Everybody knows who Eminem is, as well as his alter-ego Slim Shady. The comical emcee has been around hip-hop since 1995, mainly in the underground, and didnt get a mainstream hit until 1999, with My Name Is. His first underground release was "Infinite", which was a good album, but had dissapointing sales. He was also critisized for sort of stealing the style of early Nas and Jay-Z work. So Eminem decided to competely change himself. Soon after, he went all over Detroit freestyling and battling under the alter-ego Slim Shady. Soon after, he was urged by Web Entertainment to release another album, and he cranked out the seminal EP The Slim Shady EP, the same tape that Dr. Dre discovered so Eminem could get signed, and the rest is history..


Track List & Rating

1. Intro (Slim Shady) (NOT RATED)
2. Low Down Dirty (5 Stars)
3. If I Had... (5 Stars)
4. I Just Dont Give a F*ck (Original Mix) (4 1/2 Stars)
5. Mommy (Interlude) (NOT RATED)
6. Just the Two of us (4 1/2 Stars)
7. No One's Iller f/ Bizarre, Swifty, Fuzz (5 Stars)
8. Murder Murder (5 Stars)
9. If I had (Radio Edit) (4 1/2 Stars)
10. Just the Two of us (Radio Edit) (4 Stars)



At first glance, you can easily notice that many of the tracks from Slim Shady EP are the same as in Slim Shady LP, only with slight differences. "If I had" is exactly the same track as you'll find on the LP, as Eminem gives us introspection as to his view if the world was his and his ambitions to get out of poverty. "I Just Dont Give a F*ck" is slightly different when it comes to production, but the same lyrics and chorus. The beat is a bit awkward, with some weird synthesizers added, which sounds much better on the LP when it is more stripped down and basic. It loses a 1/2 point due to its weird beat. "Just the Two of us" is the original version of "97 Bonnie and Clyde", the classic where Eminem kills his wife in front of his daughter. "Mommy" is an intro to this track, featuring the same found effects found on the LP at the beginning of the track. The beat is once again, slightly different, but pretty much the same. The rest of the album is filled with rare underground tracks, chronicling the birth of Slim Shady.

"Intro (Slim Shady)" is pretty cool, as we see sort of a Dr. Jeckyll / Mr. Hyde situation where Eminem fully transforms and introduces his new persona of Slim Shady. Slim Shady is the comical, sort of evil entity hiding within Eminem which he lashes out against his foes, sort of like a comic book super hero alter-ego. Our very first glimpse of Slim Shady is on "Low Down Dirty", immediately we get a beat with a thumping bassline and drum / clap loop, and some synthesizers. Eminem introduces Slim Shady to everybody, giving us humorous lyricism about drug use, sex, and violence, as only Eminem can do. This has sort of the same ideas as My Name Is only much more underground and hardcore, and vulgar.

"No One's Iller" features members of D-12, and the long-lost rapper Fuzz. Everybody drops tight verses, even Bizarre, which comes off surprisingly strong with his shock-value verse. Swifty McVay has an on-point flow with well-written verses and a multi-syllable flow. Eminem goes into his Slim Shady and hits us with tight, humorous, and clever punchlines. Fuzz keeps a multi-bar rhyme scheme going for his verse, and drops it with a tight flow. "Murder Murder" is humorous Eminem storytelling at its best. Eminem gives the story of Slim Shady as a night criminal, hunting out for his prey. He tells a humorous story about robbing a car and commiting thousands of crimes. He adaps a multi-syllable flow, with metaphors, similes, and great narrative skills. The beat is a sombre bass / violin mixture, mainly synthesized with clever sound effects. The chorus samples 2pac beautifully.

Eminem decides to end the album with two Radio edits, which to me, serve as filler, and im not sure why they were put on there.

The only major problem with the Slim Shady EP is the fact that you have to think twice as to whether to buy it or not considering that the majority of the tracks appear on the Slim Shady LP, and if you own that album, then the choice is much more difficult. I think that if you are a true hardcore Eminem fan then its a must-have. But if you're a more traditional fan of hip-hop, then its most likely not worth spending the money and probably a good idea to download it. Then again, its out of stock so good luck finding a legitimate copy, so downloading might be the best option. If not, as always I have copied for sale for 8 bucs plus shipping. E-mail me for some information. Until then, its deserving of 4 Stars...

4 Stars



Recommended: Yes