Eminem created his (arguably) finest moment with this album, which was seen as an instant classic within the Rap scene. Sure, Eminem made more of a name for himself later on, by seemingly commercializing his music style and also seemingly “selling out”. However, back in 2000, Eminem was just getting started. With this album co-produced by Dr. Dre and becoming notoriously famous for offending just about everyone on the planet, this is a good time to observe this album by listening to it. Let’s do just that. Marshall Mathers, by the way, is Eminem’s real name.

Public Service Announcement 2000 begins the album with a short and humourous skit that has a voiceover and Eminem muttering in the background about how he really feels about his listeners. It concludes hilariously, nice start to the album.

Kill You is an interesting Rap piece that is somewhat autobiographical in its approach. It is a profane, loud and direct piece that showed that Rap music had some definite promise in the 21st century. It is also, daresay it, hilarious. A really cool and interesting piece of music with great hooks and riffs, this is a great piece of music that sounds very direct. It has Eminem threatening to kill the listener and just sounds really hardcore in terms of lyricism. An enjoyable and wonderful piece of music that deserves to be heard over and over to get every single lyric and moment into one’s memory. Very out there and straight to the point, Eminem basically lays out his life’s agenda. If you like brutal hilariousness, this is right up your alley. Intense and deliberate, Eminem does excellently here. A great start to this album, and the main vocal refrain is worth chanting. Gold.

Stan begins with a sample of a Dido song which was actually recorded, and is a nice musical piece, along with the sound of rain and thunder. It adds a little variety to this brutally honest album. Eminem then does launch into a piece of music with spoken words about a maniacally obsessed fan who writes letters to Eminem. A really interesting and warped piece of music, which is nicely matched with the Dido song played throughout. The letters become more and more desperate and vicious in their wordings. This music isn’t for those who need an easy-listening sort of piece at all. It’s intended to shock and is a really psychologically disturbed sort of piece of music. The climax in this song is pretty straight-up disturbing, and it just sounds mentally messed up. Enjoyable to some extent, but only if you really like being shocked. In any case, an unusual piece that still can freak one out to this day. Eminem eventually puts a response to the mental fan, a bit too late. Nonetheless, a good piece of theatrical music but only for those who wish to hear it.

Paul – Skit is a short and brief skit that is actually quite funny. It’s 10 seconds long but needs to be heard here.

Who Knew begins with some excellent beats and hooks, launching into another confrontational piece of music that is likely to offend many. It’s a shorter piece about more carnage and brutally honest mayhem, with some interesting lyrics directly aimed at Bill Clinton, and encourages drug use and going wild. A really powerful statement nonetheless, this is an interesting piece that references many interesting phenomena, including Arnold Schwarzenegger’s films and treating women pretty horribly. Musically, this is ingenious and very, very good. A very thorough and provocative piece of music that sounds like the real insides of a rather nasty human being, it is essential listening regardless. A good piece of interesting and wonderful music regardless, this does deliver very well. Excellent tune.

Steve Berman is another skit. It plays a notable tune from Dr. Dre’s 2001 What’s The Difference in the background. It has a fake and intense discussion about the nature of the record and how it won’t sell, which is interesting, given how much notice this record eventually got. Weird, yet wonderful.

The Way I Am is one of the more popular tracks from the album. It has a classical piano riff and church bells in this piece. Eminem goes into a very brutal and aggressive rant which sounds really selfish. This is a mission statement from Eminem and it just sounds really intensely full on. A great chorus is here, and the remix of this song featuring Marilyn Manson is also worth checking out. A really awesome and enjoyable listen, Eminem sounds as though he really needs to chill out at times, but hey, this is an amazing listen all the same. This isn’t nice or gentle listening but is very valuable nonetheless. It sounds well done and intelligently delivered, more so than other Rappers out there. Eminem is a very direct and straightforward person on this record, and this is a decent tune.

The Real Slim Shady is the early Eminem song that everyone recognises. It has some interesting harpsichord samples and launches into another aggressive and brutal piece of music. A great and iconic piece of music that every Rap music fan knows, and that the general public should know as well. It points out the contradictory nature of the world, and Eminem refers to himself as a genuine product in the world of Rap music. A really awesome tune that still sounds interesting and relevant to this day, it does sound really interesting and above all, clever. Catchy, anthemic and interesting, Eminem points ahead to the future of music in the 21st century. A really cool piece of music that will definitely make you laugh at times, that and this album are interesting gold. A great and cool tune, this sounds very different to everything else out there. Very human in an offensive way, and entertaining music.

Remember Me? begins with the sounding of Eminem spraying painting the track, over a very good beat and sonic textures. This one features RBX and Sticky Fingaz. The guests add a bit of interest to what would otherwise be an Eminem heavy track. This does sound awesome, and the track is just as scary and brutal as others on this album. Pretty direct and more like a typical Rap tune, this does sound excellent and interesting regardless. A good tune with a great message to freak out everyone, but it is an interesting listen all the same. A good piece of music throughout, and it has a great climax to conclude with, with Eminem screaming. Nice work.

I’m Back begins with an interesting set of lyrics and textures that sound really cool. It sounds very deep, interesting and lively, and just sounds really straight to the point. More profane and aggressive lyrics are here, and although this album is fantastic for what it is, Eminem at the time was very much public enemy #1. Thankfully, he delivered this record in the way that it is done. Eminem puts himself out there, and he sounds really straightforward here, yet self-obsessed. A great piece of raw and undeniably harsh music, there is mention of gun crime and similar devilish exploits. Eminem also discusses some rather dirty sexual exploits in his lyrics as well. Brutal and direct, Eminem puts himself out there. A great song to freak people out there, which is the point of this music. Excellent, however.

Marshall Mathers begins with some clanging guitar arpeggios. Eminem discusses his point at the time in the music industry and launches into another self-obsessed song. Remember, these songs are intended to be self-obsessed. Eminem, like Kid Rock, seemingly is totally self-obsessed in his music. However, this record does sound really full-on and vile, but it is supposed to do so. Eminem is who he is, and he takes aim at virtually everyone on this track. Thankfully, this is a good listen, even for a lesser track. The chorus is soothing compared to the verses, but all the same, Eminem is out there and like a Pit Bull terrier with rabies off its leash: dirty and dangerous. A good song, but not the best from this album. In any case, this is an interesting and deep listen, not for those who are faint of heart. Deep and somewhat meaningful. There is a guitar solo at the end, oddly enough.

Ken Kaniff – Skit is actually Eminem doing a voice imitation. It’s super disgusting and gross and is absolutely hilarious, a must-listen for adults. It is really purile but entertaining. A good piece of skit work that is from the minds of dark sexual pleasures.

Drug Ballad begins with a catchy beat and has some extra female vocals via Dina Rae. It’s quite a good listen from the start, and is quite clearly about drugs and alcohol. It is a deep and interesting listen, with more social realism based lyrics in it. There is an interesting bunch of production and sounds present in this song, and this is definitely not politically correct. A really out there and bizarre song devoted to the pastime of drug use, no matter what it is, be glue or marijuana. Enjoyable and interesting, this tune is really deep and interesting on whatever substances one enjoys. A great and excellent listen throughout, this sounds really great and is a little less intense than other tracks on the album. Nice job Eminem. Catchy and well delivered, this is worth hearing. Good tune.

Amityville has Bizarre as a guest. It begins with some nice slowed down beats, Eminem murmuring harmonies and whispering as well. It launches into a rather hilarious and twisted sounding piece about being “mentally ill from Amityville” and causing a great deal of ruckus. This is rather catchy in a weird way, and Bizarre’s appearance is certainly entertaining. A weird piece of music that makes you laugh and feel disgusted at the same time, Eminem proves himself as the most politically incorrect and brutal Rapper out there in the year 2000. A good tune to hear nonetheless, this would no doubt take out the more concerned politicians in Eminem’s line of fire. A really superb tune all the same, Eminem finishes off with the murmured harmonies again at the end, along with a touch of electric guitar. Awesome.

Bitch Please II is a rework of an older track and has Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Nate Dogg starring in this piece. It is a very decent and listenable piece of music from the start, it just sounds nicely constructed and pieced together. Dr Dre raps very well here, and he is the master of production on this piece. Snoop Dogg follows along nicely, and this is an outright Rap classic that is still played to this day. A great and awesome tune, and Xzibit and Nate Dogg do wonderfully as well. Brutal, interesting and very catchy, this sounds very nicely constructed and well put together. Eminem also has a great performance here on this tune. If you haven’t heard this tune already, you really should. A profane, interesting and enjoyable piece of music with catchy loops and hooks, this sounds super appealing. A great listen, time after time. Excellent work. There is a long instrumental outro to finish here.

Kim begins with some nice lullaby children’s music, before launching into a rather freaky and direct piece at Eminem’s ex and mother of his daughter. It is intense, deliberate and brutal in its intention. It is rather unnecessary on this album, and it directly intends murder here towards Kim. Which isn’t comforting listening. Rather hard to stomach within, this is deep and disturbing listen that shows that Eminem had some issues to deal with. Only listen to this in a sober and sane mood, otherwise, avoid it altogether. The album would have been far better without this rather direct piece of music on it. Anyway, even some classic albums have some poor tunes on them. This is proof of it. Brutality to the nth degree, and discomforting listening. Fortunately, it does not last forever and is over after six minutes of torturous listening. The sound of gaffer tape being used and cars rushing by conclude this song, thank goodness.

Under The Influence fortunately is a lot lighter than what came before. Eminem launches into another drug song that sounds interesting and more brutal than funny. Regardless, a lot of the music on this album is designed to be heard high on something than stone-cold sober. This is quite a good song regardless, and it is a welcome change from the brutality of the previous track. Eminem’s posse, D12, is featured on this track. Their presence is welcome here, and it just sounds like a nice change from an Eminem only track. A well-delivered piece of craft, this does sound more consistent than one would expect. A good and interesting song, this isn’t the greatest song ever, but it fits the end of the album nicely. The instrumental towards the end is quite good, with Eminem talking over the backing track.

Criminal is the last piece on this album, and it begins with an eerie organ sound and Eminem stating his intentions and purpose. He states quite clearly that he is a criminal, and does not care about the law or higher order. A good conclusion to an album that is quite out there, sharp and intent on offending the listener, Eminem shows his true colours on this record. An enjoyable song that cannot be taken too seriously, it is once again, punchy and direct. A good piece of music nonetheless. It has a short piece of intermission in the second half where Eminem robs a bank and shoots the bank clerk, with some chaos ensuing. A really awesome and deep piece of music, this is a good conclusion to a musical statement of an album that suited Eminem perfectly.

This is a decent album that is politically incorrect, shocking, abusive and intruding. Despite all that and if you are not offended by the Rap music on offer here, this does definitely have a place in your collection, if you dare. It’s not exactly supposed to be taken too seriously, despite Eminem claiming otherwise. Still, this was the peak of his early career. An interesting and humourous listen that one can hear from time to time, although very, very brutal listening.

Deep.

7/10