Music Review: "The Slim Shady LP" by Eminem

In the previous music review of this blog, I rated The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem, one of my favourite albums of all time and by my favourite rapper. One of the tracks on that album, Kim, is a prequel to '97 Bonnie & Clyde, a track on The Slim Shady LP, Eminem's breakout second studio album, released on February 23, 1999, causing me to want to review this album. The Slim Shady LP is one of my top three personal favourite Eminem albums, so I will also test its technical and lyrical quality here.

Cover Art

The cover art for The Slim Shady LP depicts the fictional events of '97 Bonnie & Clyde. Although the art is intriguing, it only describes one particular track and does not represent the other tracks well. The Slim Shady alter ego is described as murderous throughout Eminem's discography, but in The Slim Shady LP, Slim Shady is mostly just a goofy drug addict/dealer who occasionally gets a bit rapey. I think it is interesting, but the nature of surrounding only one track gives the album a "too dark" feel.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Track Listing

Public Service Announcement

Public Service Announcement features the uncredited Jeff Bass of the Bass Brothers. The Slim Shady LP begins with this skit, which would continue on in future album skits.

Public Service Announcement serves its purpose fine enough despite being so simple, setting the tone for the album and its eponymous Slim Shady alter ego utilised by Eminem for venting out frustrations as far from kid-friendly.

Overall Rating: None, as it is a skit/interlude

My Name Is

My Name Is features the uncredited Dr. Dre (if you count a couple of lines), and is the opening song and lead single of The Slim Shady LP, and is also Eminem's breakout song, which led to him instantly being propelled to the forefront of American pop culture. Eminem introduces himself and his edgy, rhyme-bending lyricism to the world, with the track acting as a basic summary of the Slim Shady persona. The beat, sampled from Labi Siffre's I Got The..., works well with the song, making it memorable and catchy. The track makes good use of edginess and offensiveness. The chorus and some lines do appear bland, even if they are catchy. Despite not being too deep in meaning, this song works as a debut commercial single (not debut single in general, that goes to the original Just Don't Give A Fuck).

Overall Rating: 9/10

Guilty Conscience

Guilty Conscience features Dr. Dre and the uncredited Mark Avery. It also samples the Isley Brothers' Sensuality (Part 1 & 2). It demonstrates Eminem's excellent ability to craft a story by manifesting as a series of scenarios in which Eminem ("shoulder devil") attempts to tempt people into immorality whilst Dr. Dre ("shoulder angel") tries reasoning them into avoiding these crimes. As usual, Eminem's rhyming shines through, to the point it is obvious he wrote at least some of Dr. Dre's verses. The music video has an extra chorus added onto the track, which is disappointing to not hear in the record's audio form, although this does not affect the overall rating due to the lack of a chorus actually helping sell the storytelling better. I like how when it comes to Eminem and Dr. Dre arguing over if a man should shoot his cheating wife and her lover, Eminem directly references the scandal of Dr. Dre physically assaulting rapper Dee Barnes and also makes fun of Dr. Dre being so "soft" despite being part of N.W.A. (the "most dangerous group" which had attracted FBI attention), leading to Dr. Dre eventually agreeing with Eminem that the adulterer should be killed. Overall, this is an outstanding track.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Brain Damage

The instrumental for Brain Damage is absolutely hypnotic, as are the cadence, flow, and chorus. Eminem uses storytelling and humour to retell dramatised versions of real-life incidents of bullying and child abuse he experienced when he was a little kid. One thing I thought was weird was the second verse being much longer than the first, although the rating is not impacted by this.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Paul - Skit

Paul - Skit features Paul Rosenberg, Eminem's lawyer and talent manager. It has Rosenberg calling Eminem, asking him to tone down the controversial nature of his album. I preferred the version from The Marshall Mathers LP, where Rosenberg seems resigned to the fact Eminem will never back down on being so edgy.

Overall Rating: None, as it is a skit/interlude

If I Had

If I Had has Eminem listing all of the things annoying him in life. The rhyming is less impressive compared to other tracks on The Slim Shady LP. I mean, he just begins every line with "Tired of...," which is quite annoying! I also do not like how he raps over the slow beat, although the beat itself is nice. He also has no energy in rapping here. The later parts of the song get a bit better and save the song.

Overall Rating: 7/10

'97 Bonnie & Clyde

'97 Bonnie & Clyde sees Eminem taking Hailie to the beach as he disposes of the corpse of his ex-wife, Kimberly "Kim" Scott Mathers. Eminem's cadence does lack energy, particularly in the chorus. However, I love the beat, and the story writing captivates attention easily.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Bitch - Skit

Bitch - Skit features Zoe Winkler. It is another skit of discontent being expressed over Eminem's edgy lyricism, although the skit itself is not scripted and is indeed a real voicemail of actor Henry Winkler's daughter expressing disgust over Eminem's music. This alone makes it stand out more to me.

Overall Rating: None, as it is a skit/interlude

Role Model

Role Model sees Eminem's tirade against those who expect him to act good for his young, impressionable fans, satirising them by going into extra-edgy topics. The beat is one of the best in Eminem's entire discography. This is the anthem for Eminem's pro-profanity, anti-critic attitude that we all know and love. My only complaint is what I perceive as Role Model being too short.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Lounge - Skit

Lounge - Skit features Jeff Bass and Mark Bass of the Bass Brothers. It has Eminem and the two producers annoyingly singing lyrics from My Fault. There is not much to say about it besides it being annoying and too long.

Overall Rating: None, as it is a skit/interlude

My Fault

My Fault sees Eminem utilising his storytelling skills to tell a semi-fictional story of a friend's bad encounter with drugs. The chorus is annoying, and Eminem's cadence sounds a bit bored throughout the song. However, the beat in the rest of the song is good, and Eminem's flows and rhymes pair well with it.

Overall Rating - 8/10

Ken Kaniff - Skit

Ken Kaniff - Skit features Aristotle (the original voice of the fictional Ken Kaniff alter ego before Eminem would play the character in future albums) and Mark Bass.

Overall Rating: None, as it is a skit/interlude

Cum On Everybody

Cum On Everybody features the uncredited Dina Rae. It acts as Eminem's goofy dance song. The verses themselves and Dina Rae's ad libs are good, although the chorus and occasionally the beat feel annoying. I also think it could have been produced better, as it kind of sounds like Eminem is wrestling the beat to try and not let it sound louder than him.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Rock Bottom

Rock Bottom is Eminem's rant against poverty and having to raise a daughter in it. The mysterious beat instantly captivates the listener. I love how Eminem uses impressive rhyme schemes to get his personal struggles off his chest over such an enchanting beat. I do wish Eminem had more energy in his cadence here.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Just Don't Give A Fuck

Just Don't Give A Fuck features the uncredited Frogg Dogg. It is a remix of Eminem's first single, also named Just Don't Give A Fuck, which is from The Slim Shady EP, and sums up Eminem's attitude of not caring what critics or sensitive listeners think. It has impressive rhymes, double entendres, a good flow, a bewitching beat, and a hype chorus. Overall, I have no issues with this.

Overall: 10/10

Soap - Skit

Soap - Skit features Jeff Bass and Royce Da 5'9". It has the two parodying soap operas to segue into As The World Turns. I found this humorous and a good skit overall.

Overall Rating: None, as it is a skit/interlude

As The World Turns

In As The World Turns, Eminem uses his imaginative dark humour and flow-riding rhymes to paint various fictional comedic scenarios. This song has many disturbingly funny moments which make it a fun listen. The intro and the chorus do annoy me, though.

Overall Rating: 8/10

I'm Shady

With similar vibes to Cum On Everybody, I'm Shady is another goofy song painting the iconic Slim Shady alter ego as a white trash drug dealer. The chorus is funny and catchy, and the beat is built well, particularly with the drums. I think Eminem could have rapped about things other than drugs here.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Bad Meets Evil

Bad Meets Evil features Royce Da 5'9" and the uncredited Jeff Bass. It is a Wild West-themed track demonstrating Eminem and Royce Da 5'9"'s chemistry as Jeff Bass tells a fictional tale of the two taking over a whole town via the role of a cowboy. Bad Meets Evil shows excellent wordplay, flows, and duo chemistry over a captivating beat. However, I do wish the rapping itself fit the Wild West narrative more. I hold the belief Royce Da 5'9" here accomplished the rare achievement of outrapping Eminem.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Still Don't Give A Fuck

The beat of Still Don't Give A Fuck, a sequel to Just Don't Give A Fuck, is a beat with Eminem cuss his critics over it. The chorus and other parts of the song have this weird blurring effect which I do not like. The beat is alright, although it does not match Eminem's anger here.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Hazardous Youth - A Cappella

Hazardous Youth - A Cappella is a deluxe track. Here, Eminem raps beatless on how vicious he can be. It is quite good, although there is not much else to say.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Get You Mad

Get You Mad is a deluxe track and is from hip hop duo Sway & King Tech, counting Eminem as a feature, despite the fact Eminem raps almost every lyric here. The beat is one of the best in the album and has Eminem going off against various musicians he was feuding with at the time. The chorus of the track has Eminem stating he only says offensive things to make people angry, and that people should not take musical threats so seriously. The second verse is a freestyle, which makes it all the more interesting and adds extra points to this song's rating. Overall, it is an easy classic.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Greg - A Cappella

Greg - A Cappella is a deluxe track. It is a freestyle demonstrating Eminem's excellent skills of freestyling, rhyming, and builds an admittedly short narrative where he shows off his ruthlessness. This is overall very good for a freestyle.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Bad Guys Always Die - From "Wild Wild West" Soundtrack

Bad Guys Always Die - From "Wild Wild West" Soundtrack is a deluxe track and features Dr. Dre. Its beat is very captivating, and starts off with Dr. Dre's smooth-yet-aggressive voice rapping before transitioning to Eminem, with the two switching back to each other throughout the track in amazing chemistry depicting the two at first being enemies before becoming closer to track down a mutual enemy. The beat is great, although the train sounds feel unnecessary. I love the chorus a lot, although I cannot track down who sang it (once I find out, I will update this review to credit them as a feature).

Overall Rating: 10/10

Overall Thoughts

The Slim Shady LP is a great album, although it feels less polished and not as good as others or I tend to remember it as. It is more of a fun listen than a life-changing, genre-breaking listen, although its impact is not to be underestimated, with its usage of storytelling and rapping techniques being used quite a lot, although not as much as Eminem's later albums due to this being one of Eminem's first projects. It has some of the best skits seen in an Eminem album, making them comedic rather than boring and trying to act as filler for a track list.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Best Track: Brain Damage

Worst Track: If I Had

Best Feature: Royce Da 5'9" (on Bad Meets Evil)