Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP Turns 20 Today

20 Years ago around this time, It was a different world. Hip Hop in the late 90s surged into the mainstream and became a billion dollar conglomerate. You had mega stars such as JayZ, DMX, Juvenile, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre and many others carrying the banner into the new millennium. But there was one man that not only kicked down the door but he also knocked down the building of not only emceeing but color lines: Eminem.

The Slim Shady LP which was released a year prior sold 3 million records and showed that Dr Dre could still broker stars. But it was when Eminem released the Marshall Mathers LP is where he no longer would be known as a novelty act.

The anticipation for Eminem’s sophomore album was something that Ive never seen before. I remember when I was a youngster and watching a lot of people buying Snoop Dogg’s debut album Doggystyle in droves. I also remember seeing people line up in droves to buy Tupac Shakur’s Double Album All Eyez on Me and Notorious BIG’s Life After Death. But this release was totally different. This was the first time I seen people of ALL races lined up to buy a album.

I picked up the cassette tape since the CDs were sold out and literally waited in line for almost 10 minutes. Everybody from blacks, whites, pop listeners, hip hoppers, punk rockers, kids coming from high school, You name it. This was what I would consider a “Thriller Experience”

After I purchased the tape, I had to wait unitl I gotten home because I didn’t drive but I could hear “The Real Slim Shady” blasting out of peoples cars as I was walking home. I couldn’t wait to get home to see what Eminem had in store with this album because from the looks of how people were responding, We the listener were gonna be in for a rollercoaster ride.

I finally get home and listen to the LP.. The First track in Kill you is straight up in your face. Its vile, its cruel, misogynistic and he totally disrespects his mother and baby mama. It was shit that I’ve never heard before in my life. But the way Eminem paints this graphic picture, Its sadistically entertaining.

There is NO way songs such as KIM, Criminal, Never Knew And the Way I AM would be released in today’s ultra soft climate But in the midst of the shock value, You get a insight of Eminem’s genius where he coined the popular hip hop term “Stan”. Then he proved that he’s one of the best of this rap game with his verse off Remember Me.. Especially how he showcased his brilliant rhyme schemes:

Came home and somebody musta broke in the back windowAnd stole two loaded machine guns and both of my trench coatsSick, sick dreams of picnic scenesTwo kids, sixteen, with M-16’s and ten clips eachAnd them shyts reach through six kids each

I’m sure considering the pop references and the content that many would consider this album to be dated and belong in a certain time zone. Possibly because the late 90s -2000s were considered the wild wild west in society in terms of content. But this album played a pivitol role into what made Eminem the mega star that he is today. He took artistic risks and pissed off alot of the media along with eventually earning his place as one of the best to do it.