Opening Opinion: 9.3/10
It’s no
secret that The Eminem Show, released back in 2002, is my favorite Eminem
album. I actually only bought it about 3 years ago. I know, that doesn’t make a
lot of sense, but I had a bootleg copy of the album before that. This is the
album where Em seemed to come to grips with his superstardom.
The
album starts with a skit called “Curtains Up”. Nothing special. “White America”
is a 5 minute shocker, not just from the punchlines, but also from what Eminem
says about himself. “Let’s do the Math, if I was black I would of sold half, I ain’t
half to graduate from Lincoln high school to know that.” At the end of the song
he bashes various political figures, then apologizes jokingly. Business features Dr. Dre briefly. The song
has a terrific bouncy beat. Em vows to bring rap criminals or wack rappers to
justice.
“Cleanin
Out My Closet” features an Introspective and unforgiving Em. He bashes his mom
over and over with bar after bar. It’s a terrific but bitter song. It’s good Em
has taken this song back so to speak now. The next track, “Square Dance” is
really tight. Em goes at rapper Cannibus here and well, the beef was ended
rather quickly. “The Kiss” Is rather dumb but laughable skit. “Soldier” and “Say
Goodbye to Hollywood” are back to back and sound pretty similar. That’s not too
uncommon on an early Em cd. They are decent tracks.
“Drips”
is a song you sure aren’t going to play in the car around your parents. Obi
Trice joins Em as they rap about banging some chick. Well Obi is rapping about
banging her and getting sick from the action. Em is rapping about his lament
for her. “Without Me” Is the a terrific party track. Em again tells you that he’s
using black music to get famous. The beat is fire with lyrics to match. “Paul”
is a funny skit. “Leave Your f***ing gun at home”.
“Sing
For the Moment” is just one of those great rap songs. It’s got a terrific
sample and great verses from Em. He raps about kids looking up to rappers like
him, and the consequences of doing such. “Superman” features Dina Rae who was I
think on the first 2 Em cds. Em disses a potential female suitor lol. “I’d
never let another chick bring me down in a relationship”. They say it’s a
Mariah Carey diss. “Hailie’s Song” is decent. I gotta admit when I was younger I
didn’t like this song at all. You can tell from the title what it’s about.
“Steve Burman” is soooo funny. Em had enough from the encounter on MMLP. He shoots Steve thinkin that it would be a repeat of the last one. Em had to get D-12 on the album, and that’s what “When The Music Stops” is. Good track. The album stays rough with “Say What You Say” featuring Dr. Dre. They both take turns dissing Jermaine Dupri over this tough beat. Another producer gets his 2 cents in at the end of the track. “Till I Collapse” is one of Em’s best songs. He attacks every verse with incredible efficiency and furosity. Em demands his respect amongst the greats of the rap game. “My Dad’s Gone Crazy” features who else, but Hailie. It’s a fitting closer to a terrific album.
“Curtains Close” features ….you’ll see lol.
Ultimately
I think Em Show is one of his best albums. It could be a little shorter sure,
but there are no bad songs on it. If you haven’ t heard it….where have you
been? LOL.
Closing Opinion: 9.4/10