Eminem Album: “The Eminem Show [Edited]”

I'm of a different breed when it comes to music taste. I'm only 22 years old and I'd take 80's rock over any other kind of music. While 99.99% of other people my age listen to the new stuff like alternative, rap, or even Britney Spears, I go for the 80's, 70's, and even a little bit of country.

However.....I've never been closed minded when it comes to music. I like a lot of the music from the 90's and a little bit from the 00's (if that's what we call this decade). I like one Britney Spears song, a few rap songs here and there, and even two or three songs from the Backstreet Boys.

Unless you count the Space Jam album, I haven't ever owned a rap album. One day when I was on my way to getting something to eat for supper from a fast food restaurant, the local 80's station and other stations that played stuff from the 70's - 00's just happened to be playing songs that I couldn't stand. So I turned it to 103.7, a station that played almost nothing but the hits that are currently taking the world by storm. And what do you know, I had no idea what song it was or who was singing it, but I heard a song called "Without Me" that had an infectious beat and catchy rapping that I liked a lot.

Upon finding out it was Eminem, I couldn't believe it. I had cut down Eminem before when my online friends were praising him, even though I hadn't heard any of his stuff except for on short commercials. Come to find out, my mom had his newest album, The Eminem Show, and she said I could borrow it. She even went so far as to say that if I liked it, I could keep it, because she doesn't like it much. "Eh, I probably won't like any songs other than "Without Me", but what the heck? I'll take a listen one day on one of my hour-long road trips to college."

I liked almost every song on the whole cd. I like how Eminem tells you his real-life story in many of his song such as "White America." You'll learn by listening to the lyrics that he was born in 1973, that he's not a big fan of his dad, what he thinks of being a famous white rapper, and much more. He even includes a song that's devoted to his daughter with "Hailie's Song." While that's great, what really made this an album that I was glad to add to my collection are the great beats, and most of all, the rapping, even though I'm not a huge rap fan at all. Also, one song, "Sing For The Moment", includes a good bit of the chorus from the classic Aerosmith hit, "Dream On." Gotta love that as well. "My Dad's Gone Crazy" is hilarious, and the album contains five skits.

If you like even one song you've heard from The Eminem Show, go ahead and get the whole album, because you'll probably like the majority of the tracks. That's what happened to me. I've found that it's especially good to listen to when you're on the road and you're feeling a little sleepy. It'll keep you wide awake as you listen to the lyrics or simply get down (not literally since you're driving, of course) with the beats. Bottom line: All of Eminem's attention and success isn't due to him being the first white rapper to make it big; he's got boat loads of talent.

My Top 5:

1. Without Me

At the outset, let me make it clear that I have nothing against pop-rap as a concept. There is nothing wrong with having big pop hooks to spice up your tracks every now and then - and listening to it certainly makes a good change from the "look at me, I'm so underground nobody's ever heard of me" style of MC that so many hip-hop fans listen to obsessively.

The problem with Eminem's style of pop-rap is that it tends to be too confessional at times, and on his third offering this problem becomes quite major. The clever wordsmithing of "The Slim Shady LP" is still there, and every so often a hook which wouldn't have been out of place on "The Marshall Mathers LP" crops up, The problem is that there just aren't enough of either to make "The Eminem Show" a rewarding listen.

The big success story here would have to be "Without Me". It's clear to see why the song was chosen as the lead-off single, Eminem's characteristically (and increasingly rare) nimble vocal style and sharp wit make the track well-deserving of the number one positions it has held around the world. Indeed, the irony of the reference to "parents stull listening to Elvis" should be palpable to everyone who has seen this track duel with "A Little Less Conversation" at the top of most charts. As previously mentioned, Eminem delivers some marvellous lyrics here, with the first verse taking the cake - especially the section about the doctor, Dick Cheney and the FCC. The beat, produced by an inspired Dr Dre (despite what Eminem's devoted acolytes would say, this is all too close to an oxymoron in the post-G Funk universe), contributes to what can easily be called a "driving song".

Sadly, the rest of the album does not deliver on the promise of the first single. Where "Slim Shady" had a number of lyrical gems waiting to be discovered and "Marshall Mathers" had almost every track capable of being a single, this album does not. Eminem's shouting voice - generally used to deliver his polemic-based raps - is overused here on tracks like "White America" and "Cleaning Out My Closet". While it is a nice reflection that he may finally have "found his muse", I for one would prefer him not to have found this particular one.

Not only is the voice overused, to the point of being more a shout or even a speaking voice at times, the targets of his rage are predictable and no new hits are landed. .... His rants about freedom of speech and the President's wife became commonplace under Clinton, so it is not surprising to hear them levelled again - with the minor change that the Vice-President's wife is now the human target.

The lyrics are not the only problem, from sounding positively re-engergised on "Without Me", Dre has slipped back into his rather pedestrian mode of production in which there is really no differentiation between tracks. I have heard that some other producers were involved on this album as well, in which case we are merely subjected to a morass of soundalike producers and productions, rather than one man sounding like himself. In short, nothing very new is said and nothing very new is played. The tracks also tend to extend beyond their welcome more frequently. On an album of this length, this becomes a considerable burden on the listener - who is required to endure (and this is quite the right word in many cases) these tracks for one-and-a-half times the normal (3-4 minute) length.

One final positive is that it is nice to hear Eminem finally make some reference to hip-hop history further back than Dre's time with NWA. The "trailer park girls" segment at the start of "Without Me" is a reference to Malcolm McLaren's seminal breakdance cut of "Buffalo Girls" - a track well worth finding and hearing, if anyone is so inclined.

Overall, a very disappointing listen and one which seems to be likely to be the prototype for future releases by this artist.

While both Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers are an important part of this CD, Eminem subsumes his two other personas to take center stage on The Eminem Show. While the album is not as consistently impressive as either of his first two albums, it contains some standout tracks and displays a unity of purpose and theme that marks Eminem as a more mature and talented artist more than comfortable in his own often-criticized skin. There is plenty of violence and cursing throughout the course of this exceedingly long release (coming in at over an hour and seventeen minutes), yet a softer and certainly more introspective Eminem sometimes reveals himself in the lyrics. While there is plenty of talk about his own life, it is now somewhat counterbalanced by criticism of the music industry, censorship, and even American policy (including, as everyone probably knows, some harsh words for Lynn Cheney and Tipper Gore). This doesn't make Eminem a global spokesman for anything, but it certainly seems he is trying to place his music in a larger context. Naturally, though, his most intense lyrics revolve around his own life, the penultimate example of which is Cleaning Out My Closet. In this self-revelatory track, Eminem launches a vicious attack on his mother, seemingly holding nothing back at all in his diatribe. He raises the specter of his ex-wife Kim in The Kiss skit, but there is no equivalent track to Bonnie and Clyde 97 or Kim on this album.

Eminem doesn't take himself too seriously, leading to tracks such My Dad's Gone Crazy, the brilliant and funny duo with his daughter Hailie Jade. Hailie's influence is felt most strongly, of course, on Hailey's Song. This is by far my favorite song on this album, and it is certainly unique in that Eminem actually sings the lyrics, reflecting the obvious joy he feels at getting his daughter back. There are certainly enough tracks reflecting the rage and youthful exasperation that have always driven Eminem, but there is also a measure of fun rarely felt in his earlier efforts. Without Me is loads of fun, forever conjuring up images in my mind of Eminem in that superhero getup from the video. In White America, Eminem seems to take delight in pondering the effects he has on young people; and I find a lot of entertainment values in Square Dance. The only song I don't really care for is Drips featuring Obie Trice, a song that seems to take shock value for its own sake a little too far for my tastes. Overall, though, The Eminem Show is yet another amazing album from the unstoppable force known as Eminem, and the maturity, commitment, and ever-increasing skills revealed in its conception and execution offer undeniable proof that hip hop's most controversial and influential star is going to be a force in the business for a very long time.

Shady seems to get wizer with his lyrics ever album. This album explodes with great lyrics, beats, and a tight production. Dr. Dre and Eminem are the best duo. Marshall tells about social issues in America he expresses his thoughts in great detail throughout the album you get a sense of what he is going through in his life.

Curtains Up Skit- Show's Eminem ready to talk on the microphone.

White America- Displays Eminem's talent to reach out to his fans and how's he's influenced them awesome song! Very heavy

Business- One of my favorite tracks it's awesome with Dre's beats. It's kind of a batman and Robin duo. Great Lyricsm on this track it's a standout!!

Cleanin Out My Closet- Eminem talks about his fame, his ex wife, and his mother, this song tells the fans what Eminem's feeling.

Square Dance- Don't let the title fool you. Eminem seems mad on this track he trash talks canibus! It's a good rap song.

The Kiss Skit- The events that led to Eminem's arrest.

Soldier- Tells about how even though Eminem has had lawsuits against him, the press against him, and his newfound fame, he takes it all in and still moves on like a soilder.

Say Goodbye Hollywood- Talks about all the things that have happened to Shady and how he needs to keep his feet above the ground.

Drips- Talks about Obie Trice he raps about sex and STDS. Basically a son about Eminem's fictional girlfriend.

Without Me- One of my favorite tracks. Eminems first lead single and he basically tells about how he's back and better then ever. Very funny song.

. Paul Rosenberg (Skit)- Em's manager telling em not to carry a gun around anywhere.

Sing For The Moment- Aerosmith tune telling how his fans and other enterainers are attached to em.

Superman- Tells about his ex wife. And how he can care less about the situation. How's he single and his laid back attitude.

Hailie's Song- Lovesong to his daughter. Describing his feelings in this heartfelt song.

Steve Berman(skit) - The head of Interscope records says what he wants to say about this album.

When The Music Stops- Awesome talks about Em's issues and what he's feeling tight beat guest spot by D12 one of my favorite songs on this album.

Say What U Say - Em and Dre rap dissing Jermaine Dupri.

'Till I Collapse- Don't really like this song tells about how em is going to continue with his rap career till he collapse how much he loves the game and how rapping is his life!

My Dad's Gone Crazy- Eminem shines on this song it tells about him and what we've known all along Em is a little crazy!

The Curtains close- The Em show sadly ends.

*****5 stars great album!! Funny

Much of what em does is reminiscent of naturalism, the European literary movement of the late nineteenth century. His premise is that the dysfunctional side of life, and his life in particular, are artistically appealing and certainly worth the money you spend on a CD. I think that basically this premise works. Life can be seen from many different perspectives, all of which deserve the attention of the curious, and all of which add something to the understanding of the human variety on this planet.

I think that "Superman" is a cool song, even if it stems from the inability to relate to adult women as fellow human beings. The dysfunctional nature of em's relationship with women is the origin of this song, but it still works independently of its origin as a put down of shallow, lying, cheating, and money-grubbing women.

"Drips" is a bizarre song of the same women-dissing genre, in which we learn that Obie did not use protection, facilitating the spread of infection carried by Denise, who is em's girlfriend, according to the song. Obie does a good job rapping. The guy has talent.

"Without Me" has been played so much that it is even unnecessary for me to say much about it. Em has the satisfaction of telling people off, and calling Mobie a [name].

"White America" is a pretty decent effort at feigning humility. What he says in so many words is that he is a superstar because of his race. But in reality, he is a superstar because he can rap. People are not curious about him because he is a white rapper, they are curious about him because he is a gifted rapper.

Finally, I was not that crazy about em's allusions to 9-11. Here I have in mind the track "My Dad Gone Crazy." Either he does not understand the seriousness of what took place, or I simply take 9-11 too hard, because I could not help but find his irreverent references revolting. He is way too smart and sensitive to use 9-11 this way, and I believe this was not the most apt use of a significant event in world politics--a subject about which em knows little.

Overall, I obviously recommend this record. Em is one of the most talented rappers today, and he and Dre make a good team. If you are an adult, then you should listen to the uncensored version of this album. So if you want Shady, this is what this album gives you: a little bit of irreverence mixed with some hard lyrics.