Maps of Music

The Eminem Show (2002)

Where the lyrics of The Eminem Show take you, and where it was really made.

The album was due out on June 4, 2002, but leaked copies forced an earlier release, and it still became the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States.

Key places

Encore, Burbank: a recording location (2002)

Recording site Encore Recording Studios — Encore Recording Studios in Burbank, California is listed as a place where the album was recorded. The point is set at building level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

54 Sound, Ferndale: a recording studio (2002)

Recording site 54 Sound — 54 Sound in Ferndale, Michigan is listed as a recording studio for the album. Recording sessions here are part of the album's production history. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Eminem Show: fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem
• Released May 26, 2002 through Shady Records, Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, WEB Entertainment and Interscope Records
• Eminem produced most of the album himself, with additional production by Dr. Dre, Jeff Bass and Mr. Porter
• Guests include Obie Trice, Paul Rosenberg, D12, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Dina Rae and Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade
• Themes center on Eminem's prominence in hip-hop and his mixed feelings about fame, plus US politics: 9/11, Osama bin Laden, the war on terror, George W. Bush, Lynne Cheney and Tipper Gore
• Heavier use of rap rock than his earlier albums
• Regarded as his most personal album at the time, a step back from the Slim Shady alter ego

Background

• The two albums before it explored frustration among America's underclass; this one marked a drastic thematic shift
• Eminem cited The Truman Show (1998, directed by Peter Weir) as the inspiration for the album
• He said his life felt like a circus around that time and that he always felt watched
• Widely considered the most anticipated album of 2002

Recording

• Recording started around the time he was filming 8 Mile; the film soundtrack and the album shared production
• Eminem took a much bigger production role, self-producing most of the album
• Jeff Bass co-produced several tracks, mainly the songs that became singles
• Dr. Dre was executive producer and produced only three tracks: 'Business', 'Say What You Say' and 'My Dad's Gone Crazy'
• Studios named for the album: Encore in Burbank, California, and 54 Sound in Ferndale, Michigan

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Marshall Bruce Mathers III, born October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri; American rapper, songwriter, record producer and record executive.
• Known for rap flow and conscious rap including political criticism and social commentary; widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.
• Credited with popularizing hip-hop in Middle America and the acceptance of white rappers in popular music.
• Debut album Infinite (1996) was a commercial failure; Slim Shady EP (1997) led to signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope.
• The Slim Shady LP (1999) brought mainstream popularity; The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002) each sold over one million copies in a single week.
• The Eminem Show became the best-selling album worldwide in 2002; Recovery (2010) was the best-selling album worldwide in 2010.
• Co-founded Shady Records in late 1999; the label signed D12, Obie Trice, 50 Cent, Stat Quo, Bobby Creekwater and Cashis.
• Starred in 8 Mile (2002); "Lose Yourself" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the first hip-hop act to win it.
• Over 220 million records sold; eleven number-one albums on the Billboard 200, with The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024) the latest.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 in his first year of eligibility.

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, 75 out of 100 from 20 critic scores
• NME (Alex Needham): praised it as a fantastic third album, bigger, bolder and far more consistent than its predecessors
• Entertainment Weekly (David Browne): said the more personal lyrics fleshed out Eminem's complexities and contradictions
• Rolling Stone (Kris Ex): argued Eminem may have made the best rap-rock album in history
• Slant Magazine (Sal Cinquemani): said the album peels back some of the façade and reveals more of the real Marshall Mathers
• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): said the album proves Eminem is the gold standard in pop music in 2002
• Robert Christgau: called it an articulate, coherent and formally appropriate response to Eminem's changing position and role
• USA Today (Edna Gundersen): said he inflicts more damage on himself, with self-absorption rivaled only by Woody Allen
• Q: mixed, saying his old alter ego had outgrown the skits and cameos that now felt like a hindrance
• PopMatters (Marc L. Hill): called it a disappointing mix of promising experimentation and uninspired lyrics

Reappraisal

• Often debated as Eminem's best and most personal work
• Completed a 'three-peat' of classic hip-hop albums after The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP
• Rolling Stone ranked it 317th on The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) and 84th on its Best Albums of the 2000s
• Complex called it a classic and placed it fifth on its 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for six non-consecutive weeks
• Sold about 284,000 copies on its first day, the first album to top the chart on a single day of sales
• Sold 1,322,000 copies in its first full week of sales
• Topped the UK Albums Chart for five consecutive weeks
• Best-selling album of 2002 in the US and worldwide
• RIAA certified it 12× platinum; worldwide sales of 27 million copies
• At the 2003 Grammy Awards it was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Copies leaked online through peer-to-peer networks before release, and Interscope moved the release up to May 28 to prevent bootlegging.
• Opie and Anthony broadcast the entire album on May 17, 2002.
• Some US stores began selling it before the official date, and promotional posters read 'America Couldn't Wait'.
• It was the first Eminem album with lyrics to all songs printed in the CD booklet.
• 'Sing for the Moment' samples Aerosmith's 'Dream On', and 'Till I Collapse' interpolates the intro of Queen's 'We Will Rock You'.
• Early clean versions replaced 'Drips' with four seconds of silence.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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