a highly controversial figure due to his lyrical content, which some perceived to be misogynistic and a negative influence on American youth. The rapper was also sued multiple times following the release of the album for reasons including slander and unauthorized sampling.
When Eminem put out the sequel to <i>The Marshall Mathers LP</i> in late 2013, he joined a small handful of rappers—including JAY-Z, Q-Tip and the late MF DOOM—who’d managed to still sound relevant after hitting 40. Age hadn’t matured him—at least not so much that he backed off the violence, misogyny and homophobia that made him a lightning rod 15 years earlier. But on <i>The Marshall Mathers LP 2</i>, there was a sense of awareness about his place in the culture that could be interpreted as maturity. He wasn’t a dark, twisted rapper; he was the dark, twisted rap <i>guy</i>: That was his role. So while the album’s shout-outs to Phife Dawg (“Legacy”)—as well as the old-school feel of tracks like “Berzerk” and “Survival”—could be described as nostalgia, they’re also Eminem’s way of saying that, no matter how good he is, he knows he’s just a piece in a much bigger cultural picture. By the time <i>The Marshall Mathers LP 2</i> arrived, the tabloids and headlines that once followed Eminem were mostly gone. It was just him, his notebook, his memories and a love for the music that made him. “They said I rap like a robot, so call me Rap-bot,” he proclaims at the top of “Rap God”, before offering five and a half of the most technically demanding minutes of his career. That’s the feat, but that’s also the joke—watch him go. Same, in a way, for something like “Legacy”, which listeners might realise squeezes five minutes of rhymes out of the same few syllables. In an interview with Eminem, conducted a few years after <i>The Marshall Mathers LP 2</i>‘s release, a <i>New York</i> magazine writer asked the rapper what he liked to do for fun. “Aside from writing? Mostly I love writing,” he said. “Yeah, writing is something I really enjoy.” It’s hard to tell whether or not he’s kidding, but on <i>LP 2</i>, the picture still comes through clear: Here’s a guy so consumed by rap that the rest of the world basically doesn’t exist.
