This track, a prequel to the first album's Bonnie and Clyde 97, is understandably controversial, seeing as how it is basically a fantasy about Eminem murdering his wife, but in a very, very strange way it is actually a love song of sorts. However, the most important track on this second album, in many ways the song that made me a fan, is Kim. Criminal is the perfect ending to the album, a final statement about Eminem's nature and the interpretation of what he does by the public at large. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Nate Dogg) raise the levels of violence and strong language up to a level that might not appeal to all Eminem fans, but the tracks are very well laid out. Songs like Amityville (featuring Bizarre from D-12) and.

The Way I Am is an important song, as Eminem clearly understands that his public persona is not the real Marshall Mathers but is rather whatever the people think he is to his critics, he will always be a subversive criminal corrupting the youth of America, but to his fans he is something much different. Eminem marvels at his own stardom in Who Knew and Marshall Mathers, breaks the news to the Eminem-haters that I'm Back, and taunts them all, with a little help from RBX and Sticky Fingez, with the track Remember Me?. This level of comfort and confidence proves a great boon to the next track Stan, a song in which he reverses roles and plays the innocent good guy who is too late to help a deeply troubled fan. This album hits the floor running with Kill You, a track announcing to the world Eminem's confidence in himself and rejection of authority and criticism. And, as he is wont to say, he is the only person brave enough to say these things. Those who will look underneath the violence and the swearing and the offensive remarks Eminem makes in his lyrics will find a deeply complex person with something important to say, a man who does, in his own special way, highlight the kind of real problems many young people face in the modern world, and the accusing fingers he points in all directions often serve to highlight the problems inherent in the individual and society itself. He is intentionally courting controversy, daring his critics and those who would love to have him censored or simply locked away somewhere to step outside with everything they have. In addition, Eminem has by now thoroughly come into his own. This artist's unique personal flair really bursts forth here, giving us beats and rhymes much more complex and musically adept than what had come before. In my opinion, this is the best of Eminem's first three albums, taking the rap and hip-hop up more than a few notches from the already lofty heights attained in The Slim Shady LP. The release of The Marshall Mathers LP must have driven a whole bunch of Eminem-haters crazy because, with this second album, Eminem proved he was here to stay. Then again, Eminem's got it hard: he's rich, famous, white, and male. And his protests that Slim Shady is just a persona become less convincing with each arrest. But the hatred in Eminem's rhymes makes the album rotten at its core. Of course, Eminem is an interesting, witty rapper, and there's some nice production on this CD, courtesy of Dr. Even sitting duck Puffy gets the kid-gloves treatment. He gives lyrical love to tragic (black) legends like Tupac and Biggie while dissing white rappers hard. But the blue-eyed brat is acutely aware of his status as rap's resident alien: he has the most offensive mouth running, but never uses the 'N' word.

On the Marshall Mathers LP, he's ambivalent about his fame, angry at his life, pissed off that people take him seriously, and fightin' mad at boy bands-and a lot of other white people. It's good old America's fault if the kids aren't alright (Eminem blames bad parenting), and he's just capitalizing on Uncle Sam's dark side. He refuses to take responsibility for the misogynistic, homophobic bile he spews, whining that he's the victim of people who don't get his unique sense of humor. Of course, according to Eminem, he's just kidding. Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? On Eminem's sophomore album, he can't decide who he wants to be: the deranged pseudo-psycho of the Slim Shady LP, or a nice guy who just likes to rhyme about slicing and dicing his girlfriend ('Kim').

Eminem the slim shady album upc