Maps of Music

Infinite (1996)

Where the lyrics of Infinite take you, and where it was really made.

Eminem sold his debut album out of the trunk of his car, and physical copies have since risen in value.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Infinite: debut studio album by the American rapper Eminem
Released 12 November 1996 through WEB Entertainment
Physical copies issued on cassette and vinyl
Eminem sold copies from the trunk of his car in Detroit
Not on any online music store; only the title track reached Spotify
Remix of the title track posted 17 November 2016, five days after the 20th anniversary; first digital release of the song

1992: Eminem signed with FBT Productions, run by Jeff and Mark Bass, known as the Bass Brothers
Held a minimum-wage job cooking and washing dishes at Gilbert's Lodge in St. Clair Shores
Inspired by Tupac Shakur's Me Against the World (1995) and Nas's Illmatic (1994)
Began writing after the birth of his daughter Hailie
Themes include a strong wish to get rich and raising a newborn on limited funds
Others encouraged him to sound like Nas and AZ

Eminem headed to the Bass Brothers' basement to record the album after Hailie was born
Recorded and mixed at Bassment Sounds Inc., Ferndale, Michigan; mastered at Pearl Sound, Canton, Michigan
Mr. Porter produced most of the album; Proof programmed the drums
Completed in summer 1996
Songs were made radio-friendly in hopes of airplay on Detroit radio
Only around one thousand copies were made

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.

Complex's Rob Kenner gave a mixed review, calling it a competent but unremarkable effort and saying Eminem had yet to develop his own distinctive style
Rolling Stone's Mosi Reeves found the spiritual lines on 'It's O.K.' the most surprising thing on the album, noting that faith was not prominent in his later lyrics
Consequence of Sound's Tedd Maider called it a more genuine glimpse of the rapper and said its quick-witted rhyming and lyrical skill were matched only by The Marshall Mathers LP
AllMusic gave an Editor Score of 2.5 out of 5 stars, without a written review
Commercial failure: Eminem claimed in The Way I Am that it sold about 70 copies, while other sources say a few hundred or a thousand

Retrospective reviews from critics remain mixed
Christopher R. Weingarten placed it eighth of Eminem's 10 studio albums in Stereogum's 2019 ranking
Kemet High placed it eighth of 11 in XXL's 2021 ranking
Damien Scott placed it 10th of 12 in Billboard's 2024 ranking
Respected by rap listeners today despite the reception at the time

Sales were very small; the exact count is uncertain
Physical copies have appreciated in value because the album was made before Eminem became mainstream

Eminem sold the album from the trunk of his car in Detroit, and the Bass Brothers' label distributed it on cassette and vinyl.
The album was not available on any online music store, and only its title track later appeared on Spotify.
A remix of the title track, made by the Bass Brothers, was posted on the official Eminem YouTube channel on 17 November 2016 and released digitally for the first time.
Eminem's personal struggles and drug and alcohol abuse after the album led to a suicide attempt.
Eminem's disappointment over the album's lack of success inspired him to develop the Slim Shady alter ego, which appeared on later albums.
thisis50.com re-released the album for free download on 14 May 2009 to build anticipation for Relapse.