He’s also refreshingly self-aware, as he takes shots at his own privilege on tracks like “White America” when he raps “Look at these eyes, baby blue, baby just like yourself. From his rapid-fire ad-libs on “Superman” to his superhero-themed music video for “Without Me,” he subverts hip-hop stereotypes and plays off his “white rapper” image.
Dre was responsible for the Eminem sound, but in fact, Shady produced 90 percent on the album, with Dre acting as the album’s executive producer and helping with three of the record’s B-sides including “Business,” “Say What You Say” and “My Dad’s Gone Crazy.”ĭespite his self-serious image and dark lyrical themes, Eminem has always been the merry prankster of hip-hop and is able to get away with things most other rappers can’t. Given the more mature and personal tone of the album, The Eminem Show also had Shady taking on a more active role in production.
“Cleanin’ Out My Closet” would become one of the unexpected hits of Marshall’s career, achieving the chart status that equally introspective songs “The Way I Am” and “Stan” only came close to. On The Eminem Show, it’s all about Marshall Mathers, whether he’s exorcising his family demons on “Cleaning Out My Closet” speaking on fame in “Without Me” or reflecting on being a father on “Hailie’s Song,” he’s one of the few rappers wholly capable of conveying regret, anger or even despair. With his previous albums, Eminem had introduced the world to his amplified alter ego Slim Shady, but also managed to sneak in personal details, all while maintaining an unassailable shield of masculine bravado. It appeared everyone wanted tickets to The Eminem Show. It immediately shot to No 1 on the Billboard 200 and became the best-selling album of 2002. To minimize the collateral damage, Interscope decided to release the album early and The Eminem Show instantly sold 284,000 in its first 24 hours. The hype bar had been raised to say the least, and just 25 days prior to The Eminem Show‘s intended release date of June 4, the album had been leaked. It’s been many years since Eminem released his record-breaking album, The Eminem Show on May 26, 2002, and it’s now become part of the hip-hop canon.Īfter dropping back-to-back releases of The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP in 19, respectively, Eminem was on top of his game and had proved that he wasn’t just a novelty act, but an artist with real storytelling skills. It seems like just yesterday Eminem was scandalizing suburban America with his special brand of biting lyricism and perverse humor, but even hip-hop grows up one day.
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