Eminem Album: “The Marshall Mathers Lp [PA]”

"The Marshall Mathers LP" is a stellar stand alone album and it is a more than impressive follow-up to "The Slim Shady LP" (which I thought was a classic)...In his first CD Eminem rapped about his life before he made his first album...in this album he talks about life since his first album...

This album is full of the unbelievable lyrical twisting and word arrangement that has become synonymous with Eminem...(You become so used to hearing his awesome flow that you almost forget how hard it is to give you verse after verse of hot lyrics)...If you are a true hip-hop fan you will love this album...(like Rah Digga said "Checkin for the rhymes not checkin for the track")...Pick any song and you will find more hot lyrics than you would find on the entire album of some of today's "hottest" rappers...don't get me wrong though...the tracks are hot too...

The only place where the album lacks is in the guest appearances...None of the guests on the album can touch Eminem in lyrical skills so they actually sound really wack next to him...(except track 15...Dre, Snoop and Xzibit hold their own)...

If you are familiar with Eminem, the album will not shock you as much as "The Slim Shady LP"...which is good...he has already made it known that he will say anythihg...any further attempt to prove that would be ridiculous...

If you didn't like the last album...or what Eminem has put out since...you won't like this album...This album is full of the same themes, tones and content of his previous work...but if you loved what Eminem has put out before...you will definately love this...

Wow! Many lack luster artists run out material by their second album, but Eminem has not only come up with new original songs, he's matured as an artist as well. Much of the album deals with Eminem's reaction to sudden stardom and his reflection on The Slim Shady LP. Listeners will notice this right away with PSA 2000. Where PSA from the Slim Shady LP was a warning, PSA 2000 is Eminem's response to criticism. "Stan" and "Marshall Mathers" are both excellent tracks that express a new Eminem who has experienced the goods and the bads of what it means to be famous. Yet Eminem lets us know that he has not changed, other people's perception of him has changed. Eminem weaves all of his emotions into the trademark lyrical style that earned him a Grammy. The downside of Eminem's original style is that guest rappers on the album seem out of place at times. All in all, The Marshall Mathers LP is a brilliant follow-up to his wildly successful debut album. Fans will not be disappointed!

Having picked up the album on the day of release in England, this is dope! It's a lot better than his first album: don't believe me, check out the album's masterpiece 'Stan' about his obsessive fan! It's, in places, as funny, if not funnier than the 'Slim Shady LP', and will even fulfill you Dre heads with guests including RBX, Dre, X to the Z, Snoop, Nate and Sticky Fingaz, and D-12's own Bizarre. Basically, pick this up, it's hotter than hell!

No doubt, you realize this is going to be offensive. I was, quite simply, in shock the first time I heard this.

Then, bracing myself, I listened to it again, and... It ruled.

It's actually a fairly intelligent look at the world of today. The message: Society is not a product of Eminem, Eminem is a product of society. If you think he's obscene and offensive, and the world he shows shouldn't be the way it is, what are you doing to make it a better world?

As he states in 'the real slim shady', what's the world going to be like if 19 million people grow up just like him? And we all have a little Slim Shady inside us.

'Who knew' is also a similiar comment. While it is somewhat lame to claim that he never expected anyone to take him seriously, there's still an element of truth to it.

'Steve Berman' is absolutely hilarious. Eminem gets chewed out by a record exec because he's rapping about 'homosexuals and vicodin' and Steve (the exec) is having some difficulties selling this concept to the record chains. To put it mildly.

And Stan is a personal favorite of mine. Not because I like Dido, but because it is a look at what it's like to be 20 or so years old and speaking for a slice of a generation. You really have to wonder what the pressure of being that important to people would do to you.

And of course, it's always a pleasure to listen to someone slam Britney Spears and NSync. Watered down trash.

It's a bit lame to listen to Eminem compain about being famous and how the fans make life so difficult. He's taking the money, and you get the good with the bad.

Oh yea, by the way, it's also a bunch of good solid jams. It's not a whiny political album that sucks, it's one that you can listen to and enjoy. Preferably at very high volume. Circling the parking lot with your unit up and one finger on each hand up is optional, but does work.

Em, what happened? Where's the self-deprecating humor of "The Slim Shady LP?"

I sure hope Em's not believing the hype and taking himself too seriously. He's mad at just about everyone (DJs, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, the media, parents, etc., etc., etc. ad nauseum.) Sometimes it gets to be repetitive ("The Real Slim Shady" is probably the worst track on this CD,) but oftentimes Em shows the lyrical skills that made "The Slim Shady LP" so great.

"Steve Berman" is a great dig at the record industry, which no one can treat too badly for me ... "The Way I Am" is probably Em at his angriest, raging at parents in Columbine and his "sudden" relatives.

But the best song on the album is "Stan." Eminem takes on the guise of one of his obsessed fans writing him letters. The lyrics get more disturbed as the song goes on. The beats and the melody are gripping, and whoever chose Dido to provide backup vocals is a genius. Her haunting voice takes the song to a new level, one that I didn't think Eminem was capable of reaching. "Stan" is one of the best songs of any style to come out in years. The album's worth buying just for it alone.

So just buy the album and enjoy the music. Hopefully it entertains you, because THAT'S ALL IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO!!! ... ENDthers LP's vicegerents favor a lifestyle that is as insecure as Eminem's reports. to the ears. I just can't take it. The only artist that makes me cringe more is Macy Gray with her high-pitched, nasal, RASPY delivery. My advice to the "artist": Save part of your profits for therapy for yourself and your daughter. She will need it. Especially after you've disrespected half her family (including yourself) to the world. And if she complains, hey! Write a scathing rap about her too and do the MTV/Kurt Loder/TRL marketing circuit to make sure the public is aware of its availability.

My advice to the American public: wait till this cd shows up in the bargain bin (and there's always Napster).