Eminem, the rapper born as Marshal Mathers, is known worldwide as one of the first white emcees to be loved, accepted and embraced by the hip-hop community and is now considered among the best in the industry with regard to lyricism. With so many iconic songs, it is hard to deny the Detroit rapper’s talent and the impact he has made on the genre as a whole.
Born in Missouri and raised in the 8 Mile area of Detroit, Eminem was the biggest name in hip hop at the turn of the millennium, without a doubt. His second album, The Slim Shady LP, released in 1999, was met with critical acclaim and went straight to number two on the Billboard 200, and by the end of 1999, it was certified four times platinum. To this day, it is still classed as a classic and is one of the most successful hip hop albums of all time.
Eminem’s alter-ego ‘Slim Shady’ captivated the world as he explored challenging subjects that no other rapper had dared to and flung profanity into his songs for fun. The rapper’s ability to immerse his listeners in a story was second to none, and the movie 8-mile only fuelled his popularity. His music remains some of the most memorable creations in all of hip-hop, and to this day, Eminem has the highest-selling hip hop album of all time with his album, The Eminem Show, certified diamond, with over 27 million sales and 3 billion streams. Kanye’s 11 albums combined have sold a total of 35 million. So for one album, The Eminem Show is one of the best-selling albums in the world.
What’s fascinating about Eminem is how his music fused hip hop with humour. A rare talent. Often, listening to an Eminem album is akin to listening to the diary of a psychopath, yet somehow it still fits within the parameters of hip hop. Beyond the negative attitudes and violence that is so often associated with the hip hop genre, Eminem provides levity, and Eminem’s tracks are funny as well as dark. They can evoke a range of emotions, and that’s crucial in hip hop. A quality track cannot be centred around just violence.
Mathers is officially the highest selling hip hop artist of all time. Slim Shady has the highest selling hip hop album in the world. Released on May 26th, 2002, The Eminem Show still reigns supreme over the albums of Drake, Nicki Minaj and all our favourite new artists. The album is multi-platinum in every country around the world and, in some countries, is certified Diamond. He also is credited with popularizing the genre of hip hop in middle America and drawing a caucasian crowd that previously were not interacting with the genre beyond Vanilla Ice.
Eminem is among the most legendary hip hop artists of all time and in celebration of his birthday we have decided to present you with the 50 essential Eminem tracks you need to hear.
The 50 best Eminem songs of all time:
- ‘My Name Is’
- The Real Slim Shady’
- ‘Stan’
- ‘The Way I Am’
- ‘Bitch Please II’
- ‘Without Me’
- ‘Superman’
- ‘Sing For The Moment’
- ‘Business’
- ‘Hailie’s Song’
- ‘My Dad’s Gone Crazy’
- ‘Lose Yourself’
- ‘8 Mile’
- ‘Cleanin Out My Closet’
- ‘White America’
- ‘Just Lose It’
- ‘Mosh’
- ‘Ass Like That’
- ‘Like Toy Soldiers’
- ‘Mockingbird’
- ‘Shake That’
- ‘When I’m Gone’
- ‘Crack A Bottle’
- ‘Beautiful’
- ‘We Made You’
- ‘Forever’
- ‘Music Box’
- ‘Hell Breaks Loose’
- ‘Elevator’
- ‘Love The Way You Lie’
- ‘Cinderella Man’
- ‘W.T.P.’
- ‘No Love’
- ‘Space Bound’
- ‘Not Afraid’
- ‘Berzerk’
- ‘Headlights’
- ‘Survival’
- ‘River’
- ‘Walk On Water’
- ‘Nowhere Fast’
- ‘Rap God’
- ‘In Too Deep’
- ‘Godzilla’
- ‘Higher’
- ‘The King And I’
- ‘From The D 2 The LBC’
- ‘Phenomenal’
- ‘Fast Lane’
- ‘Kings Never Die’