Great MMLP review

[slimfan94]

http://www.epinions.com/review/musc_mu- ... 2496209540

[Mahmoud48]

and?

[xnoxiousx]

Promoting your own reviews ?

[NicoleEM]

It is a good review..this will probably be moved to Shady reviews..here it is in case ur 2 lazy to click the link:

Ten years ago today... May 23rd, 2000, the music world had its foundation rocked as Eminem's second major label LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, after months of hype, was finally released. In its first week alone, the record sold 1.7 million copies, becoming the fastest-selling hip hop album in history and the fastest selling solo album ever (N'Sync's No Strings Attached also broke the record a few weeks prior by selling 2 Million in its first week, but remember - thats a group). People claim that Biggie, 2Pac, Jay-Z, Outkast, Kanye, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne and a few other rappers throughout history personify what mainstream rap is (you even have some people throw Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer in there). Folks, The Marshall Mathers LP IS the most mainstream-accepted rap record in the history of the genre - bar none. Every single girl that I've dated (and do trust, there's a lot) whether they like rap or hate it - owns this album. Every single person who I have ever met in my entire life under the age of 40 has heard this record. Ten years later, after a multitude of other Eminem albums, scandals, artists signed and released, beefs, and everything in between, we look back at one of the biggest successes ever in music.

The Marshall Mathers LP is an edgy, psychotic, medley of brilliant insanity. Throughout the 18 tracks, the record explores Marshall Mathers fictional, overly frightening nightmares and violent dreams as an escape route for his insecurity and inability to remain stable during all of the rapid changes that surround his life. The Marshall Mathers LP is essentially The Slim Shady LP on steroids - taking the comical horrorcore storytelling that gave the record its signature sound and exploding it tenfold, seemingly opening a portal and bringing the comic book character into his real world as a solution for all of his problems that came with his newfound fame; the criticisms and finger-pointing of the media, the increasing stress from his mother and wife, and the paparazzi's invasion of his privacy. Marshall, completely unsure of what to do, uses the Slim Shady character as a defense mechanism. This is just one of the many reasons why The Marshall Mathers LP is an album of unparalleled brilliance - a record that acts as not only a genuine piece of music with depth, but also as theraputic array of short stories and psychotic scenarios to allow one to map out nightmarish fantasies on a piece of plastic - rather than act on it in real life.

The other reason of course, is Eminem's lyricism, which can be described as not only hot, but downright nuclear. Read my lips: When Eminem is at his best lyrically - NO RAPPER CAN TOUCH HIM, and yes, that includes Pharoah Monch, Canibus, Kool G Rap, and all of your other favorites. Eminem's ability to seemingly rhyme words together so natural and fluid is downright genius, so advanced that you find new things every time you listen. Seriously, in going back and listening to the record (and being ten years older), you find yourself reacting to certain comments or figuring out certain connections after the fact, but it's STILL GREAT! For example, how was I supposed to know that "I ain't acid rap, but I rap on acid" was a subliminal shot at Esham when I was sixteen? I didn't even know ANYBODY from DETROIT other than Em, Royce and Kid Rock when I was sixteen, much less some obscure, no-name rapper! It's just amazing.

Most of the The Marshall Mathers LP is aimed at the critics who pointed the finger at him and his music as a catalyst for violent crimes from youths (including the Columbine High School massacre), claiming that he advocated violence, domestic abuse and drug use (as if that was a new thing in music). Eminem struck back with great vengeance and furious anger. Tracks like "Who Knew" and "The Way I Am" are both aimed directly at the critics; The latter is a venomous, downright relentless attack and finds an overly-stressed out, nearly deranged Em spewing frustrations at critics, marks, and the papparazzi. Lyrically - it's untouchable. The former is the complete opposite - a witty, yet intelligent quip against those who point the finger at music. Em sharply storytells: "And last week, I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie where he's shootin all sorts of these motherfuckers with a uzi // I see these three little kids, up in the front row, // screamin "Go," with their 17-year-old Uncle - I'm like, 'Guidance? ain't they got the same moms and dads who got mad when I asked if they liked violence?'". The fact that he blatantly exposed the hypocrisy of society as well as made a kick-ass song is a talent many don't have.

Yeah, I see a lot of myself in Marshall.

Then there's the blatant horrorcore on the record, specifically designed to entertain, as well as distress. "Kill You", "Remember Me", "Kim", and "Amityville" are as violent as it gets. I will admit that I have mixed feelings on "Kim" and "Amityville". "Kim" acts more like a skit than a song, with Eminem screaming at his wife and killing her, a prequel to "97 Bonnie and Clyde" from The Slim Shady LP. It's not pleasant to listen to, but absurdly genius in many ways. "Amityville" is a hellacious twist on the cliche "hood rap", as Em paints the metro Detroit area as being worse than hell itself. The song is powerful, but loses points due to Bizarre's weak verse. I try to ignore it. "Remember Me" is just plain fun, with Em, RBX, and Sticky Fingaz from Onyx trading violent, controversial verses in their own unique style. Assuming the role of a schizophrenic serial killer to act out his rage, "Kill You" may be the magnum opus of his horrorcore collection; a song that aspiring rappers will analyze for years simply based on lyrical craft. You can say the song is great due to it's overblown psychoticism, but to me, the lyrical artistry takes the cake. Alliteration: "I invented violence, you vile venomous volatile bitches // vein Vicadin, Vinnn Vrinnn, VRINNN!", Rhyme-scheme: "They said I can't rap about bein broke no more // They ain't say I can't rap about coke no more // Slut, you think I won't choke no whore til her vocal cords don't work in her throat no more?!. Flow: "Serial killer hidin murder material in a cereal box on top of your stereo". "Criminal" wraps the album up perfect - re-iterating every point the album made one final time.

The middle of the album has some treasures where he sets his sights not only on critics, but other rappers: "I'm Back" and "Marshall Mathers". "I'm Back" is part horrorcore, part introspective, part spectacle as Em analyzes his success due to his skin color, his issues with his wife, his ficticious violent childhood, and of course - the critics. He does it with such non-chalantness that its charismatic - as long as you remember it's purposely insensitive. The song includes lines about having sex with Jennifer Lopez and giving the Columbine kids their weapons as a metaphor for his music (not literally giving them the weapons obviously). The Columbine lines were so controversial that even on the unedited release - it's edited. "Marshall Mathers" is a lot more personal at times, but never strays from the comfort zone. Em examines what he felt was the deterioration of music, taking shots at other pop stars of the time (the boy bands, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears) and at the 2Pac and Biggie imitators (and there were MANY of them), and also attacks the ICP. In the second verse, Em does what he would sadly do over and over - talk about ma dukes and how his family is in array. In addition, he takes shots at her attorney (edited), the underground heads who alleged he sold out, and the price of fame. If you actually sat there and stopped being "so offended at his language" - you'd understand the sagacity of the situation.

I think people forget that it was a much rougher society in 2000 than in years prior. You had pro wrestling frequently using the word "ass", South Park crossing the line every Wednesday, and violent hip hop as the top forms of entertainment. It's funny because everything Em says that's so "scary" is really just an everyday thing in underground Detroit rap circles - Marshall just took it to MTV.

Speaking of MTV, the lead single, "The Real Slim Shady", often gets hate from a lot of hardcore fans because it's a "typical goofy Em single", quickly forgetting that in 2000, "typical goofy Em singles" weren't played out, and of all of his leads, this one is the best. Em manages to not only lambast celebs (which he always does), but has a nice little message about how after he popped up, a horde of other white rappers broke through, which is a tad bit revisionist. Other than Bubba Sparxxx (and that's a stretch), what OTHER white rapper really blew up with Em? It's a fun song, radio-friendly while retaining his methodically advanced rhyming. The third single, "Stan" still stands as Eminem's most celebratic classic - an exchange of mail between he and an overly-obsessive fan who takes his music too seriously is a beautiful amalgam of storytelling, social-consciousness, and a tiny bit of jest towards critics who think his music actually influences people to do crazy things. You must literally have been living a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away to not have heard the song.

The latter half of The Marshall Mathers LP has some moments that aren't necessarily weak, but moreso unfitting with the nihilistic nature of the record. "Bitch Please II" is nothing more than a west coast party track featuring three west coast rappers; Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Xzibit; the latter two of the three collaborated on the first "Bitch Please". Dre and Snoop are forgettable, Xzibit is decent and Em outshines them all (big shocker there?). This isn't a bad song, but should've just been left off. "Under the Influence" was very simply used as a means to introduce the world to D-12 - period. The verses range from great to downright mediocre. Still, I don't find myself skipping it. Then you've got a borderline pop-club track (ironically too controversial for the clubs) "Drug Ballad", which I used to DESPISE, but has grown on me due to Em's descriptive visuals of the effects of drugs - A genuine precursor to what the Relapse album would be all about. The beat is just too poppy when compared to the rest of the album.

Speaking of beats - production on The Marshall Mathers LP is the best of Eminem's career. Dr. Dre, Mel-Man and the Bass Brothers, and rather than stick to their trademark production techniques such as Egyptian samples, loud horns, and bass, the production is stripped down and simplified to basically drums and one or two instruments, usually keys. This is where the melodies really take the forefront. Each song has a distinct sound, but it's different - allowing Em to explore numerous cadences, making it stronger and less one-dimensional than some of the future albums he'd drop. Eminem himself did assist in production here and would go on to do almost all of the beats for his next album The Eminem Show.

There's a reason why The Marshall Mathers LP is a Diamond record - it touched something in all of us. It awoke the rebel inside of a lot of people. It spoke to white kids in the trailer park, black kids in the ghetto, hispanics in the barrios, people in the suburbs and people all over the Earth. It was a breath of fresh air for the new millenium, and while he HAS put out other good albums, none will ever be as celebrated, whether it be for good or evil, as this record. There's no point in me telling you to buy it because chances are - you already have. So dust it out and give a quick spin one last time. But don't forget... it ain't nuthin but music... or is it?

[Devil'sAdvocate]

the album is 10 years old negro.

[flyingmonkey10]

Good read

[Sam.]

any review of The Marshall Mathers LP will always have praises cuz it's a classic .