Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fifteen years ago, the American public was introduced to Marshall Mathers, Eminem,
and Slim Shady, a triptych of manic personalities whose interests included raising hell,
making enemies, and sticking nine-inch nails through each one of their eyelids. To
commemorate Shady being set loose upon the world, we've decided to rank every
single song Em has released to date.
But first, allow us to qualify our countdown with a few rules of eligibility: We only included
songs that were given an official retail release that means tracks featured on studio
albums, EPs, and compilations, plus guest verses; we didn't consult mixtapes or
unofficial freestyles, so we offer our deepest apologies to "Nail in the Coffin," "Til Hell
Freezes Over," and other noteworthy rarities. Skits weren't considered, either
(condolences to all the Ken Kaniff and Steve Berman die-hards out there). Obviously,
we only considered D12 tracks that featured a verse or hook from Eminem. And, finally,
if there were multiple versions of a track, we opted to include the rendition we thought
superior, so don't expect to see the live Grammy performance of "Stan" or The Slim
Shady EP's "Just the Two of Us." And with that, we begin the Eminem show...
289. "C'mon Let Me Ride" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhxPBrxxaqc)
(Skylar Grey feat. Eminem, Don't Look Down, 2013)
288. "Here Comes the Weekend" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=r7FU4Usr9H4) (Pink feat. Eminem, The Truth About Love, 2012)
287. "Fuck Off" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmqSzoByD5Y) (Kid Rock
feat. Eminem, Devil Without a Cause, 1998)
286. "Off to Tijuana" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wel5B5_IH80) (Hush
feat. Eminem, Kuniva, and Swifty McVay, Bulletproof, 2005)
285. "Fack" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUVPDJiaUlk) (Curtain Call:
The Hits, 2005)
284. "Desperation" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMpZa4ZrgWI) feat.
Jamie N Commons (The Marshall Mathers LP 2 [Deluxe Edition], 2013)
283. "It Has Been Said" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPE6_u88deQ)
(The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Diddy, Eminem, and Obie Trice, Duets: The Final Chapter,
2005)
282. "Bitch" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0m6aQ6-9pA) (D12, D12
World, 2004)
281. "Echo" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpFV3lLiJQs) (Bad Meets
Evil, Hell: The Sequel [Deluxe Edition], 2011)
280. "Twerk Dat Pop That" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0WRsuezucU)
(Trick Trick feat. Eminem and Royce da 5'9", "Twerk Dat Pop That" Single, 2014)
World, 2004)
208. "Crazy in Love" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Gbqf1Uv5CQI) (Encore, 2004)
207. "Never 2 Far" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sdnpgeYhJI) (Infinite,
1996)
206. "Headlights" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7bDLIV96LD4&list=UU20vb-R_px4CguHzzBPhoyQ) feat. Nate Ruess (The
Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013)
205. "Revelation" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgj4SQ1DhM) (D12, Devil's Night, 2001)
204. "Public Enemy #1" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=fy4E6blN01M) (Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, 2006)
203. "Pistol Poppin'" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxUAZHMjS2M)
(Cashis feat. Eminem, The County Hound EP, 2007)
202. "My Band" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYjiIsENvcc) (D12, D12
World, 2004)
201. "Love You More" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=mXQliaF9LXE) (Encore [Deluxe Edition], 2004)
Eminem at the 2000 Source Hip Hop Music Awards PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES
Eminem and Rihanna, performing together at the 2011 Grammys PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES
blames for his family's tailspin. But in the closing moments of the song, we come to see
Matthew Mitchell as more than just a disgruntled murderer. He's reckoning for a career
whose brick and mortar is insult and antagonism. C.J.
94. "Can-I-Bitch" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_biz8j5ACJ8) (Straight
From the Lab, 2003)
Another product of yet another feud this one with Jamaican-born battle-rap warrior
Canibus "Can-I-Bitch" isn't the most cleverly titled of Eminem's attack tracks, or the
best-produced, but it is among his densest and most playful, a foul-mouthed yarn that
would smite anyone on the schoolyard. K.M.
93. "Keep Talkin" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=WQq_cfLV36U) (D12, D12 World, 2004)
The greatest strength of "Keep Talkin" the closing track from D12's most recent
studio album, 2004's (!) D12 World is its construction. Eminem hangs back, electing
to talk shit on a competent (if slightly forgettable) hook that serves as the song's
throughline, clearing space for his bandmates, who spit bullets over a tight, wristsnapping loop. K.M.
92. "Amityville" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntmPioImGvQ) (The
Marshall Mathers LP, 2000)
This Marshall Mathers LP deep cut finds Eminem and Bizarre trading horrorcore
shlock until verse three opens up the titular conceit, that their native Detroit is every bit
as harsh and dangerous as the haunted house that inspired the supernatural horror
classic of the same name. C.J.
91. "Hellbound" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqfDeLxPY_Y) (Masta
Ace feat. Eminem and J-Black, Game Over, 2000)
Wherein Eminem cops to some left-of-center dietary choices ("I ain't no fucking G / I'm
a cannibal"), rattles off a few of his vices ("Coke and acid / Black magic / Cloaks and
daggers"), and figures, fuck it, he's going to hell anyway. This one also gets extra points
for sampling the soundtrack to another classic artifact from the Y2K era: the Sega
Dreamcast's SoulCalibur. K.M.
90. "Bump Heads" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOVcWiKoX9c) feat. 50
Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks (Straight From the Lab, 2003)
Want to remember what it was like to be alive in 2003? Well, nothing does the job quite
like a diss track directed at Ja Rule. The rubbery beat serves as the perfect catalyst for
Shady's relentless stream of lobs at Ja, like, "Got undercover cops that'll legally pop
you." Don't cross Em unless you come correct. B.C.
take her mind off opiate cravings, she loses it, and the both of them spend the
remainder of their night trying (and ultimately failing) to stop her from harming herself.
C.J.
84. "No One's Iller" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mln6wDp32qc) feat.
Swifty McVay, Bizarre, and Fuzz (The Slim Shady EP, 1997)
Years before Kanye West sampled Hank Crawford's "Wildflower"
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC88dJ4KuFw) (which is itself a cover of a song
originally by the Canadian band Skylark) for his Late Registration stunner "Drive Slow,"
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWoUCDTfWqA) Eminem made the 1973 track an
accomplice to this laid-back, blood-soaked bit of braggadocio. K.M.
83. "Love Me" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekb-KL8SrBw) feat. 50 Cent
and Obie Trice (Music From and Inspired By the Motion Picture 8 Mile, 2002)
By the time this foggy bruiser appeared, Eminem had already built out his empire:
millions of records sold, a starring role in his own near-biopic, an armful of Grammys,
and, soon, an Academy Award. Here's how untouchable Em was at the time "Love
Me" isn't even the second or third best song on the 8 Mile soundtrack, and it's still
gripping. Hell, he doesn't even have the strongest verse; that title belongs to 50
Cent, who casually skewers R. Kelly, Lil Kim, Lauryn Hill, and D'Angelo in the track's
closing moments. But even though we open with Obie Trice and close with 50,
Eminem's at the center, flanked by two of his finest lieutenants. K.M.
82. "Underground" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7slvvQ0Cbzo) (Relapse, 2009)
Eminem dove deep into horrorcore camp for his comeback album, 2009's unjustly
maligned Relapse. When he isn't urging us all to crack a bottle, he's recounting brutal
narratives filled with child abuse, cannibalism, and premeditated murder. But on
"Underground," the LP's closing track, the violence morphs into pulpy fan-fiction as Em
arms himself with a stutter-strobe beat and faces down Freddy Krueger, Jason
Voorhees, and Hannibal Lecter. In this case the last gasp of Eminem's bleakest
record the lower the stakes, the better. K.M.
81. "So Far" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNn5CyPF3bE) (The
Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013)
MMLP2 album cut "So Far" loops up sometime-Eagle-guitarist Joe Walsh's bluesy
late '70s hit "Life's Been Good" while Marshall strings together a series of humorous
shoutouts than collaborations before it combusted, but "Rush Ya Clique" off of the
Outz debut EP, Night Life proved the union of Em, Pacewon, Young Zee, and
company was a formidable one. The Lauryn Hill potshot at the end of Em's verse is
business as usual for him but weird for them, since Hill's Fugees gave the Outsidaz
face time on The Score's "Cowboys" a few years earlier. C.J.
60. "Rabbit Run" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN8VWkdRpmw) (Music
From and Inspired By the Motion Picture 8 Mile, 2002)
This is vitriolic Em at his finest: looking inward, taking stock of his choices, and
unleashing his anger in cleverly controlled bursts. The bravado and urgency are both
there ("You gon feel my rush / If you don't feel it then it must too real to touch"), but it's
both fiery and measured for a change. B.C.
59. "Without Me" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVkUvmDQ3HY) (The
Eminem Show, 2002)
This is how you kick off the lead single for your third major album: Obie Trice fake-out,
"Buffalo Gals" faux-sing-along, and Shady-as-Batman theme song, all within the first 30
seconds. Hard to live up to for another four minutes of run time, but "Without Me" mostly
does, featuring some of Em's most memorable and verbally dextrous hook-spinning
("So the FCC won't let me be / Or let me be me...") and myth-making ("I am the worst
thing since Elvis Presley..."). By song's end, it's understandable that Slim's too tired to
do anything but yelp "Kids!" and let the beat rock for another half-minute. ANDREW
UNTERBERGER
58. "The Last Hit" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTa7hs_KEGk) (The High
& Mighty feat. Eminem, Home Field Advantage, 1999)
For their 1999 debut album, Philadelphia duo the High & Mighty (a.k.a. Mr. Eon and DJ
Might Mi) tapped a young, hungry, and punny MC from Detroit to supply a handful of
guest verses. If they were hoping to fill "The Last Hit" with bars about dropping acid,
spraying bullets, snatching mics, and disposing of bodies, well, the kid didn't
disappoint. K.M.
57. "Busa Rhyme" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrC-IXxCQ60) (Missy
Elliott feat. Eminem, Da Real World, 1999)
"Busa Rhyme," off of Missy Elliott's sophomore album, Da Real World, is an oddity on
account of its marquee star getting one verse to her guest's three, but it's also notable
as one of only two existing Eminem-and-Timbaland collaborations. It's a shame they
didn't work together together more; Em's elastic flow and Tim's pinball machine
production are a heavenly match. C.J.
supreme, of course, even rendering his entire testimony inadmissible on the hook ("I
was high when I wrote this / So suck my dick") like Rust Cohle chugging down Lone
Stars (https://west.exch030.serverdata.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=NA_gPMe0DUe9G-
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while recounting the Dora Lange case. Veteran move. A.U.
51. "Scary Movies" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hyWRYyodgY) (Bad
Meets Evil, "Nuttin' To Do" Single, 1999)
The B-side (and, arguably, strongest cut) from the first meeting of Bad Meets Evil finds
the two rappers sounding massive while playing slashers over a beat that's cinematic
enough to be worthy of Wes Craven. The obvious datedness of quoting the Scream
catchphrase in the intro not to mention all the Clinton/Lewinsky stuff in Em's verse
is more than made up for by the gorgeous, Alchemist-like Shirley Bassey sample that
propels the song, ironically one of the least horrorcore-indebted productions of Slim's
early years. A.U.
50. "Still Don't Give a Fuck" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wEQi87xSIgU) (The Slim Shady LP, 1999)
As if it wasn't enough to call one of the best tracks on his breakthrough album "Just
Don't Give a Fuck," Eminem slapped a follow-up onto the end of The Slim Shady LP to
underline his point: "Still Don't Give a Fuck." Though it's not quite as strong as its
predecessor, the sequel makes for a fitting, middle-fingers-up victory lap to close Em's
sophomore full-length, and it does boast one of his finest homicidal rhymes "How in
the fuck am I supposed to get out of debt? / I can't rap anymore / I just murdered the
alphabet." K.M.
49. "Bad Influence" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH-RjRU32Dc) (End of
Days [Original Soundtrack], 1999)
Eminem's favorite subject to rap about is angry parents' disdain for his crassness, and
the End of Days soundtrack cut "Bad Influence" goes for the throat. Em thumbs his
nose at inflated ideas about his influence on his youngest listeners, perhaps hitting a
few hairs too close to the message of "Who Knew" to be fit for inclusion on The
Marshall Mathers LP proper. C.J.
48. "Crack a Bottle" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=uHA4f5qrVmk) (Relapse, 2009)
It seems absurd that lead Relapse single "Crack a Bottle" is one of only two officially
released Dre, Em, and 50 collabs (not counting "Encore" and the leak of "Syllables").
It's a perfect display of the curious multi-regionality of the Shady/Aftermath/G-Unit bond,
an important precursor to the studiously inclusive rap crews of today. C.J.
47. "If I Get Locked Up" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y19pEpdW0JM)
(Funkmaster Flex and Big Kap feat. Dr. Dre and Eminem, The Tunnel, 1999)
Funkmaster Flex's forgotten Tunnel album is home to one of the great Eminem nonalbum cuts. "If I Get Locked Up" is all raw Slim Shady-era battle-rap trash-talk, with
cursory bars from Dr. Dre and audacious strings and horns from Redman and Def
Squad associate Rockwilder. C.J.
46. "8 Mile" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDbpde3y2Jc) (Music From
and Inspired By the Motion Picture 8 Mile, 2002)
"8 Mile" ostensibly tells the same story as "Lose Yourself," and the latter earned
Eminem the Oscar, but the former deserves some accolades as well. Named for the
Hollywood adaptation of Marshall Mathers' life story, the song weaves a narrative
thread that's separate from its better-known companion. The finer, well-drawn details
like the little sister, oblivious to the domestic wasteland around her, who colors with a
crayon till it wears down in her hand are especially honed, and the scope diverges
as well. In this six-minute soundtrack cut, Em's silver-screen counterpart dreams of
being onstage and finding success as a famous rapper just as he does in "Lose
Yourself" but he doesn't quite get there. For now, he's just got to settle for leaving 8
Mile Road behind him. K.M.
45. "Don't Approach Me" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBrBFizikvA)
(Xzibit feat. Eminem, Restless, 2000)
The main takeaway from this Eminem-and-Xzibit collaboration? These guys value their
privacy, so don't approach them, and they won't approach you. Sounds like same ol'
flexing, chest-beating, and gun-waving, you say? It might be, but the rapport between
Em and X elevates this Restless knockout. K.M.
44. "Fast Lane" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJOsjP33nF4) (Bad Meets
Evil, Hell: The Sequel, 2011)
Eminem and Royce da 5'9"'s cold war lasted a decade, but 2011's Bad Meets Evil
reunion single "Fast Lane" cashed out on the duo's latent promise so effortlessly that
it's as if there was never a rift, Em and Royce sparring and and proving themselves
equally matched. C.J.
43. "Encore/Curtains Down" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=GZfCeYJCQO0) feat. Dr. Dre and 50 Cent (Encore, 2004)
If only Eminem could resist the urge to overstuff his albums with 20 or so tracks. Strip
the skits from Encore, peel off a handful of duds (consult the 150 to 200 range of this list
for some contenders), and the chugging "Encore/Curtains Down" could've been a
powerhouse closer to a lean, reigned-in record. Instead, it's a strong, star-studded
finish Dr. Dre and 50 Cent contribute guest verses to Em's first major misstep.
(Him promising, in 2004, that Dre's still-unreleased Detox was coming soon makes this
landing rougher than it needs to be.) K.M.
42. "As the World Turns" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=31HNTfiZtNg) (The Slim Shady LP, 1999)
As the world turns, Slim spreads like germs, perpetrating all sorts of evil whilst dressed
like a WKRP in Cincinnati DJ. Em's own particular brand of soap opera wouldn't play
all that well with the daytime crowd, as the "small obstacles and challenges" that
represent his daily tribulations include getting beaten up and having his legs eaten by
his attempted-assault victims, before raping them to death with his Go-Go Gadget
Dick. About a million times more nauseating than ABC's traditional 2:00 block, but
considerably more entertaining, and uh, definitely less predictable. A.U.
41. "Purple Pills" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuq6HgKgEFQ) (D12,
Devil's Night, 2001)
One of the most narcoleptic jams ever created, with a hook that teeters on the verge of
passing out at the end of every measure and a bridge which basically ends with
Eminem falling asleep on the keyboard. Transfixing stuff, and hardly inappropriate for a
single (and group) that ingests so many different kinds of narcotics that the single edit
(https://west.exch030.serverdata.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=NA_gPMe0DUe9G-
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basically had to turn it into a completely different (though, really, no less disturbing) song
altogether. Bubba Sparxxx never dreamed of a harmonica outro this funky, either. A.U.
40. "Drug Ballad" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk2YNFC9sAA) feat. Dina
Rae (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000)
This piano-plinked, Dina Rae-assisted fan favorite points to inevitable dark days and
many hangovers in the future really, "Drug Ballad" is the unknowing prequel to
Relapse and Recovery but it's glorious, high-on-its-own-fumes fun while it lasts.
K.M.
39. "Soldier" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxvaJbDgDEY) (The Eminem
Show, 2002)
Violence is a constant in Eminem's music, but "Soldier" is different. Recorded after Em
racked up two gun charges (one for waving a gun at a rival MC and another for pistolwhipping a man he caught kissing Kim), the Eminem Show cut revels in real-life danger
with the same zeal that other songs in Em's catalog leave for fantastical, imaginary
bloodletting. The 2Pac nod in verse three is chillingly on the mark. C.J.
38. "Say What You Say" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFeyBYkTEB4)
feat. Dr. Dre (The Eminem Show, 2002)
Jermaine Dupri caught hell in return when he spoke ill of Dre and Timbaland in an
interview with XXL. Em and Dre struck back with The Eminem Show's "Say What You
Say," and as per usual, Em got a little trigger-happy and licked off shots at his mother,
Canibus, and The Source for sport. C.J.
37. "Bitch Please II" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS3w68qaNx0) feat.
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and Nate Dogg (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000)
How does one craft a worthy sequel to a Snoop Dogg track
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBMaYLrl3mU) that featured Nate Dogg and
Xzibit? Reassemble the original cast, add Dr. Dre and Eminem to the roster, then stand
back. K.M.
36. "Dj Vu" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UnNRFt2iqw) (Relapse,
2009)
A portrait of the artist as an addict, "Dj Vu" comes late into Relapse it shocks the
record to life in its final quarter but the deceptively potent track is actually the album's
centerpiece. As a downward groove loops endlessly, Eminem circles the drain himself,
detailing the real-life relapse that gives his sixth LP its title. He cops to his habits and
appetites (Nyquil, Valium, and Vicodin are a few of his preferred substances), admits
that the 2006 shooting death of Proof intensified his spiral, and admits that he suffered
a near-fatal overdose in 2007. But Em never misplaces the blame. The person Marshall
holds accountable for his backslide is the same one he's trying to get away from:
himself. K.M.
35. "Business" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6J_vbXyx-Y) (The Eminem
Show, 2002)
Eminem carries over the Batman-and-Robin dynamic from the "Without Me" video for
the siren-sounding "Business," the closest The Eminem Show gets to having a proper
banger. On previous efforts, Em would've sullied this kind of track with a groan-worthy
pun ("Cum on Everybody") or shameless misogyny ("Drug Ballad"), but here he keeps
those impulses in check (for the most part). Why this one was only released as a single
in the U.K. is beyond us. K.M.
at 'NSync, Britney Spears, and $16 CDs but the feelings of indignation, betrayal, and
please-give-me-a-reason irritability are cornerstones of the Eminem mythos. K.M.
29. "Bad Meets Evil" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sGUFY_4910) feat.
Royce da 5'9" (The Slim Shady LP, 1999)
This is what happens when bad (Eminem) meets evil (Royce da 5'9"): a spaghettiWestern-flavored team-up that leaves no survivors and sows the seeds for a two-man
side project. K.M.
28. "Remember Me?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXpzIrDK8uU) feat.
RBX and Sticky Fingaz (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000)
"Remember Me?" is the only time another rapper gets the best of Eminem on The
Marshall Mathers LP. The guest list is unusual: one-time Dre associate RBX (best
known for spots on The Chronic) and Onyx's Sticky Fingaz both show up dishing
guttural shock raps, and Em, who swiped the song from inclusion on Dre's 2001 album,
can't quite get the best of Sticky. The steepness of the competition and the cold purity
of their senseless violence makes for one of the best album-tracks of Em's career. C.J.
27. "Role Model" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ubEublECnMU&list=UU20vb-R_px4CguHzzBPhoyQ&index=30) (The Slim
Shady LP, 1999)
The '90s were the decade of "I Am Not a Role Model," which is one of the thousand or
so reasons it was so terrifying to middle America when Eminem showed up at the turn
of the millennium with a bloody knife in one hand and a bag full of mushrooms in the
other, asking "Don't you wanna grow up to be just like me?" Marshall certainly wasn't
hurting for statement-of-intent tracks on his first few albums, but "Role Model" certainly
ranks as one of his most definitive, desecrating Sonny Bono's memory, hitting his
mother over the head with a shovel, and ending it all by tying a rope around his dick and
jumping out of a tree. The parents fought admirably to keep their kids on the righteous
path, but to no avail a year later, Slim had assembled an entire army
(https://west.exch030.serverdata.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=NA_gPMe0DUe9G-
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and the rest of the world was completely fucked. A.U.
26. "Like Toy Soldiers" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=lexLAjh8fPA&list=UU20vb-R_px4CguHzzBPhoyQ) (Encore, 2004)
Proof's passing was a tough time for Em's camp, and Encore's "Like Toy Soldiers"
gives pause to reflect on Marshall's fears about rap beef bleeding out into his personal
life, musing aloud whether the destructive tack he took with his friends' enemies is worth
the compromised safety it brought them. It's clear to him that wars just lead to more
wars, and "Like Toy Soldiers" marks a turning point in a career full of legendary beef;
he wouldn't stop harassing people he didn't like, but from then on, he picked his targets
much more carefully. C.J.
25. "Guilty Conscience" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=meXzynCCT0I) (The Slim Shady LP, 1999)
Meet Marshall, 26 years old. Fed up with life and the way things are going, he decides
to adopt a pair of alter egos: one being Eminem, a rapper, and the other being Slim
Shady, a troublemaking psychopath who advocates for armed robbery, drug use, date
rape, and murder. He's the bad angel to Dr. Dre's good angel, and the perennial
scapegoat for anything sick or twisted that comes out of the mouths of Marshall or
Eminem. His conscience never comes into play, so don't listen to Slim, he's bad for
you. K.M.
24. "White America" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZIzD0ZfTFg) (The Eminem
Show, 2002)
By the time "White America" dropped in May of 2002, parents' worst nightmare had
been realized: Eminem was one of the most talked-about and omnipresent forces in
pop culture, a fact he relished reminding them of with the aforementioned song. Despite
its now-antiquated mention of TRL in the chorus, the proper opening track from The
Eminem Show endures, thanks to Em's relentless delivery, which insists it be
recognized as nothing less than a major statement. K.M.
23. "Patiently Waiting" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2G-GCjhIGo) (50
Cent feat. Eminem, Get Rich or Die Tryin', 2003)
It speaks to the magnitude of the hits on 50 Cent's major-label debut Get Rich Or Die
Tryin' that the driving, anthemic "Patiently Waiting" was never released as a single. It's
Em and 50's finest showing as a pair, pulsing with the gleeful abandon and pop smarts
that made the Shady/Aftermath/G-Unit reign of terror such a singular moment in rap
history. C.J.
22. "Brain Damage" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8F8RkPaQNM) (The
Slim Shady LP, 1999)
"Brain Damage" is a vision of Em's awkward childhood, detailing events both real and
imagined, incredulous that a "scrawny and always ornery" headcase could've
blossomed into a rap phenom. Forgotten fact: D'angelo Bailey, the bully from verse two,
tried to sue for libel in 2001 and lost the case in a verdict fittingly delivered by the judge
in the form of a rap verse. C.J.
just make it up / To make you mad / So kiss my white, naked ass." And how does he
immediately follow that confession? "And if it's not a rapper that I make it as / I'm-a be a
fucking rapist in a Jason mask." K.M.
17. "The Way I Am" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQvteoFiMlg) (The
Marshall Mathers LP, 2000)
After Eminem handed his third full-length in to Interscope Records in early 2000, the
label felt it was missing an accessible first single, so Jimmy Iovine one of the
company's co-founders and its then-chairman asked Em to try and write another
song like his 1999 breakout hit, "My Name Is." What Interscope got instead was "The
Way I Am," a smoldering fuck-you aimed at record executives, journalists, and even
Eminem's own fans. Punctuated with dramatic chimes and crackling tape effects, the
track features Mathers' fiercest performance on the mic, as he answers the pressure
and expectations placed upon him with teeth-gnashing intensity, wishing he'd die or get
released from his record contract, and sniping at the people swirling around the outer
edges of his life. No, it wasn't exactly the sort of radio-ready jingle that Iovine had in
mind, but "The Way I Am" did end up making it onto The Marshall Mathers LP and
was, incredibly, released as a single after "The Real Slim Shady," the record's
punchline-filled lead-off, which Eminem wrote after he burned off "The Way I Am." K.M.
16. "Rap God" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGs_qK2PQA) (The
Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013)
No real hook to speak of, a six-minute-and-four-second run time, a No. 7 peak position
on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and 1,560 words total, enough to earn Eminem a world
record for "Most words in a hit single." (http://www.spin.com/articles/eminem-rap-godmost-words-guinness-book-world-records-metallica-shakira-katy-perry/) This has been
a by-the-numbers analysis of "Rap God." K.M.
15. "The Real Slim Shady" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qp6mXmHNPlg) (The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000)
"My Name Is" was the song that made Eminem a star, but "The Real Slim Shady" was
the song that made Eminem a phenomenon, and though it's inseparable from its
cultural moment the spring and summer of 2000, when Carson Daly, Christina
Aguilera, and Fred Durst regularly appeared on TV (and in sentences) together the
first single from MMLP still stands as a pop pillar, a mudslinging but ultimately harmless
bit of goofball G-Funk that helped a man amass an army of bleach-blond devils. K.M.
wishes death upon his father, ponders the broken pieces of his marriage, excoriates
his own mother for mistreating him as a child, and claims that he was a victim
of Mnchausen syndrome
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_syndrome). Eminem had covered
much of this territory before, but never with such plainspoken rage and intimate detail.
He's since apologized to his mom in song for dragging their dysfunctional relationship
out in the public, but that doesn't make "Cleanin' Out My Closet" any less devastating.
And the video which features Em digging a grave in the rain hasn't softened,
either. K.M.
7. "If I Had" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQd9ndcpAGk) (The Slim
Shady LP, 1999)
Stressed, depressed, and broke, Marshall rattles off a list of life conditions he's sick of
dealing with before musing in the chorus about what he'd do if he ever became a
millionaire in a subtle twist on the Barenaked Ladies track "If I Had $1,000,000" from a
few years prior. We all know the rest of the story: international fame, acclaim and stacks
upon stacks of millions. Em doesn't make records like "If I Had" anymore because he
can't. His fear of starving has long since vanquished. C.J.
6. "Stan" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOMhN-hfMtY) (The Marshall
Mathers LP, 2000)
"Stan" reveals that parents and Eminem share the same fear: that Em's most die-hard
fans would take everything the rapper says literally. Broken into four verses and spread
across nearly seven minutes, the third track on the MMLP tells the story of an obsessive
who clings too closely to the macabre in Marshall Mathers' work and eventually acts
out the kind of murder-suicide fantasy that Slim Shady would write off by chuckling and
saying, "I'm only playing, America." Aided by a sample of Dido's "Thank You"
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TO48Cnl66w) and a wash of rainstorm
effects, "Stan" unfolds as an epistolary narrative that lets Marshall play the role of
Responsible Artist (note the glasses he's wearing near the end of the song's ambitious
music video a tell-tale sign that we're dealing with serious Eminem). In the song's
final verse, Em drops the playful psychopath act and urgers his biggest (and most
unstable) fan to seek professional help and focus on the real relationships in his life
solid advice, even if it came too late. K.M.
5. "My Name Is" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNPnbI1arSE) (The Slim
Shady LP, 1999)
Though Infinite and The Slim Shady EP preceded it, "My Name Is" was Eminem's
introduction to many of his listeners. The character was a lot to take in: a devilishly
smart, bleached-blond white rapper with a penchant for violence, a natural disdain for
celebrity, and a stunning history of family trauma. "My Name Is" showcased all of these
facets, kookily springing a severely unusual character on an unsuspecting public with an
infectious Dre beat and a calculatedly absurdist video treatment. His mom was so fried
by her depiction in it that she sued her kid, then penned a rap diss and tell-all. C.J.
4. "'Till I Collapse" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwDmUrlU58E) (The
Eminem Show, 2002)
The Eminem Show's "'Till I Collapse" does everything "Lose Yourself" would do months
later, but "Lose Yourself" didn't have Nate Dogg. C.J.
3. "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CdjBDtn1es0) (The Slim Shady LP, 1999)
Originally featured on The Slim Shady EP with a different musical arrangement and
title, "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" was re-recorded and ported over to Eminem's first major
release, The Slim Shady LP. An R-rated bedtime story, the song follows Eminem
immediately after the events of "Kim," which was recorded as a prequel for The
Marshall Mathers LP. In this track, Em's got to dispose of his murdered wife's dead
body and explain to his daughter why her mom won't be coming home with them. Of all
the different facets of Eminem Em the rapper, Slim the id, Marshall the son, Marhsall
the husband none is more fascinating than Marshall the father, who loves his baby
girl more than anything and would do whatever it takes to raise her as he sees best,
even if that means letting Slim Shady rob her of her mother. By design, "Kim" covers a
lot of the same territory in much more graphic detail, but "'97 Bonnie & Clyde"
(previously known as "Just the Two of Us") plays with the maniac/dad-knows-best
dichotomy that's central to early Eminem. K.M.
2. "Kill You" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brS8KxkgE_I) (The Marshall
Mathers LP, 2000)
The proper lead track on Eminem's classic The Marshall Mathers LP is a daring
response to criticism about his lyrical content. Accused of promoting misogyny, drug
addiction, and violence in his music, Em leads off his best album by upping the ante,
rifling through verses packed with jaw-dropping gore and warning anyone listening to
the chorus that, "You don't wanna fuck with Shady / Cause Shady will fucking kill you."
It's Russian roulette. No living rapper has mustered the guts to try it since. C.J.
1. "Forgot About Dre" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFcv5Ma8u8k) (Dr.
Dre feat. Eminem, 2001, 1999)
Yes, a guest verse. Pause the outrage for a moment to first consider this: Eminem's
guest turn on "Forgot About Dre" is very possibly the best-known verse of his career
and even if you'd point to "The Real Slim Shady," "My Name Is," or "Without Me" as
proof of otherwise, "Forgot About Dre" doesn't get tripped up by dated name-dropping
like those other tracks do. And, like any major hit single, "Dre" certainly feels of its time,
but it's not hampered by its turn-of-the-century release date; it's the sort of song that
people can get nostalgic about and still enjoy in-the-moment. In a pop sense, this is
Eminem at his most likable if you were anywhere near a radio in the year 2000, the
phrase "hotter than a set of twin babies" is still seared into your brain. (And, if you're
Chris Pratt (http://www.spin.com/articles/chris-pratt-raps-eminem-dr-dre-guardians-ofthe-galaxy-video/), you've retained much more than that.)
Let's put it this way: Even people who find Eminem repugnant, offensive, and
problematic can get behind "Forgot About Dre." He's still got his violent tendencies
he strangles a guy just for giving him an awkward eye, then burns down a house with Dr.
Dre and never gets found out but he doesn't come off as dangerous or frightening
when he's rhyming over the symphonic drip cooked up by Dre. And looking back, this
feature caught Eminem just as he was peaking, when he wasn't completely mired in
controversy or apologizing for entire albums. "Forgot About Dre" was able to bottle
Eminem while he was still, relatively speaking, on the come-up, in between The Slim
Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP. What could be more exciting than that? K.M.
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