The Eminem Show Review

Following the success The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP, people had finally been able to put the idea that Eminem was a one hit wonder to rest. However, with Eminem approaching 30, and the world essentially changing in the off time between albums (9/11 anyone?), many wondered if Eminem could dish out both a relevant album and another classic. What we get was The Eminem Show, which helped deliver the message that Eminem still had it in him to put out another classic. While I do not think it is as good as his previous albums, it is definitely worth a listen. Eminem porudces a lot of tracks himself, and it works out well.

The album opens with "White America," which is an intriguing opener to the album. Unlike his previous albums where the intro song was fairly light hearted (even "Kill You" is a relatively tame song if you think about it), "White America" is a dark analysis of the state of America following the beginning of the War on Terror. Eminem offers many "what if?" scenarios about the state of the middle class of America, as well as addressing his commercial appeal from  his skin color. Jeff Bass (absent from his brother) produces the track with Eminem, and it's a pretty morbid beat. It may be off putting for this to be the intro song on the album, but it definitely shows his progression in style from just comedic songs.

Eminem's first tackle at analyzing the U.S. Government did not sound forced surprisingly, and marked the first stage in his "crusade" against the Bush Administration. 

Next, we get "Business", accompanied by the signature Dr. Dre-Eminem style beat introduced on his last album. The beat is extremely catchy, and the verses offer nothing but a good time. "Cleanin' Out My Closet" might replace "The Way I Am" as Eminem's darkest singles. Detailing the his early turbulence with his mother, the sinister piano beat mixes perfectly with the song. Even if it's one of Eminem's more popular singles, this song is definitely a life long classic.

20 minutes into "8 Mile" and chill and he gives you this look.

"Square Dance", a pretty good track in which Eminem doesn't rap that fast, but offers cool lines regardless. He throws out a Canibus diss line, and I like the beat. The only down side to the song is that Eminem's hook is kind of annoying, with him trying to sound "country" to match the title of the song.

"Soldier" is a track produced by Eminem all by himself, and like "The Way I Am", he does a good job. The song reminds me a lot of 2Pac. The beat is very similar to the Death Row days of 2Pac, and the subject just reminds of 2Pac. After all, he's said terms like "soldier" a lot. The song offers a dark tone without Eminem having to sound all crazy and what not. "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" is kind of a family themed Eminem song, but also talks about his fame in general. I really enjoy the Eminem produced beat, and overall, even though I don't care for some Eminem family songs.

"Drips" is another Eminem beat, and it's another pretty good song. I actually dig the instrumental a lot, and Obie Trice's verse is actually pretty good. Despite being a sex rap and having a gross subject, it's a good track.

The "E" stands for "edgy"

"Without Me" is the lead single, and is similar to the style of "The Real Slim Shady." It has pop culture references up the ass, has that trademark beat, and is overall fun and goofy. Another guilty pleasure, although I do find myself skipping it a lot. It has been over played to the point where I wouldn't find myself bumping this in my car.

"Sing for the Moment" is an excellent song. The sample from Aerosmith was a great idea, and is a good example of an Eminem single that isn't comedic but also isn't very dark in subject matter.

"Superman" is a track I also really like. While I do not mind sex raps that much, the beat on this song is just so phenomenal. The acoustic guitar and violin combo is one of the best Eminem beats ever produced. The verses are alright, but that beat alone makes it a great song.

The Real Clark Kent

"Hailie's Song" is probably the most controversial song on the album. Many people do not like it when Eminem sings, and this song is about 70% of Eminem singing. The beat is very pleasant and uplifting sounding, and while I do think it is one of the weaker tracks on the album, I actually don't hate this song. Actually, I kind of enjoy it. Eminem himself says in the beginning "I just feel like singing." Personally, I don't care for his family drama songs, but this one seems alright. I can't fathom the joy he must've felt to even want to do this track. His rap verse is pretty good too. Not the best Eminem song obviously, but not the worst.

"When the Music Stops" is another D12 song on an Eminem album. Mr. Porter (Kon Artis) helped produce the track, and the piano based beat is eerie and fits the lyrics perfectly, in which the members describe music's influence on their real lives, especially the rap life style. All the members drop a good verse, but unfortunately, with D12, we get Bizarre. I'll give him credit, his verse isn't terrible, but just having Bizarre on the album is kind of a low point in itself. Good song by D12 nonetheless.

Not this motherfucker again...

"Say What You Say" is one of the best songs on the album. The beat just makes you want to bang your head. Eminem and Dre take turns on the verses, and it comes off really well. Dre and Eminem almost hit gold every time they collab, and this is one of their better ones.

"Till I Collapse", featuring Nate Dogg, is a huge fan favorite. However, personally...it's just not my favorite. The beat sounds hard, and I like Nate Dogg's hook, but I just don't see this as Eminem's best. His verse is good but not spectacular, and that clapping sound in the beat honestly kind of ruins the beat for me. They shouldn't have put that in there. Not a bad song, but I'm surprise this song is as highly regarded as it is (much like "Drug Ballad.")

The album ends on "My Dad's Gone Crazy," which features his daughter. I actually like this song a lot, mainly for the beat. Eminem also offers some good lyrics and even makes fun of Dre and his's relationship by alluding that the two had engaged in homosexual acts with each other. His daughter's voice in the chorus is a little annoying granted, but it's still actually a pretty decent closer. The song reminds me of the work on his previous albums, but in a good way.

So overall, The Eminem Show was a really good album. At first glance, I was thinking how I actually thought this album was better than The Marshall Mathers LP. However, I realized the main issue with the album, besides a few nitpicks, was Eminem's style of rapping. Don't get me wrong, he's still fantastic and one of the best, but he raps a lot slower on some tracks, and the style just sounds different from eccentric style on his previous albums. For example, "Square Dance", "White America" and "Till I Collapse" sound like Eminem's is rapping at about the same speed on each song. So essentially, it seems like the beats verses are interchangeable and can fit onto any song. The songs may be good, but a lot jus aren't as great as the songs on his other albums. Regardless, the album is very consistent and is a good first step in Eminem "maturing" in his progression of rap.

Well, that was until his next album...

Rating: B +