DigitalxXxCratezxUndergroundxHipHopxRap

Track listing No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 1. "Dr. West (Skit)" (performed by Dominic West & Marshall Mathers) Marshall MathersPaul Rosenberg Dr. DreEminem 1:29 2. "3 a.m." MathersAndre YoungMark BatsonDawaun ParkerTrevor LawrenceMike Elizondo Dr. Dre 5:19 3. "My Mom" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrence Dr. Dre 5:19 4. "Insane" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrenceElizondo Dr. Dre 3:01 5. "Bagpipes from Baghdad" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrenceElizondoSean Cruse Dr. DreTrevor Lawrence, Jr. 4:43 6. "Hello" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrence Dr. DreMark Batson 4:08 7. "Tonya (Skit)" (performed by Elizabeth Keener) MathersRosenberg Dr. DreEminem 0:42 8. "Same Song & Dance" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrenceElizondo Dr. DreDawaun Parker 4:06 9. "We Made You" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrenceWalter Egan Dr. DreEminemDoc Ish[a] 4:29 10. "Medicine Ball" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrence Dr. DreMark Batson 3:57 11. "Paul (Skit)" (performed by Paul Rosenberg) MathersRosenberg EminemBassLuis Resto[a] 0:19 12. "Stay Wide Awake" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrenceElizondo Dr. Dre 5:19 13. "Old Time's Sake" (featuring Dr. Dre) MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrence Dr. DreMark Batson 4:38 14. "Must Be the Ganja" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrence Dr. DreMark Batson 4:02 15. "Mr. Mathers (Skit)" MathersRosenberg Dr. DreEminem 0:42 16. "Déjà Vu" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrenceCruse Dr. Dre 4:43 17. "Beautiful" MathersLuis RestoJeffrey BassDon BlackAndy Hill EminemJeff Bass 6:32 18. "Crack a Bottle" (with Dr. Dre & 50 Cent) MathersYoungCurtis JacksonBatsonParkerLawrenceJean Renard Dr. Dre 4:57 19. "Steve Berman (Skit)" (performed by Angela Yee, Marshall Mathers & Steve Berman) MathersRosenberg EminemResto[a] 1:29 20. "Underground" MathersYoungBatsonParkerLawrence Dr. DreCurtis "Sauce" Wilson (chorus vocals) 6:11 Total length: 76:05 Deluxe edition No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 21. "My Darling" MathersYoungRestoMike Strange Eminem 5:20 22. "Careful What You Wish For" MathersRestoSteve King Eminem 3:47 Total length: 85:23 iTunes deluxe edition[149] No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 21. "My Darling" Marshall MathersAndre YoungLuis RestoMike Strange Eminem 5:20 22. "Careful What You Wish For" MathersRestoSteve King Eminem 3:47 23. "We Made You" (single version) MathersYoungMark BatsonDawaun ParkerTrevor Lawrence, Jr.Walter Egan Dr. DreEminemDoc Ish[a] 4:46 24. "Crack a Bottle" (single version) (featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent) MathersCurtis JacksonYoungBatsonParkerLawrenceJean Renard Dr. Dre 5:15 25. "3 a.m." (music video) 5:31 26. "We Made You" (music video) 4:53 Total length: 105:48

Tracklist - 1. My Darling 2. Oh No 3. I'm Having a Relapse 4. Taking My Ball 5. Elevator 6. The Warning 7. Paris Hilton (Skit) 8. Buffalo Bill 9. Psycho (Eminem & 50 Cent) 10. h--- Breaks Loose (Eminem & Dr. Dre 11. Drop The Bomb On 'Em 12. Things Get Worse (Eminem & B.o.B.) 13. I Kissed a Boy (Ken Kanniff) (Skit) 14. Chemical Warfare 15. 50 Ways 16. Careful What You Wish For 17. Touchdown (Eminem & T.I.) 18. Get Money 19. Syllables (Eminem, Jay Z, Cashis, Dr. Dre, Stat Quo, and 50 Cent) 20. Music Box

Cold Wind Blows E 05:04 LYRICS 2 Talkin’ 2 Myself [feat. Kobe] E Eminem feat. Kobe 05:00 LYRICS 3 On Fire E 03:34 LYRICS 4 Won't Back Down [feat. P!nk] E Eminem feat. P!nk 04:26 LYRICS 5 W.T.P. E 03:58 LYRICS 6 Going Through Changes E 04:59 LYRICS 7 Not Afraid E 04:08 LYRICS 8 Seduction E 04:35 LYRICS 9 No Love [feat. Lil Wayne] E Eminem feat. Lil Wayne 05:00 LYRICS 10 Space Bound E 04:39 LYRICS 11 Cinderella Man E 04:39 LYRICS 12 25 To Life E 04:02 LYRICS 13 So Bad E 05:25 LYRICS 14 Almost Famous E 04:53 LYRICS 15 Love The Way You Lie [feat. Rihanna] E Eminem feat. Rihanna 04:23 LYRICS 16 You’re Never Over E 05:06 LYRICS 17 Untitled E 03:14 LYRICS 18 Ridaz E 05:00 LYRICS 19 Session One [feat. Slaughterhouse] E Eminem feat. Slaughterhouse 04:28 LYRICS 20 Not Afraid E 04:19 VIDEO 21 Recovery [Deluxe Edition] 00:00

Curtain Call: The Hits is the first greatest hits album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on December 6, 2005, under Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album collects Eminem's most popular singles, as well as three new songs, including a live version of "Stan", featuring English singer-songwriter Elton John performed at the 43rd Grammy Awards, plus the songs "Fack", "When I'm Gone" and "Shake That" featuring Nate Dogg. The album was certified Diamond in the United States on March 8, 2022[9] and quintuple platinum in New Zealand. It reached number one on several charts, including the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart. On July 11, 2022, Eminem announced a sequel to the album titled Curtain Call 2, which would contain material from his later work. It was released on August 5, 2022.[10] Chart performance Curtain Call: The Hits debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200, after two sales days, in a similar fashion to Eminem's previous album Encore. The album racked up first-week sales of nearly 441,000 and with close to 324,000 scans the second week for a two-week stay at number one. It slipped from number one to number four in its third week but surged 33 percent to finish with sales close to 430,000. The disc scored nearly 1.2 million scans in its first three weeks of release. It also gave Eminem his fifth straight number 1 album in the US and UK including the 8 Mile soundtrack. As of November 2013, the record had sold 3,782,000 copies in the United States.[11] Curtain Call was later certified Diamond by the RIAA in the United States.[12] The album's two singles, "When I'm Gone" and "Shake That", peaked at numbers 8 and 6 respectively in the US Billboard Hot 100. Only "When I'm Gone" qualified for the charts in the UK, where it peaked at #4. In August 2017, the album was declared the longest-running rap LP in the history of the Billboard 200.[13] Clean version A clean version of the album is also available. It has 15 tracks with both "Intro" and "FACK" removed (due to the extreme sexual nature of the latter, and the former's connection to the song) and "My Name Is" put to track one. The tracks appear exactly how they appeared on the clean versions of their respective albums except for the song "Guilty Conscience", which uses the radio edit. Certain profanities remain on several tracks, as words including "shit", "bitch", and "ass" were not censored on The Slim Shady LP or The Marshall Mathers LP. However, on "Just Lose It", the clean version leaves "ass" uncensored, unlike on Encore, the word "ass" was replaced with "thing". Track listing Explicit version track listing No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 1. "Intro" Dr. DreEminem[b]Luis Resto[a] 0:34 2. "Fack" Marshall MathersLuis RestoSteve King EminemLuis Resto[a] 3:26 3. "The Way I Am" (from The Marshall Mathers LP) Mathers Eminem 4:50 4. "My Name Is" (from The Slim Shady LP) MathersAndre Young Dr. Dre 4:28 5. "Stan" (featuring Dido) (from The Marshall Mathers LP) MathersDido ArmstrongPaul Herman The 45 KingEminem[b] 6:44 6. "Lose Yourself" (from 8 Mile) MathersJeff BassResto EminemJeff Bass[a] 5:26 7. "Shake That" (featuring Nate Dogg) MathersRestoKingNathaniel Hale EminemResto[a] 4:33 8. "Sing for the Moment" (from The Eminem Show) Steven TylerMathersBassRestoKing EminemBass[b] 5:40 9. "Without Me" (from The Eminem Show) MathersKevin BellBassMalcolm McLarenAnne DudleyTrevor Horn EminemBass[b]DJ Head[a] 4:50 10. "Like Toy Soldiers" (from Encore) MathersRestoMarta DawsonMichael Jay Margules EminemResto[a] 4:56 11. "The Real Slim Shady" (from The Marshall Mathers LP) MathersYoungTommy CosterMike Elizondo Dr. Dre 4:44 12. "Mockingbird" (from Encore) MathersResto EminemResto[a] 4:11 13. "Guilty Conscience" (featuring Dr. Dre) (from The Slim Shady LP) MathersYoung Dr. DreEminem[b] 3:19 14. "Cleanin' Out My Closet" (from The Eminem Show) MathersBass EminemBass 4:57 15. "Just Lose It" (from Encore) MathersYoungElizondoMark BatsonChris Pope Dr. DreElizondo 4:09 16. "When I'm Gone" MathersResto EminemResto[a] 4:41 17. "Stan" (Live) (featuring Elton John) MathersArmstrongHerman The Recording Academy 6:17

The Slim Shady LP is the second studio album by the American rapper Eminem, and his first on a major record label. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitment by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, the album features production from Dr. Dre, the Bass Brothers, and Eminem himself. Featuring West Coast hip hop, G-funk and horrorcore musical styles, the majority of The Slim Shady LP's lyrical content is written from the perspective of Eminem's alter ego, named Slim Shady, whom he created on the Slim Shady EP (1997). The Slim Shady LP contains cartoonish depictions of violence and heavy use of profanity, which Eminem described as horror film-esque, in that it is solely for entertainment value. Although many of the lyrics on the album are considered to be satirical, Eminem also depicts his frustrations of living in poverty. The Slim Shady LP debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, just below TLC's FanMail, and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was a critical and commercial success, with critics praising Eminem for his unique lyrical style, dark humor lyrics, and unusual personality.[2] The first single, "My Name Is", became Eminem's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The album won Best Rap Album at the 2000 Grammy Awards, while "My Name Is" won Best Rap Solo Performance. In 2000, The Slim Shady LP was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It is often mentioned in lists of the greatest albums of all time. While The Slim Shady LP's success turned Eminem from an underground rapper into a high-profile celebrity, he became a highly controversial figure due to his lyrical content, which some perceived to be misogynistic and a negative influence on U.S. youth. Background Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, began rapping at age fourteen. In 1996, his debut album Infinite, which was recorded at the Bassmint, a recording studio owned by the Bass Brothers, was released under their independent record label Web Entertainment.[3] Infinite achieved very little commercial success and was largely ignored by Detroit radio stations. The commercial disappointment from this experience greatly influenced his lyrical style: "After that record, every rhyme I wrote got angrier and angrier. A lot of it was because of the feedback I got. Motherfuckers was like, 'You're a white boy, what the fuck are you rapping for? Why don't you go into rock & roll?' All that type of shit started pissing me off."[4] After the release of Infinite, Eminem's personal struggles and abuse of methadone and alcohol culminated in a suicide attempt.[5] The commercial disappointment inspired Eminem to create the alter ego Slim Shady: "Boom, the name hit me, and right away I thought of all these words to rhyme with it."[4] Slim Shady served as Eminem's vent for his frustration and rage to the world. In the spring of 1997, he recorded the eight-song extended play Slim Shady EP. During this time, Eminem and his girlfriend Kim Scott lived in a high-crime neighborhood with their newborn daughter Hailie, where their house was burglarized numerous times.[4] After being evicted from his home, Eminem traveled to Los Angeles to participate in the Rap Olympics, an annual nationwide rap battle competition. He placed second, and the staff at Interscope Records who attended the Rap Olympics sent a copy of the Slim Shady EP to company CEO Jimmy Iovine.[4] Iovine played the tape for hip hop producer Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath Entertainment. Dr. Dre recalled, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find him. Now.'"[4] Some urged Dr. Dre not to take a chance on Eminem because he was white. Dr. Dre responded, "I don't give a fuck if you're purple. If you can kick it, I'm working with you."[6] Recording Eminem had idolized The Slim Shady LP co-producer Dr. Dre (pictured in 2008) since he was a teenager. The Slim Shady LP was recorded at Studio 8 at 430 8 Mile Road in Ferndale, Michigan.[7] Eminem, who had idolized Dr. Dre since listening to his group N.W.A as a teenager, was nervous to work with him on the album: "I didn't want to be starstruck or kiss his ass too much ... I'm just a little white boy from Detroit. I had never seen stars, let alone Dr. Dre."[8] However, Eminem became more comfortable working with Dr. Dre after a series of highly productive recording sessions. The recording process generally began with Dr. Dre creating a beat and Eminem using the tracks as a template for his freestyle raps; "Every beat he would make, I had a rhyme for", Eminem recalled.[9] He later said: "Every time I sat down with a pen, everything was just like: fuck you, fuck this, fuck them, fuck that, fuck the world, fuck what everybody thinks. Fuck them." On the first day of recording, Eminem and Dr. Dre finished "My Name Is" in an hour.[4] Three other songs, including "Role Model", were also recorded that day.[8] "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", which was formerly featured on the Slim Shady EP as "Just the Two of Us", was re-recorded for The Slim Shady LP to feature his daughter Hailie's vocals. Because the song focuses on disposing of his girlfriend's corpse, Eminem was not comfortable with explaining the situation to Kim, and instead told her that he would be taking Hailie to Chuck E. Cheese's.[4] He explained, "When she found out I used our daughter to write a song about killing her, she fucking blew. We had just got back together for a couple of weeks. Then I played her the song and she bugged the fuck out." Eminem also said, "When she (Hailie) gets old enough, I'm going to explain it to her. I'll let her know that Mommy and Daddy weren't getting along at the time. None of it was to be taken too literally, although at the time I wanted to fucking do it."[4] Eminem asked Marilyn Manson to guest appear on the song, but the singer declined because he felt that the song was "too misogynistic".[10] The song "Guilty Conscience" contains a humorous reference to an occasion in which Dr. Dre assaulted Dee Barnes. Having only known Dr. Dre for a few days, Eminem was anxious about how he would react to such a line, and to his relief, Dr. Dre "fell out of his chair laughing" upon hearing the lyric.[11] "Ken Kaniff", a skit involving a prank call to Eminem, featured fellow Detroit rapper Aristotle. After a falling out between the two in the wake of Eminem's breakthrough success, Eminem instead played Ken Kaniff on skits on future albums. Ken Kaniff would end up appearing in more Eminem albums over the course of his career and was last heard in The Marshall Mathers LP 2.[12] Another skit, "Bitch", is an answering machine message in which Zoe Winkler, daughter of actor Henry Winkler, tells a friend that she was disgusted by Eminem's music. He met and had dinner with her in order to get permission to use the recording on the album.[13] During the mixing process of The Slim Shady LP, at the same time, Kid Rock was recording his fourth studio album, Devil Without a Cause; being friends with Kid Rock, Eminem asked Kid Rock to record scratching for Eminem's song "Just Don't Give A Fuck", which appears on both Slim Shady EP & The Slim Shady LP; in return, Eminem delivered a guest rap verse on Kid Rock's song "Fuck Off" for Devil Without a Cause.[14] Production "My Name Is" Duration: 28 seconds.0:28 A 26-second song sample of "My Name Is". The song samples British artist Labi Siffre's song "I Got The" and features a prominent bassline as well as psychedelic-style keyboard sounds.[15][16] Problems playing this file? See media help. The album's production was handled primarily by Dr. Dre, the Bass Brothers, and Eminem.[17][18] The beats have been compared to West Coast hip hop and G-funk musical styles.[19] Kyle Anderson of MTV wrote that "The beats are full of bass-heavy hallucinations and create huge, scary sandboxes that allow Em to play."[17] According to the staff at IGN, "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" is backed by the "lulling serenity of a super silky groove".[15] "Cum on Everybody"; which features guest vocals from American singer Dina Rae[20] contains an upbeat dance rhythm, while "My Name Is", which is built around a sample from British musician Labi Siffre's "I Got The", features a prominent bassline and psychedelic-style keyboards.[17][15][16] "I'm Shady" was originally written over a Sade track, but after hearing a sample of Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman" in Ice-T's song "I'm Your Pusher", Eminem decided it would be more fitting to use "Pusherman".[21] Eminem's vocal inflection on the album has been described as a "nasal whine"; Jon Pareles of The New York Times likened his "calmly sarcastic delivery" to "the early Beastie Boys turned cynical".[22] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, columnist Greg Kot compared the rapper's vocals to "Pee-wee Herman with a nasal Midwestern accent".[23] A skit entitled "Lounge" appears before "My Fault" featuring Eminem and the Bass Brothers imitating rat pack crooners. Jeff Bass came up with the line "I never meant to give you mushrooms" for the skit, which in turn inspired Eminem to write "My Fault".[24] Lyrical themes "Rock Bottom" Duration: 37 seconds.0:37 This song talks about Eminem's past troubles with money. This and many other themes are the basis for the album.[25] Problems playing this file? See media help. Many of the songs from The Slim Shady LP are written from the perspective of Eminem's alter ego, Slim Shady, and contain cartoonish depictions of violence, which he refers to as "made-up tales of trailer-park stuff".[26] The rapper explained that this subject matter is intended for entertainment value, likening his music to the horror film genre: "Why can't people see that records can be like movies? The only difference between some of my raps and movies is that they aren't on a screen."[27] Some of the lyrics have also been considered to be misogynistic by critics and commentators.[28] Eminem acknowledged the accusations, and clarified, "I have a fairly salty relationship with women ... But most of the time, when I'm saying shit about women, when I'm saying 'bitches' and 'hoes', it's so ridiculous that I'm taking the stereotypical rapper to the extreme. I don't hate women in general. They just make me mad sometimes.'"[28] Despite the album's explicit nature, Eminem refused to say the word "nigga" on the album, noting, "It's not in my vocabulary."[28] The Slim Shady LP begins with a "Public Service Announcement" introduction performed by producer Jeff Bass of the Bass Brothers, and serves as a sarcastic disclaimer discussing the album's explicit lyrical content.[29] Later in the album, a skit entitled "Paul" features a phone call from Paul Rosenberg to Eminem telling him to "tone down" his lyrics.[30] "Guilty Conscience" is a concept song featuring Dr. Dre. The song focuses on a series of characters who are faced with various situations, while Dr. Dre and Eminem serve as the "angel" and "devil" sides of the characters' conscience, respectively.[17] The song draws inspiration from a scene in the 1978 comedy film National Lampoon's Animal House, in which a man takes advice from an angel and devil on his shoulder while considering raping an unconscious girl at a party.[27] In the film, he ends up deciding not to go through with the rape, but in "Guilty Conscience", the outcome is unclear.[27] On "My Fault", Eminem tells the story of a girl who overdoses on psychedelic mushrooms at a rave.[31] "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" features Eminem convincing his infant daughter to assist him in disposing of his wife's corpse. It is an epilogue to the song "Kim", although "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" was released first. Eminem wrote the song at a time in which he felt that Kim was stopping him from seeing his daughter.[27] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic explained that "There have been more violent songs in rap, but few more disturbing, and it's not because of what it describes, it's how he describes it -- how the perfectly modulated phrasing enhances the horror and black humor of his words."[18] On the song "Brain Damage", Eminem discusses his childhood experiences with bullies at school, particularly recalling a traumatic incident where he sustained a serious concussion after he was severely beaten by a bully.[32] Although many of the lyrics on the album are intended to be humorous, several songs depict Eminem's frustrations with living in poverty. When discussing The Slim Shady LP, Anthony Bozza of Rolling Stone described Eminem as "probably the only MC in 1999 who boasts low self-esteem. His rhymes are jaw-droppingly perverse, bespeaking a minimum-wage life devoid of hope, flushed with rage and weaned on sci-fi and slasher flicks."[4] Eminem was inspired to write "Rock Bottom" after being fired from his cooking job at a restaurant days before his daughter's birthday.[4] The song bemoans human dependency on money, discussing its ability to brainwash an individual.[25] He illustrates his struggles to provide for his daughter, describing himself as "discouraged, hungry, and malnourished."[25] "If I Had" follows a similar theme, as he describes living on minimum wage and remarks that he is "tired of jobs starting off at $5.50 an hour".[33] In the song, he expresses his irritation with fitting the "white trash" stereotype.[34] Critical reception Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [18] Chicago Sun-Times [35] Christgau's Consumer Guide A−[36] Entertainment Weekly C+[37] Los Angeles Times [38] Melody Maker [39] NME [40] Rolling Stone [19] The Rolling Stone Album Guide [41] Spin 8/10[42] The album was met with critical acclaim. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album five stars out of five, praising the rapper's "expansive vocabulary and vivid imagination", adding that "Years later, as the shock has faded, it's those lyrical skills and the subtle mastery of the music that still resonate, and they're what make The Slim Shady LP one of the great debuts in both hip-hop and modern pop music."[18] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly described the album's "unapologetic outrageousness" as a reaction to the "soul positivity" of conscious hip hop, noting that "The Slim Shady LP marks the return of irreverent, wiseass attitude to the genre, heard throughout the album in its nonstop barrage of crudely funny rhymes ... Even pop fans deadened to graphic lyrics are likely to flinch."[37] Soren Baker of the Los Angeles Times gave the album three and a half stars out of four and stated that "He isn't afraid to say anything; his lyrics are so clever that he makes murder sound as if it's a funny act he may indulge in simply to pass the time" but lamented the "sometimes flat production that takes away from the power of Eminem's verbal mayhem."[38] Many reviewers commented on the album's lyrical content. Gilbert Rodman of Popular Communications states, "Eminem's music contains more than its fair share of misogynistic and homophobic lyrics, but simply to reduce it to these (as many critics do) doesn't help to explain Eminem. It merely invokes a platitude or a sound bite to explain him away."[43] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone enjoyed the record's comedic nature, writing "Simply put: Eminem will crack you up", but also felt that the misogynistic lyrics grow tiresome, noting that "the wife-killing jokes of '97 Bonnie and Clyde' aren't any funnier than Garth Brooks', and 'My Fault' belongs on some sorry-ass Bloodhound Gang record."[19] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club felt that although the album is "sophomoric and uninspired" at times, Eminem's "surreal, ultraviolent, trailer-trash/post-gangsta-rap extremism is at least a breath of fresh air in a rap world that's despairingly low on new ideas."[44] Mike Rubin of Spin noted that "his scenarios are so far-fetched the songs almost never sound as ugly as they actually are."[42] Chris Dafoe of The Globe and Mail opined that "Abused by fellow students and teachers, cheated on by his girlfriend, despised by society, Shady goes over the top now and then - or rather way over the top - but Dre's lean production, full of strange voice and comic interjections, hold things together."[45] Reviewing for The Village Voice in 1999, Robert Christgau called the record a "platinum-bound cause celebre" and, despite succumbing to "dull sensationalism" toward the end, Eminem shows "more comic genius than any pop musician since", possibly, Loudon Wainwright III."[46] Accolades See also: List of awards and nominations received by Eminem At the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000, the album won Best Rap Album, while "My Name Is" won Best Rap Solo Performance.[47] Rolling Stone ranked The Slim Shady LP number 275 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and 33 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the '90s".[48][49] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked The Slim Shady LP as the 352nd greatest album of all time on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. NME ranked it number 248 in its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[50] Blender ranked it number 49 in its list of The 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time.[51] "Ken Kaniff" was listed as number 15 on Complex's "50 Greatest Hip-Hop Skits" list, while the "Public Service Announcement" introduction to the album, along with the "Public Service Announcement 2000" introduction from The Marshall Mathers LP, was listed as number 50 on the list.[29][52] Spin later included it in their list of "The 300 Best Albums of 1985–2014".[53] It also won Outstanding National Album at the 2000 Detroit Music Awards.[54] In 2015, it was ranked at number 76 by About.com in their list of "100 best hip-hop albums of all time".[55] Christgau later named it among his 10 best albums from the 1990s.[56] In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked The Slim Shady LP number 85 in their list of "The 200 Greatest Rap Albums of all time".[57] Commercial performance In the album's first week of release, The Slim Shady LP sold 283,000 copies, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 chart behind TLC's FanMail.[58] The record remained on the Billboard 200 for 100 weeks.[59] It also reached number one on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, staying on the chart for 92 weeks.[59] On April 5, 1999, The Slim Shady LP was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.[60] On November 15, 2000, the album was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.[60] "My Name Is", the album's lead single, peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for ten weeks.[61] The single additionally peaked at number 18 on the magazine's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, 29 on the Pop Songs chart, and 37 on the Alternative Songs chart.[61] "Guilty Conscience" reached number 56 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while "Just Don't Give a Fuck" peaked at number 62 on the chart.[62][63] By November 2013, the album sold 5,437,000 copies in the United States.[64] on the weekly Canadian Albums Chart and remained on the chart for twelve weeks.[59] Additionally, the album was certified triple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association for shipments of over 200,000 units.[65] The album was also certified double platinum in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number ten on the UK Albums chart and remained on the chart for a total of 114 weeks.[66][67] In Australia, the album peaked at number 49 on the ARIA Chart, and was eventually certified platinum in the country.[68][69] The album had also peaked at the number 20 and 23 chart positions in the Netherlands and New Zealand, respectively. It was certified gold in the Netherlands and platinum in New Zealand.[70][71][72] Aftermath The album's success transformed Eminem (pictured in a concert in Munich, Germany in October 1999) into an international celebrity. After the success of The Slim Shady LP, Eminem went from an underground rapper into a high-profile celebrity. Interscope Records awarded him with his own record label, Shady Records; the first artist Eminem signed was rapper and his best friend Proof.[73] Eminem, who had previously struggled to provide for his daughter, noted a drastic change in his lifestyle: "This last Christmas, there were so many fucking presents under the tree ... My daughter wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But she's got one now. I can't stop myself from spoiling her."[73] "Anybody who believes kids are naive enough to take this record literally is right to fear them, because that's the kind of adult teenagers hate. [This cause célèbre dares] moralizers to go on the attack while explicitly—but not (fuck you, dickwad) unambiguously—declaring itself a satiric, cautionary fiction". — Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s (2000)[36] To promote The Slim Shady LP, Eminem embarked on an extensive tour schedule. He joined the Vans Warped Tour as a last-minute replacement for Cypress Hill, a schedule that included 31 North American dates from June 25 to July 31, beginning in San Antonio and ending in Miami.[74] He often played a show in the afternoon on the Warped Tour, and then drove to another location to perform at a hip hop club at night.[73] During a performance in Hartford, Connecticut near the end of the Warped Tour, Eminem slipped on a puddle of liquid and fell ten feet down off the stage, cracking several ribs.[74][75] He recalled that the stress of his newfound fame led him to drink excessively, and reflected, "I knew I had to slow it down. The fall was like a reminder."[75] However, after receiving medical attention, he was well enough to travel to New York the following day for a performance on Total Request Live.[74] Eminem also became a highly controversial figure due to his lyrical content. He was labeled as "misogynist, a nihilist and an advocate of domestic violence", and in an editorial by Billboard editor in chief Timothy White, the writer accused Eminem of "making money by exploiting the world's misery."[4] During a radio interview in San Francisco, Eminem reportedly angered local DJ Sista Tamu due to a freestyle about "slapping a pregnant bitch" to the extent that on air she broke a copy of The Slim Shady LP.[75] The rapper defended himself by saying, "My album isn't for younger kids to hear. It has an advisory sticker, and you must be eighteen to get it. That doesn't mean younger kids won't get it, but I'm not responsible for every kid out there. I'm not a role model, and I don't claim to be."[4] Lawsuits On September 17, 1999, Eminem's mother, Deborah Nelson, filed a $10 million lawsuit against him for slander based on his claim that she uses drugs in the line "I just found out my mom does more dope than I do" from "My Name Is".[76][77] After a two-year-long trial, she was awarded $25,000, of which she received $1,600 after legal fees.[76] Eminem was not surprised that his mother had filed the lawsuit against him, referring to her as a "lawsuit queen", and alleging that "That's how she makes money. When I was five, she had a job on the cash register at a store that sold chips and soda. Other than that, I don't remember her working a day in her life."[77] She later filed another lawsuit against him for emotional damages suffered during the first trial, which was later dismissed.[76] In December 2001, DeAngelo Bailey, a janitor living in Roseville, Michigan who was made the subject of the song "Brain Damage" in which he is portrayed as a school bully, filed a $1 million lawsuit against Eminem for slander and invasion of privacy.[32] Bailey's attorney stated "Eminem is a Caucasian male who faced criticism within the music industry that he had not suffered through difficult circumstances growing up and he was therefore a 'pretender' in the industry ... Eminem used Bailey, his African-American childhood schoolmate, as a pawn in his effort to stem the tide of criticism."[32] In 1982, Eminem's mother unsuccessfully sued the Roseville school district for not protecting her son, as she claimed that attacks from bullies caused him headaches, nausea, and antisocial behavior.[32] Additionally, Bailey had previously admitted to bullying Eminem in the April 1999 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine.[4] The lawsuit was dismissed by judge Deborah Servitto in 2003, who wrote her ruling in the form of rap-like rhyme. She ruled that the lyrics—which include the school principal collaborating with Bailey, and Eminem's entire brain falling out of his head—were too exaggerated for a listener to believe that they were recalling an actual event.[78] The verdict was upheld in 2005, and Bailey's lawyer ruled out any further appeals.[78] In September 2003, 70-year-old widow Harlene Stein filed suit against Eminem and Dr. Dre on the grounds that "Guilty Conscience" contains an unauthorized sample of "Go Home Pigs" composed for the film Getting Straight by her husband, Ronald Stein, who died in 1988.[79] Although the album's liner notes state that the song contains an interpolation of "Go Home Pigs", Stein is not credited as a composer and his wife was not paid royalties for use of the song.[79] The lawsuit requested for 5 percent of the retail list price of 90 percent all of the copies of the record sold in America, and 2.5 percent of the retail price of 90 percent of the copies of the album sold internationally.[79] The suit was dismissed in June 2004 for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.[80] Track listing All tracks are written by Marshall "Eminem" Mathers and the Bass Brothers (Mark Bass and Jeff Bass), except where noted No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 1. "Public Service Announcement" 0:33 2. "My Name Is" MathersAndre Young Dr. Dre 4:28 3. "Guilty Conscience" (featuring Dr. Dre) MathersYoung Dr. DreEminem 3:19 4. "Brain Damage" Bass BrothersEminem[a] 3:46 5. "Paul" (skit) 0:15 6. "If I Had" Bass BrothersEminem[a]DJ Rec[b] 4:05 7. "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" Bass BrothersEminem[a]DJ Head[b] 5:16 8. "Bitch" (skit) 0:19 9. "Role Model" MathersYoungMelvin Bradford Dr. DreMel-Man 3:25 10. "Lounge" (skit) 0:46 11. "My Fault" Bass BrothersEminem 4:01 12. "Ken Kaniff" (skit) 1:16 13. "Cum on Everybody" (featuring Dina Rae) Bass BrothersEminem[a] 3:39 14. "Rock Bottom" Bass Brothers 3:34 15. "Just Don't Give a Fuck" Bass BrothersEminem[a]Denaun Porter[b] 4:02 16. "Soap" (skit) 0:34 17. "As the World Turns" Bass BrothersEminem[a]Justin Trugman[b] 4:25 18. "I'm Shady" Bass BrothersEminem[a] 3:31 19. "Bad Meets Evil" (featuring Royce da 5'9") MathersRyan MontgomeryJeff BassMark Bass Bass BrothersEminem[a] 4:13 20. "Still Don't Give a Fuck" Bass BrothersEminem[a] 4:12 Total length: 59:39

The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records due to pirating and bootlegging of it. The album saw Eminem take a substantially more predominant production role; most of it was self-produced, with his longtime collaborator Jeff Bass. It features guest appearances from Obie Trice, D12, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Dina Rae and Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade Scott-Mathers. The album incorporates a heavier use of rap rock than Eminem's previous albums, and its themes are predominantly based on Eminem's prominence in hip hop culture, as well as his ambivalent thoughts of fame. The album also features political commentary on the United States, including references to 9/11, Osama bin Laden, the War on terror, President George W. Bush, Lynne Cheney and Tipper Gore. Due to its less satirical and shock factor lyrical approach, The Eminem Show was regarded as Eminem's most personal album at the time and a step back from the Slim Shady alter ego. Widely considered the most anticipated album of 2002, The Eminem Show debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and stood there for six non-consecutive weeks. It sold over 1.3 million copies in its second week in the US, where it registered a full week of sales. It also topped the UK Albums Chart for five consecutive weeks. It produced four commercially successful singles, "Without Me", "Cleanin' Out My Closet", "Superman", and "Sing for the Moment", and it features one of his most popular songs, "'Till I Collapse". The album was met with positive critical reviews, with praise directed at Eminem's mature, introspective lyricism and the album's experimental production. The Eminem Show was both the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States and the best-selling album worldwide of 2002, along with being the best-selling hip hop album in music history, and Eminem's most commercially successful album to date. The album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and its worldwide sales of 27 million copies make it one of the best-selling albums of all time and the second best-selling album of the 21st century. At the 2003 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album, while "Without Me" won Best Music Video. Blender, Muzik and LAUNCH named it the best album of 2002, and several publications named it among the best albums of the decade. Background Speaking to Spin, Eminem said, "Eventually, I might need some drama in my life to inspire me [...] With The Marshall Mathers LP, everything that everybody was saying–I took that, and it was my ammo. And then when shit died down a little bit, I had other turmoil in my personal life, so that was what I was able to dump out on The Eminem Show. Now, I just gotta wait for the next phase of my life. But something always seems to happen, man; something's always gotta be fucking turbulent."[2] Eminem cited that the inspiration for the album was taken from the Peter Weir-directed 1998 science fiction comedy-drama film The Truman Show. Jim Carrey starred in the film as the lead character Truman Burbank, a man who unwittingly lives inside a TV show, where his life is broadcast to viewers around the world.[2] Eminem spoke on the film's influence, saying, "My life felt like it was becoming a circus around that time, and I felt like I was always being watched [...] Basically, Jim Carrey wrote my album."[2] Recording Speaking with Rolling Stone in 2002, Eminem said ""Sing for the Moment" was the first song I wrote for the album; "Cleanin Out My Closet" was the second. I had the line in "Cleanin Out My Closet" — "I'd like to welcome y'all out to The Eminem Show"—and it was just a line, but I sat back and I was like, "My life is really like a fucking show." I have songs on the album that I wrote when I was in that shit last year, with a possible jail sentence hangin' over my head and all the emotions going through the divorce. I went through a lot of shit last year [lawsuits, divorce and the threat of jail time] that I resolved at the same time, all in the same year. And, yeah, that's when half of the album was wrote".[3] Eminem had started recording the album around the same time he was filming 8 Mile. Production was used for both the soundtrack of the film and his album. The album also saw Eminem take a substantially more predominant production role; most of it was self-produced, with his longtime collaborator Jeff Bass co-producing several tracks (mainly the songs which eventually became the released singles). Dr. Dre, in addition to being the album's executive producer, produced only three individual tracks: "Business", "Say What You Say", and "My Dad's Gone Crazy". Regarding his increase in producing, Eminem told Rolling Stone, "I actually know how to program a drum machine now. It used to be so simple—just writing lyrics and raps, laying vocals and leaving the studio was great. But now that I'm so into producing, it's a fucking job."[3] Music and lyrics Stylistically, The Eminem Show has a lighter tone than The Marshall Mathers LP[4] and incorporates a heavier use of rap rock than Eminem's previous albums,[5] featuring mixed guitar-driven melodies with hip-hop rhythms. In an interview with British magazine The Face in April 2002, Eminem said that he treated the album like it was a rock record. He continued that he "tried to get the best of both worlds" on the album.[6] Eminem spoke on specific rock influences, saying, "I listened to a lot of '70s rock growing up, when I was real little. When I go back and listen to them songs, like Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix...'70s rock had this incredible feel to it."[7] Notably, "Sing For The Moment" contains a sample of Aerosmith's "Dream On" as well as a reinterpretation of its guitar solo. Another rock sample on the album is the kick-clap beat of "'Till I Collapse", which is an interpolation of the intro from Queen's "We Will Rock You".[8] The themes of The Eminem Show are predominantly based on Eminem's prominence in hip hop culture and the subsequent envy towards him, as well as his thoughts on his unexpected enormous success and its consequential negative effects on his life.[4] The album also touches on Eminem's thoughts on themes surrounding American politics, including references to 9/11,[9] Osama bin Laden,[9] the war on terror[10] President George W. Bush,[11] Lynne Cheney[12] and Tipper Gore.[12] Speaking on his use of political commentary on the album, Eminem told Rolling Stone, "You put your shit out there for the world to see and to judge, and whoever agrees with you agrees with you. Even my most die-hard fans don't agree with everything I say. These are my views, this is how I see it. You may have your own opinion, but you may not get to project it to the world like I do."[3] Writing for Spin, rock critic Alan Light said that the album may have proved that Eminem is the most "dexterous, vivid writer in pop music".[13] The album also sees Eminem dissing several artists, including Mariah Carey, Moby, Canibus and Limp Bizkit, while Dr. Dre disses Jermaine Dupri on the song "Say What You Say".[12] Lyrically, the album displays a dramatic shift from the misogynistic and homophobic lyrics presented on The Marshall Mathers LP.[14] Eminem told Spin, "One of the frustrating things was people saying, 'He's got to cuss to sell records,' [...] That's why with this album, I toned it down a bit as far as shock value. I wanted to show that I'm a solid artist, and I'm here to stay."[15] Due to its less satirical and shock factor lyrical approach, The Eminem Show was regarded as a departure from Eminem's previous albums[4] with it being more personal and reflective and a step back of the Slim Shady alter ego.[16] Eminem said during an interview with MTV that he felt that The Eminem Show was his "best record so far".[17] In 2006, Q said that Eminem's first two albums "aired dirty laundry, then the world's most celebrated rapper [Eminem] examined life in the hall of mirrors he'd built for himself."[4] With the release of The Eminem Show, Eminem was considered to be more socially acceptable: there were no protests over his lyrics, boycotts, and talk shows discussing his impact on America's youth. A columnist of The New York Observer wrote that Eminem had become a "guilty pleasure" for baby boomers, describing him as "the most compelling figure to have emerged from popular music since the holy trinity of [Bob] Dylan, [John] Lennon, and [Mick] Jagger."[13] Censored version The "clean version" of The Eminem Show censors many more profanities and derogatory words than in clean versions of Eminem's previous albums, in which the words "goddamn", "prick", "bastard", "piss", "bitch", "ass", and "shit" were allowed.[18] This album allowed no profanities, and the profanities were either muted, obscured by sound effects, or back-masked.[18] In addition to this, entire sentences were sometimes removed from the censored version for being very sexually charged.[18] The entire song "Drips" was removed in early clean versions and is heard only as four seconds of silence moving on to the next track, "Without Me". Later on, digital releases of the clean version removed "Drips" completely, moving the next 11 songs up on the tracklist. Some copies of the clean version, however, feature an edited version of "Drips".[18] There are some inconsistencies in the clean version's censorship. In the skit "The Kiss", Eminem's shouting of the word "motherfucker!" is still audible in the censored version.[18] In the track, "Soldier", which is a continuation of "The Kiss", the word "bitch" was used three times, and can be clearly heard once.[18] "Hailie's Song" contains the back masked phrase "want her" which can be easily mistaken as "abort her" on both the explicit and clean versions.[18] Also, in "White America", the word "flag" is back masked when he raps, "To burn the flag and replace it with a parental advisory sticker".[18] Critical reception Professional ratings Aggregate scores Source Rating Metacritic 75/100[19] Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [20] Christgau's Consumer Guide A−[21] Entertainment Weekly B+[22] Houston Chronicle 4/5[23] NME 9/10[24] Pitchfork 9.1/10[25] Q [26] Rolling Stone [27] The Rolling Stone Album Guide [28] USA Today [29] The Eminem Show was met with critical acclaim.[19] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 20 reviews.[30] Alex Needham of NME hailed The Eminem Show as a "fantastic third album" that "is bigger, bolder and far more consistent than its predecessors".[24] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly felt the album's more personal lyrics "succeed in fleshing out Eminem's complexities and contradictions", nonetheless concluding that "[l]ike its predecessors, though, The Eminem Show is a testament to the skills of its star. The sludgy rapping of such guests as D12 only confirms Eminem's dizzying prowess, gob-spewing individuality, and wickedly prankish humor."[22] Writing for Rolling Stone, Kris Ex argued that Eminem "may have made the best rap rock album in history."[31] Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani wrote that he "peels back some of the bullshit façade and reveals a little bit of the real Marshall Mathers" on an album that "displays a—dare I say it?—more 'mature' Eminem."[32] In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the album "proves Eminem is the gold standard in pop music in 2002, delivering stylish, catchy, dense, funny, political music that rarely panders".[20] Critic Robert Christgau wrote: "I think it represents an articulate, coherent, formally appropriate response to Eminem's changing position and role, one that acknowledges the privileges and alienations that accrue to all fame as well as the resolution of Marshall Mathers's worst traumas and the specifics of his success."[21] Edna Gundersen of USA Today wrote that Eminem is "as good as he gets but in the end inflicts more damage on himself, hoisting The Eminem Show to a level of self-absorption rivaled only by Woody Allen", and despite the presence of some mediocre tracks, he "displays an admirable dexterity in blending invective and invention, even though his approach is more reactionary than revolutionary."[29] Uncut wrote, "Behind the hype and the swagger, he's still baring enough of his soul for The Eminem Show to be compelling theatre."[33] Q was more mixed in its assessment, stating that as "Eminem outgrows his old alter-id, so the obligatory pantomime villainy, skits and crass cameos by Shady Records signings become a hindrance."[26] Marc L. Hill of PopMatters felt that the album lacked the shock factor of his previous albums and described it as "a disappointing combination of promising musical experimentation and uninspired lyrics."[34] Blender,[citation needed] Muzik[citation needed] and LAUNCH[citation needed] named The Eminem Show the best album of 2002. The album became Eminem's third to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, while "Without Me" won Eminem his first Best Music Video award.[35] The album swept the MTV Music Video Awards, winning four awards for Best Male Video, Video of the Year, Best Direction, and Best Rap Video. The album also won Best Album at the 2002 MTV Europe Music Awards,[36] both Album of the Year and Top R&B/Hip Hop Album at the 2002 Billboard Music Awards,[37] both Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album at the 2003 American Music Awards, Best International Album at the 2003 Brit Awards, and International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2003.[38] Reappraisal The Eminem Show received critical praise by most music critics and is often debated as Eminem's most personal and best work. The album cemented Eminem's "three-peat" of classic hip hop albums, following the critical appraisal of The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP.[39] In 2003, the album was ranked number 317 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and was later ranked at number 84 on the same magazine's Best Albums of the 2000s Decade.[40] In 2007, it was ranked number 63 by The National Association of Recording Merchandisers, in conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in their list of the Definite 200 Albums of All Time.[41] In 2012, Complex magazine deemed it a "classic" album that "cemented Eminem's place as one of the most important figures in rap history",[42] and has included it on their list of 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade, placing it at number 5,[43] Following the 15th anniversary of the album, the Grammy Awards also described The Eminem Show as a "classic album".[44] Popdose ranked the album at 79 on its Best Albums of the Decade list.[45] In 2015, The Eminem Show was ranked number 56 on the Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums.[46] Commercial performance The Eminem Show was originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002; however, pirated and bootlegged copies appeared online via peer-to-peer networks and began surfacing on the streets. It was provided by Rabid Neurosis (RNS), an MP3 warez release organisation who pirated the album twenty-five days prior to release.[47] Radio show Opie and Anthony broadcast the entire album on May 17, 2002.[48] Interscope decided to release the album earlier than planned, on May 28 to prevent bootlegging. However, many stores in the United States began selling it even earlier than the new release date on Sunday, May 26, and some put the album out as early as Friday.[49] Promotional posters in stores read, "America Couldn't Wait". Due to the premature release by many retailers on a Sunday, the album had only one day of official sales for the chart week and was unavailable in Walmart stores during that period.[49][50] The Eminem Show was Eminem's first album to include lyrics to all its songs inside the CD booklet.[51] Additionally, the first 2,000,000 copies of the album shipped in the United States included a bonus DVD with an exclusive interview and live footage.[50] A week before the album's release, it was the second-most played CD on computers, the highest ranking ever for an unreleased title.[52] It was considered the most anticipated album of 2002.[52] Despite the confusion over the exact release date, the album still managed to have a very successful debut on the charts. The Eminem Show debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling approximately 284,000 copies in its first day,[49] marking the first time an album had topped the chart from only a day's sale.[44] It sold 1,322,000 copies in the following week, its first full week of sales,[53][54] then sold 809,000 copies in its third week and 529,562 copies in its fourth week to bring its four-week sales total to just under 3 million copies.[55][56] The album sold 381,000 copies in its fifth week and topped the Billboard 200 for a fifth and final consecutive week.[57][58][59] On March 7, 2011, the album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping 10 million copies,[60] making it Eminem's second album to receive a Diamond certification in the United States. It has also achieved Diamond certification in Canada[61] and Double Diamond in Australia.[62] The Eminem Show has sold 27 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time and Eminem's best-selling album.[63] It reached number one in 18 other countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The album also spent five consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart.[64] Expanded edition On May 24, 2022, Eminem announced the release of the expanded edition of the album on his social media to celebrate its 20th anniversary.[65] On May 26, 2022, Eminem released the new expanded edition, which contains instrumentals of selected tracks, freestyles and live versions of songs from previous albums performed with his longtime friend and collaborator Proof at Tramps, New York and Fuji Rock Festival, Japan. It also features four new tracks which were recorded during the initial recording sessions but not included in the original version of the album; "Stimulate", which was kept off the album due to time constraints and instead appeared on the bonus disc of the 8 Mile soundtrack album, "Bump Heads" and "The Conspiracy Freestyle" (which had appeared on other Shady Records releases), and an unreleased song, "Jimmy, Brian, and Mike", which had a verse and chorus re-recorded by Eminem especially for the expanded edition. Physical versions of the expanded edition will be available later this year, including a 4xLP vinyl set, CD, and cassette.[66] Along with Curtain Call 2, it was nominated for an Outstanding Anthology/Compilation/Reissue at the 2023 Detroit Music Awards. Track listing No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 1. "Curtains Up (Skit)" Marshall Mathers Eminem 0:30 2. "White America" MathersJeff BassLuis RestoSteve KingKevin Bell EminemJeff BassLuis Resto[a] 5:24 3. "Business" MathersAndre YoungTheron FeemsterMike Elizondo Dr. Dre 4:11 4. "Cleanin' Out My Closet" MathersBass EminemBass 4:57 5. "Square Dance" MathersBassResto EminemBass[a] 5:23 6. "The Kiss (Skit)" MathersBass Eminem 1:15 7. "Soldier" MathersRestoKingBellBassElizondo Eminem 3:46 8. "Say Goodbye Hollywood" MathersElizondoResto Eminem 4:32 9. "Drips" (featuring Obie Trice) MathersObie TriceDenaun PorterBass EminemBass 4:45 10. "Without Me" MathersBassMalcolm McLarenAnne DudleyTrevor HornBellUrban KrisShawn Baumgardner EminemBass[a]DJ Head[b] 4:50 11. "Paul Rosenberg (Skit)" Paul Rosenberg EminemDr. Dre 0:22 12. "Sing for the Moment" MathersBassRestoKingSteven Tyler EminemBass[a] 5:39 13. "Superman" (featuring Dina Rae) MathersBassKing EminemBass[b] 5:50 14. "Hailie's Song" MathersResto Eminem 5:20 15. "Steve Berman (Skit)" MathersSteve Berman Dr. Dre 0:33 16. "When the Music Stops" (featuring D12) MathersOndre MooreDenaun PorterVon CarlisleDeShaun HoltonRufus JohnsonFeemster EminemMr. Porter[a] 4:29 17. "Say What You Say" (featuring Dr. Dre) MathersFeemsterElizondo Dr. Dre 5:09 18. "'Till I Collapse" (featuring Nate Dogg) MathersNathaniel HaleRestoBrian May Eminem 4:57 19. "My Dad's Gone Crazy" (featuring Hailie Jade) MathersYoungFeemsterElizondo Dr. Dre 4:27 20. "Curtains Close (Skit)" Mathers Eminem 1:01 Total length: 77:19

Encore is the fifth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on November 12, 2004, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. As reflected in the album's title and cover art, the album was set to be Eminem's final studio album.[2] The album contains several lyrical themes, most notably Eminem's opposition to then-US president George W. Bush and parodies of Michael Jackson, and features more comedic themes and lyrics than his previous albums.[3] Critical reception of Encore was less favorable than Eminem's previous albums, with most of the second half being heavily criticized for its lackluster quality and lack of lyrical content, though "Mockingbird" and "Like Toy Soldiers" were particularly highly praised and retrospectively have been noted as being some of Eminem's best songs. The album has sold 11 million copies worldwide and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 17, 2004. Artwork and packaging The album featured two covers, the first cover features Eminem standing in front of an audience, bowing to the crowd. The tray insert features Eminem holding a gun behind his back. The inlay shows Eminem holding the pistol in his mouth without the jacket of his shirt and tie. The CD itself shows a note written by Eminem saying "To my family & all my friends, thank you for everything, I will always love you. To my fans, I'm Sorry, Marshall" with a bullet underneath the note. The note is also seen in the album's booklet, where Eminem is writing the note. Some pictures show Eminem shooting everybody, which refers to the ending of the album's title track. The second cover, used for the Collector's Edition, features the same audience from the inlay on a black background with a blood splat on the top right. Critical reception Professional ratings Aggregate scores Source Rating Metacritic 64/100[5] Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [4] Blender [6] Entertainment Weekly C−[7] The Guardian [8] NME 7/10[9] Pitchfork Media 6.5/10[10] Rolling Stone [11] Slant Magazine [12] Spin B[13] The Village Voice A[14] Encore received generally positive reviews from critics, but received more of a negative response compared to his past three albums.[15] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 64, based on 26 reviews.[5] Josh Love from Stylus Magazine felt Eminem was "dying" with this album, whose concept was "end-to-end mea culpa", full of "clarifications, rectifications and excuses", revising the history of "a man who knows he doesn't have much time left".[16] Scott Plangenhoef, writing for Pitchfork Media called Encore a "transitional record" and "the sound of a man who seems bored of re-branding and playing celebrity games".[10] BBC Music's Adam Webb believed it starts "fantastically" but ends "abominably", writing that it has too many "low points".[17] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly said Eminem "sacrifices the rich, multi-textured productions" of his two previous albums for "thug-life monotony, cultural zingers for petty music-biz score-settling, and probing self-analysis for juvenile humor". He concluded his review by saying that Eminem has become "predictable" on Encore, something that he wasn't before.[7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine was more enthusiastic in his review for AllMusic, calling the music "spartan", built on "simple unadorned beats and keyboard loops", and the lyrics "plain-spoken and literal".[4] Robert Christgau said Eminem still sounded "funny, catchy and clever, and irreverent past his allotted time", noting that even the bonus tracks "keep on pushing".[14] In Rolling Stone, he wrote that Encore was not as "astonishing" as The Marshall Mathers LP, but praised Eminem for maturing his lyrical abilities while retaining his sense of humor.[11] Steve Jones from USA Today also spoke positively about the album, calling Eminem's producing and lyrical skills as "top-flight" and noting that the record explores "the many sides of Marshall Mathers".[18] The album earned Eminem Grammy Award nominations in three categories at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the song "Encore", and Best Rap Solo Performance for the song "Mockingbird". Encore provoked some controversy over anti-Bush lyrics and lyrics that parodied and targeted Michael Jackson, who was upset about Eminem's depiction of him in the video for "Just Lose It".[19] On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service admitted it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States, George Bush,[20] after the song "We as Americans", as an unreleased bootleg, circulated with the lyrics "Fuck money, I don't rap for dead presidents. I'd rather see the president dead." This line was eventually used as a sample in Immortal Technique's single "Bin Laden", which featured Mos Def and Chuck D. The incident was later referenced in the video for his song "Mosh" as one of several news clips on a wall, along with other newspaper articles about other unfortunate incidents in Bush's career. The song eventually appeared on the album's bonus disc, with the word "dead" being reversed. Eminem's thoughts on the album In retrospect, Eminem said on numerous occasions that he considers Encore to be one of his worst albums. About the album's reception, Eminem said: "I'm cool with probably half that album. I recorded that towards the height of my addiction. I remember four songs leaked and I had to go to L.A. and get Dre and record new ones. I was in a room by myself writing songs in 25, and 30 minutes because we had to get it done, and what came out was so goofy. That's how I ended up making songs like 'Rain Man' and 'Big Weenie'. They're pretty out there. If those other songs hadn't leaked, Encore would've been a different album."[21] In the Kamikaze interview he did with Sway Calloway, although he stated that "Encore... [is] not what I would consider one of my better albums", in the same interview, he considered it better than its follow-up Relapse.[22] He reiterates his statement about Encore in 2022 for the XXL's 25th anniversary issue and singled out the album as his first «misstep»: "It became a misstep and I struggled to get over the fact that I didn't do my best. My best would've been good enough if the leaks hadn't happened. But I released what I had at that point in time, and I feel that put a kind of a mark on my catalog. Encore did some decent numbers, but I was never that concerned with numbers. I was more so worried about what people think about the album. Critics and fans were important to me, and they were always at me about that project."[23][24] Commercial performance Encore was pushed up to a midweek release to countermeasure leaks; it sold 710,000 copies.[25] The following week, the album's first with a full seven days, it moved 871,000 copies, bringing the 10 day total to 1,582,000.[26] It was certified quadruple-platinum that mid-December.[27] Nine months after its release, worldwide sales of the album stood at 11 million copies.[28] The album made digital history in becoming the first album to sell 10,000 digital copies in one week.[29] As of November 2013, the album had sold 5,343,000 copies in the US.[30] Encore sold 125,000 copies in two days in the United Kingdom,[31] and has been certified quadruple-platinum. Track listing No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 1. "Curtains Up" (skit) 0:47 2. "Evil Deeds" Marshall MathersAndre YoungMike ElizondoMark BatsonChris Pope Dr. Dre 4:20 3. "Never Enough" (featuring 50 Cent and Nate Dogg) MathersYoungElizondoCurtis JacksonNathaniel Hale Dr. DreElizondo 2:40 4. "Yellow Brick Road" MathersLuis RestoSteve King EminemResto[a] 5:46 5. "Like Toy Soldiers" MathersRestoMarta MarreroMichael Jay Margules EminemResto[a] 4:57 6. "Mosh" MathersYoungElizondoMark BatsonPope Dr. DreBatson 5:18 7. "Puke" MathersRestoKingBrian May EminemResto[a] 4:08 8. "My 1st Single" MathersResto EminemResto[a] 5:03 9. "Paul" (skit) 0:32 10. "Rain Man" MathersYoungElizondoBatsonPope Dr. Dre 5:14 11. "Big Weenie" MathersYoungElizondoBatsonPope Dr. Dre 4:27 12. "Em Calls Paul" (skit) 1:12 13. "Just Lose It" MathersYoungElizondoBatsonPope Dr. DreElizondo 4:09 14. "Ass Like That" MathersYoungElizondoBatsonPope Dr. DreElizondo 4:26 15. "Spend Some Time" (featuring Obie Trice, Stat Quo and 50 Cent) MathersRestoObie TriceStanley BentonCurtis JacksonKingGary Wright EminemResto[a] 5:11 16. "Mockingbird" MathersResto EminemResto[a] 4:11 17. "Crazy in Love" MathersRestoAnn WilsonNancy WilsonRoger Fisher EminemResto[a] 4:02 18. "One Shot 2 Shot" (featuring D12) MathersRestoOndre MooreVon CarlisleDenaun PorterRufus Johnson EminemResto[a] 4:26 19. "Final Thought" (skit) 0:30 20. "Encore / Curtains Down" (featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent) MathersYoungElizondoBatsonPopeJackson Dr. DreBatson 5:48 Total length: 76:53 Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc[32] No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 21. "We as Americans" MathersResto EminemResto 4:36 22. "Love You More" MathersResto EminemResto 4:42 23. "Ricky Ticky Toc" MathersRestoKing EminemResto 2:49 Total length: 89:00 Notes ^[a] signifies an additional producer. "Love You More" and the original version of "We As Americans" were leaked in 2003. Dr. Dre has cameo appearances in "Rain Man", "Just Lose It", and "Ass Like That". Fatt Father has a cameo appearance on "One Shot 2 Shot". Like Toy Soldiers contains a sample of Martika from her 1989 song "Toy Soldiers". Crazy In Love contains a sample of Ann Wilson from Heart's 1976 song "Crazy on You". "Curtains Down" is a skit at the end of "Encore", in which Eminem shoots everyone at his concert and then shoots himself, followed by a robotic voice saying "See you in hell, fuckers". Some of the pictures in the booklet make reference to this. The robotic voice heard on "Em Calls Paul" and in the "Curtains Down" skit is Eminem speaking with an electrolarynx. Personnel Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[33] Mike Elizondo – keyboards (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 20); guitar (tracks 6, 11, 13 and 20); sitar (track 14) Steve King – guitar (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 15, 17 and 18); bass (tracks: 4, 5, 7 and 17); mandolin (track 4); keyboards (track 11) Luis Resto – keyboards (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20) Mark Batson – keyboards on (tracks: 2, 6, 10, 11, 13 and 20); bass on (track 14) Che Vicious – programming (track 20)