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Eminem: From Worst to Best

Ranking Slimshady's Albums (To Date)

By Matthew SullivanPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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10) Infinite-75:

Em’s first body of work is decent but really nothing special. It’s just so overmatched by his later works….but if you want to listen to his beginnings give it a spin.

9) Encore-80:

This is a good album…but it's like Eminem was literally running out of things to talk about. There are some gems here, but most of the songs are mid level. The production is good and the lyrics are decent. He was clearly on drugs for songs like “My 1st Single” and the retarded “Rain Man”. Top Tracks: Like Toy Soldiers, Just Lose It, Ass Like That, Mosh.

8) Bad Meets Evil-85:

Em finally teamed up with Royce da 5’9’’ again for a whole album. BME is a dope project. It was nice to hear Em rap ferociously after a more laid back Recovery album. Royce holds his own too, he even says, “Now I’m 2nd best, I can deal with that.” The lyricism is really good, but the production sounds dated. I love the chemistry here, it’s certainly worth listening to this one. TT: Above the Law, Fast Lane, Lighters, Loud Noises, I’m On Everything.

7) Relapse Refill-88:

More of Relapse. It’s a dope addition to the album.

6) Relapse-89:

This album was Em’s comeback album after a 5 year hiatus. It goes hand in hand with Recovery, although the albums are opposites. Relapse is Em at his most….Slimshadiest lol. It's dark, creepy, and very violent. It is fun on certain tracks like “My Mom” and “We Made You”. The songs “Déjà vu” and “Beautiful” stand out as not only different laid back tracks, but excellent songs. The production is good, but Em’s lyricism is a mile ahead of what it was on Encore. Unfortunately, this is one album Em doesn’t like that he made….TT: We Made You, Insane, Beautiful, 3 A.M., Déjà vu, Underground.

5) Recovery-90:

The blueprint for the new Em. Recovery is a weird Em album in the sense that there are no skits….there’s pop sounds all over it. Lyrically he is dope. The production is good too, and fresh sounding at the time. It was Em’s declaration of the end of his madness that he over endorsed on Relapse. He collaborates with Lil Wayne, P!nk, and Rihanna for stand out tracks. Some of these songs are corny as f*** tho, like "You’re Never Over". However, I see why he made them. This album was originally going to be Relapse 2, but I’m glad he recovered lol. Top Tracks: Talkin 2 Myself, Cold Wind Blows, No Love, Not Afraid, Won’t Back Down, Love the Way You Lie.

4) Eminem Show-94:

Confession, this is my favorite Em album. I have the most nostalgia with it. I listened to it all the time growing up. This album is clearly above the lower mentioned albums. The production is terrific, and his lyricism and flow are almost unrivaled by ANY rapper. It really feels like a showcase too. There are serious songs, party songs, etc. “Till I Collapse” is arguably his best song. There are some songs that aren’t stellar like “Halie’s Song”, “Soldier” and “When the Music Stops” but that’s about it. You’re not an Em fan if you haven’t heard this one. TT: Without Me, Sing for the Moment, Till I Collapse, My Dad’s Gone Crazy, Business, White America.

3) Slimshady LP-96:

Spoiler alert, the LPs are Eminem’s best albums! Yes, it's true. Em’s first proper release oozes with creativity. Sure he spits better on Eminem Show, but this one is just so good, bordering on classic. The first 3 songs are great, “My Name Is” is a party track, “Guilty Conscience” is a funny track featuring Dr. Dre, and “Brain Damage” is introspective glory. The album doesn’t sound dated at all really, and it's going on 20 years old. I like the skits too. Ironically I had this album ranked just above Recovery until recently. Top Tracks: Just Don’t Give a F***, Bad Meets Evil, My Name Is, Brain Damage, 97’Bonnie & Clyde, Guilty Conscience.

2) Marshall Mathers LP2 -98:

The most recent album to date. I mean you’re not really surprised at this being #2 are you?? It’s like he took Recovery and mixed it with MMLP. On “Bad Guy” he gives you the part 2 to “Stan” and it’s incredible. Lyrically this might be Eminem’s best performance. Check out the triumphant “Survival”, the fun “Rhyme or Reason” or the stellar “Rap God”. The guest spots are well used too; Kendrick Lamar, Skylar Grey, and Rihanna on the album’s regular version. It could have used more skits….and maybe done without “Stonger Than I Was” but it's still a classic. The production is really good too. TT: Berzerk, Rap God, So Far…, The Monster, Bad Guy, A**hole, Survival.

1) Marshall Mathers LP -99:

No surprise here I think for you reader lol. I mean, it’s basically SSLP with better songs and production. The 3 main singles are some of his best songs: “Stan” “The Way I Am” and “The Real Slimshady”. I really like “B*tch Please II” and “Criminal” too. The album is dark, too. “Kim” is the worst song, and even that has a bit of good to it. “Kill You” is crazy too, but the perfect opener for him. The skits are great too just like on SSLP. There aren’t many guest features either. Em is the star here. This is certainly a classic, and one of the best rap albums of all time. TT: Marshall Mathers, Stan, Kill You, The Way I Am, Criminal, The Real Slimshady.

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About the Creator

Matthew Sullivan

Hello there. I am a blogger supreme. I started a blog on blogger.com www.maxreviewsandthoughts.blogspot.com. There i talk about music, movies, video games and news sometimes.http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/mattayo88

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