tracks.
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1.Curtains Up [Skit] – Eminem 00:29
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2.StopWhite America – Eminem 05:24
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3.StopBusiness – Eminem 04:11
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4.StopCleanin' Out My Closet – Eminem 04:58
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5.StopSquare Dance – Eminem 05:23
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6.StopThe Kiss – Eminem 01:14
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7.StopSoldier – Eminem 03:46
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8.StopSay Goodbye Hollywood – Eminem 04:32
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9.Drips – Eminem, Obie Trice 00:04
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10.StopWithout Me – Eminem 04:50
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11.Paul Rosenberg (Skit) – Paul D. Rosenberg 00:22
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12.StopSing for the Moment – Eminem 05:39
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13.StopSuperman – Eminem, Dina Rae 05:50
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14.StopHailie's Song – Eminem 05:20
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15.StopSteve Berman [Skit] – Eminem, Steve Berman 00:33
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16.StopWhen the Music Stops – Eminem, D12 04:29
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17.StopSay What You Say – Dr. Dre, Eminem 05:09
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18.Stop'Till I Collapse – Eminem, Nate Dogg 04:57
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19.StopMy Dad's Gone Crazy – Eminem, Hailie Jade 04:26
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20.StopCurtains Close [Skit] – Eminem 01:02
It's all about the title. First time around, Eminem established his alter-ego, Slim Shady -- the character who deliberately shocked and offended millions, turning Eminem into a star. Second time at bat, he turned out The Marshall Mathers LP, delving deeper into his past while revealing complexity as an artist and a personality that helped bring him an even greater audience and much, much more controversy. Third time around, it's The Eminem Show -- a title that signals that Eminem's public persona is front and center, for the very first time. And it is, as he spends much of the album commenting on the media circus that dominated on his life ever since the release of Marshall Mathers. This, of course, encompasses many, many familiar subjects -- his troubled childhood; his hatred of his parents; his turbulent relationship with his ex-wife, Kim (including the notorious incident when he assaulted a guy who allegedly kissed her -- the event that led to their divorce); his love of his daughter, Hailie; and, of course, all the controversy he generated, notably the furor over his alleged homophobia and his scolding from Lynne Cheney, which leads to furious criticism about the hypocrisy of America and its government. All this is married to a production very similar to that of its predecessor -- spare, funky, fluid, and vibrant, punctuated with a couple of ballads along the way. So, that means The Eminem Show is essentially a holding pattern, but it's a glorious one -- one that proves Eminem is the gold standard in pop music in 2002, delivering stylish, catchy, dense, funny, political music that rarely panders (apart from a power ballad "Dream On" rewrite on "Sing for the Moment" and maybe the ****** rap "Drips," that is). Even if there is little new ground broken, the presentation is exceptional -- Dre never sounds better as a producer than when Eminem pushes him forward (witness the stunning oddity "Square Dance," a left-field classic with an ominous waltz beat) and, with three albums under his belt, Eminem has proven himself as one of the all-time classic MCs, surprising as much with his delivery as with what he says. Plus, the undercurrent of political anger -- not just attacking Lynne Cheney, but raising questions about the Bush administration -- gives depth to his typical topics, adding a new, spirited dimension to his shock tactics as notable as the deep sentimental streak he reveals on his odes to his daughter. Perhaps the album runs a little too long at 20 songs and 80 minutes and would have flowed better if trimmed by 25 minutes, but that's a typical complaint about modern hip-hop records. Fact is, it still delivers more great music than most of its peers in rock or rap, and is further proof that Eminem is an artist of considerable range and dimension. [The clean version of this album has been edited in attempt to remove profane material.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- Genre: Rap
- Subgenre: Hip-Hop/Urban
- Category Midwest Rap, Hardcore Rap
- Label: INTERSCOPE RECORDS
- Release Date: June 4, 2002
- Artist: Eminem
- Additional Artist: Paul D. Rosenberg (Performer)