Alright, with the young whippersnappers safely out of the way, let us begin. Eminem. Ah yes, he doesn't even need an introduction does he? Everyone knows who he is. He's the white rapper who swears a lot and has come under fire for many reasons, including his violent and explicit lyrics, a track he released that was deemed racist, bringing his daughter into the spotlight on numerous occasions, openly talking about drugs and fighting... in fact, the man even has a serial killer who used him as an idol!

Because of the controversial and often plain evil styles and lyrics Eminem uses, his released stuff is generally relatively weak. Which is where this album immediately trips up. But before I go into that, let's talk about the songs.

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3) The Way That I Am
This song is not one of my favorite Eminem songs ever. It has far too boring a tune to hold my attention, and even though the lyrics are fantastic they are spat in a monotonous way. None-the-less, it's an angry and powerful track, with a very catchy hook and some really long going rhymes - something Eminem is most famous for. If you want this, I recommend having a look for the Greenday remix; the brilliant guitar work of Time of your Life couples well with these lyrics.

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5) Stan
This is one of the most well known and probably one of the best tracks Eminem has ever released. Dido is fantastic by singing the calming and soothing chorus, whilst Eminem raps through the eyes of an obsessive and insane fan who dedicates his life to his idol; Eminem himself. It's one of the most thought provoking, shocking, and passionate songs ever, and it hits close to home too; talking about self harm and suicide is always a brave thing to do in an album aimed at teenagers. What's interesting about this song is the way it's written; it's a series of letters, two letters and one tape from Stan and a letter from Eminem at the end. The alarming tone Stan adopts in the third verse always sends chills down my spine, especially after listening to the beautiful vocals of "Your picture on my wall, it reminds me that it's not so bad"

7) Shake That (STAR TRACK)
Best song on the album. Easily. This original track features a throbbing, pulsing beat and minimal instruments, focusing instead on clever lyrics from Eminem and Nate Dogg, who stars on this track. Nate steals the show with his verse, although he often does on tracks he stars in. His voice is deep, contrasting against Eminem's nasal qualities.

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QUOTE OF THE TRACK
"Will Smith doesn't have to cuss in his raps to sell records
Well I do, so f**k him and f**k you too"

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QUOTE OF THE TRACK
"They say I was running buck naked
Telling little old ladies 'Touch my Body!'"

16) When I'm Gone
The last original song, and technically the last song on the album. Eminem basically calls it a day, talking about how the stress has built up so much he just wants to quit and live a normal life with his family. This was shortly before he was found to be addicted to sleeping tablets and suffering from exhaustion, causing him to cancel a tour early.

So, since Eminem is one of my favorite stars, why do I hate this album so much? It trips up where every "Best Of" album does; it isn't his best. Sure, it's the best of his released stuff, but that's primarily tripe. When you hear songs like "Never Enough", "Amityville", "Criminal", and "Till I Collapse" you realize what a good musician he is, but hearing "My Name Is" again doesn't do anything.

The bottom line? If you want the released tripe from this otherwise brilliant performer, knock yourself out. If you listened to a song like "Square Dance" and fell in love with the music through that, don't touch it. Just... don't. You'll only lose respect for him.