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Week 21:
Eminem
Artist Introduction
Okay, everyone obviously knows Eminem but lemme give you some context anyway. The club has not seen a rapper who is widely considered to be one of the best of all time, and Marshall Mathers is exactly that. Em is highly respected in rap for his lyric creativity, ability to rap with the best of them, and being authentic to himself. He came up through the battle rap community (shoutout Rone) and is now considered to be one of the best rappers of all time. Many of his beats are produced by Dr. Dre, and together they have made some of the most iconic rap songs of all time. I think my selection of songs will give you a pretty good taste into the wide variety of skills Eminem has, so enjoy!
Joe Cascella
Most Popular
Without Me
This is a really interesting start to his music, because this is a comeback song to the character he established in a previous album. For wider context, in 1998, Eminem dropped the album ‘Slim Shady,’ which was the character he created that I’m referring to. In 2000, he released Marshall Mathers, which is about his real life and internal struggles. Without Me is the debut single off his next album which was released in 2002. Right off the rip he goes into playing into the character of Shady, and being the enemy of the rap community. He often compares himself to Elvis, saying he is the White King in an otherwise black art form. Em understands that being the enemy is only going to make him popular, so he just starts calling out everyone. In general, the song is fun going, light hearted and upbeat, while still being cocky, arrogant and confident (the industry is not the same without me). It shows off some of his skills. He is able to mold words to make them sound more like each other than they actually are, allowing his rhyme schemes to be solid throughout. Is it his most impressive song, no, but it gives us an understanding into how creative his mind can work.
Lose Yourself
Although not on any of his albums, Lose Yourself is considered to be one of Eminem’s biggest and greatest songs. It was written for his movie 8 mile, where his character, Rabbit, works his way through the battle rap community to eventually become a rap champion, which is how Eminem made a name for himself in rap in real life. The song speaks to a struggling rapper, but if you're able to take advantage of the opportunities you can succeed in any industry, even if it’s outside of the social norm. It’s an underdog story of hard work and one of his most inspirational tracks. Once again, the rhymes are fantastic and you see a little more of his rapping ability. Great song and an amazing hype track.
Till I Collapse
Welp, all three of his most popular songs were in 2002, but I promise we will cover a lot more. Awesome stand out intro, and by far his hardest hitting bars yet, with a super catchy chorus from Nate Dogg. Em looks at himself honestly in the mirror, and he does not care what you think about him. The rap here is elevated to a different level, as its line after line of hard-hitting punches, really solid stuff.
Personal Favorites
Not Afraid
Now onto my favorites, which is when I started listening to Eminem so it makes the most sense for me. I was introduced to rap in high school, and Eminem and Fort Minor were my two pre-game artists who I’d listen to before every single baseball game. Not Afraid is off of Em’s 2010 album, Recovery, which is a follow up to his previous album, Relapse. Originally, this album was going to be called Relapse II, but Eminem felt as if he was in a new and better place, and this song really speaks to that. This is another solid beat, with bar after bar action, packing heavy and meaningful lines. I really enjoy his acknowledgment of his previous album, saying it was not up to par and that his fans deserve better. He addresses the demons he was facing and speaks honestly about his road to recovery (He’s been sober since 2008 and still is). Lyrically, there’s some clever punches throughout. I also really enjoy the vocal arrangement around the 2:45 minute mark of the song. It breaks it up and creates smooth transitional opportunities.
Cinderella Man
All of Eminem’s albums tell a story, and it’s very clear the message being told on this album. Em’s back, he’s appreciative to be here, and he’s coming to take the world over. This is a super fun song, almost with a tribal rhythm. Very nostalgic for me, and another solid rap song.
Mockingbird
I told you we would have another take on a nursery rhyme coming up soon, and here it is! This is off the 2004 album, Encore, and is arguably Em’s most emotional and transparent song. It’s brutally honest, and is directly aimed at his daughter Hailee. At the time, Eminem had not really put out anything soft and emotional in this regard, so it was shocking and introduced fans to the real struggles he was facing. It’s not the most impressive rap, but the creativity to flip the nursery rhyme into the tragic reality that is their life is pretty intense. A very emotional listen, but a good one.
Unique Songs
My Name Is
Alright, let’s pick up the vibes and dive deep into the creative artist that Marshall is. My Name Is is off 1999’s Slim Shady, and this was the character development that was spoken about earlier in my review. It’s a fun going funny type of rap song, with some witty and clever lyrics throughout. It’s an establishment of the character that allows him to build all different concepts off of a variety of albums. Please pay attention to the ‘I just drank a 5th of vodka, dare me to drive’ lyric, as that plays a key part in the next song, which is Eminem’s dark creative side.
Stan
Stan starts with a vocal chorus by Dido, and is one of the most popular sounds that has ever been dropped by Eminem. The beat is a rainy day, with some classic bass drum rhythms attached to it, creating an ambiance that is eerie. As the first verse comes in, we add the pencil scratching paper to the beat, and lyrically we see that the theme is a letter from a big fan, named Stan. Already this is a super creative concept. In the first verse, Stan is mildly aggressive off the rip, but kind of settles in and is just trying to reach out to an artist he idolizes. As the song progresses, Stan begins to go off the deep end. His anger increases, he still mentions time and time again about his obsession with him, he talks about severe depression. The song is extremely layered. Although Stan is using Em’s music to get away from his problems, he’s really just putting them onto his favorite artist by writing to him about it. Eminem fans have always been crazy, and this exaggerated story talks about the impact for not just the fan, but the artist as well. In the third verse, Stan is completely off the rails as the song continues to build. As mentioned in the previous song, Stan continues to show his fandom by taking Em’s previous lyrics and putting them to action. In a complete tragedy, you hear Stan drive off the bridge and crash his car into the water, with his girlfriend tied up in the trunk of his car. As a finale to the song, Eminem finally writes back to Stan, and as he writes the letter, he realizes it’s too late. It’s a beautifully dark song, and shows a perspective from the artist's viewpoint that most fans would not think to see. I personally think it’s a genius song, with so many additional layers of meaning. The rhymes are as always clever and coherent.
Rap God
Rap God is the latest song of the batch, and it’s a reminder to what Em can do when he puts pen to paper and his rapping abilities to a microphone. I find it super impressive that a man can rap so fast yet still be so easy to understand. His skills are undeniable. The super sonic speed is just ridiculous, and I appreciate him paying his respects to some of the other greats, specifically Busta Rhymes as he is known for his speed. It’s a wildly impressive song, and a perfect way to end the listen of a true Rap God.
Conclusions
As mentioned, Eminem was one of the first true rappers I ever listened to. He is absolutely in my top 5 rappers of all time, and it would be very difficult to keep him out of the top 3. There are other styles of rap that I prefer (Mac vibes), but there’s no denying the greatness. My only critique is that you have to be in the mood to listen to Em. I’m often skipping his music on my shuffled playlist cause I’m simply not in the mindset for his music. He does have a ton more mega smash hits that are more digestible and car radio friendly, so that helps him out as well. I love him, and I think he’s an all time great. I’m going to the 9’s for the first time ever, and giving Eminem a 9.2. Boom, hope you enjoyed it.
Cascella Family Reviews
Vin Cascella
Before I even get into it I know this is going to be a big score. I know every song pretty well, let's see if anything surprises me!.
Without Me: I am slightly surprised that this is his most popular song. It’s one of the big ones but I figured “Lose Yourself” (next on the list), “The Real Slim Shady”, or “My Name Is” or even a few others would be his most popular track. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good song but it isn’t THAT special. He doesn’t lean too hard into any of his characters. Not all that serious, nor is he going all in on the funny-type rap, but he does know one thing: Whatever version of him you’re getting, whether you like it or not, he’s not just here to stay, he’s here to take over… get used to it. Great beat, clever lyrics, and some of the worst singing you’ll ever hear. A great Em intro.
Lose Yourself: One of the most iconic rap songs of all time and it still holds up to this day. Oh this would be a great debate! What is the best song made for a movie? Because this might be it! It doesn’t get much better than this. Great story, and the music matches the hype and tension of the lyrics. Possibly the ultimate hype song of this century, I’m sure Joe can confirm that at least one of his teammates in college used this as their walkout song. Eminem’s ability to paint a picture and tell a story through his lyrics is unrivaled. He distilled the essence of the movie “8 mile” into this track. Elite chorus, cool backing track and fantastic story.
*Note to self: Another debate idea (best song in a scene for a movie, i.e. “Tiny Dancer” in Almost Famous)*
Till I Collapse: I like this song a ton. Another great “chip on the shoulder” song. It definitely gets slightly overshadowed by “Lose Yourself” but it's still fire. A little thing I noticed about Eminem which is different from a lot of genres. He has a pretty even split of who sings the hook. Outside of the songs that are just samples of other songs he has a lot of choruses sung by both men and women. Maybe I’m wrong but off the top of my head I think hooks are more often done by female artists. Either way this song is great. Clever word play, solid enunciation.
Not Afraid: I always get a kick out of his self awareness. “Let's be honest, that last Relapse CD was "ehhhh" Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground”. I loved Relapse because of the time period it came out, high school baseball played it constantly. And he’s right, some of the songs were all over the place and he does ridiculous accents for half the album. Leading into my next point, the song “Talkin’ 2 Myself”. “Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushing them out.” Very self aware. I’m going to sidetrack here but I think it’s important. “Not Afraid” is off of his album Recovery where he is fully sober. Em has been sober since 2008 and that brings up an interesting point that contradicts what we’ve said about other artists. We’ve speculated whether or not an artist would have been able to make the art they have without their issues with drugs, alcohol, and mental health. Eminem is a prime example of someone who throws that theory out the window. Dude has put out just as many hits sober as he has when he was a trainwreck. And he’s able to channel all of his alter egos just as efficiently. Truly a one of a kind artist.
Cinderella Man: It’s a fine song but definitely not a favorite of mine. But as we’ve said before, that's the fun of this club. And also, good luck choosing just 3 personal favorites of Em. My only real complaint about choosing this song is that the last four songs all have the same vibe. They are all inspirational hype songs. He has so many other different voices that aren’t being shown in this selection. Fortunately the last 4 songs do a fantastic job of showing off all of the facets of Eminem. I haven’t heard this song in years and it brought back memories of drumming to this track when I had my drum set. This and “Sing for the Moment” were really fun to just play around with fills. Outside of that, I don’t have much to say about the song itself.
Mockingbird: Now we’re talking. Different point of view than the last four aggressive tracks. Dude needs so much therapy here. It comes off as introspective but in hindsight I think he misses the mark in acknowledging his own shortcomings. He spends most of the song blaming Kim and the music industry. Interesting. Either way this song slaps, great story, such fitting atmosphere, and the final change in lyrics to wrap up the song is quintessential Eminem. This, “Like Toy Soldiers” and “When I’m Gone” are three of my favorite introspective tracks from this era of Em. Damn this song is solid.
My Name Is: Good we’re going off the rails. Everyone knows this song but it’s nice to dive a little deeper. This was people’s introduction to Eminem and more specifically Slim Shady and it's a ridiculous track. All of the ad libs and word play are fantastic. Just a wildly entertaining song that introduces you to the absolute nightmare character that is the one and only Slim Shady.
Stan: There’s only a few sections of songs that will consistently give me chills. The bridge following the guitar solo of “Stairway to Heaven”, the “I Do” scream during the bridge of “One More Light” by Linkin Park, and the “it was you” revelation at the end of Stan. In the spirit of the club I decided to really dive into the background of this song. It looks like Eminem had the idea for a song about a cautionary tale of an obsessed fan who takes his work too seriously. He had been sitting on the idea after receiving many disturbing letters from fans who had taken his first album's violent content (specifically of the aforementioned Slim Shady character) too seriously. After hearing Dido’s sample of “Thank You” with the bassline he knew it would be perfect to go along with a song about an obsessed fan. This and his next album’s “Sing For The Moment” have two of the best samples in rap along with two of my favorite stories. This and Lose Yourself are generational tracks for entirely different reasons. Crazy they come from the same person.
Rap God: Old man still got it! If anything he’s just showing off at this point. I can’t think of any examples of him fast rapping prior to this song but he has a couple afterwards, specifically, Godzilla (ft. Juice Wrld, RIP) and Logic’s “Homicide” where he really picks up the pace. Sure why not, I don’t think it's necessary for his sound but sure, when you’re already considered the best might as well pop off once more. 2013 was a huge year for the GOATs of early 2000s hip hop. Eminem released the Marshall Mathers LP2, Jay Z released Magna Carta… Holy Grail and Kanye West released Yeezus. All three of them on their god complex releasing incredibly successful commercial music. Crazy that three of them put out some of their best work (well maybe not Jay Z) all at the same time. I love this song but lyrically this song is pretty nonsensical when you dig into it. That's fine though, not everything needs to have a deeper meaning, sometimes you just gotta let everyone know you still got it. This song along with the rest of MMLP2 are some of my favorites in the Eminem catalogue.
So yea, he’s one of the Greats, and has proven time and time again that he should be in contention for the GOAT conversation. He’s been at it for almost thirty years now, some of his earlier stuff dating back to the mid 90s but he really skyrocketed onto the scene in ‘99 and has never really slowed down releasing the Death of Slim Shady as recently as 2024. If we were rating him overall he’d be right on my top score. Historic talent, who influenced multiple generations. However, I will take into account the list of 9 songs.. Not much you can do about the most popular tracks but I would have gone in a different direction on the personal favorites. Not bad choices but leaving off “Sing for the Moment” or “When I’m Gone” is tragic.
9.0
Dad Cascella
Ok, On to Eminem. I don’t know his music, other than a couple of songs. I only know he was a bit of a wildman in his early days, and has somewhat cleaned up his act. Let’s see if he’s good at what he does.
WITHOUT ME- not crazy about the pseudo-electronica start. Gets better after 1 minute. Digging the lyrics, but geez, he’s all over the place. Chorus is real good. Wish the whiney voice was a little deeper (just can’t imagine a rap gangsta with this whine). Then the song gets even better. Really liked the verse where he basically says too bad parents, your kids are listening to me now. I get it. Pretty cool stuff, but again, so many lyrics. Wow, then he goes after Limp Bizkit and Moby. Good stuff. Could have done without the La La’s at the end, but a surprisingly good start.
LOSE YOURSELF- I know this one, and always liked it. Spacey beginning into solid guitar and piano rhythm throughout. Great lyrics about learning to be strong enough to do the music that’s yours, and take your shot at fame. Very solid. Then he raps about the problems of getting to that goal of fame. Again, so many lyrics, and again, very good chorus. A big YUP for me.
TIL I COLLAPSE- Another spacey beginning, then actual music. And once again, real good lyrics, so many that it’s sometimes hard to follow where he’s going. I believe he’s rappin about not giving up, don’t surrender, keep on going if you think what you’re doing is right. “I’ma rip this shit til my bones collapse”. Best verse at the 2 minute mark. And he raps it so forcefully. Wow, I had no idea, this guy is shockingly good. BTW, is that him doing the choruses?
NOT AFRAID- Wow, such an introspective song. Very deep lyrics. At the 3 minute mark he’s taking responsibility for being a past fuck up? Life, Love, Family, it’s all gonna be better now. All set the a great rhythm. I can’t believe I’m 4 for 4 on YUPS. This guy is a very talented lyricist and writer. But I’ve realized something. After the first listen, w/o lyrics, I thought good, but couldn’t understand all lyrics. This shit is great while reading along the lyrics.
CINDERELLA MAN- Didn’t like the song on first listen without lyrics. On future listens, while the rappin and lyrics are good, I didn’t like the constant “Cinderella Man, Cinderella Man” and the actual singing. And the drum beating just didn’t work for me. I saw that the song title refers to Jim Braddock, the boxing heavyweight champ from the 1930’s. I’d stick with the movie of the same name starring Russell Crowe, it was much better than this song.
MOCKINGBIRD- Firstoff, love the piano throughout. Incredibly sad song about his family. With such personal lyrics. Then we get a nursery rhyme “Hush Little Baby”....set to rap. Extremely original. And I don’t know Eminem’s history with his babies’ mother, but at the 1:50 mark, I love that he actually talks highly of her. I’m assuming this song is all true, and if so, it’s as deep as deep gets. I don’t know end result, but I do hope Eminem became a good father to his kids. And those last few lines in the song, Fucking Genius. My favorite so far.
MY NAME IS- I know this one. Heard this whiney Slim Shady stuff many times. Never before got it. But once you get past that it’s actually an interesting song with cool verses. But I still don’t like the choruses. Like the bass throughout. Lyrics a bit harsher than others, and compared to the other selections, a bit boring.
STAN- Like the song (Dido) in the beginning. Then here comes our boy. Scary song about fandom, rapping from letters written to Eminem. Starts fairly harmless. Then it starts to get scary. “Remember when we met in Denver”. Yikes! Then more scariness “P.S. We should be together too”. Double Yikes!! Then the third letter gets downright medievel, with the fan blaming Eminem for all the fans ills, including multiple criminal acts ending with a crash into water with a girl in the fans trunk. Then finally a response letter, but too late. Such an interesting song about celebrities and fans. Again great lyrics, telling a powerful story (seems to be Eminem’s forte). Was so interesting that we had to also listen to Bad Guy, the follow-up with Matthew. That tells you something if we’re looking up extra Eminem music.
RAP GOD- I’m glad a speed rap song was included in the selections. How the hell these artists speed rap (including Harry Mack) absolutely fascinates me. Now it’s wild to hear Eminem do it, and do it very good. He’s not the fastest I’ve heard, but still very good. Again so many lyrics, I can’t even begin to try to decipher all the multiple things he’s rappin about, but I thought it was a cool song.
So that’s it for Eminem. Yes, I was a bit fearful going into this listen and dive, but again, I was shockingly surprised. I found this listen, along most importantly to reading the lyrics,to be interesting, eye-opening, and game-changing. I’m a rock and roller, with some soft stuff thrown in. But first I get in this club C. Gambino, which was a good listen. Now you guys got me listening to Eminem, and it was a great listen. Truly, a great listen. This guy raps excellently, and his lyrics and writing and rhyming are so good, so catchy, so creative. Much of his writing is introspective, so that kind of makes him brave also. I can’t believe I’m giving a rap artist this score, but because I did not expect this listen to be this good, I’m going with an 8.4
Uncle Vin Cascella
Opening statement: I’ve been a fan of Eminem for a long time. Admittedly, I don’t know a ton of his catalog, but he has plenty of hits that I know very well. In the early days I found him to be too hateful- using too many homophobic slurs and the whole “I hate my Mom” thing. I eventually looked past that to enjoy his unbelievable talent. But if we believe that most artists write mostly autobiographical lyrics, which I do, then he’s a bit of an asshole. Yeah, he had a tough childhood, I get it. And he eventually mostly chilled with the gay slurs. But some of his stuff is beyond angry, it’s vile. I suppose that’s one of the reasons why he’s so great at his art and so popular. I didn’t know a few of the tracks presented here- listening to them 2 or 3 times for the club was kinda cool but also a bit tedious. And monotonous, frankly. That said….
WITHOUT ME: Great tune- I absolutely love the music production, particularly the saxophone. For my money this version of Em is his best- funny, personal, topical, insults galore and yes, insanely fast. And you don’t need a lyric sheet.
LOSE YOURSELF: Tremendously smart intro, using a soft piano before that killer guitar chord sound and structure. Besides Dr Dre, Jeff Bass worked with Em for this movie soundtrack tune, an Academy Award winner. This song is an all-time great as a movie tune but also as a stand alone. His performance and lyrics are nothing short of brilliant. Fun fact- when I met Maureen in 2013 she knew every word of this song. Her son Ajay was a huge Em fan and blasted this one constantly! While I’m kinda sure that many white suburban almost 50 year old women knew this one, it was fun to meet and hang out with one who could sing along, in time and rhythm!
TIL I COLLAPSE: I haven’t heard this one in a long time- really cool track. Again- tremendous beat and production. Love the lyrics- again! Gotta love his name check of the top rappers, and how he spins it into a diss of the folks who don’t give him props- and of course he’s gotta diss Kim too!
NOT AFRAID: I didn’t know this one. By 2010, I was heavy into Irish/Celtic music and doing my own stuff so listening to new Em wasn’t on my dance card. But it’s good to hear him rap about his struggles and his desire to help others. Frankly, I didn’t know he had it in him. I noticed a change in his sound and sure enough, no Dr Dre here. More melodic, but still angry and passionate Em.
CINDERELLA MAN: Also from 2010- just ok in my book. Not a fan of the production. Ok lyrics but there just seems something off about this track. Calling his last CD crap is funny- did he offer refunds?
MOCKINGBIRD: WOW, soft Em, who knew? Really introspective and personal, and it almost sounds like he respected Kim. The outro is funny- “break that birdie’s neck” and make that jeweler “eat every carat, don’t fuck with Dad”!
MY NAME IS: Ahhh, classic Em. Really fun production with lyrics that are cute and delivered cute but real as hell. Brilliant tune.
STAN: I actually have a few Dido CDs- I found her stuff interesting; mellow. When Em put this out I was like Damn! Hearing it again: DAMN! First off, to me, the bass riff is intoxicating. Story teller Em from 2000 is a great tune- if a bit long- but certainly captures many aspects of Eminem's mind. First the perspective from a seriously fucked up fan, where Em creates a character. His rap slowly builds until, in verse 3, “Stan” is basically foaming at the mouth- absolutely beyond angry in a brilliant rage of spitting lyrics, all interspliced by Dido’s “tea’s gone cold…wondering why I got out of bed at all” soft complaint. Em’s performance is unreal.
RAP GOD: I never heard this one. Funny intro, then Em goes completely nuts spitting more words than humanly possible. I was reading the lyrics and had to stop at 1:07 to catch my breath and re-set my mind. Had to stop again at 1:43- good grief he’s outta control! Might take 45minutes to get thru this 6minute diatribe! Stopped again, Ut-oh- I realize it’s just words but I gotta say using “fags” and “gay-looking boys”, in 2013, is weak. Not insulting or offensive- more pathetic. Find new words Mr Mathers. Ok, ‘nuff said. Hit play: I let the next 3 minutes go non-stop, great, awesome stuff- then at 4:26 to 4:41 Em kicks it up a notch and completely blows my mind! Is that computer enhanced? Holy shit- fantastic ending. The “batter women… bake a cake” line is fucking perfect.
FINAL Score: Great listen, if a bit exhausting. Although I’m certain he worked hard and practiced like a lunatic (which he no doubt is), Eminem is so gifted it’s scary. 9.0
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