Slim Shady LP, The (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Eminem

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Pretty much everything
Disadvantages:	Too many skits

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Slim Shady LP was the 1999 debut commercial album from Detroit rap superstar Eminem aka Slim Shady. Since its release you'd have to have been living in a cave not to have heard of Eminem, he's probably one of the most successful rappers ever, with a bank roll that only Dr Dre and Jay-Z and their business projects can compare to, love him or hate him Eminem is one of the all time greats in rap. The album debuted at #2 in the US Billboard Album charts and sold 283,000 copies in its first week, it has since gone 5x Platinum.

Eminem originally released the 'Infinite' EP as a debut in 1996 on an independent record label, when speaking of the record Eminem says -

"Obviously, I was young and influenced by other artists, and I got a lot of feedback saying that I sounded like Nas and AZ. Infinite was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself. It was a growing stage. I felt like Infinite was like a demo that just got pressed up."

Whilst Infinite was a testing ground for the young mc, The Slim Shady LP can truly be credited with Eminem finding his true style.

Eminem would gain exposure entering the rap Olympics, a mixture of battles and freestyles,in which Eminem would be robbed in the final to a African-American rapper, with the general consensus that they had ruled again Slim because he was white, never the less head of Interscope Records Jimmy Iovine saw his talent and requested a demo. Iovine later took the demo to Dr Dre, who quickly signed the Detroit mc and started the beginning of a long partnership which would involve both rappers (and producers) working on each of the others albums as they were made, Dre has appeared on all of Eminems albums, whilst Eminem has made several tracks with Dre. The rest as they say is history.

The Album

(Sample information taken from Wikipediea)

1 - Public Service Announcement (intro)

2 - My Name Is

I still clearly remember the first time I saw the video for this (also the first time I'd seen or heard of Eminem), my first reaction was 'What the hell is this, a white rapper? Isn't that Dr Dre! This is really good, who the hell is this?'

A funny track that may have aged a little over the years but still entertains, I've heard this is one of Slim's least favourite songs and, like most of the album, he certainly didn't perform it either time I've seen him live, the beats are pretty silly but match the subject matter, a great song to introduce yourself to the world.

Samples

"I Got The" by Labi Siffre
"Back in Black" by AC/DC
"I Don't Love You" by Millie Jackson

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmdRauWVbwg

8/10

3 - Guilty Conscience ft Dr Dre

Still to this day one of Eminem's greatest songs, he really has a great chemistry with Dre, the premise of the song is there's 3 different situations, a possible robbery, a sexual encounter with an underage girl, and a husband catching his wife cheating, with Eminem and Dre playing the voices of each of the men involved consciences, Eminem being the bad side and Dre the voice of reason, love the story telling throughout, just a clever track from start to finish, love Dre's part in the final encounter.

Sample

"Go Home Pigs" by Ronald Stein

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNuegYJzt8

10/10

4 - Brain Damage

Eminem's lyrics on this one really show the fact he grew up listening to the underground Detroit rap scene, dominated by Horrorcore rap acts Esham, Natas, and of course Insane Clown Posse. The lyrics are pretty crazy, with Eminem rapping about many different violent encounter as he was growing up, this ones storytelling not fact, not many rappers would make a track like this, Eminem raps with pure anger on this one, just a insane track with a pumping base line.

8/10

5 - Paul (skit)

6 - If I Had

A thoughtful track about life and the things Eminem is sick of, I'm guessing these days it's been a long time since Eminem had to do (or be) many of these things anymore, quite a deep song for Shady, very laidback production, it's interesting to look at this track now and look at how far he's come in his career since.

7/10

7 - 97' Bonnie & Clyde

If your not listening to the lyrics this one probably sounds like a laid back love song, if you are listening then you'll have realised the tracks about Eminem having killed his daughters mother, Kim, and is taking the body to dump off the pier, a very dark subject matter in total contrast to the music, but that's the whole point, Slim shows signs of his story telling ability which would develop over the years into one of the strongest in commercial hip-hop, a good song.

Sample

"Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington Jr.

7/10

8 - Bitch (skit)

9 - Role Model

One of Eminem's more critical (and better) songs towards the general music world and how performers are idolised as role models and how ridiculous that is, I love the lyrics, Slim really goes off on one with multi-syllable rhymes and what many would deem just plain offensive lyrics, I love it, the message of this song is right though in my opinion, too many people try to be like performers musical personalities just that little bit too much.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMWuXHno7oo

10/10

10 - Lounge (skit)

11 - My Fault

Eminem continues with rhymes and subject matters most in the commercial rap world wouldn't have dared touch at this point in time with a song about taking mushrooms and the girl he's given them too taking too many and going on a very bad trip, the beats are pretty crazy, very base heavy and basic, I can't think of many songs like this one, more great story telling from Em.

8/10

12 - Ken Kanfif (skit)

13 - Cum On Everybody

The beats on this one during the verses sound like an old-school hip-hop beat, think Grandmaster Flash style, while they switch up into a more modern sound for the chorus, I do like the sound on this one, the lyrics are all over the place and don't really have any theme, there more a chance for Eminem to show of his skills and use more multi-syllable rhymes, I wonder how much of this one was a freestyle in the studio, it certainly sounds that way.

Samples

"Gimme What You Got" by Le Pamplemouse

8/10

14 - Rock Bottom

Quite a deep, dark, and depressing song, very thoughtful, I love this track, it's one of those dark songs I listen to when my moods in a similar place, I always find myself bobbing my head to this one but any smile I have is wiped off quickly, this song does exactly what it needs to.

Sample

"Summertime" by Big Brother & The Holding Company

8/10

15 - Just Don't Give A F*ck

Another one of my favourites on here, the lyrics are top quality on this one, Em doesn't really have anymore to say than the fact he 'Just don't give a f*ck' what other people do or say, this is another I remember hearing for the first time and just sitting back listening to the track 4 or 5 times in a row being amazed at the lyrics and Eminem's rapping ability, I wish he'd do more tracks like this these days, I also have a pretty clear memory getting excited about how good this song was with one of my old basketball team mates but anyway, the beats are some of my favourite on here, the kind you only find in rap, songs like this are the reason I love hip-hop.

10/10

16 - Soap (skit)

17 - As The World Turns

Another crazy story telling track, I wont lie the story is violent, and involves talk of drugs and sexual abuse, I also won't lie when I say I really like this one and the whole story, it's so cleverly done and its not like any of us haven't seen worse in a film or TV show, I guess it's also worth noting it takes a lot more than most to offend me when it comes to this sort of subject matter, Eminem raps so effortlessly its ridiculous, a dark song but also a great one.

9/10

18 - I'm Shady

Much like 'My Name Is' this track is sort of like an introduction to Eminem and full of comedic lyrics, the music bares little similarity though, the production sounds that little bit smoother, and the sound is much funkier and soulful, love the chorus, love the fact Eminem doesn't care how much he mocks himself.

Sample

"Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield

8/10

19 - Bad Meets Evil ft Royce da 5'9"

Very early in their careers these two rappers actually used to perform together as a group under the name 'Bad Meets Evil', so that's were the track name comes from, I'm aware these two guys used to be friends but have fallen out in recent years, Royce comes with one of his career best raps, but he can't really match Slim, when Eminem starts with the multi-syllable lines he just kills Royce, Royce fires back with some multi-syllables of his own which are impressive and make for a great song, but Eminem is the one who stands out here.

Sample

"Me & My Girlfriend" by 2Pac

8/10

20 - Still Don't Give A F*ck

I love this one as much as I love 'Just Don't give a F*ck', again the subject matter is the same as is the quality of the lyrics, Eminem gives his clearest sign of his Detroit Horrorcore rap influence with the line -

'I'm a cross between Manson, Esham and Ozzie.'

For those that don't know Detroit underground rapper Esham is often credited with originating a style of rap called Horrorcore, with lyrics involving subject matters such as cannibalism, necrophilia, voodoo/black magic, the devil, and murder, basically a horror film on a record. The true start of Horrorcore can be traced back to the Geto Boys 'Uncut Dope' album with tracks such as 'Assassins', 'Mind of a Lunatic', and 'Chuckie', but there is no doubt Esham made the style his own, with Brotha Lynch Hung and Insane Clown Posse being the other notable artists to adopt this style, although ICP never rapped about the Devil. So it's clear from this where Eminem got the more crazy and offensive side of his rapping from. The chorus on this song really stands out for me as the definition of Eminem's attitude -

For all the weed that I've smoked,
Yo this blunts for you,
To all the people I've offended,
Yeah f*ck you too,
For all the friends I used to have,
Yo I miss my past,
But the rest of you ass holes can kiss my ass,
For all the drugs that I've done,
Yo I'm still gonna do,
To all the people I've offended,
Yo f*ck you too,
For everytime I reminisce yeah I miss my past,
But I still don't give a f*ck ya'll can kiss my ass.

10/10

Overall a 9/10 from me for the album, very few mc's have made a debut LP so strong, ok Eminem had other releases earlier in his career ('Infinite' and 'The Slim Shady EP' come to mind) but this was his break through record, helped by the backing of Dr Dre and Aftermath records, at a time when almost no record company would gamble on a white rapper Dre saw past the skin colour and saw the unlimited talent in Slim and took a chance, thank god he did as this record allowed a wealth of talented white rappers the chance to break through in the commercial scene. Eminem always struggled to match the sound of the record on future releases; 'The Marshall Mathers LP' was the only one of his albums for me to do so, this for me is the man working to the best of his ability, I recommend this to all rap fans, a true classic.