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In retrospect, some of the controversy surrounding the artist may have been warranted - the man has a serious lyrical penchant for holding women captive, particularly in his trunk. That sense of realism is what makes Mathers’ music at that time even more disturbing. Dre playing the occasional comic relief) in a family drama that served as a metaphor for Mathers’ own self-examination. These women became a recurring cast of characters (with Dr. It’s fitting that one of the skits on The Slim Shady LP is called “Soap” - Em’s songs mythologized not only himself, but his mother, his ex-wife Kim, and even his daughter Hailie. His greatest strength was probably autobiography. At the height of his career - roughly between 19 - Mathers was all these things at once. Which Mathers would you like? There’s the crass, below-the-belt comedian, the homicidal misogynist psychopath, the talented battle-emcee, the spokesperson for Rust Belt America, and the sensitive rapper-storyteller. Mathers doesn’t easily lend himself to dissection - like all good pop-culture icons, he wears many masks but, unlike David Bowie or Prince, he passes between them in rapid succession. All of Em’s releases since have been marred in some way: Even its only worthy successor, The Eminem Show, strayed just a bit too far into pop sentimentality. It represents the definite creative apex of his career. Concordantly, the best thing about MMLPII (besides the technicality of “Rap God,” and the left hook of “Bad Guy) is that it prompted me to revisit the original Marshall Mathers LP.Ĭlearly Mathers himself has been looking back at that album, as well. The best thing about Prometheus was that it reminded me of how brilliant the original Alien is.

Throughout our list of his 50 essential songs (originally published in 2017 and updated on the eve of his 2022 Super Bowl appearance), Eminem fearlessly displays that devotion to task and proves why he’s been one of pop music’s most fascinating, complex characters.At this point, I propose the music-loving community respectfully consider The Marshall Mathers LP II to be hip-hop’s version of the film Prometheus - both are decent efforts that, had they not been made by such esteemed artists (Eminem and Ridley Scott, respectively), and not been sequels to masterpieces, probably would have garnered more critical acclaim. But for a poor, white, emotionally unstable MC to excel in hip-hop and not be viewed as a villainous buffoon, he must possess prodigious artistic gifts and a real commitment to personal transparency. He’s also, on occasion, regurgitating grotesque sexist, homophobic stereotypes. When Eminem raps about violent, tragicomic death, he is furthering a grand murder-ballad tradition in folk and blues music.

But spend serious time with Eminem’s entire catalogue and you quickly realize that those two sides of his music are inextricable, one always informing the other. They eschew the more viciously somber, rock-leaning character studies helmed by Em and his longtime Detroit collaborators Jeff and Mark Bass. Some fans celebrate only the funny “Slim Shady,” when the musical comedy is quality controlled by executive producer Dr. It’s just now he’s finding it harder to joke about the darkness that has always fueled his best work. Just listen to the vulnerability and self-doubt on his recent single “ Walk on Water.” The Detroit rapper continues to make art about how people are driven crazy by weakness and lack. Though he’s been a multiplatinum, Grammy-winning star for over 20 years, Eminem is not an unequivocally triumphant figure, either within pop music or within his own mind.