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Eminem
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem:  The Marshall Mathers LP

$6.99
AMG Top Pick Listen Parental Advisory

Album Review

Released: 2000
Label: Aftermath
Selection #: 135081
Vitriolic, exaggerated raps on monster hit from Dr. Dre protégé. Stan (feat. Dido), The Real Slim Shady, The Way I Am, Kill You, Kim, more.
Listen RM WM
1 Public Service Announcement 2000 N/A N/A
2 Kill You
3 Stan
4 Paul (Skit) N/A N/A
5 Who Knew
6 Steve Berman
7 The Way I Am
8 The Real Slim Shady
9 Remember Me?
10 I'm Back
11 Marshall Mathers
12 Ken Kaniff (Skit)
13 Drug Ballad
14 Amityville
15 B**** Please II
16 Kim
17 Under the Influence
18 Criminal
  
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Album Review

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. 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. To Eminem's credit, he decided to exploit that confusion on his masterful second record, "The Marshall Mathers LP". 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". It is, however, a fairly brilliant expansion of his debut, turning his spare, menacing hip-hop into a hyper-surreal, wittily disturbing thrill ride. 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. The production is nearly as evocative as the raps, with liquid bass lines, stuttering rhythms, slight sound effects, and spacious soundscapes. There may not be overpowering hooks on every track, but the album works as a whole, always drawing the listener in. 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. As an artist, he's supposed to create his own world, and with this terrific second effort, he certainly has. 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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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About This Artist
Biography


Other albums by: Eminem
Eminem:  Eminem Presents: The Re-Up Listen Parental Advisory Eminem
Eminem Presents: The Re-Up

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Eminem:  Curtain Call - The Hits AMG Top Pick Listen Parental Advisory Greatest Hits Eminem
Curtain Call - The Hits

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Eminem:  Encore (1 CD/ 1 Bonus CD) Listen Parental Advisory Eminem
Encore (1 CD/ 1 Bonus CD)

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