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Infinite (Eminem album)

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Infinite is the solo debut album of American rapper Eminem, released March 12, 1996, through Web Entertainment. The album was recorded at the Bass Brothers' studio, known as the "Bassmint" and produced by Mr. Porter and Proof. It features vocals from fellow rappers Proof, Mr. Porter, Eye-Kyu, Three and Thyme. The album sold only about 1,000 copies, and received rare reviews, which were mixed, mainly criticizing the album's production but praising Eminem's lyrical ability. Copies of the album are generally valued at $130-$200 due to the rarity and low production of the album. While Eminem's future albums would prove more successful, the rapper still gained some recognition for his debut effort.

Background and composition

Marshall "Eminem" Mathers was initially signed to FBT Productions in 1992, run by brothers Jeff and Mark Bass. Eminem also held a minimum-wage job of cooking and dish washing at the restaurant Gilbert's Lodge at St. Clair Shores for some time.[1] In 1996, Eminem's 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.[1] Eminem was encouraged by others, who noted he sounded similar to rapper AZ.[2] Mr. Porter produced the entire album, while Proof programmed the drums.[3]

Mathers purposely made Infinite's songs "radio-friendly" in hopes of getting on the air on Detroit radio stations.[3] It features vocals from fellow rappers Proof, Mr. Porter, Eye-Kyu, Three and Thyme.[4] Only around a thousand copies of the album were made.[5] Subjects covered in Infinite included his struggles with raising his newborn daughter Hailie Jade Mathers while on limited funds and his strong desire to get rich.[1] After the release of Infinite, Eminem's personal struggles and abuse of drugs and alcohol culminated in an unsuccessful suicide attempt.[6] In 2009, Thisis50.com re-released it as a free download on their website to build anticipation for Eminem's highly anticipated comeback album Relapse.[7]

Reception

Commercial

Infinite only sold about 1,000 copies.[5] It was met with derision from within the local hip-hop community, earning Eminem unfavourable accusations of copying other rappers' styles, particularly AZ. Eminem recalls: "Obviously, I was young and influenced by other artists, and I got a lot of feedback saying that I sounded like AZ. Infinite was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself. It was a growing stage. I felt like Infinite was like a demo that just got pressed up."[2] Today, contrary to the criticism at the time of the album's release, Infinite is respected by rap listeners.[8]

Critical

Infinite received mixed reviews, although reviews were rare. Allmusic gave it an "Editor Score" of 2.5 out of 5 stars, without a review.[9] WuChang of Sputnikmusic gave the album a 4 out of 5, with a summary: "An excellent and criminally underrated debut that gives the listener a different perspective on Marshall Mathers;" Though thinking that the production was good, he said he could understand if the listeners were not "feeling it." He praised Eminem's lyricism in the album, saying "from a lyrical standpoint, I truly believe that Infinite is just as good if not better than any of his commercial work" and also stated that "if the album had better production and better song order I would’ve considered it a classic."[8]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Infinite"Mr. Porter4:01
2."W.E.G.O." (interlude) (featuring Proof & DJ Head)Mr. Porter0:21
3."It's OK" (featuring Eye-Kyu)Mr. Porter3:29
4."Tonite" (featuring Eye-Kyu)Mr. Porter4:11
5."313" (featuring Eye-Kyu)Mr. Porter3:43
6."Maxine" (featuring Mr. Porter & Three)Mr. Porter4:11
7."Open Mic" (featuring Thyme)Mr. Porter4:02
8."Never 2 Far"Mr. Porter3:38
9."Searchin'" (featuring Eye-Kyu)Mr. Porter3:45
10."Backstabber"Mr. Porter3:24
11."Jealousy Woes II"Mr. Porter3:22
Total length:38:12
Notes
  • Track listing and credits from album booklet.[4]

Samples

"Backstabber"

"Jealousy Woes II"

References

  1. ^ a b c Bozza, Anthony (2003). Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem. New York, New York, United States: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 1-4000-5059-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  2. ^ a b "Eminem biography". Eminem.com. Interscope Records. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Ryon, Sean (April 21, 2012). "Mr. Porter Talks Debut Album "tHe mEmO," Eminem's First Album "Infinite"". Hip Hop DX. IPC Media. Retrieved June 14, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  4. ^ a b Infinite (Media notes). United States: Web Entertainment. 1996. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |publisherid= ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b Padania, Jesal "Jay Soul" (August 12, 2008). "Eminem: Infinite". Rap Reviews. Retrieved June 19, 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Eminem – Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 30, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Eminem's rare debut album released free online". NME. May 14, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Eminem – Infinite (album review)". Sputnikmusic. October 22, 2007. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  9. ^ "Infinite - Eminem". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
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