The loss of Tupac and Biggie to the hip hop industry in the late 90s left a massive chasm to be filled by rap's next superstar to-be. That superstar was Marshall Mathers, Eminem. Famously crass, he backed it up with raw talent and an incredible flow. In the early 00s, there was no rapper with more radio play, and Eminem and his alter-alter ego, the real Slim Shady, quickly came to be thought of by me (and countless others) as among the all-time greats.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Here's 7 of my favorites from Eminem.
Week 48: EMINEM
#330/420 - Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
One of Eminem’s most well-known and well-regarded songs, as well as his mom’s spaghetti, this was one of the biggest songs of my younger years. Eminem was already huge, with three big albums, one after another, hits from each that most people knew, and then this song came out, along with his movie, 8 Mile, and it was truly the song that everyone knew in that moment. At least among the people in my life at the time, but this song hitting number one in numerous countries around the world certainly implies my experience was shared.
And it actually lives up to this mania, in my opinion. Some of the verses here are just exceptional. This right here:
And it's getting even harder trying to feed and water my seed, plus teeter-totter,
Caught up between being a father and a prima donna, baby mama drama, screaming on her.
Too much for me to wanna stay in one spot, another day of monotony's gotten me,
To the point I'm like a snail. I've got to formulate a plot or end up in jail or shot.
Success is my only motherfucking option, failure's not.
Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go.
I cannot grow old in Salem's Lot.
So here I go, it's my shot.
Feet, fail me not.
This may be the only opportunity that I got.
So good.
#331/420 - Eminem, “White America”
2002 was Eminem’s year if there ever was one. Not only did he have his own movie and the biggest song in the world with “Lose Yourself”, he also released this album earlier that year, which is arguably his best work. This is the first song on the album and Eminem comes in as hard and as controversially as he ever has, analyzing the impact his music and image has in America, and commenting on the greater state of things as a whole.
He doesn’t hold back and the production behind it is awesome as well. Also features one of Eminem’s signature moments as a rapper with his,
The delivery on that section is about as Eminem as it gets. Other than, of course, this part at the end.
Gotta love it.
#332/420 - Eminem, “Sing for the Moment”
One of the more artistically successful rap/rock fusions ever in my opinion, with the chorus from Aerosmith’s “Dream On”, this is something of a heart-to-heart from Eminem, and one of his best. It contains one of the coolest verses he ever wrote, which gets personal and really articulates the value of music like this well.
Except for a dream, and a fucking rap magazine
Who post pin-up pictures on their walls all day long
Idolize their favorite rappers and know all their songs
Or for anyone who's ever been through shit in their lives
Till they sit and they cry at night wishing they'd die
Till they throw on a rap record and they sit, and they vibe
We're nothing to you but we're the fucking shit in their eyes
That's why we seize the moment try to freeze it and own it
Squeeze it and hold it ’cause we consider these minutes golden
And maybe they'll admit it when we're gone
Just let our spirits live on, through our lyrics that you hear in our songs.
Music and art can be anything, the ultimate Swiss Army knife for your emotions and feelings and experiences that need tending to. And even the artists who are “nothing to you”, might be “the shit” in someone else’s eyes. Respect.
#333/420 - Eminem, “Rock Bottom”
I have always thought this is one of his best songs, but surprisingly this was not a single from his first big album which made him famous, The Slim Shady LP. It’s a really honest song in which Eminem describes his “rock bottom”, the lowest he’s been, the lowest he’s felt, and in opening up about this, it is interestingly able to become relatable to whatever the listener’s worst lows have been, even though it is specific to his. The music behind it also has a haunting, tragic quality to it. He’s not yelling as much as he normally does. The delivery is much calmer, the material weighs on his vocals as well.
My daughter wants to throw the ball, but I'm too stressed to play.
Live half my life and throw the rest away.
It’s not often that someone can express such personal things in such a widely relatable way, and so effectively and articulately in music. Eminem definitely has a talent here and this song is rightfully part of that first album of his that blew up, and is my personal favorite from it as well.
#334/420 - Eminem, “Business”
I believe I have gone on record saying Adam West and Burt Ward were my favorite Batman and Robin, but the truth is, when I was a kid, it was definitely Dr. Dre and Eminem. Eminem got away with some of the goofiest, silliest, over-the-top hits from his first three albums with what I consider to be (and probably is also officially considered?) the “Slim Shady Trilogy” with “My Name Is”, “The Real Slim Shady”, and “Without Me”, but while those songs are all pretty great, they also grate on me after awhile, and in fact, my favorite comedic track from Eminem is definitely this one, which I have never grown tired of.
This is a goofy one for sure as it starts with a quick back and forth between Dr. Dre and Eminem as Batman and Robin.
“Holy wack, unlyrical lyrics, Andre, you're fucking right!”
“To the Rapmobile.”
Then we have the girls singing, “Marshall!” (which for the longest, longest time I thought were singing “Usher!” to make fun of him) and Eminem becomes a carnival barker announcing The Eminem Show.
Some of my favorite verses and my favorite chorus from Eminem follow, with some guest appearance “hell yea!”s from Dr. Dre, and the Batman nods continue with references to Gotham, The Dynamic Duo, and more. He rhymes the rhymeless "oranges" with "the hinges" and "syringes". He craftily quotes one of the biggest songs of the previous year, Jay Z's "H to the Izzo", stealing the line, "can't leave rap alone, the game needs me." There's even mention of when Eminem and Elton John "played career Russian roulette" which became another classic pairing when they performed together.
As far as pure fun, idgaf songs go, this is one of the tops for me for sure, and it’s my favorite track from this album as well. I remember when it was first released and one of my best friends and I really wanted to get it, but it was (is) parental advisory, so we had to ask his mom to go with us to the department store and buy it for us.
Good times.
#335/420 - Eminem, “Kim”
This song is intense.
It’s one of the most shocking songs I have ever heard, if not the most such. Sampling the heavy pounds of my favorite Led Zeppelin track, “When the Levee Breaks”, this song features Eminem acting out a series of scenes between thinly fictionalized versions of himself and the mother to his daughter and his ex-wife, Kim. And it is really fucked up and disturbing for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which being it’s about murdering her and her husband and step-son.
This is a genre that has been explored in film many times over the years, but is rarely explored in music, and never to this startling degree of vicious insanity. Eminem fully commits here and the result is something that should probably be in a museum for what it accomplishes artistically. You will believe you are listening a true madman.
After all these years, I still really don’t know how to feel about this song. It’s definitely one I will skip or turn the volume down on if other people are around, quicker than I would a movie like Goodfellas or Scarface or Pulp Fiction. Even though they deal with many equally fucked up depictions, with visuals included, this song is so out of the norm when it comes to music that I think it is even more alarming to hear.
But as long as you can take it as art and hear its hatefulness as an outpouring of emotions that should never be acted upon, though they are ones that exist in darkness nonetheless, it is a fascinating and jaw-dropping listen.
Musically, it is good. It has one of Eminem’s catchiest choruses and the words are scathing. “So long. Bitch, you did me so wrong. I don’t want to go on living in this world without you.” The build-ups are heart-pounding, and the Zeppelin sample is very effective for this.
True horror and one of the most unforgettable songs in all of rap.
And now for a much-needed cool-down joint. Happy 4/20.
#336/420 - Eminem, “Stan”
This is the song that brings together all of Eminem’s talents the best, in my opinion, and is my favorite of his as well. His storytelling ability has really never been stronger, and the idea of the song is presented with incredible strength and clarity. It goes to the dark places of “Kim”, but instead serves more strongly as a cautionary tale, and a well-communicated point of view from the artist that is rarely ever heard in the music of the artist itself.
Here “Stan” is a huge fan of Eminem’s, who tries writing to him, or asking for an autograph, but doesn’t receive a reply and overreacts. In the end, Eminem writes back, but it is too late, and Stan has taken his life and the life of his pregnant girlfriend. It is extreme, but it is effectively built through the lyrics of the song and the message is well-received. There is an imbalance between artists and fans in terms of time committed to each other, and as a fan, you must understand that artists cannot physically become a meaningful part of your life, even if their art is.
The Dido sample is nicely used as well, the sweet, soft singing underlines the story well, injecting the right amount of sadness and tragedy. The sound of a storm is atmospherically successful as well, making for an excellent, cohesive piece.
Few can touch Eminem’s peak, and while his attitude and bleached blonde hair may have been toned down, his talent remains top tier among rappers, and his legacy is among the very strongest of all time. There’s no doubt Eminem’s music was a prominent part of the soundtrack to my early years and it’s always a bit of fun to go back and listen to these uniquely angry and abundantly creative albums and songs.
While you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who hadn’t heard of Eminem in 2002, the next artist would oppositely be someone you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who had. Yet he was one of electronic and synthesized music’s early pioneers, my personal favorite of such artists, who dabbled in psychedelia and had a sound which surely influenced much of electronic music, film scores, and video game soundtracks, it’s Canada’s own, Mort Garson.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Week 2: The Jackson 5/The Jacksons
Week 3: A Tribe Called Quest
Week 4: Weezer
Week 5: Bob Dylan
Week 6: Led Zeppelin
Week 7: 2Pac/Makaveli
Week 8: Billy Joel
Week 9: Electric Light Orchestra
Week 10: Elvis Presley
Week 11: Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band
Week 12: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Week 13: Nirvana
Week 14: The Doors
Week 15: The Rolling Stones
Week 16: Gnarls Barkley
Week 17: Gábor Szabó
Week 18: Galaxie 500
Week 19: Simon & Garfunkel
Week 20: Gorillaz
Week 21: Ennio Morricone
Week 22: The Moody Blues
Week 23: Koji Kondo
Week 24: Rob Zombie/White Zombie
Week 25: Paul McCartney/Wings
Week 26: George Harrison
Week 27: Phil Spector
Week 28: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Week 29: Public Enemy
Week 30: The Love Language
Week 31: Barry White
Week 32: Frank Sinatra
Week 33: David Bowie
Week 34: Queen
Week 35: The Offspring
Week 36: Louis Prima
Week 37: The Notorious B.I.G.
Week 38: Nancy Sinatra
Week 39: Stevie Wonder
Week 40: Roger Miller
Week 41: Röyksopp
Week 42: N.W.A
Week 43: Sly and the Family Stone
Week 44: Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Week 45: Supertramp
Week 46: "Weird Al" Yankovic
Week 47: The Kinks
View the full list of "420 Songs" here: https://tinyurl.com/y8fboudu (Google spreadsheet link)