Track Listing

1. Curtains Up
2. White America
3. Business
4. Cleanin Out My Closet
5. Square Dance
6. The Kiss
7. Soldier
8. Say Goodbye Hollywood
9. Drips
10. Without Me
11. Paul Rosenberg
12. Sing For the Moment
13. Superman
14. Hailie's Song
15. Steve Berman
16. When the Music Stops
17. Say What You Say
18. 'Till I Collapse
19. My Dad's Gone Crazy
20. Curtains Close

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1083 in Music
• Published on: 2002
• Released on: 2002-05-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.com
Any lingering doubts as to the depth of Eminem's skills or his potential for raw yet compelling honesty are dispelled on The Eminem Show's first track. Armed with a quicksilver flow and a thundering rhythm track (the record was exec produced by longtime mentor and partner Dr. Dre), "White America" finds Eminem ferociously mauling the hand that feeds him, lambasting his critics, the industry, and the racism that, in many ways, helped make Marshall Mathers more than just another rapper. "Let's do the math," Em sneers, "If I was black I would have sold half/ I could be one of your kids/ Little Eric looks just like this." After the bombast of The Marshall Mathers LP and Eminem's well-noted use of sexual epithets, this kind of material is made more controversial because it actually rings true. From a brutal retort to his long-estranged and equally troubled mother ("Cleaning Out My Closets") to a surprisingly tender ode to his child ("Hailie's Song"), Eminem examines his life, loves, arrests, addictions, failures, and successes with surprising insight, making this a funk-drenched hip-hop confessional well worth the hype. --Amy Linden

Customer Reviews

A step up from the last album
As witty as "The Marshall Mathers LP" was, "The Eminem Show" seems to be even wittier. This time, Eminem concentrates less on pushing buttons, and more on social and personal commentary.

Curtains Up(skit) - Just some sound effects giving the impression of Em walking up to a microphone.

White America - A heavy sounding song about how Eminem has unwittingly reached so many people in so many different ways. He points out how he wouldn't be targeted so much if he was black.

Business - Dre's G-funk production is easily recognizable here, and is just as groovy as ever. Em plays the role of Robin to Dre's Batman, much like the current video for "Without Me".

Cleaning Out My Closet - Self explanatory title. Here, Em once again vents his thoughts on his fame, ex-wife, and mother, but manages to say enough new stuff to keep from sounding repetative.

Square Dance - Don't let the title fool you, its still a rap song. Em says this song overall is intended to help you forget stuff and let loose. A few pot shots at Cannabis pop up here.

The Kiss(skit) - A loose recreation of the events that led to Eminem's arrest.

Soldier - With all the negative press, lawsuits, and newfound fame coming at him, Em describes himself as someone who keeps moving along despite all the pressure around him.

Say Goodbye to Hollywood - This seems to be Em saying that after all the things that have happened to him, he can't be carefree anymore.

Drips - A tale about how Obie Trice hooked up with a fictional girlfriend of Eminem, and wound up getting some kind of STD. Basically, this song is a graphic picture about the dangers of unprotected sex.

Without Me - The traditional, catchy, leadoff single with the Slim Shady persona in full force. Sounds different enough from "My Name Is" and "The Real Slim Shady" to hold its own.

Paul Rosenbeurg(skit) - Em's manager urgently warns him not to carry his gun around.

Sing for the Moment - Using a sample of Aerosmith's "Dream on", Em tells us in his own unique way how and why kids are drawn to him and entertainers in general.

Superman - A twisted semi-love song about Em's ex-wife. He indicates they may get back together down the road, but for now he could care less because "I can't be your Superman".

Halie's Song - A heartfelt ode to his beloved daugher. Em himself admits that he can't sing that good. Someone said how this sounded similar to the boy bands that Em puts down. Well, the difference is he wrote this himself, and the feelings are real.

Steve Berman(skit) - The head of Interscope records doesn't get a chance to say what he wants to say about this album.

When the Music Stops - The members of D-12 lend a hand in telling how life can be rough when the focus is not on music anymore.

Say What U Say - Em and Dre go back and forth in dissing Jermaine Dupri.

'Till I Collapse - The beat is identical to Queen's "We Will Rock You", and makes for an arena-rock sounding ode to Em's desire to continue on. Nate Dogg provides a very catchy chorus.

My Dad's Gone Crazy - Em's daughter is featured here, and she comments on what we've known all along. All the subject matter on the album is summed up well in the last few verses.

Curtains Close(skit) - Ken Kaniff is left all by himself as "The Eminem Show" ends.

... about for a sec then tells his mind.Em shows his songwriting gift.VERY GOOD SONG.
20-Curtain's Close-Ken Keniff is back closing out the show.

Rating:
15/10

This CD really impressed me and should impress you as well.
Sorry this review is so long.Anyway this CD is well worth the 15 bucks.Hell, I think it should be more if u ask me.

Surprising
I'm of a different breed when it comes to music taste. I'm only 22 years old and I'd take 80's rock over any other kind of music. While 99.99% of other people my age listen to the new stuff like alternative, rap, or even Britney Spears, I go for the 80's, 70's, and even a little bit of country.

However.....I've never been closed minded when it comes to music. I like a lot of the music from the 90's and a little bit from the 00's (if that's what we call this decade). I like one Britney Spears song, a few rap songs here and there, and even two or three songs from the Backstreet Boys.

Unless you count the Space Jam album, I haven't ever owned a rap album. One day when I was on my way to getting something to eat for supper from a fast food restaurant, the local 80's station and other stations that played stuff from the 70's - 00's just happened to be playing songs that I couldn't stand. So I turned it to 103.7, a station that played almost nothing but the hits that are currently taking the world by storm. And what do you know, I had no idea what song it was or who was singing it, but I heard a song called "Without Me" that had an infectious beat and catchy rapping that I liked a lot.

Upon finding out it was Eminem, I couldn't believe it. I had cut down Eminem before when my online friends were praising him, even though I hadn't heard any of his stuff except for on short commercials. Come to find out, my mom had his newest album, The Eminem Show, and she said I could borrow it. She even went so far as to say that if I liked it, I could keep it, because she doesn't like it much. "Eh, I probably won't like any songs other than "Without Me", but what the heck? I'll take a listen one day on one of my hour-long road trips to college."

I liked almost every song on the whole cd. I like how Eminem tells you his real-life story in many of his song such as "White America." You'll learn by listening to the lyrics that he was born in 1973, that he's not a big fan of his dad, what he thinks of being a famous white rapper, and much more. He even includes a song that's devoted to his daughter with "Hailie's Song." While that's great, what really made this an album that I was glad to add to my collection are the great beats, and most of all, the rapping, even though I'm not a huge rap fan at all. Also, one song, "Sing For The Moment", includes a good bit of the chorus from the classic Aerosmith hit, "Dream On." Gotta love that as well. "My Dad's Gone Crazy" is hilarious, and the album contains five skits.

If you like even one song you've heard from The Eminem Show, go ahead and get the whole album, because you'll probably like the majority of the tracks. That's what happened to me. I've found that it's especially good to listen to when you're on the road and you're feeling a little sleepy. It'll keep you wide awake as you listen to the lyrics or simply get down (not literally since you're driving, of course) with the beats. Bottom line: All of Eminem's attention and success isn't due to him being the first white rapper to make it big; he's got boat loads of talent.

My Top 5:

1. Without Me
2. When The Music Stops
3. White America
4. Say What You Say
5. Sing For The Moment

Very unique rapper with an amazing album
I wasn't a big fan of Eminem's first two albums except for a few songs. When this came out, I heard two songs off it and they were awesome to me. So then I ordered this CD right here off Amazon.com. I just got it in today and the raps immediately blew me away and I had to take several breaks to recuperate. I must admit now that I think Em is truly talented. He literally wears his heart on his sleeve and spews out all the thoughts on his mind and mixes his words together to form clever rhythms. Here is my song-by-song review now:

Curtains Up - This isn't a song really. It's just an opening skit with sounds of Em making his way to the microphone. It was cool how he ended this skit by taking a deep breath and then my player immediately went to Track 2 when he screamed "America!"

White America - Slow rapping is included in this song so the fans of Eminem can clearly understand the message he is delivering here. Very catchy

Business - Not one of my favorites but I like the chorus

Cleanin Out My Closet - The title actually means that Em is cleaning out his mind of all the thoughts that need to be expressed in the form of words

Square Dance - Em's hillbilly voice in the chorus is a little annoying but the music is very cool and so is the rapping

The Kiss - This is a skit that actually has background music in it that leads up to "Soldier."

Soldier - The rapping is quicker than most of his other songs and there is a lot of cussing so protect your kids from this one. Better yet, protect your kids from the whole album. :) LOL

Say Goodbye Hollywood - If you exclude all the skits on this album, this is probably my least favorite song. It's pretty average and the chorus isn't catchy enough but it doesn't decrease the final score at all

Drips - Never got a chance to hear this one because it was removed from the album when they were editing it. Actually it's still on here but it's just three seconds of no audio and then Track 10 comes on

Without Me - This is the famous single you've heard so much about. I've heard it a million times but it's still pretty good. Unfortunately, it gets overplayed on the radio and it can get on your nerves after hearing it too much so, once you've had your fair share of listens, try not to listen to it more because you might dislike it then.

Paul Rosenberg - I feel some of these skits are unnecessary. Paul just leaves Marshall a message, telling him not to carry his gun away from his home.

Sing For The Moment - Eminem borrowed this music from Aerosmith's classic song "Dream On." He even had them featured in the song and they sang the chorus while he included his rap verses.

Superman - A pretty good song but it gets on your nerves as the conversation between Em and Dina Rea gets played too much.

Hailie's Song - Em shows how much love he has for his daughter and how much he hates his mother.

Steve Berman - Another dumb skit that's just on the CD to take up space

When The Music Stops - The music in the background really gets you moving. There is no chorus. Just nonstop rapping with five rappers featured, excluding Em.

Say What You Say - Good song. Nuff said.

Till I Collapse - Nate Dogg makes the chorus catchy and the rapping is normal and still good

My Dad's Gone Crazy - Hailie's voice gets very annoying in this song, but Em's rapping takes your mind off of her

Curtains Close - A skit that makes you cry because it's all over until the next album