REVIEWS:
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COMMENTS
EMINEM ROCKS IF ANYBODY DOUGH'S THIS THEY CAN GO FUCK THERE, MA!!!!! PEACE OUT
(reviewed by Robert Grazer)
This is a hard album to review, and you most likely know why. I won't be quoting too many of the lyrics in this review for obvious reasons. The f-word is used a few hundred times or so in the entire album, and there's all of those violent lyrics all over the place. Although there are several times on the album when he says he's not serious. In fact the entire track "Who Knew" is Eminem talking all about the possible negative impact of his work not being his fault and how he never knew he would be a big superstar or a cause of violence. He contradicts himself, saying he's serious about what he says sometimes while other times saying he's just joking about it. I don't really care if he's sincere about it or not, to be honest, since I'm not here to talk about the redeeming social value of an album (you should already know that there is very little on The Marshall Mathers LP); I'm here to talk about how good or bad it is.
The opening is weak, and not just the pointless "Public Service Announcement 2000." "Kill You" starts out very promising, but soon just drags on and on toward the end. Eminem has some guest stars in "Bitch Please II," and even then they can't save the song from just being one of the worst entries on the whole album. I can tolerate most of his sick jokes and stuff, but not "Ken Kaniff." Other lesser entries also include "Amityville" (with some awful rhymes opening it up and being repeated on the chorus) and "Drug Ballad," (which suffers from a weak beat and an annoying piano in the background) plus a couple more that I don't feel like talking about. Not to mention the whole thing is too long. Only about half of the music on here is worth it, leaving a heck of a lot of crap and filler, some of which I have already mentioned.
Moving more toward the finer tracks on the album, we have "I'm Back," "The Way I Am," (with some really haunting bells in the background) and "The Real Slim Shady," which are some fine obscene rap songs. This album also has the honor of holding one of the very best rap songs I've heard (not saying a lot, since I'm not a rap fan), "Stan." For those of you who don't know the story, it's got four verses connected by a catchy female vocal section. The first verse is a man named Stan writing to Eminem in a friendly way, giving the "biggest fan" sort of letter, saying how he can releate to the lyrics and wants to be like Slim, and also how he's been waiting for a letter back. The second verse is Stan's letter describing his feelings of hatred, frustration, and rejection because he thinks Shady is ignoring him. He mentions how he cuts himself to be like what Eminem makes himself out to be in his songs, and the way he can relate to everything that Slim says, and stating "everything you say is real."
In the third verse Stan has gone completely nuts and begins to record a tape for Shady, and gets drunk, drives ninety with his girlfriend in the trunk. He feels that he deserves a response and notes that they could have been something together. He now says that he's not like his idol, makes some more angry remarks into the tape recorder and drives off the bridge. Eminem starts out the final verse unaware of what Stan has done, responding with a friendly letter, giving and autograph and encouraging Stan to get counselling after hearing that Stan likes to cut his wrists, saying that he was only joking in his songs. He apologizes for missing out on meeting Stan and taking so long to reply. Finally he encourages Stan to keep his relationship with his girlfriend going well, and beginning to hope that the letter reaches Stan before he does something crazy, like this guy he saw on TV who was drunk and drove over a bridge, "come to think of it his name was...you." What a great song. Certainly not the best lyrics ever, but an interesting story acccompanied by a catchy beat, and those are the two good things rap has to offer done at their best.
Eminem is a talented rapper, but it feels like he wastes his talent on the unecessarily extreme level of profanity which gets really boring after a while, and some of the violence and sex just ruins the entertainment of some songs ("Kim"). What's good, though, is some of the best rap music available, and it's got "Stan" on it. I know very little about rap, but this is one of the better rap albums I've heard, and glancing at the rating I've given it, I don't think this genre is for me. However if you're a rap fan and leave your moral standards at home, you should get this album. You'll love it.
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Rich Bunnell)
I'll refrain from commenting on Eminem himself because everything's been said about him that can already be said. I was forced to listen to this album for a week on the way to school and back while I was being driven by a friend, and it made my head hurt. The album is just annoying -- I'm sure that that's what Eminem is trying for, but I don't see why anyone would want to listen to it. "Stan" is pretty good, even though it makes it so when you hear the actual Dido song ("Thank You") on the radio, the beginning sounds much catchier than the rest of the song.
[email protected] (Philip Maddox)
I've actually heard this, and pretty much agree with everything you said. I don't like rap much, the album is too long, and the endless profanity and violence gets old pretty quick, but there are a handful of good tunes here. I've only heard the album a couple of times and don't plan on buying it, but the singles I've heard are all actually pretty good and, just like you, I think that Stan absolutely rules. It actually tries to be emotional, and not in a generic modern R&B sort of way, but in a unique one. That being said, I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone unless they say it REAL cheap. And for me, the best rappers are obviously the Beastie Boys. They're the only rappers I actually claim to be a fan of. If you haven't heard them, I'd recommend picking up a copy of Paul's Boutique and giving it a try.
[email protected] (Samuel Fassbinder)
Seems to me like Grazer's review of THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP is rated too high, given all the bad things that he's said about it. If I were to say such things about an LP, I'd give it a 4 at best. Only three good songs? Give it a 3, then.
[email protected] (Robert Grazer)
I was generous and gave it one point apiece for "I'm Back," "The Way I Am," and "The Real Slim Shady," and two points for "Stan." Perhaps a 5 is too high when there was so much crap on it, but as far as my favorite rap songs go "Stan" is currently second only to Cookie Monster's classic "Healthy Food."
[email protected] (Shaun Downton)
Well obviously most people who go to this sight aren't big fans of rap. But the beastie boys are way too inconsistent for me in their career with some of their early shit can only be described as the worst music i have ever heard commited to tape. But hello nasty is a good one though. But this album has its good points, it has a lot of good songs. Kill You, stan, Way I am, real slim shady,marshall mathers, bitch please II, Criminal. The others are good songs but not as good as those. Plus i like music than can give me a laugh too which this does. Please review the eminem show.