Your Top 10 List of Best Eminem Songs, Rate Them & Why

[chrismoz]

I'm sure some one has made a Top 10 thread before and I see one up with a poll but I intend for this one to be more in depth with explanations as to why you place what song where in your top 10. Also, this allows for freedom of opinion as opposed to that other thread with the shitty choices in the poll. Just list your song and say a few sentences as to why you include each song in your list. I'm curious to see what other people think.

For me, I picked a lot of songs that had emotion attached to them because that's when I think Eminem is at his best. I'm growing as a person and am starting to dislike all of the songs where he disses women but that's another story.

I took a lot of time coming up with this list. For me, my top 3 or 4 can change at any given time but:

1. Say Goodbye to Hollywood (10/10)

Probably my favorite Eminem song ever. I used to listen to this on repeat on my iPod when I would have trouble sleeping. I love the third verse. Eminem tells it like it is and he's honest with himself through his lyrics. I love how he lets us into his life through this song. I could list a boat load of lyrics from this song and say what I like about them but that would just take too much time. Definitely an awesome song and one that caught my ear immediately. This song helps get me through tough times when I'm depressed with the way my life is going. In my opinion, some of his finest, if not his best work. I also think this song is highly underrated.

2. Lose Yourself (10/10)

I feel that Lose Yourself is what defines Eminem as an artist. It's arguably his best song ever. A matter of opinion I guess. The content relates to the character in 8 Mile as well as Eminem's life. I think this song is so good because so many people can relate to it. It's a motivational song with a serious emotional message. Eminem is telling his listeners to be one with themselves in the moment and to not let opportunities slip by, something that's a lot easier said then done. This song is powerful and aggressive.

3. Stan (10/10)

I think that Stan is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. I remember reading on TR a while back that its in Rolling Stone's top 100 songs or something like that. The concept of it is amazing and the fact that Eminem can put this story into lyrics as good as these gives me chills. Need I say more?

4. The Way I Am (10/10)

Another song that defines Eminem as an artist as well as a person. This song gives us insight to how Eminem was feeling at the time he wrote the song. The lyrics are great and there's a lot of anger behind his message. He goes hard with the lyrics and I love the beat. Definitely Eminem at his best.

5. Guilty Conscience (9/10)

Another song with an amazing concept. The psychology involved in this song amazes me. Good vs. Bad. This song totally fits the Slim Shady persona and Eminem kills it. The video makes you appreciate the song that much more. I know I'm being picky with a 9 but that's only because I don't like the way Eminem sounds back in the early stages of his career. Imagine if he re-did this song now?

6. Cleanin' Out My Closet (10/10)

How many times has Eminem mentioned how much he hates his mom in his lyrics? This song tells us why. The third verse of this song alone should tell you every thing you need to know about the relationship between them. The beat is original - never heard anything like it. I understand why he chose to make this song a single.

7. Despicable Freestyle (11/10)

This is by far the single greatest rap I've ever heard. Eminem's flow is disgusting and I wow at this song every time I listen to it. How he was able to put these lyrics together absolutely blows me away. Every one of my friends that has heard this (keep in mind they don't really listen to Eminem) say that this is amazing. Eminem goes hard as fuck on this track and it's like a thousand rounds coming out of a semi-automatic weapon directed at all other rappers. No one can top this. He made Drake and Banks look bad.

8. Going Through Changes (9/10)

I was debating on whether or not to put Not Afraid here but I think Going Through Changes tells a better story and relates more to the Recovery theme. It's a little more personal and Eminem offers an explanation to everything that's happened since his come back. I think this song is super-underrated.

9. 25 to Life (9/10)

My favorite song off Recovery. I love the concept and think it's brilliant. The 2nd verse is amazing. I love the metaphor as well. The first time I heard this song I had no idea he was talking about hip-hop. I thought it was another Kim song or something. Anyways, dope song, original beat.


10. My Darling (8.5/10)

When I first heard this song I thought it sucked. But the more I listened to it the more it grew on me. I love the whole concept of Eminem vs. Slim Shady. Songs like this is what separate Eminem from other rappers. This song is highly creative as well as extremely personal. It tells of his inner struggles and he's getting his thoughts out on paper - something that not many people can do and the way he fashions it just blows me away. The psychology behind this song is awesome as well. My only beef comes with the first verse. Although I understand why it's included, I'm still not sure that it fits and think he could have done better. I think this song was definitely intended to be #2 on Relapse and should not have been a bonus track.

I just noticed that 7-10 are all newer songs but hey, this is just my opinion.

[Spyder]

my i ask how you ordered these...

you have higher rated ones in a lower order, shouldnt Despicable be 1 since its 11/10

[chrismoz]

They are all good songs. I just put them in the order that I felt best fit which tracks I thought belonged at 1-10. It was just my opinion and feelings related to each track i chose.

[Devil'sAdvocate]

i wont do this for the 500th time

[Slill_Slim_Shady]

i wont do this for the 500th time

Me ether!!! Every week a new member makes a topic like this one!!! It's just ennoying!!!

[Kez]

You guys just don't wanna do it cause it's asking for a bit of explanation of why you think so.

[BigBangBazinga]

You guys just don't wanna do it cause it's asking for a bit of explanation of why you think so.

And you just post that 'cause your sister broke up with you.

[Evidji]

Can't make a top 10, but i can tell that "Sing for the Moment" is my favourite song, ever.

[slimshadylappin]

Just stop complaining. So what if theres been threads like this before. New members would like to participate in threads too. If u don't want to do this again then fine. Don't. get the fuck off the thread.

Here's mine

1. Sing For The Moment: 10/10
This song could not be more epic. Great message, great lyrics, great performance, great beat.
Just perfect.

2. Lose Yourself: 10/10
Very intense track. The flow is unbeatable.

3. Rock Bottom: 10/10
I debated putting this number 1 but it doesn't have the same replay value as the top 2.
I can't really put this one into words. It tells a sad story with perfect lyrics.

4. Stan: 9.5/10
A ground breaking song in many ways. Storytelling doesn't get any better then this.

I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom
I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not-a got him
There probably was a problem at the post office or something
Sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot him

5. Going Through Changes: 9.5/10
In many ways i find this the rock bottom of Recovery. It just sums up all the bad things in a beautiful artistic way.

6. No Apologies: 9.5/10
Really the only good song from the re up

You fuckers are not ready, cause I got jelly, like (Beyonce's) pot belly

7. Like Toy Soldiers: 9/10
Contains my favourite Eminem verse of all time.
Take that benzino!

8. Til I Collapse: 9/10
Amazing line after amazing line. A little repetitive but intense.

9. 8 Mile Road: 9/10
Everything seems to be perfect but for me it lacks the extra effort to make it a classic.

10. Deja Vu: 9/10
Creepy beautiful. Into the mind of a addict.

[DanWS]

9. 25 to Life (9/10)

My favorite song off Recovery. I love the concept and think it's brilliant. The 2nd verse is amazing. I love the metaphor as well. The first time I heard this song I had no idea he was talking about hip-hop. I thought it was another Kim song or something. Anyways, dope song, original beat.

Amazing song, possibly my favourite Em song ever in fact. And yes the 2nd verse is amazing.

[xxTrigger1989xx]

9. 25 to Life (9/10)

My favorite song off Recovery. I love the concept and think it's brilliant. The 2nd verse is amazing. I love the metaphor as well. The first time I heard this song I had no idea he was talking about hip-hop. I thought it was another Kim song or something. Anyways, dope song, original beat.

Amazing song, possibly my favourite Em song ever in fact. And yes the 2nd verse is amazing.

Wow, I thought no one else liked 25 To Life as much as I did

[chrismoz]

9. 25 to Life (9/10)

My favorite song off Recovery. I love the concept and think it's brilliant. The 2nd verse is amazing. I love the metaphor as well. The first time I heard this song I had no idea he was talking about hip-hop. I thought it was another Kim song or something. Anyways, dope song, original beat.

Amazing song, possibly my favourite Em song ever in fact. And yes the 2nd verse is amazing.

Wow, I thought no one else liked 25 To Life as much as I did

25 to Life is slowly moving its way up into my top 3 or 4 favorite Eminem songs. Song is absolutely amazing. I think it's hands-down the best song off Recovery in terms of lyrics and message. But Almost Famous is beastly in its own respect as well. So it's hard to really say cause both of those songs, IMO are the 2 best on Recovery.

[xxTrigger1989xx]

25 to Life is slowly moving its way up into my top 3 or 4 favorite Eminem songs. Song is absolutely amazing. I think it's hands-down the best song off Recovery in terms of lyrics and message. But Almost Famous is beastly in its own respect as well. So it's hard to really say cause both of those songs, IMO are the 2 best on Recovery.

Well, the thing with me and 25TL is that I relate to nearly word for word of this song. Obviously not the marriage or "fuck you hip hop" parts, but most of the song I can relate to more than almost all his other songs. When Recovery first leaked, 25 To Life was the first song I heard, because the name of the song really stuck out to me and I was interested in hearing it. I loved it from the first second of it. The lyrics are amazing, his flow and rhyme structure is incredible, and the beat is a stand out to me, I've never heard anything like it before.

So it's definitely on up there in my favorite Em songs of all time. This is the Eminem I was waiting to hear the most

[RainMan44]

1. Rock Bottom
I think this song pretty much sums up his life at the time. I read in his book, "The Way I Am" that he wrote "Rock Bottom" when he was dead broke, and just lost a rap battle of some sort, and the award for the 1st place winner in the battle was a rolex and some money. It was also the first time he used drugs, swallowing a handful of Tylenol 3's in the studio.

2. Stan
In my opinion one of the greatest songs ever, in ANY genre. The creativity he had to think of this concept is just beyond me. This could have been a total disaster, but he executed it perfectly. The emotion in the verses, the way he switches up the tone in Stan's voice each verse, the sounds of pencils scribbling, etc. Everything about this song was just perfect.

3. Sing For The Moment
Great sample, great verses, great lines. Amazing.

4. Kill You
One of the first songs I remember listening to as a kid. This was the Slim Shady on the SSLP, but just a little more cracked out, just a little more high, just a little more aggressive. To this day I can put this song on repeat and NEVER get tired of it. I think if I had to choose one song to listen to for the rest of my life, it'd be this.

5. Marshall Mathers
I think this is Em's most flawless song. It is just a summary of everything he stood for back then. Dope beat, dope voice, great multi's. One of his best songs.

6. Say Goodbye Hollywood
The last verse just amazes me. Again, the multi's are fire, but he manages to make so much sense even with the multi's. Some rappers use multi's as fillers to substitute for their lack of meaning in a song. But Em just takes this song and makes it so meaningful, with amazing rhymes, as well.

7. Cleanin' Out My Closet
I'm sure I don't even need to explain why I love this. This is the Eminem I remember from my childhood. Probably him digging that grave with a shovel in the video was the first time I had ever seen Em. My mom even loves this song. Haha

8. Hailie's Song
I think him having enough balls to sing, that alone does it for me. And even when he says "I can't sing", that's so weird to me, because I LOVE the way he sang the opening parts, before the rapping began. The rapping part was amazing, as well. "But the years that I've wasted, is nothing to the tears that I've tasted." Love it.

9. Bad Meets Evil
I think both Royce and Em went hard on this, and I just love it because it gives me this dark, undergroud-ish, evil feel. Sick concept, even sicker lyrics.

10. White America
I love the way Em explains how he has affected middle America and how he "Never dreamed in a million years [he'd] see, so many motherfucking people, who feel like me [Em]" Just real as fuck. Love it.

Some that I wanted to mention and had a VERY hard time leaving out. (These were bound to be in the list, it was just like picking a name out of a hat, they could've just as easily been anywhere from 5-10.)
- If I Had
- Role Model
- It's Ok
- Guilty Conscience
- The Way I Am
- Soldier
- Square Dance
- Yellow Brick Road
- Going Through Changes
- Run Rabbit Run
^ Consider that my substitute for my real top 10.

[RainMan44]

1. Rock Bottom
I think this song pretty much sums up his life at the time. I read in his book, "The Way I Am" that he wrote "Rock Bottom" when he was dead broke, and just lost a rap battle of some sort, and the award for the 1st place winner in the battle was a Rolex and some money. It was also the first time he used drugs, swallowing a handful of Tylenol 3's in the studio.

2. Stan
In my opinion one of the greatest songs ever, in ANY genre. The creativity he had to think of this concept is just beyond me. This could have been a total disaster, but he executed it perfectly. The emotion in the verses, the way he switches up the tone in Stan's voice each verse, the sounds of pencils scribbling, etc. Everything about this song was just perfect.

3. Sing For The Moment
Great sample, great verses, great lines. Amazing.

4. Kill You
One of the first songs I remember listening to as a kid. This was the Slim Shady on the SSLP, but just a little more cracked out, just a little more high, just a little more aggressive. To this day I can put this song on repeat and NEVER get tired of it. I think if I had to choose one song to listen to for the rest of my life, it'd be this.

5. Marshall Mathers
I think this is Em's most flawless song. It is just a summary of everything he stood for back then. Dope beat, dope voice, great multi's. One of his best songs.

6. Say Goodbye Hollywood
The last verse just amazes me. Again, the multi's are fire, but he manages to make so much sense even with the multi's. Some rappers use multi's as fillers to substitute for their lack of meaning in a song. But Em just takes this song and makes it so meaningful, with amazing rhymes, as well.

7. Cleanin' Out My Closet
I'm sure I don't even need to explain why I love this. This is the Eminem I remember from my childhood. Probably him digging that grave with a shovel in the video was the first time I had ever seen Em. My mom even loves this song. Haha

8. Hailie's Song
I think him having enough balls to sing, that alone does it for me. And even when he says "I can't sing", that's so weird to me, because I LOVE the way he sang the opening parts, before the rapping began. The rapping part was amazing, as well. "But the years that I've wasted, is nothing to the tears that I've tasted." Love it.

9. Bad Meets Evil
I think both Royce and Em went hard on this, and I just love it because it gives me this dark, undergroud-ish, evil feel. Sick concept, even sicker lyrics.

10. White America
I love the way Em explains how he has affected middle America and how he "Never dreamed in a million years [he'd] see, so many motherfucking people, who feel like me [Em]" Just real as fuck. Love it.

Some that I wanted to mention and had a VERY hard time leaving out. (These were bound to be in the list, it was just like picking a name out of a hat, they could've just as easily been anywhere from 5-10.)
- If I Had
- Role Model
- It's Ok
- Guilty Conscience
- The Way I Am
- Soldier
- Square Dance
- Yellow Brick Road
- Going Through Changes
- Run Rabbit Run
^ Consider that my substitute for my real top 10.