411 Eminem Roundtable: The Eminem Show

Posted by Joshua George on 04.23.2009

Here's round 3 and now we know that the staffers are starting to foam at the mouth for Relapse. It's coming, so let's spend some time talking about The Eminem Show.

Since 1995 Eminem has brought us envelope-pushing, line-crossing, and mainstreamingly-offensive lyrics as well as some edgy beats. On May 19th, we're going to be welcomed into another Era of Em. Not since 2004 has Marshall Mathers given us the chance to hear his stylings on the mic. We've been waiting patiently while he's worked on other projects, and now after 5 years of patience, we're about to be rewarded with his 6th album Relapse. We've been told that we're also going to be graced with Relapse 2 later this year... now if only we could actually see the release of Detox. Anyway, look no further and seek no more. We're about to go back a few years and investigate Em's Freshman and Sophomore efforts, Infinite and The Slim Shady LP.

---

Part Three: The Eminem Show

Who are we kidding, let's let Wiki intro this puppy, shall we? The Eminem Show was the best-selling album of 2002. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third straight LP to win the award for Best Rap Album. It has been certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA, with over 9.2 million copies sold in the U.S. and over 19 million albums worldwide. In 2003, the album was ranked number 317 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.


Is Eminem shaping up to be the best rapper of all time for the members of the 411 Music staff? Find out NOW! Also, welcome to the table our very own Daniel Wilcox!





Do you own this album?


Patrick Robinson: I don't actually own a physical copy of this album, despite for many years accepting this as his best album. The main problem I found with it was that a couple of songs in particular always made this a non-necessary purchase for me.

Jon Kinsey: I didn't own this prior to signing up for the Roundtable, but this album was the soundtrack to my second year at University so I know it inside out.

Matt Shoemaker: Digitally, as always.

Ben Czajkowski: Yes.

Weng Yu: No, as this came out at the time when I was moving away from rap and more into soul.

Daniel Wilcox: Interestingly enough this is the only Eminem album, other than Infinite, that I do not have a physical copy of, despite the fact that, depending on what mood I'm in when you ask, it's my favorite Em album. I do, however, have the album on my computer.

Joshua George: I own every single one of these albums and if I had to, I'd buy them all again.



What are your blast tracks?


Patrick Robinson: In terms of tracks I'll always play…"Cleanin Out My Closet" gets a lot of play mainly because I've always loved the dark feeling of the beat. "Square Dance", I've also got love for, despite the words he has for Canibus, due to the fact that from a technical standpoint, this is one of his better songs on the album. Similarly, "Til I Collapse" is another technical gem, featuring a memorable Nate Dogg hook and is a song that always gets me pumped. "When The Music Stops" is one of my favorite cuts he's done with D12 and features a strong verse from Proof, and a surprisingly tolerable one from Bizarre. "Say What You Say" has also been a track that got a lot of replay, although I'm biased in that respect because I have a deep seated hatred for Jermaine Dupri for various reasons and this track makes me laugh in that sense. Dre and Em also rock a nice in/out flow that they should do more of.

Jon Kinsey: While this album lacks the sheer depth of The Marshal Mathers LP, there is still a bunch of great tracks dotted along the length of it. The opening track "White America" demonstrates quite ably that Marshall Mathers, born in another place and at another time, would have been a more than capable punk. This is another track with a rockier back-beat, a technique that fits the lyrical theme of the song perfectly. "Cleaning Out My Closet" touches on familiar Eminem ground – the trauma of childhood and his perceived mistreatment by his mother, but does it with clarity of vision that was not always present in his previous forays into this subject matter. "Drips" is another great example of Mathers' storytelling ability, a humorously filthy tale of a love triangle with fatal consequences that, despite being the most sexually graphic song I've ever heard, never fails to bring a smile to my face. Finally, "Hailie's Song", possibly the standout track on the album, is the most heartfelt and genuine of Mathers' entire canon. He, by his own admission, strips away the posturing, the image and the rap gimmick and sings a genuinely moving tribute to his daughter in a display of self-awareness that would have been unthinkable in previous releases.

Matt Shoemaker: "White America" is such an angry, in your face song, and the message it sends across is awesome. It's basically, "I'm here, deal with it" in my eyes. "Cleanin' Out My Closet" feels like such an old school Eminem track, and it works perfectly. "Superman" is another angry love song, something Eminem has perfected throughout his career. "Till I Collapse" is one of my favorite Eminem songs of all time. It's such a lyrically impressive song, and it shows Em's dedication to what he does.

Ben Czajkowski: I love playing "White America". It's a solid opening track that follows in the form of the last two albums. "Business" and "Square Dance" are fun songs that my friend's mom used to play when we went out to dinner, so that always sticks with me. "Without Me" is catchy, and probably my favorite of the "pop culture blast" tracks. Bitches, they come, they go. "Superman" wins out. One of the things I've really grown to appreciate about Eminem tracks is that he does a solid job building a unique track around a sample of someone else's. That's evident, especially in "Sing For the Moment", "Stan", "Toy Soldiers", etc. My favorite track on the album, though: "Til I Collapse".

Weng Yu: "Cleaning Out My Closet" is my personal favourite, as I love the beat and the lyrical content. I've always liked "Without Me", mostly because of the hilarious music video. "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" was another hot track, as Eminem talked about how fame and fortune wasn't as good as it was made out to be.

Daniel Wilcox: "Cleanin' Out My Closet" is the Eminem track I'm most fond if; it's emotional, powerful and raw and an absolute classic as far as I'm concerned. "Sing For The Moment" is also right up there as one of my favorites; not only are the lyrics well crafted and expertly delivered, but the one of the key messages is one I wholeheartedly agree with: people have to take responsibility for themselves. Furthermore, the inclusion of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry was a genius masterstroke; this song's solo is as good a solo I've heard from a track that isn't a rock song. Other than those to gems, I'll usually turn up the volume when "White America", "Business", "Soldier", "Without Me", "Hailie's Song" or "'Till I Collapse" hit. There are very few dud tracks on this album, but the aforementioned are some of Em's very best.

Joshua George: I think I speak for the rest of my colleagues when I say that they're ALL really blast tracks. I love the skits, I love the songs. "Without Me" was fucking EVERYWHERE and my personal favorites are "Say What You Say", and "My Dad's Gone Crazy". Those are some badass tracks and I love "Drips"... makes me laugh my ass off every single time.



What are your skip tracks?

Patrick Robinson: Funnily enough, most of the middle part of the album is what I skip. "Soldier" always comes off as Eminem trying to emulate 50 Cent and Em's anger is scattered and misplaced. "Drips" just pisses me off, neither rapper tries to stay on the beat and the song is needlessly descriptive in some parts. Lastly, "Superman" as I've never really liked that track. I can't really single out a factor, but it's just not one I'll listen to often.

Jon Kinsey: Again, there are a minimal number of dud tracks on this album, although I have taken something of a disliking to "Square Dance". The point of the track seems to be to lampoon the stereotypical backwoods Southerner and their knee jerk reaction towards terrorism, but it is incredibly grating, not least because Mathers, when attempting to imitate a hick in the chorus, sounds more like the Swedish Meatball chef from The Muppets. "Soldier" also moves a little too close to stereotypical "hail of bullets" Gangsta fair for my liking.

Matt Shoemaker: "Without Me" has never really done anything for me. Eminem can definitely pull off goofy and sarcastic very well (See: "Rainman", "Ass Like That", to name a couple), but this isn't one of those times. "Sing For The Moment" is way too played out for me to enjoy it anymore. The idea was cool at the time, but it's grown really stale on me.

Ben Czajkowski: The middle of this CD is pretty mundane. I can understand the emotional and serious impact of "Cleaning Out My Closet" but that song wore quick on me. "The Kiss", "Soldier", "Say Goodbye To Hollywood", "Drips". It's not until the radio friendly "Without Me" comes around that the CD is worth listening to again.

Weng Yu: I love most of this album to be honest. The only song I wasn't feeling is "Say What You Say", which is a bit boring.

Daniel Wilcox: One thing I'm not a fan of is Eminem's skits, so the likes of "Paul Rosenberg" and "Steve Berman" would certainly get a pass if it weren't for the fact that they're too short to bother. Other than that, there aren't really any songs I'll go out of my to avoid really. "Drips" is perhaps my least favorite track from this record, and a few of the latter tracks tend to grate on me once the album passes the hour mark. "Say What You Say" and "My Dad's Gone Crazy" are far from Em's finest hour, but as I say, I wouldn't usually skip them as they're far from actively bad tracks.

Joshua George: "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" is my only skip track. I also rarely skip it because I like it, but if I'm listening through to get my best songs, I skip over that one. Not that it's bad, I just don't like it a whole lot.



What would you rate this album from 1 - 10?:

Patrick Robinson: I'll go with an 8.0 on this one. There's more I'll listen to on repeat here than on The Marshall Mathers LP, but in the end, The Eminem Show is dragged down by a couple of songs where Em seemingly lost the creative drive or wit that he had elsewhere on the album.

Jon Kinsey: 8.0

Matt Shoemaker: 8.5

Ben Czajkowski: I would rate this CD a 7.5. It's not nearly as strong and doesn't quite have that replay value that The Marshall Mathers LP or even The Slim Shady LP. Plus, the middle of the CD is really weak.

Weng Yu: Upon reflection I think I prefer this album to The Marshall Mathers LP. Which means I'll give this a 9.5.

Daniel Wilcox: 9.0. Despite being far more subdued than Em's previous two efforts, The Eminem Show is every bit as powerful and impactful, and is quite simply a fantastic album.

Joshua George: I'd hit this one with an 8.0. It isn't my favorite album, but I don't skip any of the tracks. Just lyrically it's pretty good. I enjoy it, but it's not the best.



Final Thoughts:

Patrick Robinson: For many years I ranked this higher than his previous album, however over time this album is starting to show signs of aging. Tracks like "Soldier" were a precursor to the lyrical downgrade Eminem went through in later years as his relationship with 50 Cent deepened. While Eminem was still rocking a scarily ability to flow to virtually any beat he was on at the time, the anger and aggression he had on his previous albums wasn't as focused this time round. Still, it's aged significantly better than Encore has…

Jon Kinsey: While never quite hitting the highs of the previous album, The Eminem Show is a great collection of songs which further Mathers' reputation as a quick thinking, literate and intelligent wordsmith. The Eminem Show is the most inwardly focused of all of the Eminem releases and, as such, deals less with the airing of dirty laundry and more with the internal wranglings of a man who is trapped in the downward spiral of fame. Mathers, more than ever, is able to strip away his personas and gives the listener the impression that, possibly for the first time, he is talking about what is true to him, rather than what he thinks people want to hear.

Matt Shoemaker: Just a fantastic album. The album is the beginnings of the Eminem we know today. It mixes angry, serious, goofy, and emotional in such a way that it's balanced perfectly. One of my favorites, to be sure.

Ben Czajkowski: I've said what I thought about the tracks, for the most part. I've found that this album is where Eminem's career started to decline. He should have just hung up the mic with this one, and let the rest of it go. He lost that Shady edge that put him on the map. None of these tracks make me "fear for my life". With the exception of "Superman", I don't see many that really as in your face as they could have been.

Weng Yu: This roundtable really has been an enjoyable blast to the past. I will freely admit that while I like Eminem, I was a never a huge fan, simply because since 2000 I've moved on from gangsta rap into more jazz influenced material. With this in mind, I love The Marshall Mathers LP. The lyrical content is more mature and thoughful than his previous work - gone are the mindless rhymes about violence, sex and killing, to be replaced by more thoughtful and measured lyrics. Almost anyone can write crazy shit, but hardly anyone can write intelligent and thought provoking verse on such a high level. Make no mistake, this is easily one of the top five rap albums of all time.

Daniel Wilcox: As I mentioned, this is perhaps my favorite Eminem album out of the handful he's released so far. It certainly contains a couple of his very best tracks in "Cleanin' Out My Closet" and "Sing For The Moment", and pretty much everything else on the album is full of win too. If there's a downside to this album at all, it's that it has slightly more filler than either The Slim Shady LP or The Marshall Mathers LP.

Joshua George: I think the big difference here is that The Eminem Show was Em's chance to do something for himself. It sounded like he really put a filter on the crazy adrenaline and put his words MUCH more eloquently to the pad. He spent some time with the uncontrolled rage and turned it into something that was truly therapeutic for him. He stopped flipping off the handle and started being a real man here but still managed to have a TON of fun. Let's see what's upcoming.

Stick with us for the final round before Relapse as we talk about Encore