The three albums generated some of the most popular rap songs of their time, as well as some of the biggest commercial success the genre has ever seen ( MMLP is still ranked as the fastest-selling rap album of all time to this day). As his crass persona made him an icon of the American underclass and counterculture, it also made him one of the most consistently controversial artists of his day, the routine accusations of things such as misogyny and homophobia surrounding his lyrics generating a wave of moral panic among parents and Media Watchdogs alike, which only increased their impact on pop culture and made for a good excuse for him to continue writing such songs. Dre's record label.īetween 19, Em would release three albums - The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show - that would elevate him from a small-scale breakout to a household name. The EP gained Em significant attention in the world of underground hip-hop, and eventually got him signed to Dr. The lyrics were dark and gruesome, but took a twistedly funny approach to subjects such as rape, murder, the occult, drugs, and suicide. The EP was remarkably different from his previous work and a novel concept to rap in general, as it focused not on the character of the rapper himself but instead a separate alter ego: "Slim Shady".
![marshall mathers lp full album dirty marshall mathers lp full album dirty](https://images.genius.com/3318f3cf181ad2673fab74719f3eed40.1000x1000x1.png)
His first studio album, Infinite, was released in 1996 and underperformed critically and commercially underground rappers and critics alike felt it was a bad imitation of the likes of Nas or Jay-Z.Īngry, poor, in a rocky relationship with his wife and with a new baby daughter to feed, Em followed up with an EP in 1997 - The Slim Shady EP. His early raps were heavily influenced by the popular gangsta rap of the day, and being white, he was often mocked for even trying, not to mention physically assaulted and shot at. It may be a world that is as infuriating as it is intriguing, but it is without question his own, which is far more than most of his peers are able to accomplish at the dawn of a new millennium.During this period around his teenage years, Mathers discovered a love of rap and would practice it as often as he could, his iconic stage name a copyright-friendly evolution of the first name he rapped under (M&M).
![marshall mathers lp full album dirty marshall mathers lp full album dirty](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/35/Eminem_-_The_Slim_Shady_LP_CD_cover.jpg)
As an artist, he's supposed to create his own world, and with this terrific second effort, he certainly has. But, once you're in, Eminem doesn't care if you understand exactly where he's at, and he doesn't offer any apologies if you can't sort the fact from the fiction. There may not be overpowering hooks on every track, but the album works as a whole, always drawing the listener in. The production is nearly as evocative as the raps, with liquid basslines, stuttering rhythms, slight sound effects, and spacious soundscapes. It's both funnier and darker than his debut, and Eminem's writing is so sharp and clever that the jokes cut as deeply as the explorations of his ruptured psyche. It is, however, a fairly brilliant expansion of his debut, turning his spare, menacing hip-hop into a hyper-surreal, wittily disturbing thrill ride. Eminem is all about blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, humor and horror, satire and documentary, so it makes perfect sense that The Marshall Mathers LP is no more or no less "real" than The Slim Shady LP. To Eminem's credit, he decided to exploit that confusion on his masterful second record, The Marshall Mathers LP. Many dismissed his considerable skills as a rapper and social satirist because the vulgarity and gross-out humor on The Slim Shady LP were too detailed for some to believe that it was anything but real.
![marshall mathers lp full album dirty marshall mathers lp full album dirty](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56858337cbced60d3b293aef/1578348816147-75Z62UV9HMHYMBP6QW4V/Eminem_TheMarshallMathersLP2_MainImage.jpg)
It's hard to know what to make of Eminem, even if you know that half of what he says is sincere and half is a put-on the trick is realizing that there's truth in the joke, and vice versa.