jeff_wilder78's Full Review: The Marshall Mathers LP [PA] by Eminem
Seeing as this is the 185th review of The Marshall Mathers LP, you're probably wondering if I have anything new to bring to the table. Well probably not. But I figured that since I know the album inside and out, I might as well offer up my take on it.
The Marshall Mathers LP was the album that established Eminem as a major rap star. His previous album The Slim Shady LP had introduced him to the world, yet insidious comparisons to a certain Vanilla Wafer kept rearing their ugly heads. The novelty nature of that album's big single "My Name Is" didn't exactly help matters either. So the artist formerly known as Marshall Mathers had to prove himself with this album. Could he succeed as a rapper who could stand above much of the commercial rap garbage flooding the market nowadays as well as the aforementioned Vanilla Bean?
The answer: Yes.
On MMLP, Eminem balances out the trademark acerbic and witty humor that he showcased on SSLP with the blunt honesty and confessional side of things that he would take to an even greater level on The Eminem Show. The witty side is prevalent on "I'm Back", the "Remember Me" collaboration with Sticky Fingaz and RBX and the inescapable in 2000 single "The Real Slim Shady".
Of course, on an Eminem album, there are going to be moments where he goes overboard and there are definitely a few of those here. "Kill You" and "B!tch Please II" feature Em going over the edge with the violence and misogyny and the infamous and nearly unlistenable "Kim" sadly serves to support the claims of those who view Eminem as a violent, misogynistic rabble rouser.
However that notion is corrected on the hit single "Stan". Featuring a famous sample from Dido's melancholy hit "Thank You", this song is the tale of a disturbed fan that writes to Eminem's Slim Shady alter ego and ultimately winds up taking his obsession to horrifying extremes. Eminem handles the song well by splitting the four verses with Dido's chorus. He brings the Stan character to life on the first three, then reverts back to his real persona on the last one as he tries to counsel Stan and warn him not to do what he's threatened, then realizes that he's too late to save his number one fan. This song definitely proved that Em is no Vanilla Fudge sickle.
Then there is "The Way I Am" in which Eminem fires back at his critics. Over an ominous beat (complete with a clanging church bell) he attacks his detractors with pointed and accurate lines like "When a dude's getting bullied and shoots up a school/Then they blame it on Marilyn or the heroin/But where were the parents at/And look where it's at/Middle America". The same themes are reiterated on "Who Knew".
"Drug Ballad" is a fun albeit somewhat mindless dance track that extols the virtues of illegal substances yet also warns what can happen if you consume too many of them. "Amityville", on the other hand, is an ominous angry track that equates Detroit with the really wild west. "We don't call it Detroit we call it Amityville/You can get capped when having a cavity filled".
"Under The Influence" is a sort of lyrical combination of "Drug Ballad" and "I'm Back".
"Criminal" is easily the best way to end the disc as it mixes the humor, the toughness and the get back at the critics that were prevalent throughout most of the album. A good song overall, despite the fact that some of the blatant homophobic might put off some people who don't get the sarcasm.
The album is helped by good production from that master hip-hop producer known as Dr. Dre.
With this album, Eminem delivered a winner that put most of the commercial hip-hop garbage to shame. As a whole, it's better than it's predecessor and about as good as the follow-up. In any case, give me it over anything from Nelly or 50 Cent.
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