Eminem
The Slim Shady Lp

THE REVIEW

The debut album of the blond Marshall Mathers (aka Eminem) is a true milestone of modern hip hop. "The Slim Shady LP" shows us an Eminem who is definitely more original and sharp than he is today (2005), where he loses himself in sugary songs for his daughter. Indeed, besides the usual accusations against his wife, mother, and father, the Detroit rapper in this work delivers an old-school flow, sarcastic and venomous ("I smoke a fat pound of grass and fall on my ass faster than a fat bitch who sat down too fast"), with no hesitation when it comes to proudly throwing his crazy life experiences in the world's face.

Apart from the single "My Name Is", which catapulted the album to success, there are other deserving and at the same time entertaining tracks in terms of lyrics such as "Just Don't Give A Fuck" (a title that's pretty self-explanatory). The album does not shy away from addressing at least controversial topics, in a somewhat scattered and perhaps sometimes deranged manner, such as drug use and abuse, various kinds of violence, and situations often outside of legality.
Overall, it's a record that draws heavily from street experiences; unfortunately, this type of theme would be forgotten in subsequent albums starting from "The Eminem Show". "The Slim Shady LP", even on a technical level, can't fail to please anyone who considers themselves a lover of the purest and roughest rap. The impeccable "beats" crafted by the guru Dr. Dre deserve consideration (listen to the base of "My Fault" and the crazy "Guilty Conscience", where Dre performs a featuring, to believe it). Perhaps the beauty of the album is due to the fact that before 1999, the year of this CD's release, Eminem was still a nobody (in the song "If I Had", Eminem thinks about how he would spend a million dollars if he had them): this contributed to giving it an almost furious and genuine influence that Eminem's later works lack. Even the voice, of someone some define (perhaps not wrongly) as the best rapper in the world, in this album is nasal and piercing, to the point of conferring a really catchy tone while also being gruesome in content. (Just think of the stories of rape, robberies, and murders treated in "Guilty Conscience" - DRE: Yo! This girl's only fifteen years old / You shouldn't take advantage of her, that's not fair; EMINEM: Yo, look at her bush.. does it got hair? (Uh huh!) / Fuck this bitch right here on the spot bare / 'Till she passes out and she forgot how she got there)
If you don't know which hip hop album to buy, money invested in "Slim Shady LP" won't be regretted.