With hits 'My Name Is' and 'The Real Slim Shady,' he ruled the airwaves, but it wasn't long before some detractors acknowledged his depth, helped in part by singles like the mournful 'Stan,' written from the perspective of an obsessed fan. And, to be certain, a great deal of the controversy Eminem courted - and during the turn of the millennium, there was no greater pop cultural bogeyman than Marshall Mathers - came through in how his violent fantasias, often directed at his mother or his wife, intertwined with flights of absurdity that appealed to listeners too young to absorb the psychodramas Eminem explored on his hit albums, The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP. On sheer verbal skills, Eminem was one of the greatest MCs of his generation - rapid, fluid, dexterous, and unpredictable, as capable of pulling off long-form narrative as he was delivering a withering aside - and thanks to his mentor Dr.ĭre, he had music to match: thick, muscular loops that evoked the terror and paranoia Em's music conjured. Certainly, Eminem was the first white rapper since the Beastie Boys to garner both sales and critical respect, but his impact exceeded this confining distinction. To call Eminem hip-hop's Elvis is correct to a degree, but it's largely inaccurate. Nonetheless, this collection captures the essential qualities with which he carved his niche in the rap world and upturned the entire music industry. Few rappers had as much to say, and as many modes of talking, as Eminem and because his most compelling and challenging songs are album cuts, Curtain Call can’t completely reveal the breadth of the man’s career. If “My Name Is” established Eminem as the impish, unstable jester, the breakout single “Stan” brought a level of fame that threatened to overtake his persona, and his art. Eminem first commanded the spotlight in 1999 with “My Name Is,” a track whose tongue-twisting irreverence still makes for the best introduction to the artist.
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