Eminem Show, The (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Eminem > Reviews > The Eminem Show

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Fantastically produced album, some amazing songs
Disadvantages:	Some people will not enjoy his style of music

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I like such a wide variety of different types of music, from trance, to cheesy pop to
R n B. My all time favourite R n B / Hip Hop artist is Eminem.

About Eminem
Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers and before he made his face famous all over the world as the biggest selling white rapper, he used to be in a band called D12. It was while he was in this band, that he, along with the other band members created alter ego's for themselves. This is how Eminem was born, it actually comes from the fact that initials are MM. He also sometimes refers to himself as Slim Shady.
Eminem is now the classed as one of the highest selling rap artists of all time, having sold 70 million albums worldwide. He has also won Academy Awards as well as Grammy Awards.

The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is Eminem's third album and it was released in the summer of 2002 and sold over a million copies in within the first week or it going on sale. This album tells the story of Eminem's rise to fame, how he fits into the rap community and he also raps about his relationship with his wife Kym and his daughter Hailie. He also raps about various other events in his life which have been well publicised such as the time he was accused of pistol-whipping a man that his wife allegedly had an affair with.

I have to say that this is probably my favourite album out of all the one's Eminem has released and I think every single song on this album would be a hit in the charts if they were all released individually, and the songs that were released as single's, topped the charts! In my review, I will give you a brief outline of each song.

Track List

1. Curtains Up (skit)
This is the normal sort of opening scene for Eminem's albums, with his alter ego Ken Kaniff opening the Eminem Show. You can hear him walking across the stage, getting the audiences attention and opening the 'Eminem Show'. This track is very shot and probably only lasts around 15-20 seconds before the opening notes of the next track come booming out.

2. White America
This track was also produced by Eminem and the whole song is basically picking fault with America and the Americans. There are lots of heavy drums and guitar in this song giving it a very rocky and angry feel which is very well suited to the content of the song. In White America, Eminem takes the mickey out of how well he has done as a rap artist considering he is white. He also implies that people need to realise that just because he sings about certain things, it doesn't mean that he is going to go out into the world and do those things. Sadly, this song was never released as a single but he did perform it at the MTV Awards in 2002.

3. Business
The track was produced by Dr Dre and a really rapid beat to it, certainly one that gets you bobbing you head. This track basically takes the mickey out of the music business and he gets the message across that although many people may dislike him and his music, he is still selling millions of records and the music business needs him. At the very beginning of the track, Eminem comes in and introduces everyone to the star of the show - Marshall and them literally falls into an extremely fast rap. There is a line in this song where he describes himself and Dr. Dre as "the most feared duet since me and Elton played career Russian Roulette" and this refers to when Eminem and Elton John performed his hit Stan at the 2001 Grammy Awards. This song was released as single is 2003.

4. Cleanin Out My Closet
This track was also produced by Eminem and is quite a dark song with a rolling beat throughout the entire track, but the main sound you will hear is the piano. Cleaning Out My Closet speaks about Eminem's childhood. Eminem has a long running feud with his Mother and in this song he criticises her parenting skills and compares how he was bought up to how he is going to bring his own daughter Hailie up.
He also speaks about all the people that doubt him in this song with the line "Have you ever be hated or discriminated against? I have, I've been protested and demonstrated against!" This is another classic Eminem song and is one of the angrier songs on this album. Cleaning Out My Closet was released as a single in 2002.

5. Square Dance
This song has quite a bouncy and happy tune to it, although the words again are having a dig at President Bush. He makes reference to terrorists and how America reacts to terrorism.

6. The Kiss (skit)
This again was produced by Eminem and isn't really a song a such, more like a recording of an event that made Eminem hit the headlines. His now ex wife Kim was accused of kissing another man who Eminem allegedly pistol-whipped when he found out. This track follows Eminem and what he does when he hears the news that his wife has been cheating.

7. Soldier
This track was produced by Eminem and has a military feel to it with the main beat being marching feet. The message from Eminem in this song, is him basically saying that no matter how much people slate him, he will keep coming back for more because he believes in himself and what he is doing. This song also touches on his personal life as he raps about no matter what people say or do to him, he will keep coming back, like a soldier. Again, this song has an angry feel to it despite the chilled beat that the song has.

8. Say Goodbye Hollywood
This track was produced by Eminem and in Say Goodbye Hollywood, Eminem talks about fame and the downside of it, how his life has been affected by it. Eminem slates his wife Kim in this song, and speaks about the pistol whipping incident again. He raps about how, after releasing this album, he would like to take time out of the limelight.

9. Drips feat. Obie Trice
This was produced by Eminem and is the first track on the album to feature another artist, this time it being Obie Trice who is signed to Eminem's own record label. Obie Trice opens this track, rapping about a girl that gave him a STD. This song actually delivers quite a useful message about the dangers of having unprotected sex. This song is quite explicit and very funny. The lyrics are delivered quickly over the piano and violins playing in the background.

10. Without Me
This track was produced by Eminem and was also the first track that he released from this album. The song definitely has a comedy theme to it, with a fantastic music video where he takes the mickey out of everyone and everything in pure Eminem style.
In this song Eminem mocks many of his critics including N Sync and Moby in the famous line "You're too old, Let's Go, Nobody listens to Techno". This song is really a sequel to "The Real Slim Shady" and he touches on all the usual subjects - other pop artists, his Mum and his ex wife. One of the best songs on this album, fantastically written and performed. This song was released as a single and hit number 1 in more than 7 countries which gives you some sort of idea or the impact it had.

11. Paul Rosenberg (skit)
Eminem's manager Paul Rosenburg appears on all of Eminem's albums and this one is no exception. This 30 second clip is not really a song a such, more a recording of a conversation between Eminem and Paul where Paul is not very happy with the music that Eminem is producing. This is basically Eminem taking the mickey out of all his critics.

12. Sing For The Moment
This is one of my all time favourite Eminem song's. The tune for the chorus of the track is actually taken from the song Dream On by Aerosmith. For this track, Joe Perry from Aerosmith was invited to play the guitar. This song has quite an uplifting beat to it, with one strong message - that people should not take Eminem literally and just because he sings about certain things, it doesn't mean he is trying to encourage the rest of the world to do those things. This song was also released as a single. This is the first song in which Eminem actually seems to show his appreciation for how well liked he is with the lines "How we can come from practically nothing to being able to have any f*ckin' thing that we wanted." An absolutely fantastic song!

13. Superman feat. Dina Rae
Superman was the fourth single to be released from this album and features US R n B singer Dina Rae. This song touches on rocky relationships and promiscuous nature of the girls that Eminem has had in his life. It also talks about how he plans to deal with them. He gets the message across the he is happy to have a one night stand but can't deal with all the baggage that comes with having one. Eminem is rumored to have dated Mariah Carey and this song is said to have been written about her! Poor woman!
The beat behind the song is quite fast with scratchy sounds in the background and Eminem delivers the lyrics quickly which completes to upbeat feel to this song.

14. Hailie's Song
Upon first hearing this song, you could almost think that it wasn't Eminem as this has a totally different sound to it then any of his other songs. Hailie's Song is a beautiful tribute to Eminem's daughter Hailie. Eminem actually sings on this track as well as rapping and I really do think it's a beautiful song. The lyrics talk about the custody battle between Eminem and Kim (which Eminem eventually won) so this song is basically Eminem sticking his middle finger up to his ex.

15. Steve Berman (skit)
This is another skit with again is quite humorous. This time, the skit features a PR from Aftermath Records called Steve Berman, hence the title for the track. On all the other Eminem albums, Steve Burman usually slags off Eminem's work but in this skit, he is going to praise Eminem's work but before he really gets that chance, Eminem shoots him.

16. When The Music Stops feat. D-12
This track features Eminem's band D12. This song touches on what life is like as a rapper and they rap about what happens when the music stops, and warn that becoming a rapper can also be dangerous. This track also features the message that people really need to realise the difference between music lyrics and reality.

17. Say What You Say feat. Dr. Dre
Dr Dre produced this track and it has a very strong upbeat feel to it. This track is basically Eminem and Dr Dre putting the record straight on all the people that have dissed them in the past. This include the media, industry moguls we well as fellow rappers.

18. 'Till I Collapse feat. Nate Dogg
This track was produced by Eminem and features Nate Dogg on the chorus. The main message for this song is the fact that the main problem in the music industry is that there is too much envy. This song is literally spat by Eminem and the chorus is delivered brilliantly by Nate Dogg.

19. My Dad's Gone Crazy feat. Hailie Jade
This is the last actual song on the album and features Eminem's daughter Hailie on the chorus. This song basically has Eminem delivering all his normal disses to anyone that has upset him and he details what he would like to do to them, all the while his daughter is singing in the background that he thinks her Dad's gone crazy! I think this is a really great song and I love the fact that it features his little girl, although this was something he was criticised for.

20. Curtains Close (skit)
This is very similar to Curtains Up except that this track closes the album. This skit features Ken Kaniff who walks out onto the stage and simply says "Without Me."

Summary
My own personal opinion is that this is one of the best albums Eminem has released, with only 2 tracks on the album that I don't absolutely adore. Every track offers something different, different beats, different subject matters but one thing always remains is every song - Eminem's talent. Some people may not agree with the way he delivers his music, in an angry and abusive manner, but if you look past the swear words, you will see a man that is extremely intelligent and a pure rap genius. I would recommend this album 100%, although I have to point out that it is probably an acquired taste.