| The Slim Shady LP | |||||
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| Studio album by Eminem | |||||
| Released | February 23, 1999 | ||||
| Recorded | 1998 in Santa Clara, California | ||||
| Genre | Hip Hop, Hardcore rap | ||||
| Length | 59:48 | ||||
| Label | Aftermath | ||||
| Producer | Marky & Jeff Bass (exec.) Dr. Dre (exec.) Mel-Man Eminem |
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| Special Edition cover | |||||
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| Singles from The Slim Shady LP | |||||
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The Slim Shady LP is the major debut album from American rapper Eminem, released in 1999. It was Eminem's first album released under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. The album was met with critical and commercial success. It debuted at #2 on the charts behind TLC's Fanmail with 283,000 sold in its opening week. The album went on to be cetirfied 5x platinum by the RIAA. To date, it has moved over 9 million units worldwide. "Just Don't Give a Fuck" was the first and only underground single from the album. The first official single was My Name Is. In 2003, the album was ranked number 273 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It placed higher than Eminem's second album The Marshall Mathers LP on the list, despite the fact that it originally received 3.5/5 stars compared to Marshall Mathers's 4/5 star rating. While many fans and music critics regard The Marshall Mathers LP as Eminem's definitive album, the The Slim Shady LP received critical acclaim as well.
Contents |
The Music
Lyrical Content
Upon its release, there were several complaints about The Slim Shady LP's lyrical content. The song "Guilty Conscience" (the album's second single) ends with Eminem and Dr. Dre apparently succeeding in encouraging a man to murder his wife and her lover. "Guilty Conscience" was also the birth of Dr. Dre and Eminem's powerful and beloved duo. In "97' Bonnie & Clyde," Eminem raps about disposing of his wife's body while his baby daughter rides along in his car, which the album cover alludes to. Most songs feature substantial amounts of swearing, numerous references to sex and drugs, and over-the-top, cartoonish descriptions of violence. It even contains numerous references to the occult and Satanic ritual abuse. Fans of the album have generally defended it by saying that the lyrics are not to be taken seriously. Eminem himself has referenced "Slim Shady" as an exaggerated persona. In several songs, it is clear that the Slim Shady persona does not accurately represent Eminem's real life and many lyrics are meant as a joke, in contrast to his more serious second effort The Marshall Mathers LP. On the "clean" version of the album, "shit", "ass", and sometimes "bitch" are left uncensored while drug and violent references are edited out. The album edit of "Guilty Conscience" is much different from the video version, being less censored and with slightly different lyrics, as well as having a different narrator.
Production
In addition to executive-producing the album, Dr. Dre produced both of its singles ("My Name Is" and "Guilty Conscience") and also produced "Role Model" with Aftermath co-producer Mel-Man. The rest of the album was produced by the Bass Brothers for the Detroit-based FBT Productions, who had been close collaborators with Eminem since Infinite.
Track listing
| # | Title | Featuring artist(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Public Service Announcement" | 0:33 | ||
| 2 | "My Name Is" | Dr. Dre | Dr. Dre | 4:28 |
| 3 | "Guilty Conscience" | Dr. Dre and Richard "Segal" Huredia (narrator) | Dr. Dre & Eminem | 3:19 |
| 4 | "Brain Damage" | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 3:46 | |
| 5 | "Paul" [skit] | 0:15 | ||
| 6 | "If I Had" | Kristie Abete | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 4:05 |
| 7 | "97' Bonnie & Clyde" | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 5:16 | |
| 8 | "Bitch" [skit] | 0:19 | ||
| 9 | "Role Model" | Dr. Dre & Mel-Man | 3:25 | |
| 10 | "Lounge" [skit] | 0:46 | ||
| 11 | "My Fault" | Marky & Jeff Bass | 4:01 | |
| 12 | "Ken Kaniff" [skit] | 1:16 | ||
| 13 | "Cum On Everybody" | Dina Rae | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 3:39 |
| 14 | "Rock Bottom" | Marky & Jeff Bass | 3:34 | |
| 15 | "Just Don't Give a Fuck" | Frogg | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 4:02 |
| 16 | "Soap" [skit] | Royce Da 5'9" & Jeff Bass | 0:34 | |
| 17 | "As the World Turns" | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 4:25 | |
| 18 | "I'm Shady" | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 3:32 | |
| 19 | "Bad Meets Evil" | Royce Da 5'9" | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 4:13 |
| 20 | "Still Don't Give a Fuck" | Marky & Jeff Bass & Eminem (co) | 4:12 |
In the clean version of the album, track 8, track 13, track 15 and track 20 are called respectively "Zoe", "Come on Everybody", "Just Don't Give" and "Still Don't Give."
Samples/Interpolations
Cum On Everbody
- "Gimme What You Got" by Le Pamplemouse
I'm Shady
- "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield
My Name Is
- "I Got The" by Labi Siffre
- "Back in Black" by AC/DC
Just The Two Of Us
- "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington Jr.
Rock Bottom
- "Summertime" by Big Brother & The Holding Company
Special edition tracks
- "Hazardous Youth" (Acapella version) - 0:44
- "Get You Mad" Sway & King Tech feat. Eminem - 4:22
- "Greg" (Acapella version) - 0:54
Album chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | Top Canadian Albums | ||
| 1999 | The Slim Shady LP | #2 | #14 | #24 |
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||||||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Modern Rock Tracks | Rhythmic Top 40 | Top 40 Mainstream | Top 40 Tracks | ||
| 1998 | Just Don't Give a Fuck | - | #62 | #5 | - | - | - | - |
| 1999 | Guilty Conscience | - | #56 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1999 | My Name Is | #36 | #18 | #10 | #37 | #5 | #29 | #39 |
| 1999 | Role Model | - | #111[1] | - | - | - | - | - |
External links
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| Albums | Infinite · The Slim Shady LP · The Marshall Mathers LP · The Eminem Show · Encore · King Mathers |
| Compilations | Curtain Call: The Hits · Eminem Presents the Re-Up |
| Singles | "Just Don't Give a Fuck" · "My Name Is" · "Guilty Conscience" · "Bitch Please II" · "The Real Slim Shady" · "The Way I Am" · "Stan" · "Drug Ballad" · "Without Me" · "My Dad's Gone Crazy" · "Cleanin' Out My Closet" · "Lose Yourself" · "Sing for the Moment" · "White America" · "Superman" · "Business" · "8 Mile" · "Just Lose It" · "Encore" · "Like Toy Soldiers" · "Mosh" · "Mockingbird" · "Ass Like That" · "When I'm Gone" · "Shake That" · "You Don't Know" · "Jimmy Crack Corn" |
| Guest singles | "Dead Wrong" · "Forgot About Dre" · "Rock City" · "One Day at a Time (Em's Version)" · "Smack That" · "Welcome 2 Detroit" · "Touchdown" |
| Filmography | Da Hip Hop Witch · The Wash · 8 Mile |
| Related articles | Discography · Production discography · D12 · Shady Records · Shade 45 |
