The greatest American lyricist since Bob Dylan is back, and he’s as angry as ever. Whether you call him Eminem, Slim Shady or Marshall Mathers III you just can’t ignore his impact on the whole entertainment industry. The Eminem Show is the final chapter in the massively groundbreaking trilogy of albums that showcased the Detroit rappers three alter egos. In 1999, it was the Slim Shady LP, which introduced his violent, bigoted, cartoon persona; in 2000, it was The Marshall Mathers LP that took an autobiographical look into his life, and addressed everything from his ex-wife to critics and overzealous fans.
With the release of The Eminem Show, the barbed wire triangle is complete. Mr. E returns as his super alter ego, just as controversial, daring and relentless. This time around the rapper embraces his public image, addresses his perpetually turbulent life, discussing everything, from lawsuits, to his misogynistic beliefs and his immense popularity.
The album’s opening track is "White America," where Eminem addresses the current state of America, false patriotism, and race. Mr. E admits his wide appeal and states that the color of his skin was a factor. "Let’s do the math," he raps. "If I was black I would have sold half."
Such brutal honesty is rarely seen or heard in today’s entertainment industry, although some will just consider these words "shock value" and nothing else, one has to admit that Eminem touches a raw nerve.
In "Cleaning My Closet," Eminem spawns his venom on his parents in a way that would make Freud blush. Total grief-stricken anger.
"Without Me" is this album’s "stand up and pay attention" track. It is funny, witty, and who can resist Mr. E dressed up as Osama Bin Laden, and being chased by D12 in the video. Classic stuff.
The album also features a number of collaborations. Eminem new protege Obie Trice is on the track "Drips".
D12 show up on "When The Music Stops," while Dr. Dre appears on "Say What You Say." The strangest collaboration on the album is with his daughter Hailie Jade Mathers on "My Daddy Has Gone Crazy," a song about father and daughter relationships. Eminem lets his guard down on this track as he raps "My baby girl keeps getting older, I watch her grow up with pride." It’s almost shocking to hear.
There are some cryptic messages on the album. Eminem says on the track "Solder" that "the fire inside expires at 30," whether he plans on retiring or just adopting a new persona is unclear at this point.
The album is already a bona fide success. In the US, the album hit No. 1 based on a single day’s sale and SoundScan Chairman and CEO Mike Shalett, who monitors sales in the US, said in a statement: "We’ve never had a record debut at No. 1 on the SoundScan chart that hasn’t had the benefit of a full six days of sales behind it."
And to sum things up, what makes this album special is its bravado, arrogance, and humor, at points self-deprecating and others cocky. It’s this contradiction that makes Eminem accessible to the masses. Without a doubt a "living legend" at his peak.
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