Eminem
The Marshall Mathers LP
| The Marshall
Mathers LP |
 |
|
Album by
Eminem |
| Released |
May 23, 2000 |
| Recorded |
? |
|
Genre |
Hip-hop |
| Length |
72:05 |
|
Label |
Aftermath/Interscope |
|
Producer(s) |
The
45 King, Dr. Dre, Eminem, F.B.T. Productions, Mel-Man, and Richard
"Segal" Huredia |
| Professional reviews |
-
All Music Guide (5/5)
link
-
Robert Christgau (A)
link
- The Music Box
link
-
Rolling Stone
link
|
|
Eminem
chronology |
The Slim Shady LP
(1999) |
The Marshall Mathers LP
(2000) |
The Eminem Show
(2002) |
The Marshall Mathers LP is the sophomore major-label album from
American rapper
Eminem. The bulk of the album was written in
Amsterdam, with producer Dr. Dre holding a telephone to his speakers so Eminem
could hear the beats. "The Real Slim Shady," the first single and a huge hit,
was written back in the United States, as the deadline neared and no radio-friendly singles were yet
written.
In the week following its release, it sold 1.7 million copies, becoming the
fastest-selling rap album in history. While it received a great deal of critical
praise, its enormous success also provoked a backlash from dissenting critics
and social activists, most notably
GLAAD, who
protested Eminem's use of the word "fag" in several songs. Others claimed that
the rapper's lyrics were extremely misogynistic, an allegation that generally
centered around the songs "Kill You" and "Kim."
Such protests reached a climax when the album was nominated for four
Grammy awards in 2001, including Album of the Year. At the ceremony, Eminem
performed "Stan" with famous homosexual artist Elton John on piano in an attempt
to silence GLAAD and others who claimed his lyrics were homophobic. The Marshall
Mathers LP went on to win Best Rap Album of the Year, but lost to Steely Dan's
Two Against Nature for Album of the Year.
As evidenced by Eminem's decision to include his real name in the album's
title, this is a more serious and personal album than his major-label debut,
The Slim Shady LP, which predominantly featured his exaggerated Slim
Shady persona. Much of the CD is spent addressing his rise to fame and attacking
those who criticized his first album. Other themes include his relationship with
his family, most notably his mother and
Kim
Mathers, his wife who he subsequently divorced but has remarried as of 2006.
The album is considerably darker than his debut; its famous "The Real Slim
Shady" single is one of the only upbeat and comical tracks.
Much of the first half of the album is produced by
Dr. Dre and Mel-Man, who typically employ sparse, stripped-down beats, allowing
Eminem's rapping to take center-stage. F.B.T. Productions and Eminem produced most of the second half, which ranges
from the laid-back guitars of "Marshall Mathers" to the gritty atmosphere of
"Amityville."
The album is widely considered by fans to be Eminem's best work, and was also
his most commercially successful, going nine-times platinum in the U.S. In 2003,
the album was ranked number 302 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500
greatest albums of all time. Despite its controversy, it is
considered by many fans to be a hip-hop classic, though there is a great deal of
disagreement within the hip-hop community over this.
Intro
The first track is a skit called "Public Announcement 2000". Jeff Bass speaks
(with whispered prompts from Eminem), telling the listener that Eminem doesn't
"give a fuck what you think" and that "if you don't like it, you can suck his
fucking cock." Furthermore, "Eminem is going to kill you" and "you can kiss his
ass". In Eminem's previous album,
The Slim Shady LP began with a similar skit that ended with Eminem's
pronouncement "don't do drugs." This one ends with Eminem saying "sue me."
"Kill You"
"Kill You" was one of the most often-attacked songs on the album. According
to Eminem in his book Angry Blonde, the lyrics don't have any particular
point but to present Slim Shady as an unstable character; he dismisses the idea
that the whole song is about his mother, claiming that the lyrics mentioning her
are unrelated to the rest of the song.
Critics blasted the song as misogynistic and homophobic, citing lines in the
chorus ("Bitch I'ma kill you! You don't wanna fuck with me/Girls leave -- you
ain't nothin' but a slut to me") and in the final verse ("You faggots keep eggin'
me on/'Til I have you at knifepoint then you beg me to stop?/Shut up! Gimme your
hands and feet/I said shut up when I'm talkin' to you, you hear me? Answer
me!"), though the latter could be construed as a vulgar reference to his
detractors. Another example of Eminem's distinctive climactic, suggestive
rhymes: "Blood, guts, guns, cuts/Knives, lives, wives, nuns, sluts" with each
word progressively shouted with more and more intensity; "nuns" being placed at
the climax is an example of Eminem's macabre and irreverent humor, placed
between "wives" and "sluts".
Like several other songs on the album, the lyrics here also insult the
American media; this song was frequently cited as containing gratuitous violence
and references to drug use. For example, an imitation of his critics says "Oh,
now he's raping his own mother, abusing a whore/snorting coke, and we gave him
the Rolling Stone cover?", delivered with derision. He also insults radio
announcers who "...want me to come on their radio shows/just to argue with 'em
cause their ratings stink?". The song includes references to cocaine ("They
said I can't rap about bein broke no more/They ain't say I can't rap about coke
no more"), taking LSD ("I ain't 'acid rap,' but I rap on acid/Got a new blow-up
doll and just had a strap-on added"), taking Vicodin ("I invented violence, you
vile venomous volatile bitches/vain Vicodin (sound of chainsaw)"), smoking
marijuana and drinking alcohol ("Fuck shots! I hope the weed'll outweigh these drinks").
There are also numerous examples of violence, such as in the chorus ("Bitch
I'ma kill you! You don't wanna fuck with me/Girls neither - you ain't nuttin'
but a slut to me/.../You better kill me! Ima be another rapper dead/for popping
off at the mouth with shit I shouldn't've said"), and verses ("Slut, you think I
won't choke no whore/'Til the vocal cords don't work in her throat no more?",
"Put your hands down bitch, I ain't gonna shoot you/I'ma pull you to this
bullet, and put it through you/Shut up slut, you're causing too much chaos/Just
bend over and take it like a slut, okay Ma?/Oh, now he's raping his own mother,
abusing a whore", "I'm triple platinum and tragedy's happened in two states/I
invented violence, you vile venomous volatile bitches", "Texas
Chainsaw, left his brains all/Danglin' from his neck, while his head barely
hangs on/Blood, guts, guns, cuts/Knives, lives, wives, nuns, sluts").
It was the numerous examples of such graphic violence that led parents and
citizens activist groups to criticize The Marshall Mathers LP. His
supporters argue that these are clearly fictional examples of violence. Many of
the instances of violence in the album are unambiguously fictional and, in some
cases, physically or medically impossible.
Jacques Loussier, a French jazz pianist sued Eminem
and Dr. Dre for copyright infringement, claiming "Kill You's" beat was stolen
from his song "Pulsion". He demanded $10 million, and that all currently unsold
copies of The Marshall Mathers LP be destroyed.
"Stan"
- Main article:
Stan
The third track is "Stan", which was also the third single released from the
album. It is a haunting story of a fan who writes to Eminem but doesn't receive
a swift reply. Unhinged already, the fan (Stan) drives his car off a bridge with
his pregnant girlfriend in the trunk.
The song features a chorus sampled from
Thank You by Dido,
and came with a very popular music video that was in heavy rotation in its day.
Stan was performed live with
Elton John at the 2001 Grammys. A recording of the performance was offered at Eminem's official
website, Eminem.com, and later removed and placed onto his greatest hits album,
Curtain
Call along with the original studio recording.
"Who Knew"
"Who Knew" is preceded by a brief skit entitled "Paul", which is similar to
one on the previous album, The Slim Shady LP. On that album, Eminem's
manager leaves a message asking if he could tone down the violence in order to
make the album more palatable to record companies. On The Marshall Mathers LP,
he calls once again, and begins to make a similar request, only to end suddenly
with "Ah, fuck it" and a dial tone.
This segues directly into the song, which is one of many on the album about
fame and being a celebrity. Eminem raps about how and why he became famous. In
the chorus, Eminem expresses his own doubts and insecurities about his celebrity
and his unintentional role model status.
- "Cause I never knew I, knew I would get this big
- I never knew I, knew I'd affect this kid
- I never knew I'd, get him to slit his wrist
- I never knew I'd, get him to hit this bitch
The verses discuss in greater detail how Eminem has become famous and why.
Perhaps the simplest explanation exists in the first two lines: "I don't do
black music, I don't do white music/I make fight music, for high school kids".
Disenchanted youth of all racial and ethnic backgrounds connected with the
macabre, humorous lyrics in The Slim Shady LP. Much of the song also
addresses Eminem's detractors among the media: "Oh - you want me to watch my
mouth, how?/Take my fuckin eyeballs out, and turn em around?", "You want me to
fix up lyrics while the President gets his dick sucked?" (referencing former
president Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky), perhaps most pointedly accusing his
critics with the lines "Quit tryin to censor music, this is for your kid's
amusement/(The kids!) But don't blame me when lil' Eric jumps off of the
terrace/You shoulda been watchin him - apparently you ain't parents"; some
listeners believe "Eric" is a reference to Eric Harris, the mastermind of the
Columbine shootings. Eminem and other musicians were blamed by certain
commentators for contributing to "a culture of violence" that allowed horrific
violence like the school shootings although the Columbine killers hated rap
music. The next verse focuses on those who criticized Eminem's violent lyrics, accusing
them of hypocrisy in their disapproval of rap but silence in other
circumstances.
- "And last week, I seen a
Schwarzenegger movie
- where he's shootin all sorts of these motherfuckers with a uzi
- I sees 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?'"
This is a reference to the opening verse of Eminem's first single
My Name Is.
Eminem goes onto criticize parents who don't approve of his music but allow
their young daughters to wear makeup, and blaming him for teaching children
obscene words when, he claims that children are more likely to learn such words
from a school bus driver or gym teacher, as he did ("And fuck was the first word
I ever learned/up in the third grade, flippin the gym teacher the bird"). The
final verse is a veritable parade of offensive lines, making fun of dead and
injured celebrities (Sonny Bono, Christopher Reeve).
In the face of intense criticism for obscene, violent and allegedly
gratuitous sexual, violent and drug-related content, many of Eminem's supporters
use this song to help bolster their case. Many of Eminem's fans have come to a
realization about people from a different background than themselves, as Eminem
is able to poetically describe circumstances alien to most of his listeners.
Thus, the subject matter, which is surely aimed at adults, benefits listeners
and society itself by increasing empathy and understanding between people of
different backgrounds. Eminem defends himself: "Man, I'm just as fucked up as
you woulda been/If you woulda been in my shoes" and "So read up, about how I
used to get beat up/Peed on, be on free lunch, and change school every three
months/My life's like kinda what my wife's like/Fucked up after I beat her
fucking ass every night, Ike".
"The Way I Am"
This song is also preceded by a skit, this time one in which a record company
executive ("Steve Berman") demands that Eminem re-record the album to make it
more commercial and marketable. He says "Do you know why Dre's
record
was so successful? He's rapping about big screen TVs, blunts, forties and
bitches. You're rapping about homosexuals and Vicodin. I can't sell this shit!
Either change the record or it's not coming out."
Eminem's despair at the end of the previous skit leads into the next song,
"The Way I Am", with a depressing, haunting and ominous beat. The song addresses
his fans, primarily. He begins by explaining the sources of his music:
- "I sit back with this pack of Zig Zags and this bag
- of this
weed it gives me the shit needed to be
- the most meanest MC on this -- on this Earth
- And since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse
- And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works
- And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve
- all this tension dispensin these sentences
- Gettin this stress that's been eatin me recently off of this chest"
The rest of the verse addresses his legions of devoted fans. He makes no
apologies for his rude behavior, demanding that he be granted his own privacy:
"I'm not Mr. 'N Sync, I'm not what your friends think/I'm not Mr. Friendly, I
can be a prick". He threatens violence against those who offend him and won't
leave him alone, inviting fans so injured to "file you a lawsuit/I'll smile in
the courtroom and buy you a wardrobe".
In the next verse, Eminem addresses his critics again; he is angry that "the
media immediately points a finger at me" "when a dude's gettin bullied and
shoots up his school" (another Columbine reference). He also commiserates
with Marilyn Manson, a shock rocker who was similarly blamed for acts of
violence. Eminem responds by asking "where were the parents at?"; he then
accuses the middle class of ignoring problems like heroin abuse until it hits
"Middle America, now it's a tragedy/Now it's so sad to see, an upper class city/havin
this happenin". Similar accusations were made in the wake of Columbine and other
school shootings, in that such violence in schools had been occurring for
decades in largely African-American inner-city schools, but was ignored by the national media
until middle-class white children began killing other middle-class white
children.
The final verse is Eminem ranting and raving about the stress of his fame,
and his insecurity about being unable "...to top on 'My Name is..'", Eminem's
first hit off his previous major label album. With much scrutiny due to his
racial background, Eminem also lashes out at those who were unwilling to believe
his tales of poverty, drugs and violence, asking him continually "what school
did I go to, what hood I grew up in/the why, the who what when, the where, and
the how/'til I'm grabbin my hair and I'm tearin it out".
In the chorus to "The Way I Am", Eminem questions his identity in the face of
massive amounts of attention from millions of strangers. While his previous
album, The Slim Shady LP, was somewhat more cartoonish than this album,
and he rapped therein as a distinct character who goes by Slim Shady, his
critics believed that Eminem, Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady were identical.
Similar to other musicians and artists who lost their identity in some fictional
construct (David Bowie, Alice Cooper), Eminem expresses his doubts about who he has become.
- "And I am, whatever you say I am
- If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
- In the paper, the news everyday I am-
- Radio won't even play my jam
- Cause I am, whatever you say I am
- If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
- In the paper, the news everyday I am...
- I don't know it's just the way I am"
Eminem has said recently this was the second to last song recorded for the
album. When asked by Interscope
to record another record like "My Name Is" for a first single, his frustration
produced "The Way I Am". He went on to record "The Real Slim Shady" shortly upon
finishing this record, after he realized he didn't really have an opening song.
"The Real Slim Shady"
- Main article:
The Real Slim Shady
"The Real Slim Shady" was a major hit, and was the first single released off
the album. In it, Eminem makes fun of Will Smith
for his speech at a Grammy awards. Smith was awarded for his album, and during
his acceptance speech he said, "See? I got a successful album, and I didn't have
to curse off or talk about violence." In the song, Eminem says "Will Smith don't
gotta cuss in his raps to sell records, well I do, so fuck him and fuck you
too."
"Remember Me"
"Remember Me" is partnership with
RBX and Sticky Fingaz (of Onyx). The song begins with RBX shouting "Remember
Me"; and adding various menacing statements, ending with "I drop bombs like
Hiroshima", (a reference to the song "High Powered" from Dr Dre's The Chronic) and then the sound of an explosion.
It begins with RBX on the first verse, followed by Sticky Fingaz and then
Eminem. The first two verses are stream-of-consciousness and semi-coherent, with
rapid-fire rhymes like: "Better come better than better to be a competitor/This
vet is ahead of/The shit is all redder, you deader and deader/A medic instead-a
the cheddars and credda/settle vendetta one metal Beretta from
ghetto to ghetto/Evidence? NOPE! Never leave a shred-of" (from the second
verse). Both RBX and Sticky Fingaz have distinctively bass voices, and a
frenetic, threatening and chaotic style of rapping. Their lines seem haphazard,
in spite of the clearly well-planned out alliterative and assonating rhymes, and
are shouted as though their voices are themselves violently uncontrollable; this
is particularly true of Sticky Fingaz.
The third verse is Eminem rapping, beginning with a memorable pun: "When I go
out, I'ma go out shootin'/I don't mean when I die, I mean when I go out to the
club, stupid". Once again, Eminem addresses his critics, specifically, those who
disliked "97 Bonnie and Clyde", a song from The Slim Shady LP about
Eminem disposing of three bodies (his wife, her lover and his son) with his
young daughter in attendance: "My baby's mom, bitch made me an angry blonde/So I
made me a song, killed her and put Hailie on". Eminem defended "97 Bonnie and
Clyde" by claiming that, like many of his songs, he is able to work out his own
hostility towards friends and family by rapping about violence instead of
actually acting out on such desires. The verse also goes back to the Columbine
shootings; Eminem was criticized for creating a "culture of violence" and,
partly, causing such acts. In typical Eminem fashion, he exaggerates his own
influence by claiming that someone broke into his house and stole "two loaded
machine guns and both of my trenchcoats" (the Columbine killers were part of the
"Trenchcoat Mafia"). The song ends with Eminem hoarsely screaming "Remember
me?".
"I'm Back"
In "I'm Back", Eminem reacts to a variety of issues and ideas. The chorus is
simple, and states that "They call me Slim Shady/I'm back". In the verses,
Eminem tackles subjects from racism and violence to homosexuality and drug
abuse.
As often happens when an artist is controversial, Eminem begins by
exaggerating and proudly stating that "You never heard of a mind as perverted as
mine", "I'm waiting for hell. Like hell, shit I'm anxious as hell" and "I used
to get punked, bullied on my block/'Till I cut a kitten's head off and stuck it
in this kid's mailbox". He soon moves on to tackle race. Some commentators have
observed that Eminem became such an incredible celebrity precisely because he is
white and not because of his skills as a rapper (though few doubt that he is
quite skilled). Eminem apparently agrees: "Became a commodity because I'm W-H-I/T-E,
cuz MTV was so
friendly to me".
The second verse describes Eminem's warped view of the "sick world we live in
these days". He seems to exult in the degeneracy, though, ("I'll take each
individual degenerate's head and reach into it/Just to see if he's influenced by
me"). He mentions Ken Kaniff (see the skit below), a homosexual who is "on the
Internet/Tryin' to lure your kids/ with him into bed", as a further example of
the dangerous and cruel world he lives in. Eminem then makes a second joke about
actor Christopher Reeves, paralyzed from the neck down after a horse-riding
accident. An imitation of a critic then says "Slim, it's a touchy subject, try
and just don't mention it", effectively summing up one of the main arguments in
favor of Eminem's adult subject matter; the fact that no one mentions an issue
does not make the issue irrelevant, and does not make it go away.
The third verse begins by referring to Columbine again: "I 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". The words "kids" and "Columbine" are not
actually spoken; Eminem uses a common technique, omitting the actual words in
favor of a beat. Eminem goes on to criticize the media's attention paid to the
Y2K crisis ("... they call me as crazy/As the world was over the whole Y2K
thing") and then goes on to criticize *NSYNC and other pop musicians,
reiterating his hatred for boy bands. Eminem ends by dispelling a rumor that he
was having sex with Christina Aguilera, explaining that "... if I ever stuck it
to any singer in show biz/It'd be Jennifer Lopez and Puffy you know this/I'm sorry Puff, but I don't give a fuck if this chick was my own
mother/I'd still fuck her with no rubber and cum inside of her/And have a son
and a new brother at the same time/And just say that it ain't mine; what's my
name?".
"Marshall Mathers"
"Marshall Mathers" is a litany of insults directed towards various aspects of
society, perceived as being shallow and overly commercial. The first verse
begins in typical Eminem fashion, with a bizarre rant of mounting intensity and
absurdity: "Yo, you might see me joggin, you might see me walkin/You might see
me walkin a dead Rottweiler dog/with its head chopped off in the park with a
spiked collar/hollerin at him cause the son of a bitch won't quit barkin". He
then goes on to criticize "cheap imitations" of the late rappers Tupac Shakur
and The Notorious B.I.G. that "get dollars that shoulda been theirs (Tupac and
Biggie) like they switched wallets". Eminem's reaction to such shallowness in
the pop cultural world is to "... walk around with an empty bottle of Rémy
Martin/startin shit like some 26-year-old skinny Cartman ("God damnit!")/I'm
anti-Backstreet and Ricky Martin/with instincts to kill *NSYNC, don't get me
started/These fuckin brats can't sing and Britney's garbage/What's this bitch
retarded? Gimme back my sixteen dollars". This is followed by a section which
parallels in rhythm the very beginning in its climaxing intensity and absurdity:
"All I see is sissies in magazines smiling/Whatever happened to whylin out and
bein violent?/Whatever happened to catchin a good-ol' fashioned/passionate ass-whoopin
and gettin your shoes coat and your hat tooken?" Eminem then launches into a
mocking rant referencing several pop sensations, mimicking the chorus of LFO's
"Summer Girls": "New Kids on the Block sucked a lot of dick/Boy-girl groups make
me sick/and I can't wait till I catch all you faggots in public, I'ma love it".
Next, Eminem devotes time to a counterattack on the Insane Clown Posse, who had
remixed his "My Name Is" into "Slim Anus": "Plus I was put here to put fear into
faggots who spray Faygo root beer/ and call themselves clowns because they look
queer/Faggy 2 Dope and Silent Gay/claimin' Detroit, when y'all live twenty miles
away/and I don't wrestle but I'll knock you fuckin' faggots the fuck out/...I
don't need help from D-12/to beat up two females/in makeup, who may try to
scratch me with Lee Nails/"Slim Anus," you're damn right slim anus/I don't get
fucked in mine like you two little flaming faggots." Later, Eminem goes onto
express disgust over groupies, angrily telling one "...get off me, go fuck
Puffy." He then goes on to address his underground detractors, rapping, "Now
because of this blond mop that's on top/Of this fucked up head that I've got,
I've gone pop?/The underground just spunned around and did a 360/Now these kids
diss me and act like some big sissies/'Oh, he just did some shit with Missy/So
now he thinks he's too big to do some shit with MC Get-Bizzy.'" He also
discusses his family, specifically his mother's lawsuit alleging defamation of
character in The Slim Shady LP and various interviews. He defends himself
by claiming that he told the truth, and that he (as claimed) learned to use
drugs from her: "where the fuck you think I picked up the habit?/All I had to do
was go in her room and lift up her mattress". On the subject of the rest of the
family: "Family fightin' and fussin' over who wants to invite me to supper/All
the sudden, I got 90 some cousins (Hey it's me!)/A half-brother and sister who
never seen me/or even bothered to call me until they saw me on TV".
"Drug Ballad"
"Drug Ballad" is, appropriately enough, all about drugs. Eminem mentions
drinking copious amounts of alcohol, ecstasy and marijuana, as well as huffing
glue "through a tube and play Rubik's Cube". Ironically, the atmosphere and
style of delivery makes the song sound like a party song, reminiscent of West
Coast rap songs from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, among others. Instead of exulting a
party-heavy lifestyle, Eminem describes the dark side of that existence. This
begins with the rapidfire beginning: 'We used to mix Hen' with Bacardi Dark/And
when it, kicks in you can hardly talk/And by the, sixth gin you're gonna
probably crawl/And you'll be, sick then and you'll probably barf/And my
pre-diction is you're gonna probably fall/Either somewhere in the lobby or the
hallway wall". In addition, drunkenness is described as giving the drunkard "permission to officially
slap bitches/You have the right to remain violent and begin whylin'" and "get in
your car/drive it/and cause a 42-car pile-up". The second verse focuses on the
effect of heavy drug use on interpersonal relationships. Most interestingly is
the effect of Ecstacy, notorious for increasing and empathy and causing
strangers to fall deeply in love for brief periods, often ending when the drug
wears off: "(I'm) Getting sentimental as fuck spillin' guts to you/We just
met/But I think I'm in love with you". In the third verse, Eminem ends by
refusing to apologize for his past: "If I could take it all back now, I
wouldn't/I would have did more shit that people said that I shouldn't".
"Amityville"
"Amityville" begins with gruff, almost
doo-wop nonsense vocals and a barely audible whisper repeating "kill kill kill".
When the verses begin, they are incoherent strings of extremely violent images.
Guest rapper Bizarre, a member of D12 who
would later become notorious for sick sexual lyrics, does the second verse.
First verse:
- "I get lifted and spin til I'm half-twisted/Feet planted and stand with
a grin full of chapped lipstick"
- "Drink gin til my chin's full of splashed whiskers/Hash, whiskey and ash til I slap bitches"
Second verse:
- "I fucked my cousin in his asshole, slit my mother's throat"
- "My little sister's birthday, she'll remember me/For a gift I had ten of
my boys take her virginity"
Third verse:
- "We don't do drivebys, we park in front of houses and shoot/and when the
police come we fuckin shoot it out with them too"
- "Cause once I snap I can't be held accountable for my actions/and that's
when accidents happen/when a thousand bullets come at your house/and
collapse the foundation around and they found you"
"Bitch Please II"
This is a collaboration between
Eminem,
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Nate Dogg, Part 2 of Bitch Please (Snoop Dogg
feat. Nate Dogg, Xzibit). In the first verse, Dr. Dre describes the audiences at
West Coast rap concerts, and describes himself and his proteges as "These
grown-ass ignorant men with hair-triggers again". In the second verse, Snoop's
characteristically lazy, stoned funky voice describes his own part in the scene,
"Hit-and-run, get it done, get the funds, split and run/Got about fifty guns,
and I love all of 'em the same - bang bang!". The third verse is Xzibit
continuing much the same idea: "Your little lungs is too small to hotbox with
God", "It's like ashes to ashes and dust to dust/I might leave in the bodybag,
but never in cuffs", "When things get rough I'm in the club shootin with
Puff/Bitch, please - you must have a mental disease/Assume the position and get
back down on your knees - c'mon". Eminem then appears, impersonating Snoop's
voice, and discusses his comically large testicles ("Eighty pound balls, dick
six inch long"). In his verse, Eminem plays off of Timothy White's characterization of him: "what if he's right/I'm just a
criminal/ makin a living off/ of the world's misery-- what in the world gives me
the right/to say what I like, and walk around flippin the bird/Livin the urban
life, like a white kid from the 'burbs/Screamin at night and screamin at mom,
schemin to leave/Run away from home and grow to be as evil as me".
"Kim"
"Kim" was perhaps the most infamous song on The Marshall Mathers LP,
frequently cited by critics as extremely misogynistic and disturbing. It is a
prequel to "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" (from
The Slim Shady LP), which was the story of Eminem and his young daughter
disposing of three bodies: his wife, her lover and his son; the previous song
was a deliberate send-up of the sentimental father-child songs of Will Smith
("Just the Two of Us") and other rappers. In "Kim," we hear the actual murder of
Eminem's wife, Kim. The song is unlike virtually anything else in
rap music,
in its short, screamed and barely rhythmic lines; some critics deemed the song
"unlistenable" and even "painful" due to the harshness of the delivery. Eminem's
enraged voice is hoarse and raspy. Drunk and angry, Eminem begins by yelling at
Kim, and explaining why he wants to kill her: "Quit crying bitch, why do you
always make me shout at you?", "But not for him to take my place, are you out
your mind?/This couch, this TV, this whole house is mine!". He then puts her in
his car, while her sobs can be heard. Amid honking cars in the background,
Eminem continues shouting at her and threatening to kill her. Finally, in the
third verse Eminem remembers a happy time in their marriage right before killing
her: "Hey remember the time we went to Brian's party?/And you were like so drunk
that you threw up all over Archie/That was funny wasn't it?". Finally, the song
ends with Eminem cutting her throat, and the sound of Kim choking. "You were
supposed to love me/Now bleed, bitch, bleed!"
The graphic violence of the song caused many activist groups to criticize
Eminem. They objected to the detailed description of spousal abuse, and the
endless hatred spewed at his crying wife. Defenders of the song point out the
multi-faceted character of Eminem, who loudly proclaims his love for his wife
just before murdering her, and his clear and unambigous mental instability
ruling him out as a role model for any stable person.
The edited version of The Marshall Mathers LP replaces "Kim" with a
different song called "The Kids", which begins as a parody of
South Park[1]
"Under the Influence"
This track begins with nonsense vocals followed by Eminem rapping the chorus:
"Translation: So you can suck my dick if you don't like...my shit/Cuz I was high
when I wrote this so suck...my dick." His opening verse is reminiscient of
The Slim Shady LP in its lyrics, as he raps, "Two pills I pop 'til my pupils
swell up like two pennies/I'm
Clint Eastwood in his mid-twenties." The other five verses are done by
members of Eminem's six-person group D12, and contain shock-oriented material
similar to that found on their 2001 debut
Devil's Night.
"Criminal"
The final track mirrors "Still Don't Give A Fuck" from The Slim Shady LP,
beginning with Eminem talking: "A lot of people ask me...stupid fucking
questions/A lot of people think that...what I say on records/Or what I talk
about on a record, that I actually do in real life/Or that I believe in
it/.../Well shit...if you believe that/Then I'll kill you/You know why? Cuz I'm
a CRIMINAL!" The song then starts, featuring a fast-paced beat built over a
frantic piano loop. Eminem delivers his lines rapidly, opening with, "My words
are like a dagger with a jagged edge/That'll stab you in the head, whether
you're a fag or lez/Or the homosex, hermpah or a trans-a-vest/Pants or dress -
hate fags? The answer's 'yes.'" GLAAD frequently cited these lines as proof that
Eminem was homophobic, though critics such as Robert Christgau have pointed out
that the song is about words' power to cause pain. However, in the track Eminem
also mocks murdered homosexual fashion designer Gianni Versace with the lines, "Hey it's me, Versace! Whoops, somebody shot
me/And I was just checkin' the mail - get it? Checkin' the 'male?'" Many critics
considered this rather tasteless. The rest of the song features Eminem implying
that his critics are wrong for labelling him a negative influence, exaggerating
his persona as that of a criminal. Toward the end of the final verse, he raps,
"Shit half the shit I say I just make it up, to make you mad/So kiss my white
naked ass!" The song ends with him rapping "I am a CRIMINAL!" and the sound of a
gunshot.
Track listing
- "Public Service Announcement 2000" (Performed by Eminem and Jeff Bass) -
0:25
- "Kill You" (Bradford/Mathers/Young)
(Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man) - 4:24
- "Stan"
(Armstrong/Herman/Mathers) (Produced by The 45 King/Samples Dido - "Thank You") - 6:43
- "Paul (skit)" (Performed by Paul Rosenberg) - 0:10
- "Who Knew" (Bradford/Elizondo/Mathers/Young)
(Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man) - 3:47
- "Steve Berman" (Mathers) (Performed by Eminem and Steve Berman) - 0:53
- "The
Way I Am" (Mathers) (Produced by Eminem) - 4:44
- "The
Real Slim Shady" (Coster/Elizondo/Mathers/Young) (Produced by Dr. Dre
and Mel-Man) - 4:50
- "Remember Me?" (featuring RBX and Sticky Fingaz) (Collins/Jones/Mathers/Young)
(Produced by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man) - 3:38
- "I'm Back" (Bradford/Elizondo/Mathers/Young) (Produced by Dr. Dre and
Mel-Man) - 5:10
- "Marshall Mathers" (Bass/Bass/Mathers) (Produced by
F.B.T. and Eminem) - 5:20
- "Ken Kaniff (skit)" - 1:01
- "Drug Ballad" (Bass/Bass/Mathers) (Produced by F.B.T. and Eminem) - 5:00
- "Amityville" (featuring Bizarre of D12) (Bass/Bass/Johnson/Mathers)
(Produced by F.B.T. and Eminem) - 4:14
- "Bitch Please II" (featuring Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, and Xzibit)
(Bradford/Broadus/Elizondo/Joyner/Mathers/Young)
(Produced by Richard "Segal" Huredia) - 4:48
- "Kim" (Bass/Bass/Mathers) (Produced by F.B.T.) - 6:17
- "Under the Influence" (featuring D12) (Carlisle/Holton/Johnson/Mathers/Moore/Porter)
(Produced by F.B.T. and Eminem) - 5:22
- "Criminal" (Bass/Bass/Mathers) (Produced by F.B.T. and Eminem) - 5:19
- In the edited version "Kim" is replaced with, "The Kids". A Spoof of
South Park, which talks about drugs (Which drug names were reversed for the
record). The unedited version of "The Kids" appears on international
releases of the LP.
Personnel
- Dr. Dre
- Executive producer/Producer/Performer
-
The 45 King & Louie - Producer
- Snoop Dogg - Performer
-
Jeff Bass - Producer/Performer
- Steve Berman - Performer
-
John Bigham - Guitar
- Chris Conway - Engineer, Mixing
- Richard Huredia - Engineer, Mixing
- Steven King - Engineer
- Joe Martin - Production Coordination
- Lance Pierre - Engineer
- Michelle Lynn Forbes - Engineer, Mixing
- Xzibit
- Performer
-
Tom Coster, Jr. - Keyboards
- Mark Bass - Producer
-
Mike Elizondo - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards
- Larry Chatman - Project Coordinator
- Aaron Lepley - Engineer
- Eminem
- Vocals, Producer, Mixing
- Camara Kambon - Keyboards
- Rick Behrens - Engineer, Mixing
- Joe Mama-Nitzberg - Photography, Art Coordinator
- Mel-Man
- Producer
-
Sticky Fingaz - Performer
- RBX -
Performer
-
Bizarre - Performer
-
D12 - Performer
- Les Scurry - Production Coordination
- Kirdis Tucker - Project Coordinator
- Jason Noto - Art Direction, Design
- James McCrone - Engineer
- Mike Butler - Engineer, Mixing
- Rob Ebeling - Engineer, Mixing
- Akane Nakamura - Engineer, Mixing
- Jeff Bass - Producer
Chart positions
Billboard Music Charts (North America) - album
2000 The Billboard 200 No. 1
2000 Internet Albums No. 1
2000 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums No. 1
2000 Top Canadian Albums No. 1
2002 The Billboard 200 No. 1
Billboard (North America) - singles
2000 The Real Slim Shady The Billboard Hot 100 No. 4
2000 The Way I Am The Billboard Hot 100 No. 58
2000 Stan The Billboard Hot 100 No. 51
2000 The Real Slim Shady Hot Rap Singles No. 7
2000 The Way I Am Hot Rap Singles No. 24
2000 The Real Slim Shady Latin Pop Airplay No. 28
2000 The Real Slim Shady Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay No. 23
2000 The Real Slim Shady Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 11
2000 The Way I Am Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 26
2000 Stan Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 36
2000 Bitch Please II Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 61
2000 The Real Slim Shady Rhythmic Top 40 No. 1
2000 The Way I Am Rhythmic Top 40 No. 5
2000 Stan Rhythmic Top 40 No. 9
2000 The Real Slim Shady Top 40 Mainstream No. 13
2000 Stan Top 40 Mainstream No. 33
2000 The Real Slim Shady Top 40 Tracks No. 9
2000 The Way I Am Top 40 Tracks No. 36
2000 Stan Top 40 Tracks No. 34
2000 The Real Slim Shady Canadian Singles Chart No. 15
2000 The Real Slim Shady Modern Rock Tracks No. 19
External links
Home | Up | Curtain Call: The Hits | The Eminem Show | Encore | Infinite | The Marshall Mathers LP | The Slim Shady LP | Straight From The Lab | The Slim Shady EP | 8 Mile Soundtrack
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