Oh ok
OPINION White Mans Burden: Ranking Eminem’s Albums
- Thread starter grYmes
- Start date
grYmes
The price of a brick goin up…
6. Recovery (2010)
For the next three spots on these rankings here are the albums I would consider actually good. Some I think aged better than others… Let’s get into it. When this dropped if you asked me at the time I would have told you Recovery was a great album. A return to form for Em as one of the top rappers of the game. While that maybe true depending on who you ask, what I get hearing this nearly 15 years later is as close to a pop album Em has ever made. There’s some really good songs on here, you can tell Em is in a good place since he got sober. Looking back now, however, it really does feel like an overcorrection of everything that he did on Relapse. To me this album and Relapse are forever linked for good and bad reasons. Recovery has some of the most successful Em singles ever made that aren’t named “Lose Yourself”, but at the same time, you can kinda tell if you were fan of his from early on that a shift has happened. That this album wasn’t for you. Em had to retake his claim as the biggest name in music, not rap. That’s what he did. Everything hardcore rap fans come to despise about this man starts with this album.
For the next three spots on these rankings here are the albums I would consider actually good. Some I think aged better than others… Let’s get into it. When this dropped if you asked me at the time I would have told you Recovery was a great album. A return to form for Em as one of the top rappers of the game. While that maybe true depending on who you ask, what I get hearing this nearly 15 years later is as close to a pop album Em has ever made. There’s some really good songs on here, you can tell Em is in a good place since he got sober. Looking back now, however, it really does feel like an overcorrection of everything that he did on Relapse. To me this album and Relapse are forever linked for good and bad reasons. Recovery has some of the most successful Em singles ever made that aren’t named “Lose Yourself”, but at the same time, you can kinda tell if you were fan of his from early on that a shift has happened. That this album wasn’t for you. Em had to retake his claim as the biggest name in music, not rap. That’s what he did. Everything hardcore rap fans come to despise about this man starts with this album.
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grYmes
The price of a brick goin up…
5. The Marshal Mathers LP 2 (2013)
For a person that has spent a career trying to make it seem like he doesn’t care what people think, Em REALLY cares. Why else would you try to channel the vibe of your greatest work (spoilers) if not to get that feeling back from the people. While Recovery was made to ensure his spot in the overall music landscape, MMLP2 was made to let people know he was still an MC. While this is head and shoulders the best version on Em lyrically in the 2010s, it does come with its hiccups. Namely the glaringly aged like milk “Rap God” where his rapid delivery inspired a whole generation of rappers that can put words together without really saying anything of value. Even with that this is a quality album in terms of storytelling & wordplay. Listening to this and then listening to Em touch on a lot of the same subjects on MMLP is interesting & shows much needed growth from a man who was nearly 20 years in the game at this point. Even some of the clearly pop reaches like “Monster” have their charm. Had this version of Em remained the rest of the decade minus “Rap God” I would have been satisfied.
For a person that has spent a career trying to make it seem like he doesn’t care what people think, Em REALLY cares. Why else would you try to channel the vibe of your greatest work (spoilers) if not to get that feeling back from the people. While Recovery was made to ensure his spot in the overall music landscape, MMLP2 was made to let people know he was still an MC. While this is head and shoulders the best version on Em lyrically in the 2010s, it does come with its hiccups. Namely the glaringly aged like milk “Rap God” where his rapid delivery inspired a whole generation of rappers that can put words together without really saying anything of value. Even with that this is a quality album in terms of storytelling & wordplay. Listening to this and then listening to Em touch on a lot of the same subjects on MMLP is interesting & shows much needed growth from a man who was nearly 20 years in the game at this point. Even some of the clearly pop reaches like “Monster” have their charm. Had this version of Em remained the rest of the decade minus “Rap God” I would have been satisfied.
Lab Baby
#CouchGang2024
Why is this pinned?
And I rank Infinite higher than most of his albums, especially anything after 2010. It wasn't a game changer musically, but it was a well balanced album and Em was rapping rapping as usual. Plus Relapse needs to be studied by future rappers.
And I rank Infinite higher than most of his albums, especially anything after 2010. It wasn't a game changer musically, but it was a well balanced album and Em was rapping rapping as usual. Plus Relapse needs to be studied by future rappers.
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grYmes
The price of a brick goin up…
Funny that you say that…
4. Relapse (2009)
The time between Encore & Relapse was the most tumultuous of Eminem’s life. His second marriage to Kim lasted less than 3 months. Proof got killed, he relapsed on drugs twice & he OD’d on methadone. We were dangerously close to seeing Em on a t-shirt for reasons other than merchandise. Yet somehow he got his shit together enough to drop this album. A dark, haunting banger that doesn’t get nearly the appreciation that it should. Mainly cuz the masses didn’t like this kind of Em. Taking the most horror-core aspects of the Slim Shady persona to weave his personal stories of loss, tragedy, addiction & self despair. One of the best examples of an artist suffering for his art. There’s artists that have had drug issues since this has dropped who barred their soul into their music & maybe have done this better (RIP to some of those artists). Em however is a good example of a major artist navigating that mine field & coming up with gold. The twist to all this is Em reportedly hates this album cuz of the mind frame he was in, even tho in retrospect it’s some of his most insightful & personal work.
OGDirtyD
NAWF ATLANTA ×
The accent killed the vibe for most of this.
grYmes
The price of a brick goin up…
This is one of the big reasons why it’s not ranked any higher.
grYmes
The price of a brick goin up…
3. The Eminem Show (2002)
We have now entered essential Em material territory. We all know these three albums belong here, & the order of which I rank em should come as no surprise. With that, 2002 is definitely the peak of Eminem as a force culturally & musically. The movie 8 Mile & it’s massive hit from the soundtrack “Lose Yourself” was everywhere to close out the year. That was just a cherry on top of the massive success anchored by The Eminem Show. An album that gives you everything you want & more from a red hot MC’s victory lap. Razor sharp lyricism. Raw introspective tracks. Dark humor & political commentary that doesn’t feel forced & one note like he would display in some of his later work. The Slim Shady character is in the background for the most part while Em plies his craft. The production is top notch satisfying all tastes. There’s a reason why this is the biggest selling album in the history of hip hop. My only reason for not putting this at the 2 spot is more nostalgia than anything, however on any different day it would easily be his second best effort.
We have now entered essential Em material territory. We all know these three albums belong here, & the order of which I rank em should come as no surprise. With that, 2002 is definitely the peak of Eminem as a force culturally & musically. The movie 8 Mile & it’s massive hit from the soundtrack “Lose Yourself” was everywhere to close out the year. That was just a cherry on top of the massive success anchored by The Eminem Show. An album that gives you everything you want & more from a red hot MC’s victory lap. Razor sharp lyricism. Raw introspective tracks. Dark humor & political commentary that doesn’t feel forced & one note like he would display in some of his later work. The Slim Shady character is in the background for the most part while Em plies his craft. The production is top notch satisfying all tastes. There’s a reason why this is the biggest selling album in the history of hip hop. My only reason for not putting this at the 2 spot is more nostalgia than anything, however on any different day it would easily be his second best effort.
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OGDirtyD
NAWF ATLANTA ×
grYmes
The price of a brick goin up…
2. The Slim Shady LP (1999)
Knowing what we know now, man did Em emerge within the perfect time. The beginning of 1999 was just the right moment for a white rapper that could actually rap to take flight. Add on the credible backing of the legendary Dr. Dre still trying to get the damn record label off & you have a recipe for success. Em was unlike any other rapper I could think of at that time. He was foul monthed, white trash, battle ready MC that hated his mother, wished ill will on all who wronged him & welcomed anarchy like it was a long lost friend. As a 6th grader I was hooked immediately. Em’s breakthrough is nothing short of phenomenal. You’re taken to the world of Slim Shady & all its splendid debauchery. Even if you didn’t know Em’s background as a battle rapper at the time it clearly showed in his rhymes. Enough punches & wordplay that’ll leave you dying laughing or rewinding to digest the full picture. Hungry Em forced you to pay attention. While this isn’t his best album, I’ll admit it’s my favorite. This album & Nas “I Am” introduced me to lyricism & woke this 11 year old the fuck up.
Knowing what we know now, man did Em emerge within the perfect time. The beginning of 1999 was just the right moment for a white rapper that could actually rap to take flight. Add on the credible backing of the legendary Dr. Dre still trying to get the damn record label off & you have a recipe for success. Em was unlike any other rapper I could think of at that time. He was foul monthed, white trash, battle ready MC that hated his mother, wished ill will on all who wronged him & welcomed anarchy like it was a long lost friend. As a 6th grader I was hooked immediately. Em’s breakthrough is nothing short of phenomenal. You’re taken to the world of Slim Shady & all its splendid debauchery. Even if you didn’t know Em’s background as a battle rapper at the time it clearly showed in his rhymes. Enough punches & wordplay that’ll leave you dying laughing or rewinding to digest the full picture. Hungry Em forced you to pay attention. While this isn’t his best album, I’ll admit it’s my favorite. This album & Nas “I Am” introduced me to lyricism & woke this 11 year old the fuck up.
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OGDirtyD
NAWF ATLANTA ×
Role Model beat fire as fuck, Dre laced that bitch.
grYmes
The price of a brick goin up…
1. The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
We’ve reached the finish line & a classic awaits us. Not much I can say about this joint that ain’t already been covered. I just know that this was the last album I remember having on cassette tape. I wore it out within a couple months. This is a legacy defining album. Rather than trying to tone down his antics on the mic due to stardom & outcry from every parent group/powers that be you can think of… dude quadruple’s down & cranks out a lightening rod of a album. This joint birthed the term “Stan”. It fully cemented Em’s spot as not only a commercially viable artist but one of the top MC’s of his era. The brilliance of songs like “Who Knew”, “The Way I Am”, “Marshall Mathers” & “Criminal” are a middle finger on wax to all the critics. The skits maybe the only thing I wouldn’t mind leaving off the album cuz every song on this goes. Experiencing the roll out of this back in the day was an event & it was really hard to not wanna root for him. Marshall Mathers magnum opus still holds its own nearly a quarter century later.
That’s it. That’s all. Thanks for joining me on this ride. We’ll see how things stack up with this new album coming over the summer. I’ll add it to my rankings after about a year of digestion (unless it’s total trash, or even more surprising a great album). It’s the make or break for Em’s career moving forward. His last two albums were surprise rollouts with no promo or singles. This is his first swing for the fences since Revival. Hopefully he doesn’t ground out.
We’ve reached the finish line & a classic awaits us. Not much I can say about this joint that ain’t already been covered. I just know that this was the last album I remember having on cassette tape. I wore it out within a couple months. This is a legacy defining album. Rather than trying to tone down his antics on the mic due to stardom & outcry from every parent group/powers that be you can think of… dude quadruple’s down & cranks out a lightening rod of a album. This joint birthed the term “Stan”. It fully cemented Em’s spot as not only a commercially viable artist but one of the top MC’s of his era. The brilliance of songs like “Who Knew”, “The Way I Am”, “Marshall Mathers” & “Criminal” are a middle finger on wax to all the critics. The skits maybe the only thing I wouldn’t mind leaving off the album cuz every song on this goes. Experiencing the roll out of this back in the day was an event & it was really hard to not wanna root for him. Marshall Mathers magnum opus still holds its own nearly a quarter century later.
That’s it. That’s all. Thanks for joining me on this ride. We’ll see how things stack up with this new album coming over the summer. I’ll add it to my rankings after about a year of digestion (unless it’s total trash, or even more surprising a great album). It’s the make or break for Em’s career moving forward. His last two albums were surprise rollouts with no promo or singles. This is his first swing for the fences since Revival. Hopefully he doesn’t ground out.
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The same albums are in my top 3 but order don't really matter to me. Dope thread bruh might check out one of them Em albums I skipped on for the fuck of it.
already home_17
Attitude Still on “Fuck It”
could never get into slim shady LP
Victory_Kid
Active Member
Appreciate the effort. Too bad this is for a dreg of a rapper.
willhustle
OG
Yeah this album should have been Em's third straight classic (behind MMLP & The Eminem Show) but he doubled down on BS tracks like "Rain Man", "Big Weenie", "Ass Like That", & "My 1st Single" when them joints should have been scrapped or at least replaced with the 3 tracks from the deluxe edition. Toy Soldiers was a perfect fit for Encore.
I wasn't a big fan of how Em went about setting up the theme for this album but I would be lying if I didn't say this joint had some dope ass beats on it. I just couldn't get with the rappin in accents throughout the first half (or most of) Relapse. The extended version was much better than the original imo...
At the time after Em released Encore & Relapse I damn near tapped out until he came back w/Recovery.
