The Marshall Mathers LP

by Eminem

Overview

Teetering on the line between sadistic and brilliant, Eminem (a.k.a. Marshall Mathers III, a.k.a Slim Shady) once again establishes himself as rap's baddest boy -- no mean feat in a world where Ol' Dirty Bastard, Kool Keith, and Luther Campbell freak on the mic. On this supreme follow-up to his breakthrough THE SLIM SHADY LP, Eminem displays ever greater doses of creativity, ambition, and rhyme sensibility. When he's not taking venomous, hysterically funny pot-shots at his critics, squeaky-clean teen idols Christina Aguilera and 'N Sync, or his estranged mommy dearest, this mischevious MC is an ingenious storyteller, delivering cinematic masterpieces such as "Kim" (about his baby's much-maligned mother) and "Stan" (about a suicidal, obsessed fan). And while Slim Shady proves he can battle any MC rhyme for rhyme, as on the lyrical sparring session "B**** Please II," featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Xzibit, the album's real highlights occur when Em riffs on celebrity -- his own and others. On the abrasive "Who Knew" and the acoustic-guitar driven "Marshall Mathers" -- which give equal weight to his concerns about playing the twisted role model and his off-color cracks about paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve and slain fashion designer Gianni Versace -- Em comes across as the homo-phobic and chauvinist regular guy next door who merely wants to entertain his fans. Like Redd Foxx and Schoolly D before him, Eminem revels in pushing our politically correct buttons. With each insanely rude crack, you'll find yourself asking, Did he really say that? He did - and love him or hate him, that's exactly where his brilliance lies. Big Sexy

Product Details

Release Date:	05/23/2000
Label:	Aftermath
UPC:	0606949062910
catalogNumber:	490629
Rank:	1350

Tracks

1. Public Service Announcement 2000
2. Kill You
3. Stan
4. Paul (Skit)
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

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Eminem   Primary Artist,Vocals
Snoop Dogg   Track Performer
Jeff Bass   Track Performer
Steve Berman   Track Performer
John Bigham   Guitar
Xzibit   Track Performer
Tom Coster   Keyboards
Mike Elizondo   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards
Camara Kambon   Keyboards
Sticky Fingaz   Track Performer

Technical Credits

45 King & Louie   Producer
Dr. Dre   Composer,Producer
Jeff Bass   Composer,Producer
Richard Huredia   Engineer
Ben Joyner   Composer
Lance Pierre   Engineer
Michelle Lynn Forbes   Engineer
Melvin Bradford   Composer
Tom Coster   Composer
Mark Bass   Composer,Producer
Mike Elizondo   Composer
Andre Young   Composer
Dido Armstrong   Composer
Calvin Broadus   Composer
Aaron Lepley   Engineer
Eminem   Producer
Rick Behrens   Engineer
Mel-Man   Producer
Jason Noto   Art Direction
Marshall Mathers   Composer
James McCrone   Engineer
Paul Herman   Composer
Mike Butler   Engineer
Rob Ebeling   Engineer
Akane Nakamura   Engineer
R. Arthur Johnson   Composer
Eric Collins   Composer
Kirk Jones   Composer
Chris Conway   Engineer
Steve King   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

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 basslines, 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.

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine