The only rap CD to be on this infamous list, so Eminem should be honored. This white rapper busted onto the scene in 1999 with his single "My Name Is..." after that the story wrote itself. Eminem is an incredibly angry man. He hates his wife, his mom, the record label, and almost everything, but his skill and rap flow on this disc is incredible. I am not exactly a big fan of rap or hip-hop, although I have wandered down those lanes a few times in my past, but Eminem actually transcends rap, creating a musical genre all his own that reaches out to even the most unlikeliest of places to win fans like me. The lyrics on this CD are filled with curses and adult content, but Eminem does not use the explicit lyrics to attract notoriety and sell albums; he uses explicit lyrics because he is expressing himself in a shockingly honest way, and what he gives us is his own version of truth and reality.
With beats produced by Dr. Dre you can't go wrong, but what makes the music memorable is all the little sound effects that Eminem adds after words. These sound effects enhance the song in so many levels. His lyrics, while filthy, are clever, angry, and funny all at the same time. All his newer stuff does not compare to his humor and double time raps. "Guilty Conscience" is a notable track, with Eminem and Dr. Dre playing devil and angel to folks encountering real and extreme situations. Eminem knows he is not a role model and flaunts it. Because of this he is albe to joke about himself and put out hilarious tracks like "Role Model" and "Come On Everybody" in which he tells his listening audience to "Follow me and do exactly what the song says:smoke weed, take pills, drop outta school, kill people and drink and jump behind the wheel like it was still legal." While uptight conservative people find this extremely offensive, people who understand what Eminem is about get the joke. "Still Don't Give a F*ck" is the perfect ending to this emotionally complex album, summing up in the introductory words the very essence of Eminem.
While I enjoy his next two albums, The Slim Shady LP serves as an absolutely crucial piece to the fascinating puzzle that is Eminem.
No comments:
Post a Comment