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The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

Where the lyrics of The Marshall Mathers LP take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded in a two-month "creative binge" of sessions often lasting 20 hours, the album still sold 1.76 million copies in the United States in its first week.

Key places

Detroit studio where the album was recorded (2000)

Recording site 54 Sound — The album was recorded in several studios around Detroit over a 10-month period. This studio is listed among the recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

New York studio used for recording (2000)

Recording site Chung King Studios — Chung King Studios in New York City is listed among the studios where the album was recorded. The point marks the city-level location of the studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Burbank studio used for recording (2000)

Recording site Encore Recording Studios — Encore Recording Studios in Burbank, California is listed among the recording locations for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Hollywood studio used for recording (2000)

Recording site Larrabee Sound Studios — Larrabee Sound Studios in Hollywood is listed among the recording locations for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Los Angeles studio used for recording (2000)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The Record Plant in Los Angeles is listed among the studios where the album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Marshall Mathers LP (also called the MMLP) is the third studio album by the American rapper Eminem
• Released May 23, 2000 by Shady Records, Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, WEB Entertainment, and Interscope Records
• UK release on September 11, 2000 through Polydor Records
• Production by Dr. Dre, Mel-Man, F.B.T., Eminem, and the 45 King
• Guest appearances from Dido, RBX, Sticky Fingaz, Dina Rae, Bizarre, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, Paul Rosenberg and D12
• Introspective lyrics on his rise to fame, criticism of his music, and estrangement from his family
• Described as a transgressive work that mixes hardcore hip-hop, satirical hip-hop, and horrorcore
• Singles: "The Real Slim Shady", "The Way I Am", "Stan"

Background

• Follows the disappointment of the debut album Infinite (1996)
• Slim Shady alter ego first introduced on the Slim Shady EP (1997)
• Follows The Slim Shady LP (1999), which turned Eminem into a high-profile celebrity
• Eminem considered naming this album Amsterdam after a trip there shortly after The Slim Shady LP release
• Open, "free" drug use he saw in Amsterdam shaped his wish to discuss drug use in his music

Recording

• Recorded in a two-month "creative binge", with sessions often running 20 hours
• Recorded over a 10-month period in several studios around Detroit
• Eminem hoped to keep publicity low to stay focused on the work
• "Kim" was the first song recorded for the album, shortly after The Slim Shady LP was finished
• "Stan" was produced by The 45 King, using a sample of Dido's "Thank You"

Cover

• The original cover shows Eminem on the porch of the house he lived in as a teenager
• The other cover shows the rapper in a fetal position under a loading dock, with alcohol and prescription pill bottles at his feet

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

• Rolling Stone's Touré praised Dr. Dre's production and Eminem's varied lyrical style
• Melody Maker said Eminem's intense vision of "rap's self-consciousness" was truly unique
• NME's Steve Sutherland praised the album as a misanthropic and "gruelling assault course of lyrical genius"
• The Village Voice's Chuck Eddy said the album had attractive music and an emotionally complex quality
• Entertainment Weekly's Will Hermes wrote that it is "indefensible and critic-proof, hypocritical and heartbreaking, unlistenable and undeniable"
• Greg Kot called the critical reaction "mixed", while praising Eminem's "verbal skills and transgressive humor"
• Los Angeles Times' Robert Hilburn withheld praise because of its homophobic lyrics
• Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani gave a one-and-a-half star review

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard, in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), called it a minor masterpiece
• Sputnikmusic's Nick Butler said it is unique in rap's canon, owing its spirit to rock
• Complex's Insanul Ahmed wrote that the album turned Eminem into a global icon
• Billboard's Damien Scott placed it first among Eminem's 12 studio albums in a 2024 ranking

Records

• Metacritic: "generally favorable reviews", 78 out of 100 from 21 critic scores
• Debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks
• Sold 1.76 million copies in the United States in its first week
• Sold 10.2 million copies in the United States in the 2000s per SoundScan
• Worldwide sales of 25 million copies
• Certified Diamond by the RIAA, with 11 million shipments in the United States
• Named the best album of 2000 by Rolling Stone and Melody Maker
• Won Best Album at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2000
• Won Best Rap Album at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2001; nominated for Album of the Year

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Some label executives expected Eminem to become the first artist to sell one million copies in an album's first week.
• The clean version replaced "Kim" with "The Kids", a South Park-themed track about drug use and American youth.
• Interscope Records insisted on censoring the words "kids" and "Columbine" from a line in "I'm Back", even on the explicit version.
• Eminem told his manager he wanted a sound that would keep the album in focus, and the producers were told to keep the beats sparse.
• Dido later heard "Stan" and said she liked the track after receiving a letter about the sample.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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