Productions and Eminem produced most of the second half, which ranges from the laid-back guitars of "Marshall Mathers" to the gritty atmosphere of "Amityville." The only outside producer on the album is The 45 King, who provides a haunting beat for the famous "Stan" single that samples Dido's "Thank You" with the addition of a slow bassline. Dre and Mel-Man, who typically employ sparse, stripped-down beats, allowing Eminem's rapping to take center-stage.
Much of the first half of the album is produced by Dr. The album is considerably darker than his debut its famous "The Real Slim Shady" single is one of the only upbeat and comical tracks. Other themes include his relationship with his family, most notably his mother and Kim Mathers, his wife who he subsequently divorced but has remarried in 2006, but divorced again after only 86 days of marriage. Much of the CD is spent addressing his rise to fame and attacking those who criticized his first album. Despite significant protests and debate, The Marshall Mathers LP went on to win Best Rap Album of the Year, but lost to Steely Dan's Two Against Nature for Album of the Year.Īs evidenced by Eminem's decision to include his real name in the album's title, this is a more serious and personal album than his major-label debut, The Slim Shady LP, which predominantly featured his exaggerated Slim Shady persona. At the ceremony, Eminem performed "Stan" in a duet with famous homosexual artist Elton John playing piano and singing the chorus, in an attempt to silence GLAAD and others who claimed his lyrics were homophobic, though GLAAD did not change its position and spoke out against Elton John's decision. Protests against the album's content reached a climax when it was nominated for four Grammy awards in 2001 including Album of the Year, marking the first time a hardcore rap album was ever nominated in this category. Unlike his previous album, Eminem uses the words "fag" and "faggot" multiple times throughout The Marshall Mathers LP, and the tracks "Kill You" and "Kim" were commonly cited as examples of hateful lyrics against women. While the album received a great deal of praise from most music critics, its enormous popularity also provoked a backlash from gay-rights activists (primarily GLAAD), feminist groups, and socially conservative political figures such as Lynne Cheney, who all claimed that many of the album's lyrics were extremely misogynistic, homophobic, and vulgar. The Marshall Mathers LP would eventually be certified 9x Platinum, and is still Eminem's best-selling album. Notably, both albums were executive-produced/produced by Dr. In the week following its release, it sold 1.7 million copies, becoming the fastest-selling rap album in history, more than doubling the previous record held by Snoop Dogg's 1993 debut Doggystyle. " The Real Slim Shady," the first single and a huge hit, was written back in the United States, as the deadline neared and no radio-friendly singles were yet written. The Marshall Mathers LP is the sophomore major-label album from American rapper Eminem.
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