The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem, 2000, 1:12
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Overlong, bloated with skits, and endlessly rapping about how he can't be kept silent and the people who are gunning for him because he tells it like it is and how fame is something he isn't comfortable with. And yet... it can't be denied Eminem's a genius when it comes to rhyme, pacing, meter, and lyrical flow. All those samples and beats and overdubs are the product of a lot of work, but Em makes it look easy. His raps sound tossed-off, raw, and immediate. Sometimes too raw and immediate. The homicide fantasy "Kim" is nightmare fuel that really should have stayed in his private listening booth. But when Eminem is on the top of his game he's impossible to ignore. Favorite tracks: "The Way I Am," "The Real Slim Shady," "Marshall Mathers."
