The Slim Shady LP

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The Slim Shady LP
Studio album by Eminem
Released February 23, 1999
Recorded December 1996-January 1999
Genre Horrorcore [1]
Length 59:39
Label Aftermath, Interscope
Producer Dr. Dre (exec.)
Mark & Jeff Bass (exec.)
Eminem, Mel-Man
Eminem chronology
The Slim Shady EP
(1997)		 The Slim Shady LP
(1999)		 The Marshall Mathers LP
(2000)
Special Edition cover
Singles from The Slim Shady LP
  1. "My Name Is"
    Released: December 27, 1998
  2. "Role Model"
    Released: May 26, 1999
  3. "Guilty Conscience"
    Released: June 8, 1999

The Slim Shady LP is the debut studio album by American rapper Eminem[2], released on February 23, 1999. It is his major-label debut, and was released under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and Web Records.

The album was met with critical, and commercial success. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart behind TLC's FanMail with 283,000 copies sold in its opening week. The album went on to be certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. To date, it has sold over five million units in the United States, and over nine million units worldwide.[citation needed] "Just Don't Give a Fuck" was the first, and only underground single from the album. The first official single was "My Name Is". The album won the Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It also won Outstanding National Album at the 2000 Detroit Music Awards.[3]

In 2003, the album was ranked number 273 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[4] the highest ranking of Eminem's albums on the list.

Contents

[edit] Background

Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, began rapping at age fourteen. In 1996, his debut album Infinite, which was recorded at the Bassmint, a recording studio owned by the Bass Brothers, was released under their independent label Web Entertainment.[5] Early in his career, Eminem collaborated with fellow Detroit MC Royce da 5'9" under the stage name Bad Meets Evil.[6] Infinite achieved little commercial success and was largely ignored by Detroit radio stations. The disappointment from this experience greatly influenced his lyrical style: "After that record, every rhyme I wrote got angrier and angrier. A lot of it was because of the feedback I got. Motherfuckers was like, 'You're a white boy, what the fuck are you rapping for? Why don't you go into rock & roll?' All that type of shit started pissing me off."[7] After the release of Infinite, Eminem's personal struggles and abuse of drugs and alcohol culminated in an unsuccessful suicide attempt.[8]

The disappointment of Infinite inspired Eminem to create the alter ego Slim Shady: "Boom, the name hit me, and right away I thought of all these words to rhyme with it".[7] Slim Shady served as Eminem's "vengeful gremlin, his knight in smarmy armor, an Inspector Gadget Incredible Hulk with a taste for a bit of the ultra-violence" through which he could vent his frustrations.[7] In the spring of 1997, he recorded the eight-song extended play The Slim Shady EP. During this time, Eminem and his girlfriend Kim Scott lived in a high-crime neighborhood with their newborn daughter Hailie, where their house was burglarized numerous times.[7] After being evicted from his home, Eminem traveled to Los Angeles to participate in the Rap Olympics, an annual nationwide rap battle competition. He placed second, and the staff at Interscope Records who attended the Rap Olympics sent a copy of The Slim Shady EP to company CEO Jimmy Iovine.[7] Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath Entertainment. Dr. Dre recalled, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find him. Now.'"[7] Eminem and Dr. Dre subsequently began work on his major label debut album.

[edit] Recording

The Slim Shady LP was recorded at Studio 8 at 480 8 Mile Road in Ferndale, Michigan.[9] On the first day of recording, Eminem and Dr. Dre finished "My Name Is" in an hour.[7] Much of the album was recorded when Eminem was under the influence of ecstasy; Dr. Dre described the experience by saying "We get in there, get bugged out, stay in the studio for fuckin' two days. Then you're dead for three days. Then you wake up, pop the tape in, like, 'Let me see what I've done.'"[7] "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", which was formerly featured on The Slim Shady EP as "Just the Two of Us", was rerecorded for The Slim Shady LP to feature his daughter Hailie's vocals. Because the song focuses on murdering his girlfriend, Eminem was uncomfortable with explaining the situation to Kim, and instead told her that he would be taking Hailie to Chuck E. Cheese's.[7] He explained, "When she found out I used our daughter to write a song about killing her, she fucking blew. We had just got back together for a couple of weeks. Then I played her the song, and she bugged the fuck out."[7]

[edit] Music

[edit] Lyrics

Many of the songs from the record are written from the perspective of Eminem's alter ego, Slim Shady, and contain cartoonish and over-the-top depictions of violence, which he refers to as "made-up tales of trailer-park stuff".[10] "Guilty Conscience" is a concept song featuring Dr. Dre. The song focuses on a character who is faced with various situations, while Dr. Dre and Eminem serve as the "angel" and "devil" sides of the character's conscience, respectively.[11] "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" features Eminem convincing his infant daughter to assist him in disposing of his wife's corpse. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic explained that "There have been more violent songs in rap, but few more disturbing, and it's not because of what it describes, it's how he describes it -- how the perfectly modulated phrasing enhances the horror and black humor of his words."[12] On the song "Brain Damage", Eminem discusses his childhood experiences with bullies at school.[13]

Although many of the lyrics on the album are intended to be humorous, several songs depict Eminem's frustrations with living in poverty. When discussing The Slim Shady LP, Anthony Bozza of Rolling Stone described Eminem as "probably the only MC in 1999 who boasts low self-esteem. His rhymes are jaw-droppingly perverse, bespeaking a minimum-wage life devoid of hope, flushed with rage and weaned on sci-fi and slasher flicks."[7] Eminem was inspired to write "Rock Bottom" after being fired from his cooking job at a restaurant days before his daughter's birthday.[7]

[edit] Production

The album's production was handled primarily by Dr. Dre, Eminem, and the Bass Brothers.[11][12] The beats have been compared to West Coast hip hop and g-funk musical styles.[14] Kyle Anderson of MTV wrote that "The beats are full of bass-heavy hallucinations and create huge, scary sandboxes that allow Em to play."[11]

[edit] Reception

[edit] Commercial response

In the album's first week of release, The Slim Shady LP sold 283,000 copies, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 chart behind TLC's FanMail.[15] The record remained on the Billboard 200 for 100 weeks.[16] It also reached number one on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, staying on the chart for 92 weeks.[16] The album was certified 4x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 4 million copies.[17]

[edit] Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars [12]
Robert Christgau A- [18]
Los Angeles Times 3/4 stars [19]
Melody Maker 4/5 stars [20]
Mixmag 5/5 stars [20]
Muzik 3/5 stars [20]
RapReviews 7.5/10 [21]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars [14]
Spin 8/10 [20]
Piero Scaruffi 7/10 [22]

The album was met with highly positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album five stars out of five, praising the rapper's "expansive vocabulary and vivid imagination", adding that "Years later, as the shock has faded, it's those lyrical skills and the subtle mastery of the music that still resonate, and they're what make The Slim Shady LP one of the great debuts in both hip-hop and modern pop music."[12] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly described the album as a reaction to positivity in hip hop, noting that "The Slim Shady LP marks the return of irreverent, wiseass attitude to the genre, heard throughout the album in its nonstop barrage of crudely funny rhymes...Even pop fans deadened to graphic lyrics are likely to flinch."[23] Soren Baker of the Los Angeles Times gave the album three and a half stars out of four and stated that "He isn't afraid to say anything; his lyrics are so clever that he makes murder sound as if it's a funny act he may indulge in simply to pass the time" but lamented the "sometimes flat production that takes away from the power of Eminem's verbal mayhem".[19]

[edit] Accolades

The Slim Shady LP ranked number 273 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and 33 on the magazine's list of the "100 Best Albums of the '90s".[24][25]

[edit] Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Public Service Announcement" (skit)     0:33
2. "My Name Is"   Mathers, Young, Siffre Dr. Dre 4:28
3. "Guilty Conscience" (featuring Dr. Dre) Mathers, Young Dr. Dre, Eminem 3:19
4. "Brain Damage"   Mathers, Jeff Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 3:46
5. "Paul" (skit)     0:15
6. "If I Had"   Mathers, J. Bass, Mark Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 4:05
7. "'97 Bonnie & Clyde"   Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 5:16
8. "Bitch" (skit)     0:19
9. "Role Model"   Mathers, Young, Melvin Breeden Dr. Dre, Mel-Man 3:25
10. "Lounge" (skit)     0:46
11. "My Fault"   Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 4:01
12. "Ken Kaniff" (skit)     1:16
13. "Cum On Everybody"   Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 3:39
14. "Rock Bottom"   Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers 3:34
15. "Just Don't Give a Fuck"   Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 4:02
16. "Soap" (skit)     0:34
17. "As the World Turns"   Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 4:25
18. "I'm Shady"   Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 3:31
19. "Bad Meets Evil" (featuring Royce da 5'9") Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 4:13
20. "Still Don't Give a Fuck"   Mathers, J. Bass, M. Bass Bass Brothers, Eminem 4:12
Sample credits
Notes
  • "Bitch", "Cum on Everybody", "Just Don't Give a Fuck" and "Still Don't Give a Fuck" are retitled "Zoe", "Come on Everybody", "Just Don't Give" and "Still Don't Give" on the clean version of the album.
  • "If I Had" loosely references the melody to the chorus of "If I Had $1,000,000" by Barenaked Ladies
  • "''97 Bonnie & Clyde" is a longer version of "Just the Two of Us" from The Slim Shady EP.

[edit] Charts and certifications

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[27] 49
Austrian Albums Chart[28] 12
Belgian Albums Chart[29] 46
Canadian Albums Chart[16] 9
Dutch Albums Chart[30] 20
French Albums Chart[31] 52
New Zealand Albums Chart[32] 23
Norwegian Albums Chart[33] 25
Swedish Albums Chart[34] 40
Swiss Albums Chart[35] 77
US Billboard 200[16] 2
US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[16] 1
US Billboard Catalog Albums[16] 3

[edit] Certifications

Country Certification
Australia Platinum[36]
Canada 2×Platinum[37]
Europe Platinum[38]
Netherlands Gold[39]
New Zealand Gold[40]
Switzerland Gold[41]
United Kingdom 2×Platinum[42]
United States 5×Platinum[43]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://books.google.ie/books/about/Horrorcore_Albums_Including_The_Marshall.html?id=M5cPywAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
  2. ^ MTV News, stating Slim Shady LP as Eminem's debut album, while acknowledging Infinite as his first(MTV.com)[1] Retrieved 2012-03-06
  3. ^ "Kid Rock, Eminem, Stevie Wonder, and CeCe Winans Among the Winners at the 2000 Detroit Music Awards". NY Rock. 2000-04-17. http://www.nyrock.com/worldbeat/04_2000/041700b.asp. Retrieved 2012-01-12. 
  4. ^ "500 Greatest Albums: The Slim Shady LP - Eminem | Rolling Stone Music | Lists". Rollingstone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-slim-shady-lp-eminem-19691231. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  5. ^ Bozza 2003, p. 15
  6. ^ Anziri, Jon (2002). "Royce da 5'9 – Biography". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p469895. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bozza, Anthony (November 5, 2009). "Eminem Blows Up". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/eminem-blows-up-20091105. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Eminem – Biography". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p347307. Retrieved 2011-11-29. 
  9. ^ Montgomery, James (December 14, 2004). "Studio Where Eminem Worked On Shady LP Up For Auction". MTV News. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1494874/slim-shady-studio-up-auction.jhtml. Retrieved March 4, 2012. 
  10. ^ Verrico, Lisa (May 20, 2000). "Bite me". The Times (News Corporation). 
  11. ^ a b c Anderson, Kyle (February 23, 2011). "Eminem's The Slim Shady LP, 12 Years Later". MTV News. Viacom. http://newsroom.mtv.com/2011/02/23/eminem-slim-shady-lp-anniversary/. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 
  12. ^ a b c d "Allmusic review". Allmusic. All Media Guide. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r397821. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  13. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (December 10, 2001). "Alleged Bully From Eminem's 'Brain Damage' Files $1 Million Suit". MTV News. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451396/alleged-bully-sues-eminem-1-million.jhtml. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 
  14. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 1, 1999). "The Slim Shady LP". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-slim-shady-lp-19990401. Retrieved February 5, 2012. 
  15. ^ Basham, David (February 28, 2002). "Got Charts? Expect 'O Brother' Sales Boost After Unexpected Win". MTV News. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452682/got-charts-o-brother-sales-boost-likely.jhtml. Retrieved February 18, 2012. 
  16. ^ a b c d e f "The Slim Shady LP - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/eminem/the-slim-shady-lp/345163. Retrieved February 18, 2012. 
  17. ^ "Gold & Platinum RIAA Certifications 2007". Recording Industry Association of America. November 14, 2000. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Infinity+on+High%22#. Retrieved February 18, 2012. 
  18. ^ "CG: eminem". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=eminem. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  19. ^ a b "Record Rack - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1993-08-08. http://articles.latimes.com/1999/feb/21/entertainment/ca-10040. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  20. ^ a b c d "Music: The Slim Shady LP (CD) by Eminem (Artist)". Tower.com. http://www.tower.com/slim-shady-lp-eminem-cd/wapi/106446631. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  21. ^ "Eminem :: The Slim Shady LP :: Aftermath". Rapreviews.com. 1999-03-09. http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/1999_03_slimshadylp.html. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  22. ^ "The History of Rock Music. Eminem: biography, discography, reviews, links". Scaruffi.com. http://www.scaruffi.com/vol5/eminem.html. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  23. ^ Browne, David (March 12, 1999). "Review - The Slim Shady LP". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,274722,00.html. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 
  24. ^ "500 Greatest Albums: The Slim Shady LP - Eminem". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-slim-shady-lp-eminem-19691231. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 
  25. ^ "100 Best Albums of the '90s: Eminem - The Slim Shady LP". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-nineties-20110427/eminem-the-slim-shady-lp-19691231. Retrieved February 16, 2012. 
  26. ^ "Eminem The Slim Shady LP - ltd edition 2-CD UK DOUBLE CD (177021)". Eil.com. 2001-02-08. http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=177021. Retrieved 2012-01-12. 
  27. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved February 18, 2012. 
  28. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved February 18, 2012. 
  29. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP" (in German). IFPI Belgium. Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved February 18, 2012. 
  30. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved August 18, 2011. 
  31. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Hung Medien. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved August 18, 2011. 
  32. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Hung Medien. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved August 21, 2011. 
  33. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP". VG Lista. Hung Medien. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved August 18, 2011. 
  34. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP". Swedish Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved August 21, 2011. 
  35. ^ "Eminem – The Slim Shady LP" (in German). Media Control. Hung Medien. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Eminem&titel=The+Slim+Shady+LP&cat=a. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
  36. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2003 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  37. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification - March 2001". Canadian Recording Industry Association. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=Eminem&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist. Retrieved 2007-05-19. 
  38. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 2007". IFPI. http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat2001.html. Retrieved 2011-01-04. 
  39. ^ "NVPI, de branchevereniging van de entertainmentindustrie: Goud/Platina" (in Dutch). http://www.nvpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=61112&documentid=1237878. Retrieved 2011-01-04. 
  40. ^ "New Zealand Certification (RIANZ)". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand,Chart #1160. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp. Retrieved 2007-05-19. 
  41. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards 2004". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  42. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  43. ^ "Gold & Platinum Search". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Eminem&format=ALBUM&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved August 30, 2011. 

[edit] External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life		 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
2000		 Succeeded by
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
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