7. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
You can hate him or love him, I'm sure Eminem doesn't care. Acclaimed as one of the most controversial rappers of all time, this white rapper from Detroit exploded on to the hip-hop and pop charts with the hit single "My Name Is" in 1999 and hasn't stepped out of the limelight since. After building up an incredibly large fan-base off of two singles, Em released the Marshall Mathers LP, which would go down in the history books as one of hip-hops most praised albums by critics, but most criticized by mainstream society. Unlike the Slim Shady LP which focused on his persona (Slim Shady), the Marshall Mathers LP weighs in heavily on the dark, disturbed personal life on Marshall Mathers (Eminem's real name). Mather's hatred towards critics, family and his ex-wife Kim are blatantly obvious throughout the album. I guess the first track after the intro titled "Kill You" is a disclaimer to those that want to hate and beef with Shady.
When it comes to lyrical content not much needs to be said about Eminem. I wasn't allowed to buy his albums for two reasons: my mother was a responsible parent; parental advisory stickers became hot after Eminem, Korn and Limp Bizkit put out albums. Noteworthy is Eminem's style through the entire album, jumping back and forth from dark, violent personal raps to outrageous comedic acts. The Marshall Mathers LP put out four singles, three of them dominating the charts for months: The Real Slim Shady, The Way I Am, and Stan. Thank God for "Stan," the hook by Dido made my mother even like the track, which I'm sure allowed me to eventually buy the album.
You can write a story book about Eminem and his controversies, albums, style, 8-Mile, and so on, but I am going to stop here. I don't want my number 7 choice for album of the decade to have the longest, most descriptive write up.
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