The Marshall Mathers LP

09/05/2000 7:51 PM, LAUNCH
Billy Johnson Jr

EminemÆs clearly the Real Slim Shady. ThereÆs absolutely no confusion, despite the plea made on the lead-off single from his sophomore effort The Marshall Mathers LP. Though he reigns in a genre thatÆs profited from sexually and violently explicit shock value, the rowdy blond-haired emcee disses everyone from fellow Detroiters Insane Clown Posse ("Ken Kaniff" skit); to Christina Aguilera, Tom Green, and Will Smith ("The Real Slim Shady"); to Puff Daddy and Jennifer Lopez ("IÆm Back"). When Mr. Mathers exclaimed, "[I] Just DonÆt Give A F--k" on his commercial debut last year, he wasnÆt joking.

While a couple moments on TMMLP are especially disturbing (he threatens to kill his mother on "Kill You," and describes murdering his childÆs mother on "Kim"), his lyrical structure and overall momentum are among hip-hopÆs best. On "Bitch Please II," a remix of Snoop and XzibitÆs hit from last summer, Eminem offers an impressive impersonation of SnoopÆs delivery that cannot be denied--and the beats match. Even the folk-feeling "Stan," a message to rap detractors that some fans take Eminem too seriously, keeps the funk in place.

The record, produced by Dr. Dre and Mark and Jeff Bass, who sculpted much of EmÆs early work, pipes in some rock sensibilities ("The Way I Am," "Kim,") that, if released, could divert some of Kid RockÆs attention to the Shady One. Imagine the controversy factor of The Slim Shady LP multiplied by three, as the loose-tongued rapper glides over an eclectic mix of scene-setting musical patterns.