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Slim Shady EP

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Allmusic[1]
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The Slim Shady EP is a debut EP by American rapper Eminem, released on the Detroit-based record label Web Entertainment in 1997. The Slim Shady EP was released on cassette, vinyl, and CD (the vinyl and CD versions were released in '98, most likely because Eminem did not have the money to press them all at that time).

Eminem first introduced his "Slim Shady" persona on this EP, and his lyrics are a marked departure from those found on Infinite, featuring constant references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability, and over-the-top violence. Another departure was his exploration of more serious themes of dealing with poverty, his direct and self-deprecating response to criticism, and of marital and family difficulties. His flow is also noticeably different than on Infinite; whereas critics claimed he sounded too much like Nas and AZ on that album. Eminem also began utilizing story telling on this EP. The production value of the music on the tracks — from previous collaborators DJ Head, The Bass Brothers, and Mr. Porter — was also noticeably higher than on prior album efforts.

Unlike Infinite, The Slim Shady EP gained Eminem significant underground attention and eventually garnered the interest of famous West Coast hip-hop producer Dr. Dre, who subsequently signed Eminem to his fledgling Aftermath label, and executive-produced his breakthrough major-label debut The Slim Shady LP.

Album cover

The album cover depicts the opening intro as well as the first track, in which Slim Shady (a character which Eminem apparently "killed" in the past) dead awakens Eminem and orders him to look in the mirror to see that he is "nothing without him". Eminem resists and screams in the background while Slim Shady yells back and laughs at Eminem's horror. By the second track, Eminem and Slim Shady become the same person. Eminem is also ordered by "Slim Shady" to look into the mirror, and the sound of glass breaking is heard, alluding once again to the cover.

Promotional releases

Web Entertainment released a promotional version of The Slim Shady EP in the Fall of 1997 at a show at "The Viper Room" on Detroit's eastside. It was a four-track cassette. The four songs on the cassette were, "Just Don't Give A Fuck", "Murder, Murder", "Just The Two Of Us", "Low Down, Dirty". These cassettes were handed out for free by Eminem at local Detroit Hip Hop shows, as well as at the infamous Rap Olympics in 1997.

Unsigned Hype

Eminem was featured in the March 1998 edition of The Source magazine's (#102), "Unsigned Hype" column. The author of the column highlighted two tracks from Eminem's The Slim Shady EP; "Just The Two Of Us," and "Murder, Murder." The column was written about a month or two prior to Eminem's record deal with Aftermath Entertainment but wasn't published until March 1998. Later in Eminem's career, he beefed with Benzino, the co-owner of the magazine.

Track listing

# Title Producer(s) Samples Time
1 "Intro" (Slim Shady) Eminem 1:08
2 "Low Down, Dirty" Mr. Porter, Kuniva 4:44
3 "If I Had" DJ Rec 4:07
4 "Just Don't Give a Fuck" Mr. Porter 4:01
5 "Mommy" (skit) 0:36
6 "Just the Two of Us" DJ Head 4:20
7 "No One's Iller" (feat. Swifty, Bizarre, Fuzz Scoota) DJ Head 4:59
8 "Murder, Murder" DJ Rec 4:41
9 "If I Had..." (Radio Edit) DJ Rec 4:03
10 "Just Don't Give a Fuck" (Radio Edit) Mr. Porter 4:04

References

  1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-slim-shady-ep-r608802
  2. ^ link
  3. ^ XXL (2007). "Retrospective: XXL Albums". XXL Magazine, December 2007 issue.
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