"How Much Damage Can You Do With A Pen?": Plenty; If Your Name's Marshall Mathers

Nobody, not even Dr. Dre and Eminem themselves expected The Slim Shady LP to sell as well as it did. Eventually reaching 5x Platinum status – it was the album that solidified Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment as the new hip hop powerhouse and made the combination of Em and Dre as a force to be reckoned with. The Slim Shady LP had a very over exaggerated and humorous feel to it with Em’s crazy Slim Shady alter-ego taking center stage and the subject matter at times becoming dark and serious, but most of the time the focus was on Slim Shady recalling stories from the trailer park, his days at school were he was bullied and the sick thoughts that often entered his mind as to how to take revenge on his enemies.

There was huge amounts of controversy that stemmed from The Slim Shady LP – including many blaming Em and others like him that he promoted violence and was one of the contributing factors to the 1999 Columbine School Shootings, that he was homophobic and a misogynist and a bad influence on today’s youth. Well, Eminem didn’t take this criticisms lightly and in 2000, only one year after his debut he teamed up with Dr. Dre once again to create his much darker and more introspective sophomore effort; the classic The Marshall Mathers LP. This album is based more on the more serious aspects of his life – with Marshall Mathers the man, rather than with Slim Shady his fictional creation and with his now famous words - ”I am whatever, you say I am”, Eminem presented the public with exactly what they wanted – that deranged, sadistic, homophobic, misogynist animal that he had been portrayed as and he enjoys every second of it.

Tracklist:

1. Public Service Announcement 2000 (Not Rated)
2. Kill You (5 Stars)
3. Stan (5 Stars)
4. Paul (Not Rated)
5. Who Knew (4.5 Stars)
6. Steve Berman (Not Rated)
7. The Way I Am (5 Stars)
8. The Real Slim Shady (5 Stars)
9. Remember Me? (5 Stars)
10. I’m Back (5 Stars)
11. Marshall Mathers (5 Stars)
12. Ken Kanniff (Not Rated)
13. Drug Ballad (4 Stars)
14. Amityville (5 Stars)
15. B!tch Please II (5 Stars)
16. Kim (4 Stars)
17. Under the Influence (5 Stars)
18. Criminal (5 Stars)

The Public Service Announcement 2000 is a skit, following the same formula as on The Slim Shady LP, featuring Jeff Bass’ voice reintroducing Eminem to the world. This one’s a lot more vulgar (and much funnier) than the original and it leads perfectly into the first full song Kill You.

Featuring Dr. Dre and Mel-Man doing the production duties – a very stripped down drum and bass loop, complemented by typically Slim Shady-ish strings. It’s simple and sweet and provides the perfect environment for Eminem to rap over so that we can each of his words loud and clear. Em is immediately on fire as soon as he opens his mouth, whether he’s choking women to death, raping his mother or doing drugs – Em’s already painting a very violent and vivid description of himself to the listener – this is what the critics made of him and now he’s coming back to haunt them. One of the best things about Eminem on this album is that his flow, vocabulary and wordplay (including the assonance and alliteration that he’s well known for - ”I invented violence, you vile venomous volatile b!tches...”) has improved tenfold since the last outing – he’s raging with anger, spewing his venomous rhymes with the intention to do harm, and it works.

There are only another 3 skits throughout the album, which is a big improvement from the 6 that can be found on the previous one. Only one of them is really worth listening to a few times, but otherwise there’s not much a point to them.

There are plenty of other examples of where Em lashes out at the critics and purposefully rhymes as vulgar and hateful as possible, just as one big middle finger to everyone out there that ever criticized him. Who Knew features some of the more bland production of the album (though still ill) – Dre’s work is once again pretty simple sounding, but the addition of his symphonic violin strings over the chorus add a nice touch. The most important thing however is Eminem; and he’s striking out at the critics again, shifting the blame onto popular culture - ”the makeup you allow your 12 year old daughter to wear” and while it might seem like a b!tch move – he’s 100% right, never mind the fact that lyrically his rhymes are flawless as is his flow, delivery, everything.

”And last week, I seen a Schwarzenegger movie
Where he's shootin all sorts of these motherf*ckers with a uzi,
I see three little kids, up in the front row,
Screamin "Go," with their 17-year-old Uncle,
I'm like, "Guidance - ain't they got the same moms and dads,
Who got mad when I asked if they liked violence?"

Both I’m Back and Marshall Mathers continue with that same theme. Eminem points out all sorts of influences in today’s world that could have just as bad or even worse effect on kids than his music has and then just to spite everyone, he follows this with by satirizing himself, the way he’s seen in the media – as a bloodthirsty savage and as the kid that ”used to, get punked and bullied on my block, 'til I cut a kitten's head off and stuck it in this kid's mailbox” and so grew up to ” take seven kids from Columbine, stand 'em all in line, add an AK-47, a revolver, a nine, a Mack-11 and it oughta solve the problem of mine, and that's a whole school of bullies shot up all at one time”. Of course he lands up with some extremely controversial, hilarious results and simultaneously gets dangerously close to the moral boundary lines , but all the while constantly reminds the listener of the main purpose of this album – that he is ”just a regular guy”. Marshall Mathers is very similar, backed by Dre’s melancholic guitar melody and Em also takes the opportunity to add commercial and materialistic rap (and the over-inflated egos that come with it) to his list of bad influences on the world – citing them as the reasons for 2Pac and Biggie’s deaths. Em also speaks about his hate for his mother and the rest of his family and the whole track is just steaming with furious anger.

Throughout both these songs, Em is constantly taking shots at famous singers and rappers – from Puffy (today he’s P. Diddy) to Jennifer Lopez, ICP, Vanilla Ice and all the other pop fuelled acts that dominated the early 2000’s – Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears – nobody escapes from his scathing (and funny as f*ck) lyrical attack.

On the album’s first single, which was a massive hit when it was first released The Real Slim Shady - Em takes celebrity dissing to whole new level. The entire theme of the album is carried through, though with a much lighter tone – especially with the inclusion of Dre’s extremely pop friendly beat, Em’s catchy hook and the whole comedic feel of the song. Even though its blatantly meant for MTV – Em’s lyrical skills remain as tight as ever – he’s got an unrivalled multisyllabic flow, his wordplay is stunning and he’s practically oozing with a passion for his work – this is plain, good old entertaining music no matter who you are. If Eminem was pretty big before this, then this is the song that blew him the f*ck up and made him the enormous influence he is in hip hop today. I highly doubt that the album would have sold half as much without this single, so even though it doesn’t really seem to fit into the dark tone set by most of the music – its still a worthy song and deserves its spot.

Drug Ballad also has much more a pop-like feel to it, with Dina Rae singing on the hook and the bouncy drums and piano loop that accompany it, but its really not all that bad as people say it is (though nothing like the rest of the album). Em takes the time to talk about drugs – I think this would have easily fitted onto The Slim Shady LP and nobody would have complained about it on there. It’s a great song and its hugely underrated.

” So let's enjoy, let the X destroy, your spinal cord,
So it's not a straight line no more,
Till we walk around looking like some wind-up dolls,
Sh!t's stickin out of our backs like a dinosaur”

Under the Influence featuring Eminem’s crew D12 (The Dirty Dozen) is another drug-themed song and its nothing but pure raw, ill punchlines and battle/braggadocio raps as each member shows off their skills in that typical fashion that made their debut album such a success. Eminem himself shows off his newly acquired production skills and while there is plenty of fine-tuning to do – the song works out well. D12 member Bizarre makes a second appearance on Amityville - again with Eminem producing, but this time it sounds a lot more professional with a dark piano loop, scratching and clashing drums – it’s an awesome dark and angry environment that’s created and Eminem is spewing infernos, literally screaming his two tremendously complex and lyrical verses – dealing with subject of the place he grew up (Detroit) and the dangers that infest its streets. Bizarre contributes a short, funny though off-the-topic verse and while many people think he almost ruins the song, I think it’s a good way of introducing himself to the world as Eminem’s equally deranged and twisted partner in crime.

As for any other guest appearances; Dre makes his obligatory appearance on B!tch Please II, except this time he’s accompanied by fellow West Coast emcees Xzibit, Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg. Nate does a great job on the hook and both Snoop and Dre are their lyrically mediocre gangsta selves in their respective verses, but both Eminem and Xzibit take the spotlight. X provides a sick display of his flow on the sequel to his own B!tch Please and the legendary lineb!tch please, you must have a mental disease, assume a position and get back down on your knees” and Eminem is his usual brilliant self, though this time he’s not angry, its rather just an ill braggadocio rap and adds well to the songs overall feel. While Dre’s lyrical contribution wasn’t much – the west coast vibe he creates using his trademark whiny ‘chronic’ synthesizers and bouncing bass is just sensational. So this song might also feel a bit out of place on such a dark album, but who really gives a f*ck? Its dope as hell, that’s all I can say.

But if you really do want to see how dark and evil this album can get, then look no further than Remember Me, featuring Onyx frontman Sticky Fingaz and West Coast emcee (who hadn’t been heard of since way back at Death Row) RBX.. Lyrically, this is probably the strongest song on the LP and Dre’s amazingly grimy and dark feel provided by his gritty synths and hardcore bassline. Each emcee spits a verse, trying to convince the listener how evil they are. RBX comes on first with an impressive verse, still more than capable after his years of hibernation. Sticky Fingaz is on next and shreds the mic; his furious flow is amazing and he sounds determined as ever to convince us of his plain demented genius. There’s no comparing either of these two however when Em comes on his verse – he literally sounds ready to tear down the f*cking walls, he’s absolutely enraged – and lyrically; there is no match for him. I mean, damn! This is the rawest sh!t you can possibly get.

” Came home, and somebody must have broke in the back window,
And stole two loaded machine guns and both of my trenchcoats,
Sick, sick dreams of picnic scenes, two kids – sixteen
With M-16's and ten clips each and them sh!ts reach through six kids each
And Slim gets blamed in Bill Clint's speech to fix these streets?
F*CK THAT! You f*ggots can vanish to volcanic ash,
And re-appear in hell with a can of gas, AND a match”

You never know what you’re gonna get from Eminem on this album and even though that was pretty damn harsh, there is absolutely no ways it can compare to Kim I mean, this song makes Necro seem like a nice, tolerable guy. Most people hate this song, because to tell you the truth (and I fully agree with this); Eminem sounds like the devil himself. He is basically screaming every single word – forget trying to stay on the beat or even his flow – he just bellows out as much as is possible in a single breath, takes another and does it again. It’s really hard to listen to this song, but once you do start listening, it’s difficult to stop because Eminem captures your attention from the moment he starts – with the violent and epic, yet melancholic violin strings, a pounding bassline, piano keys and a saddening and passionate hook – you can’t resist. This is the prequel to The Slim Shady LP’s '97 Bonnie & Clyde and goes back in time before Eminem decided to dump his wife’s corpse with his daughter in the car. This time, we hear their entire argument, Eminem driving Kim out to the woods where he slits her throat and furiously screams ”BLEED B!TCH BLEED! BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!!”. Psychotic sure, but you can’t tell me there’s no emotion.

So lets get back to the main theme of the album – perfectly shown on the voracious second single The Way I Am. Again, Eminem takes shots at the commercial rap industry that was trying to convince him to go soft and he instead he does the complete opposite and vents his rage, also almost screaming on the hook. His lyricism is back up to that quality we’ve come to expect from him – he dissects his own skills and his career so far, asking what it is that makes him ‘Marshall Mathers’. Em does his own production again; this time it’s a very atmospheric and angry piano loop, complemented by church-like bells and chimes and it perfectly suited to his ferocity.

Criminal is the last song and the perfect finish to this classic album. This is basically one big summary of everything Eminem has said so far; it’s loaded with his lyrical brilliance – creative wordplay and killer punchlines, but most importantly this is one huge middle finger directed at absolutely everybody – fans and critics alike. As the theme is throughout the album – he is exactly what he was made out to be – “cuz every time I write a rhyme, these people think it's a crime to tel ‘em what’s on my mind”– and he’s blatantly homophobic and sexist on this track - ” My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge, that'll stab you in the head whether you're a f*g or lez, or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest, pants or dress - hate f*gs? The answer's "yes"". This is sick beyond description – if you’re interested in hearing what this album’s all about – then listen to this and it should be enough to explain it all. Again, Em does his own beat – it’s a very catchy guitar and light piano key loop – just right for the song and its subject matter.

I almost forgot, but by far the best and the most powerful song on the album is the all-time classic, featuring a sample from Dido’s Thank You on the hook - Stan. The tale of a fictional fan absolutely obsessed with Eminem who eventually gets to the point where he kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend – has reached a legendary status in the rap world and still considered by many as the magnum opus of Eminem’s career. While the gloomy violin strings and piano keys sound exactly like something Dre would produce, but it’s The 45 King who’s behind the boards and does an excellent job contributing to the song’s sorrowful feel. The final verse, which has Eminem trying to apologize to Stan but then realizes that he is already dead, is an extremely heartfelt and moving display. The music video for this was also amazing.

”I just don't want you to do some crazy sh!t,
I seen this one sh!t on the news a couple weeks ago that made me sick,
Some dude was drunk and drove his car over a bridge,
And had his girlfriend in the trunk, and she was pregnant with his kid,
And in the car they found a tape, but they didn't say who it was to,
Come to think about, his name was... it was you”

Many people consider The Marshall Mathers LP to be Eminem’s best effort yet. Some think as an all time classic, others as the closest he’ll ever get to making one. Personally, I feel that his first three albums (The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show) are all deserving as classic status and this is only his second best effort, but still I cant deny the fact that this album truly is a unique listening experience – in terms of hip hop and even in terms of Eminem’s career.

Production-wise – Dre did a fantastic job behind the boards, creating an extremely dark and gritty environment, but Eminem along with Jeff and Marky Bass to guide him also began showing signs of his production skills which were only fully realized later on in his career. I really don’t need to mention it again, but Em’s technical skills in terms of his lyricism has actually improved since his last outing and the rhymes to be found on this album are basically perfect.

Whats really funny about many of these songs is that Eminem often lands up mocking himself in a very humorous manner and that just proves that none of this was meant to be taken seriously in the end – Eminem is only trying to get his statement across and let people understand him and I think he’s done a f*cking good job of it.

5 Stars

I’m out

The Eminem Collection

Solo Albums

The Slim Shady (5 Stars)
The Marshall Mathers LP (5 Stars)
The Eminem Show (5 Stars)
Encore (1.5 Stars)

Compilations & Crew Albums

Devil’s Night (4.5 Stars)
8 Mile Soundtrack (3.5 Stars)
D12 World (2.5 Stars)
Curtain Call
Eminem Presents... The Re-Up (2.5 Stars)