The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002,[1] through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records due to pirating and bootlegging of it. The album saw Eminem take a substantially more predominant production role; most of it was self-produced, with his longtime collaborator Jeff Bass. It features guest appearances from Obie Trice, D12, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Dina Rae and Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade Scott-Mathers.
The Eminem Show
May 26, 2002[1]
2001–2002
- Encore (Burbank, California)
- Marshall Mathers' house (Detroit, Michigan)
- 54 Sound (Ferndale, Michigan)
77:30
The album incorporates a heavier use of rap rock than Eminem's previous albums, and its themes are predominantly based on Eminem's prominence in hip hop culture, as well as his ambivalent thoughts of fame. The album also features political commentary on the United States, including references to 9/11, Osama bin Laden, the War on terror, President George W. Bush, Lynne Cheney and Tipper Gore. Due to its less satirical and shock factor lyrical approach, The Eminem Show was regarded as Eminem's most personal album at the time and a step back from the Slim Shady alter ego.
Widely considered the most anticipated album of 2002, The Eminem Show debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and stood there for six non-consecutive weeks. It sold over 1.3 million copies in its second week in the US, where it registered a full week of sales. It also topped the UK Albums Chart for five consecutive weeks. It produced four commercially successful singles, "Without Me", "Cleanin' Out My Closet", "Superman", and "Sing for the Moment", and it features one of his most popular songs, "'Till I Collapse". The album was met with positive critical reviews, with praise directed at Eminem's mature, introspective lyricism and the album's experimental production.
The Eminem Show was both the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States and the best-selling album worldwide of 2002, along with being the best-selling hip hop album in music history, and Eminem's most commercially successful album to date. The album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and its worldwide sales of 27 million copies make it one of the best-selling albums of all time and the second best-selling album of the 21st century. At the 2003 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album, while "Without Me" won Best Music Video. Blender, Muzik and LAUNCH named it the best album of 2002, and several publications named it among the best albums of the decade.
Background[edit]
Speaking to Spin, Eminem said, "Eventually, I might need some drama in my life to inspire me [...] With The Marshall Mathers LP, everything that everybody was saying–I took that, and it was my ammo. And then when shit died down a little bit, I had other turmoil in my personal life, so that was what I was able to dump out on The Eminem Show. Now, I just gotta wait for the next phase of my life. But something always seems to happen, man; something's always gotta be fucking turbulent."[6]
Eminem cited that the inspiration for the album was taken from the Peter Weir-directed 1998 science fiction comedy-drama film The Truman Show. Jim Carrey starred in the film as the lead character Truman Burbank, a man who unwittingly lives inside a TV show, where his life is broadcast to viewers around the world.[6] Eminem spoke on the film's influence, saying, "My life felt like it was becoming a circus around that time, and I felt like I was always being watched [...] Basically, Jim Carrey wrote my album."[6]
Recording[edit]
Speaking with Rolling Stone in 2002, Eminem said ""Sing for the Moment" was the first song I wrote for the album; "Cleanin Out My Closet" was the second. I had the line in "Cleanin Out My Closet" — "I'd like to welcome y'all out to The Eminem Show"—and it was just a line, but I sat back and I was like, "My life is really like a fucking show." I have songs on the album that I wrote when I was in that shit last year, with a possible jail sentence hangin' over my head and all the emotions going through the divorce. I went through a lot of shit last year [lawsuits, divorce and the threat of jail time] that I resolved at the same time, all in the same year. And, yeah, that's when half of the album was wrote".[7]
Eminem had started recording the album around the same time he was filming 8 Mile. Production was used for both the soundtrack of the film and his album. The album also saw Eminem take a substantially more predominant production role; most of it was self-produced, with his longtime collaborator Jeff Bass co-producing several tracks (mainly the songs which eventually became the released singles). Dr. Dre, in addition to being the album's executive producer, produced only three individual tracks: "Business", "Say What You Say", and "My Dad's Gone Crazy". Regarding his increase in producing, Eminem told Rolling Stone, "I actually know how to program a drum machine now. It used to be so simple—just writing lyrics and raps, laying vocals and leaving the studio was great. But now that I'm so into producing, it's a fucking job."[7]
Singles[edit]
"Without Me" was released as the album's lead single on May 13, 2002.[2]
"Cleanin' Out My Closet" was released as the album's second single on July 29 of that same year.[3] Releasing singles from this album went on a hiatus when "Lose Yourself" (one of the singles from 2002 soundtrack, 8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) was released on October 28.[8]
Releasing singles from this album resumed when "Superman" (which features Dina Rae) was released as the third single on January 21, 2003.[4]
"Sing for the Moment" was released as the fourth single on February 25 of that same year.[5]
"Business" was released as the fifth and final single on July 22, though it was unreleased in the United States.
Commercial performance[edit]
The Eminem Show was originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002; however, pirated and bootlegged copies appeared online via peer-to-peer networks and began surfacing on the streets. It was provided by Rabid Neurosis (RNS), an MP3 warez release organisation who pirated the album twenty-five days prior to release.[51] Radio show Opie and Anthony broadcast the entire album on May 17, 2002.[52] Interscope decided to release the album earlier than planned, on May 28 to prevent bootlegging. However, many stores in the United States began selling it even earlier than the new release date on Sunday, May 26, and some put the album out as early as Friday.[53] Promotional posters in stores read, "America Couldn't Wait". Due to the premature release by many retailers on a Sunday, the album had only one day of official sales for the chart week and was unavailable in Walmart stores during that period.[53][54] The Eminem Show was Eminem's first album to include lyrics to all its songs inside the CD booklet.[55] Additionally, the first 2,000,000 copies of the album shipped in the United States included a bonus DVD with an exclusive interview and live footage.[54] A week before the album's release, it was the second-most played CD on computers, the highest ranking ever for an unreleased title.[56] It was considered the most anticipated album of 2002.[56]
Despite the confusion over the exact release date, the album still managed to have a very successful debut on the charts. The Eminem Show debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling approximately 284,000 copies in its first day,[53] marking the first time an album had topped the chart from only a day's sale.[48] It sold 1,322,000 copies in the following week, its first full week of sales,[57][58] then sold 809,000 copies in its third week and 529,562 copies in its fourth week to bring its four-week sales total to just under 3 million copies.[59][60] The album sold 381,000 copies in its fifth week and topped the Billboard 200 for a fifth and final consecutive week.[61][62][63] On March 7, 2011, the album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping 10 million copies,[64] making it Eminem's second album to receive a Diamond certification in the United States. It has also achieved Diamond certification in Canada[65] and Double Diamond in Australia.[66]
The Eminem Show has sold 27 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time and Eminem's best-selling album.[67] It reached number one in 18 other countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The album also spent five consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart.[68]
Expanded edition[edit]
On May 24, 2022, Eminem announced the release of the expanded edition of the album on his social media to celebrate its 20th anniversary.[69] On May 26, 2022, Eminem released the new expanded edition, which contains instrumentals of selected tracks, freestyles and live versions of songs from previous albums performed with his longtime friend and collaborator Proof at Tramps, New York and Fuji Rock Festival, Japan. It also features four new tracks which were recorded during the initial recording sessions but not included in the original version of the album; "Stimulate", which was kept off the album due to time constraints and instead appeared on the bonus disc of the 8 Mile soundtrack album, "Bump Heads" and "The Conspiracy Freestyle" (which had appeared on other Shady Records releases), and an unreleased song, "Jimmy, Brian, and Mike", which had a verse and chorus re-recorded by Eminem especially for the expanded edition. Physical versions of the expanded edition were released later in the year, including a 4xLP vinyl set, CD, and cassette.[70] Along with Curtain Call 2, it was nominated for an Outstanding Anthology/Compilation/Reissue at the 2023 Detroit Music Awards.
Notes