Line #4 YMMV/EMINEM


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
2	** Those for and against him alike can't quite figure out whether he "really means it" or not. He's generally more intelligent and sensitive than his loudest detractors would admit, but still angrier and sicker than his younger fans' parents would like.
3	** Some of his more outlandish and outrageous lyrics and songs reach the point of parody, whether they are or not is debatable.
4	* ArchivePanic: In 2014, Spin [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150403024129/http://www.spin.com/2014/10/eminem-every-song-ranked/ ranked all Eminem songs]], both as a lead and featured artist, excluding the skits. How many songs were back then? '''289''', and that number has since been growing.
5	* AudienceAlienatingEra: Many agree that he has had one, though it is contested when it started and ended (if it even has ended). A few common citations:
6	** Some see ''The Eminem Show'' as a downplayed example of this, with many regarding it as being OK but a mile away from the glory of ''The Slim Shady LP'' and ''The Marshall Mathers LP''.
7	** Some critics consider Eminem's GangstaRap phase in 2003 (when he was hanging out with [[Music/FiftyCent G-Unit]]) as another example of this, as his gangsta persona didn't suit his background, childish personality and [[PrettyBoy unintimidating]] physical appearance (especially when next to 50, a legitimate hood gangsta who [[MadeOfIron survived being shot]]). The songs he wrote in this period are mostly {{Diss Track}}s and [[BoastfulRap violent boasts]], and tend to lack the [[SelfDeprecation self-deprecating]] and confessional personality of his earlier material (and that would return on ''Music/{{Encore}}''). Due to the large amount of production he did in this era, he even started [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks recycling melodies from older songs]].
8	*** However, [[ContestedSequel a large number of people love this era]], which was mostly consumed excitedly on 2003 file-sharing sites. It also served as a [[GatewaySeries gateway]] into his discography for fans of commercial gangsta rap who'd previously dismissed him as a [[PissTakeRap novelty artist]].
9	** ''Music/{{Encore}}'', ''Curtain Call'', ''The Re-Up'', and the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen speculative]] ''King Mathers'' era, up until his overdose - a CreatorBreakdown where his pill addiction, writer's block and (from 2006) grief over the murder of his best friend Proof was leading him to output a lot of puerile grossout comedy with lower than usual technical abilities, [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent vaguely offensive accents]] and a [[{{Wangst}} hyper-depressive]], TorchTheFranchiseAndRun tone. During this time (first at the end of the otherwise Shady-dominated ''Music/{{Encore}}'', then in the ''Curtain Call'' single "When I'm Gone", he killed off Slim Shady, afterwards adopting a more generic hip-hop GlamRap persona that he'd previously stood out for avoiding.
10	*** Traditionally this period is extended further to include ''Relapse'', which also has grossout comedy and accents and was seen as outdated in 2009, but ''Relapse'' has been VindicatedByHistory for correcting many of these trends, displaying some career-best technique and bringing Slim Shady back from the dead. However, many still reject it for being [[TooBleakStoppedCaring too bleak]] and meaningless, especially in comparison to the silly and confessional ''Music/{{Encore}}'' and ''Recovery'' that border it. (Eminem himself has said that, while he doesn't think ''Music/{{Encore}}'' is his best work, he considers it much better than ''Relapse''.)
11	*** Some view ''Music/{{Encore}}'' as a worthy return to the humour of ''The Slim Shady LP'' (a few prominent critics consider it better than ''The Eminem Show''), but set the cutoff at ''Curtain Call'', not being willing to accept "FACK".
12	** ''Recovery'' through ''Revival'', a CreatorRecovery period in which Eminem was a lot happier. His music shifted to a pop-focused, RapRock feel and his image switched to a more [[RatedGForGangsta apologetic, self-affirming and vaguely churchy persona]] that verges on GoodIsBoring, while retaining enough VulgarHumor to irritate anyone who thinks homophobic slurs and rape jokes are [[JustJokingJustification off limits]] (a common opinion in TheNewTens). This period also saw Eminem shifting to a much more technical, speed-focused and HurricaneOfPuns-laden style which began to [[DancingBear overpower his songwriting and beat-riding]], particularly by the time of ''Revival''.
13	*** ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' was part of this creative period and is generally regarded positively. However, many find it good ''despite'' his artistic direction at the time, rather than ''because'' of it.
14	*** Some find ''Recovery'' and ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' good, and set the beginning of the period at around ''SHADYXV'', the first indication of the writer's block Eminem experienced from 2015-2017, which contains numerous songs in which Eminem fears he's lost all connection with the real world and no longer has any pain left to rap about.
15	* AudienceAlienatingPremise: ''Relapse'' was Eminem's first new studio album after a prolonged CreatorBreakdown, and fans and critics expected it to be a confessional ConceptAlbum that continued the increasingly mature persona he'd developed on his last few albums. While it was indeed a ConceptAlbum, it was instead a {{Horrorcore}} release revolving around a SerialKiller version of Slim Shady, featuring various unidentifiable accents and leftfield beats with SlasherMovie-influenced lyrics. While the result sold well off of Eminem's brand recognition, topping the Billboard 200 and being certified triple-platinum in the US, its poor reception resulted in Eminem [[StillbornFranchise cancelling plans for a sequel]] and shifting to a PopRap style on ''Recovery'' and ''Revival''.
16	* AwardSnub:
17	** ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'' got awards left and right and is widely regarded as one of the best rap albums ever. Yet when it came time to award the UsefulNotes/GrammyAward for Album of the Year, it had two acclaimed rock albums to combat: Music/SteelyDan's ''Two Against Nature'' and Music/{{Radiohead}}'s ''Music/KidA''. The Academy chose the Steely Dan album as a ConsolationAward for the legendary yacht rock act, even though Steely Dan, who weren't fully satisfied with ''Two Against Nature'', said Eminem should have received the award instead.
18	** This happened again with ''Music/TheEminemShow''. When it once again came time for the Grammy for Album of the Year to be handed out, it had not only fellow rapper Music/{{Nelly}}'s ''[=Nellyville=]'' to combat, but the Music/DixieChicks' ''Home'', Norah Jones' debut album ''Come Away with Me'' and Music/BruceSpringsteen's ''The Rising'' as well. The Academy chose ''Come Away with Me'', apparently because it was a safer choice than a hardcore hip hop album, a raunchy PopRap album, a feminist bluegrass album or a [=9/11=]-inspired heartland rock album. (Eminem apparently cried about the snub, and was comforted by Springsteen.)
19	** Inversely, he often wins awards in rap categories by default. ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' getting the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2015 is often considered more of a lifetime achievement award for him than a genuine mark of the album's being the best of the year, though people tend not to complain about it too loudly due to his only real competition in his category being the much despised Music/IggyAzalea. ''Relapse'' also won the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2010 despite its exploitational lyrical content, a confused critical response and Eminem [[CreatorBacklash cringing about it almost immediately]]. Eminem also [[https://twitter.com/DoseOfShady/status/1428380866263257090 mocked MTV Europe]] for giving him Best Hip-Hop several consecutive years in a row, acidly commenting that he already knows he's white and they don't need to remind him.
20	* AwesomeEgo: ''"Had a dream, I was king. I woke up, still king."''
21	** ''"Long as I have a mike, I'm Godlike / So you and me are not alike / Bitch I wrote Stan "''
22	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: No doubt about it. His complex lyrical skills aren't the only thing that makes his music great; there's a lot of songs of his with downright remarkable instrumentals and beats. Special mentions go to "Lose Yourself", "'Till I Collapse", "Rap God", "Berzerk", "FACK" ([[https://youtu.be/Sy3rbtFmQ6w lyrical content aside]]), and [[EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes "Bagpipes From Baghdad"]].
23	* BottomOfTheBarrelJoke: A feature of Em's period of [[CreatorBreakdown/{{Eminem}} pill-addled writer's block]] was the increasing use of unfunny, over-the-top grossout and FanDisservice material in place of what had once been witty and poetic LightmareFuel. A few good examples are the gerbil-stuffing doggerel of "FACK", the Shady verse on Music/FiftyCent's "Peep Show" which is about him kidnapping strippers and then shitting on them, and forcing a woman to huff his farts and become dependent on colostomy bags in "Ballin' Uncontrollably". Unusually, he got out of the writer's block by pushing it so gross that it started to verge into horror, which eventually became Eminem's artistic direction, releasing the {{Horrorcore}} SlasherMovie ConceptAlbum ''Relapse'' after [[CreatorRecovery healing from his drug problems]].
24	** There's a few examples of this in Eminem's earlier discography, too, with an obvious example being the hook for "Under The Influence" - "''You can suck my dick if you don't like, my shit, 'cause I was high when I wrote this, so suck, my dick!''". (This was on the same album as "Stan".)
25	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
26	** "The Kids". The song is all about Eminem turning up as a supply teacher at a school and teaching children about the [[DrugsAreBad dangers of drugs]]... the most dangerous of which is the fact that they [[MindScrew poison squirrels]].
27	** Near the start of "Lose Yourself", he includes the lyric "Mom's Spaghetti" in the midst of describing someone's nervous breakdown. It's meant to connect with the previous line, "There's vomit on his sweater already" as just a way of saying that the rapper in question threw up his mother's spaghetti that he ate earlier. This was lost on many, however, and the perceived randomness of the line has caused it to go memetic.
28	* BileFascination: This is how he got a lot of his early audience, since he started his career in that transition period where people were getting tired of GangstaRap but hadn't fully embraced {{crunk}}/{{glam rap}} yet. He tended to alternate between BlackComedy and songs about killing women, and stuff you could dance to or was meant to be remixed.
29	* CommonKnowledge: It's an extremely common belief that he always "yells and screams" his rhymes. While he ''is'' well-known for the extremely angry delivery he can display, the truth is that his diction, voice pitch, and rapping style has always been varied - there are way more than a few songs in which he raps in a mellower or normal tone, both on his older and newer material. The only releases where he truly constantly raps like this are ''The Re-Up'' and ''Recovery''.
30	* CondemnedByHistory: When ''Recovery'' was first released, it was seen as a solid comeback and an improvement over both ''Music/{{Encore}}'' and ''Relapse''. However, it has garnered criticism over time for its commercial-sounding production and lack of variation. It's not at all hard to find people who view it as his worst album. This holds true for a handful of people even after the release of ''Revival'', which is generally considered to be his weakest record since ''Music/{{Encore}}''.
31	* ContestedSequel: All of Music/{{Eminem}}'s albums after ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'' are debated bitterly by critics, ranging from a mild but notable debate over whether ''Music/TheEminemShow'' is too [[KinderAndCleaner uncontroversial and commercial]] or his great masterwork, to a much nastier debate over whether his post-overdose material is worth even acknowledging the existence of.
32	** Probably the most polarising album is ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'', which, depending on who you ask, is a personal, deep, and [[ContinuityNod continuity-referencing]] album displaying his stylistic versatility and [[TookALevelInKindness improved personality]], exploring wacky, retro and innovative pop and hip-hop sounds and demonstrating the greatest technical rapping of his career, or a pandering, shallow, overtechnical and inconsistent GoodIsBoring pop album by a relic [[AgeInappropriateDress dressing like a teenager in his forties]] who is out-of-step with modern hip-hop ''and'' moral sensibilities, still saying disgusting homophobic and misogynistic slurs even though his [[RatedGForGangsta shock value]] disappeared long ago. [[WebVideo/TheRapCritic Some]] say it is [[EvenBetterSequel better the first LP]].
33	** ''Relapse'' also has a debate over whether it's nonsensical and unfunny [[ExploitationFilm sensationalism]] where Eminem raps over unfashionable beats in racist accents about [[TooBleakStoppedCaring depressing murder fantasies]], or a CultClassic ConceptAlbum which uses a SlasherMovie allegory to [[AddictionSong explore the misery of his drug addiction]] and is a highlight of his discography (or even, for some, his only truly great album - Music/TylerTheCreator has suggested as much).
34	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Many of his jokes are of this sort. In fact, he outright admitted he was trying for this with the Creator/ChristopherReeve impersonation on "Medicine Ball."
35	-->I guess it's time for you to hate me again\
36	Let's begin, now hand me the pen
37	* CriticalDissonance: Both ''Music/{{Encore}}'' and ''Revival'' are widely considered by critics and fans to be the lowest points of Eminem's career, with both having the worst critical reception of any of his albums. Despite this, both albums debuted at #1 in many countries and the former has went 4x-platinum by the RIAA in the United States.
38	** ''Music/{{Encore}}'' [[PresumedFlop actually]] got pretty solid reviews from most commercial outlets. While there were some complaints over the AlbumFiller issues, the less technical rapping and the PottyHumor, it usually scored strong 3s, with a few voices (Robert Christgau in particular) saying it was better than ''The Eminem Show''.
39	** Critics gave mixed reviews to ''Relapse'', calling it a grossout sensationalist album with creepy accents. Fans mostly loved it, and came to love it more the more Eminem [[CreatorBacklash cringed about it]].
40	** Critics also gave negative reviews to ''Kamikaze'', calling it a spoiled, immature and disgraceful album that proved Eminem was an out-of-touch relic. Eminem's fans were just delighted to hear Em dropping his poppy, earnest persona and getting back to what originally made him big - [[TakeThatCritics insulting people]].
41	* DracoInLeatherPants:
42	** Despite his rude behavior, his extreme harshness towards others, and his homophobic and sexist lyrics (at least, how a lot of people interpreted them to be), he was still one of the top artists of the '00s and loved by teenage girls. He isn't at all villainous, however he is a controversial figure to most who just can't understand the overlooking.
43	** He lampshades this in the lyrics for "The Real Slim Shady":
44	--> ''Feminist women love Eminem''
45	--> ''Chicka-chicka Slim Shady, I'm sick of him''
46	--> ''Look at him, walking around, grabbing his you-know-what''
47	--> ''Flippin' the you-know-who''
48	--> ''Yeah, but he's so cute though''
49	* EpilepticTrees: There's an absurd conspiracy theory floating around that he actually died during his three-year absence from the public eye and that the Eminem we see from 2009 onward is actually a clone. Because, you know, the stress of losing your best friend, addiction, and a near-fatal overdose ''totally'' doesn't change you.
50	* EpicRiff:
51	** "Lose Yourself"'s simple but catchy and expressive guitar riff became somewhat of a staple for beginner guitar players.
52	** Eminem's simple but hyperkinetic hook and verse on "Forgot About Dre" is a standard piece for people trying to learn how to rap.
53	** "Rap God" is also a common rapper practice piece, albeit a more advanced one. The speed-rap section in particular - which sounds extremely impressive, but is not the most technically difficult part of the song (beyond breath control) - is something every intermediate rapper has tried to master.
54	* FandomRivalry:
55	** Eminem fans vs. the fans of pretty much anyone who has ever feuded with Eminem, including UsefulNotes/{{Juggalo}}s, Music/{{Cage}} fans, [[Music/HouseOfPain Everlast]] fans, Music/{{Esham}} fans, etc.
56	** Thanks to ''Kamikaze'', you can now say there's one between his fans and those of TrapMusic.
57	** There is also one with Music/ImagineDragons fans after Dan Reynolds slammed Eminem for using a gay slur.
58	** Eminem's feud with Canibus is a one-sided case. Eminem fans tend to not care about the Canibus beef, but Canibus fans are ''obsessed'' with it.
59	** The rivalry with Music/MachineGunKelly is similarly one-sided. While many of Eminem's fans joke that Eminem dissed Kells so hard he had to change genres, Kells's fans generally either were fans of Eminem already, or got into his music after "Killshot" turned them onto him, so don't tend to be hostile.
60	** This gets pretty ugly with fans of Music/MariahCarey, as ''she'' says she was never romantically involved with Eminem [[note]]the fact she made two diss tracks about it, plus her documented history of denying failed romantic relationships, suggests otherwise[[/note]], and Eminem responded with [[WhatTheHellHero threatening to release revenge porn of the two of them]] [[note]]it's doubtful he actually had any - Mariah was intended to be featured on "Superman", and it's likely the sexy voice clips he used of her were recorded for this[[/note]]. A lot of Lambs, who believe Mariah's version of events, view Stans as being misogynists because of supporting him in his {{Gaslighting}}. (In reality, even several other big-name rappers who were fans of Eminem were freaked out by his behaviour and told him to cool it.)
61	* FanonDiscontinuity: Some of his fans prefer to forget anything that he did after ''Music/{{Encore}}''.
62	* FountainOfMemes: Lots of his lyrics and songs are very memeable, even the less ridiculous ones.
63	* FranchiseOriginalSin: The majority of things critics complain about in his post-overdose work were present from 1997-2002, such as: his immature and ClassClown-to-{{Wangst}}y MoodSwinger personality, his nasal voice, his wobbly and pitchy singing, his excessive use of TakeThatCritics and AccentuateTheNegative, his self-obsessed subject matter, his stale pop culture references, his production being either highly commercial or overly eccentric, {{Glurge}}y pop choruses, overworked lyrics concentrating on [[TechnicianVersusPerformer technical fireworks over musicality]], his use of [[ManOfAThousandVoices voices and accents]], and his use of slurs as VulgarHumor. The biggest difference is that, in the early 2000s, he was the biggest celebrity in the culture, had a much more unstable personality, and was seen as a dangerous ''event'' - now that decades have passed without him ever [[AntiRoleModel brainwashing the youth of America into killing people]] he doesn't seem as scary.
64	* HarsherInHindsight: [[HarsherInHindsight/{{Eminem}} Has its own page.]]
65	* HeartwarmingInHindsight: In his earlier years on a major label, he would regularly trash the notion of himself as a positive role model. Later in life, he would go on to adopt three children, kick a drug habit that had its grip on him for longer than he'd been signed, and found a charity for disadvantaged youth.
66	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: A lot of critics were impressed by Em's acting skills in ''Film/EightMile''.
67	* HilariousInHindsight:
68	** Eminem's shots at Music/{{Moby}} in the third verse in "Without Me" provide two examples.
69	*** Em claims that "nobody listens to techno!" Not only was techno popular in the decade before the song's release in 2002 (as Moby's ''Music/{{Play}}'' (1999) was a gigantic success even then), and not only would Music/{{Kesha}}, Music/LadyGaga and other techno-based artists grow widespread fame in the years following, but ''the very year'' the song came out, Music/KylieMinogue and her electropop hit "Can't Get You Out of My Head" dominated charts worldwide -- as did Moby with "We Are All Made of Stars."
70	*** Eminem specifically threatens that Moby will "get stung by Obie [Trice]", which is hilarious in its own right given that Moby remains a successful and well-liked musician whereas Obie Trice's career never took off and he's only really remembered for his appearance in "Without Me" or some of his other collabs with Eminem and other Shady Records artists.
71	*** He also calls Moby old, which took on a new dimension in 2019 after Moby elicited controversy by bizarrely claiming that he had been in relationships with Creator/NataliePortman, Creator/ChristinaRicci, and Music/LanaDelRey during the early 2000s -- all of whom were more than a decade younger than him.
72	** Also, Eminem is dressed up like ComicBook/{{Robin}} in the music video for "Without Me". 13 years later, the Robin of ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' has a ComicBookFantasyCasting when he looks like Eminem in the similar look and feel.
73	** Becomes equally hilarious as the "Rapmobile" in the "Without Me" video is a Lamborghini Murcielago (Spanish for "bat"). In ''Film/BatmanBegins'', Bruce Wayne himself would drive a Murcielago.
74	** In "My 1st Single," Eminem suggests The Source would be so low as to find journalistic merit in child pornography. In 2004, this was a horrible accusation to make of anyone. [[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/09/gawker-media-trial-hulk-hogan-aj-daulerio In 2016... not so much.]]
75	** In Skylar Grey’s “C’mon Let Me Ride”, Eminem says “I’m the cousin of Godzilla”. Skip to 2020, now he has a song called Godzilla!
76	** All of his songs that mention weird beards, such as "Business" ("‘Til we grow beards, get weird and disappear / Into the mountains, nothin’ but clowns down here"), "Deja Vu" ("He’s acting weird again, he’s really beginning to scare me / Won’t shave his beard again and he pretends he doesn’t hear me"), and "Berzerk" ("Grow your beard out, just weird out") became this as of June 2017, when Eminem himself started growing a beard to the surprise of many people. As of 2020, he still sports it, so it's safe to say many are used to it now.
77	** "The Real Slim Shady" contains a TakeThat to Creator/TomGreen. The song would later play over the credits of Film/FreddyGotFingered.
78	** In "I'm Back", the bravura passage at the end of the second verse ("''miiind'' with no sense-in-it, ''friiied'' schizo-phrenic, whose ''eyeees'' get so-squinted, I'm ''bliiind'' from smoke in-'em-with ''myyy'' windows tinted, with ''niiine'' limos rented, doin' ''liiines'' of coke in 'em with a bunch of guys hoppin' out all ''hiiigh'' and in''[[AccentOnTheWrongSyllable do]]''-scent-ed...") ends with a big gasp for air. Funny in 2000 - hilarious considering [[TechnicianVersusPerformer just how much more technical]] Eminem would get over the years. As early as 2002, "White America" and "Lose Yourself" contain far more complex passages that he manages without audible effort. And once you've heard his post-2010 material like "Rap God", "Vegas" and "Godzilla" (or even his not-ultra-technical cuts like "Untitled", "Cold Wind Blows" or "Venom"), on "I'm Back" he sounds like he hasn't even finished warming up. The gasp therefore goes from a BadassBoast into [[ComicalOverreacting amusingly contrived]] [[MinorInjuryOverreaction overreacting]].
79	** Eminem did an interview with MTV in 1999 where he made fun of speed rapping ("I was like, ''drlbldrlbldrlbldrlbl''... I thought that the faster you rapped, the better you was") and joked with the interviewer that when he had nothing left to say, that was when the [[SillyLoveSongs love songs]] would come out. By 2004 (his retirement album) he was starting to make MasochismTango-themed love songs which became a consistent theme in his later career. By the mid-2010s and early 2020s, he would arguably be most famous for his hyper-technical speed rapping (which is often criticised as [[DancingBear pointless]]).
80	** "The Real Slim Shady" infamously has the line "Creator/WillSmith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell records". A little more than twenty years later, Will Smith hurled expletives towards Creator/ChrisRock at the Oscars after slapping him (although Smith has used profanity in some of his movies as well).
81	*** The subsequent line is "You think I give a damn about a Grammy? Half you critics can't even stomach me, let alone stand me." "The Real Slim Shady" ''would'' end up winning a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
82	** Similarly, "Rap God" mentions Eminem inducting Music/RunDMC into the UsefulNotes/RockAndRollHallOfFame and says "The only hall of fame I'll be inducted in is the alcohol of fame, on the wall of shame."; this line would become hilarious after Eminem himself was inducted into the RRHOF in 2022.
83	** In 2000, Eminem put out a Ken Kaniff skit on his own album ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'' featuring Kaniff receiving enthusiastic oral sex from two men at the same time, who Kaniff refers to as J and Shaggy, the names of the two members of Music/InsaneClownPosse. 19 years later, ICP themselves released "[[Music/FearlessFredFury Be Safe]]", in which ''the actual Shaggy'' gets so into his rap that he blurts out, "[[HoYay I might suck a dick]]--", followed by a RecordNeedleScratch as Shaggy realizes what he just rapped and then says, "--[[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday uh, I would never suck a dick]]!"
84	* HoYay: Memorably in the Dr. Dre song "What's the Difference", "I love you dawg." Though he did mean it in a father-son sort of way. Him and Music/FiftyCent though...
85	** Also in "My Dad's Gone Crazy", "All this time me and Dre have been fuckin' with hats off!" ...in a song in which he unfavorably compares retiring as a musician to a lifetime of performing cunnilingus.
86	** Retroactively taken to new levels with Proof in several songs on ''Recovery'', most notably "You're Never Over". Apparently they had pet names for each other...
87	** "Just Lose It" is full of {{Accidental Public Confession}}s.
88	--> ''Now I'm gonna make you dance\
89	It's your chance\
90	Yeah, [[FreudianSlip boy]]; shake that ass\
91	[[ThatCameOutWrong Oops, I mean girl]]\
92	Girl, girl, girl...''
93	** Both "Stan" and its follow up "Bad Guy" has this with ''both'' Stan and Matthew's obsession with Eminem. Also cross with FoeYayShipping considering their [[LoonyFan subject matter]]. What worse is that Matthew starts off in "Stan" as a ''[[{{Squick}} 6 years old]]''.
94	** Not to mention "Lighters":
95	--> ''And pardon me if I'm a cocky prick but you cocks are slick\
96	Who you dicks try to kid, flipped dick, you did the opposite\
97	You stayed the same, cause cock backwards is still cock you pricks\
98	I love it when I tell em shove it''
99	* HypeAversion: More cynical listeners believe Eminem's success is 30% talent and 70% because he's white, and that critics (initially) treat him as if he single-handedly invented hip-hop.
100	** In some interviews (and stated in "White America") he kinda agrees with that cynical opinion.
101	** Even today, he still seems to hold this opinion. In a 2020 interview with fellow emcee Crooked I, Em stated that despite both his high sales and respect amongst rap fanatics, he still "feels like a guest" in the hip-hop scene. He implies that he thinks this because he believes his popularity makes him more prone to being a GatewaySeries to the genre than anything, and that not many people take the time to understand his craft because the reason he loves what he does is different from the reason surface-level rap listeners check him out, that reason being his respect for the genre. He even goes as far as saying that whenever he looks up a list of someone's favorite rappers, he thinks the authors "don't know what they're talking about" if artists far lesser-known than him aren't listed.
102	* ItWasHisSled: Everyone knows the twist from "Stan".
103	** And by now, the reveal of whose perspective "Bad Guy" is from has shown up in every review of ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2.''
104	* JustHereForGodzilla:
105	** Many of Eminem's guest verses on songs have helped make them more popular, such as "I Need A Doctor" by Dr. Dre or "Smack That" by Akon. Inversely, two of his songs ("Love The Way You Lie" and "The Monster") only became hits because of Music/{{Rihanna}}.
106	** Some would simply listen to the (aptly-titled) "Godzilla", for Eminem's last-30-second, rapid-fire verses that arguably topped the one he did on "Rap God."
107	* LGBTFanbase: He has a significant LGBT+ following for a guy who infamously used homophobia as [[VulgarHumor shock comedy]] around the TurnOfTheMillennium; part of it is because these jokes expressed anxiety about homosexuality/masculinity that many gay men could relate to feeling before they came out. Eminem's constant statements that out of character he supported queer people, and his collaboration with Music/EltonJohn, helped. (The fact he was a bottle-blond PrettyBoy who wore earrings and posed naked for ''Rolling Stone'' also helped.) He also crossdresses as female characters in many of his music videos, all of whom are camp icons (Music/BritneySpears, Music/{{Madonna}}, his [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood mother]]). A lot of his music is also influenced by {{Camp}} media such as TeenPop, musical theatre, {{Self Empowerment Anthem}}s, {{superhero}} fiction, and {{Slasher Movie}}s, and his collaborations with other gay icon stars like Music/NickiMinaj, Music/{{Rihanna}}, Music/{{Sia}}, Jessie Reyez and Young M.A. have led to significant crossover. He also scooped up a large number of Music/MachineGunKelly fans, who are often LGBT+, due to their beef, which [[FoeRomanceSubtext Eminem himself admitted was extraordinarily homoerotic]].
108	* MemeticBadass: Eminem is this to his fans, who consider him [[SacredCow untouchable]] and relish every instance of Em ending a beef with a [[TakeThat savage diss track.]] This consequently has also led to a meme where Eminem is portrayed as being afraid of dissing fictional musicians as a way of illustrating how hardcore those musicians are (mostly from AnimeAndManga and WesternAnimation).
109	* MemeticMutation:
110	** "Where the fuck is Music/{{Kanye\|West}} when you need him? Snatch the mike from 'em, bitch, Imma let you finish..."
111	** In some corners of the internet, 'stan' and 'stanning' are terms for hardcore fanning. Mostly used in jest.
112	*** A lot of those places have been using it so long that the original meaning/origin is often completely unknown to people.
113	*** Many rappers have referred to Eminem's "Stan", like Music/{{Nas}} on "[[TakeThat Eth]][[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic er]]" (you a fake, a phony, a pussy, a Stan) and Music/LupeFiasco on "[[PunBasedTitle Lu Myself]]" (Like Stan, I'mma stand till it answers me).
114	** Rearranging the lyrics of "Lose Yourself"; in particular, spamming the line "Mom's spaghetti".
115	*** "Snap back to reality" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A BaitAndSwitch meme, often showing footage of anime characters before abruptly cutting to an image of Eminem accompanied by this lyric, and a panicked looking stick figure being DrivenToSuicide[[/labelnote]]
116	** Guess who's back...back again? [X] is back. Tell a friend.
117	** You Reposted in the Wrong Neighborhood[[labelnote:Explanation]]A song by [=SoundCloud=] user ＳＨＯＫＫ青 that overlays the vocals to "Shake That" atop "Casin" by [=glue70=]. A [=YouTube=] upload of the song using a still from ''WebVideo/TheMisadventuresOfSkooks'' (specifically depicting [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Shaggy Rogers]] with his face upside-down) achieved widespread popularity online thanks to both the song's catchiness and the juxtaposition of the lyrics and image, leading to a number of remix videos and parodies that combine "Casin" with various other songs.[[/labelnote]]
118	** "Now this looks like a job for me." [[labelnote:Explanation]]A still from the music video for "Without Me", used as a reaction image for edgy content.[[/labelnote]]
119	** "Still waiting for 'My Salsa'."[[labelnote:Explanation]]Referring to the last few seconds of "My Band," where Em ad libs a parody of the then-recent hit "Milkshakes" by Kelis called "My Salsa," singing that it will be his next single. Fans like to joke about how it hasn't come out yet.[[/labelnote]]
120	** "One of the few rappers Eminem was too afraid to diss" / "Top 10 rappers Eminem was too afraid to diss" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Often added as a caption to pictures of fictional rappers to prop them up as a MemeticBadass.[[/labelnote]]
121	** "Your booty is heavy duty like diarrhea" [[labelnote:Explanation]]An infamously corny punchline from the song "Remind Me", which is often cited as the absolute worst lyric he's ever written. Due to his usual lyrical skill, this line is often used to mock him when he slips up.[[/labelnote]] Became an AscendedMeme when he spoke about it in his now-famous 2020 interview with Crooked I, acknowledging the mockery he received for the line.
122	** "Bornana" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A meme that originates from "Tone Deaf" where Eminem boasts that he can "rhyme orange with banana" with bornana being how he rhymes, becoming a meme due to how ridiculous it is.[[/labelnote]]
123	*** "At the crib playing Fortnite with your Grandma."[[labelnote:Explanation]] For similar reasons to the above, arguably even more so. [[/labelnote]]
124	*** [[TriviallyObvious "Eminem is definitely one of the rappers of all time."]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] Common reaction to the above lyrics.[[/labelnote]]
125	** "Rap God" is probably the single most common background song for clips showcasing someone with a MotorMouth. This has since been eclipsed in 2020 by the "[=#GodzillaChallenge=]".
126	** "Something's wrong. I can feel it." [[labelnote:Explanation]] From "Rap God" (taken from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzpJoUQR5iw&t=402s a recording of "The Incredible Hulk At Bay"]], used when someone spots something suspicious. [[/labelnote]]
127	** "That's an awfully hot coffee pot." [[labelnote:Explanation]] This is from his 2017 BET cypher where he viciously went after Donald Trump... while also saying this narmtastic line that unsurprisingly went viral. [[/labelnote]]
128	** For some reason, "FACK" is making rounds on Platform/TikTok.
129	** "Eminem is [[Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower Sauron]]" [[labelnote:Explanation]]It was initially reported by fan social media accounts that the SDCC 2022 trailer shows off Sauron's "Annatar" guise, a fair-skinned elf. Unlike prior depictions of Annatar like in ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar'', ''The Rings of Power''[='=]s version supposedly had short hair and an appearance that some critics unflatteringly compared to rapper Music/{{Eminem}}. Later it was clarified that it wasn't Sauron but an original character, with "Partings" revealing the character to be a woman called the Dweller.[[/labelnote]]
130	** "Hi, kids! Do you like violence?" [[labelnote:Explanation]] A lyric from "My Name Is", accompanied by a screencap from the music video, which is used when adults introduce children to violent situations (such as military recruiters going to high schools, [[Literature/{{IT}} Pennywise showing up every twenty-seven years]], or [[Franchise/StarWars Anakin at the Jedi Temple]]). [[/labelnote]]
131	** Eminem throwing a rat/"Woe, plague be upon ye"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/997/950/29f.jpg photoshopped]] image of Eminem extending his hand out to the camera that makes it look like he's throwing Baby Rose, an overweight fancy rat from a popular photo depicting her being grabbed by her owner, at the viewer. [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/997/951/da9.jpg A second edit]] upped the color contrast and added the caption "woe, plague be upon ye," implying that Eminem is using Baby Rose as a bioweapon. The silliness of the photoshop and its surprisingly on-brand nature for Eminem resulted in it becoming a popular subject for further edits and redraws, often editing the caption from the second image to fit.[[/labelnote]]
132	* MemeticTroll: Eminem is legendary for gleefully and effortlessly taking the piss out of anyone and everyone who gets in his way. His entire "Slim Shady" persona is a testament to his ability to piss off personal enemies and MoralGuardians alike with zero fucks given.
133	* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Eminem has become something of a mascot for white trash America despite the fact that his kayfabe portrays white trash culture as a race of promiscuous, pill-addicted bigots from broken homes, stuck in dead-end jobs, forever on the verge of Going Postal or becoming Serial Killers. Eminem positions himself as an Escapist Character for the poor and dispossessed, and he's written multiple songs granting his alter-ego Slim Shady to his listeners as a name for the cathartic feelings of rage and pain they can release by listening to his music. Eminem's outspoken anti-racist views and inspiring, FriendToAllChildren persona in his songs outside of kayfabe also make him rather a positive figure as well and help keep his audience aware that they're in on a self-deprecating joke.
134	* MisaimedFandom: In TheNewTens, "stan" became a slang term for an obsessed fan, which was worn by some people as a badge of honor. Eminem's "Stan" song is criticizing [[ImYourBiggestFan this exact kind of obsessed fan]] by showing how pointlessly self-destructive such celebrity worship truly is. The titular Stan in the song kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend over his obsession with Eminem, and all while Eminem was planning on writing back to Stan anyways.
135	* MisBlamed:
136	** Despite popular belief, he did not face much racist harassment from Black hip-hop audiences, who often underestimated him based on his appearance, but were supportive of him as soon as they realised he could actually rap, even defending him from racist personals in the '97 Rap Olympics by booing so loud as to drown out his opponent for making white-people jokes. (As Eminem himself notes in "White America" - "''when I was underground, no one gave a fuck I was white''".) A few people held he was a white appropriator, but they were outliers and not the general view in the 90s hip-hop scene. Eminem ''did'' experience racist assaults by Black people, but they were just local bullies who did not know or care he was a rapper. The racism he experienced in hip-hop was mostly from other white people, with white label executives preventing him from getting signed numerous times because of his race, and white audiences chanting 'wigger' and 'Vanilla Ice' at him and pelting him with bottles at his early shows.
137	** ''Music/{{Encore}}'':
138	*** The content and rapping style on ''Music/{{Encore}}'' has been attributed to Eminem's abuse of Ambien at the time, including by Eminem. However, Eminem writes in his book ''The Way I Am'' that he had been freestyling the material due to an attempt to recapture the humour and spontaneity he had with Music/DrDre while recording ''Music/TheSlimShadyLP'', as well as to push himself to improve as a rapper (particularly because of how much he admires Music/JayZ, who can write entire songs by freestyling). His 2003 material also shows inklings of the stylistic direction he'd adopt on ''Music/{{Encore}}'', particularly his three ''Invasion'' freestyles which show him beginning to incorporate crunk and snap influences in his delivery, a fake Southern accent, and [[ToiletHumor belching]], all recorded at a time when he was still on probation and facing regular drug tests that prevented him from being able to abuse medication. While it's obvious Eminem's Ambien addiction was a factor on the lowered technical ability on the album, the audible slur in his voice and the [[{{Wangst}} woe-is-me]] content, ''Music/{{Encore}}'' ended up the way it did due to purposeful artistic decisions that were ''not'' all the fault of the zolpidem clogging up his brain.
139	*** ''Music/{{Encore}}'' turning out the way it did is also often blamed on several of the tracks intended for the album leaking, forcing Eminem to hurriedly record replacements - fans tend to assume the serious songs on the album were the "real" songs and the silly ones were the replacements. What actually happened was that the leaks gave Eminem the opportunity to revise the entire track list for the album, with many of the album's beloved serious tracks like "Evil Deeds", "Mosh", "Mockingbird" and "Like Toy Soldiers" also coming out of his freestyling sessions with Dre. Another reason he'd wanted to revise the track list had been because he was sick of the beefs he was involved in with Benzino and Ja Rule - the original track list for Encore would likely have been disses aimed at them.
140	** Eminem's CreatorBacklash to ''Relapse'' and his cancellation of ''Relapse 2'' is sometimes based on the idea that a bad fan and critical reception to the album spooked him (Music/FiftyCent has said as much). ''Relapse'''s [[PresumedFlop reception wasn't that bad]] - while there were some [[ContestedSequel intense reactions from his own fanbase]] and some disappointed reviews, it was mostly liked, was the highest selling rap album of the year, and netted a Best Rap Album Grammy. Em himself has always maintained that he changed direction on ''Relapse 2'' on his own. The turning point was a block of sessions in Honolulu where his producer Denaun Porter persuaded him to start dropping the [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent creepy accent]] he was using and imagine he was a young MC at an open mic, leading to him producing much more playful, technical material that he felt was much better than what he'd been doing before. Around this time, his writing finally exhausted the SerialKiller incarnation of Shady he'd used on ''Relapse'', with the character developing into a more 'mundane' LowerClassLout persona with subject matter about drinking, dancing, brawling, driving and bullying his girlfriends. Music/DrDre then withdrew from the project to focus on his [[DevelopmentHell doomed]] album ''Detox'', causing Eminem to find other producers, largely from the [[PopRap pop-rap]] world; this had the effect of getting him back in touch with the outside world, and he began wanting to make more confessional, meaningful material that fit his [[CreatorRecovery happier state of mind]] instead of relying on shock-comedy. The highlights of ''Relapse 2'' that still used Dre production, SlasherMovie-{{Horrorcore}} subject matter and accents ended up on a ''Relapse'' UpdatedRerelease called ''Relapse: Refill'', with Eminem admitting that, although they no longer fit the new project, he was still proud of the songs and wanted them to be heard; the ones that fit the new direction were bundled up with some new songs and ended up on a new album called ''Recovery''.
141	* {{Narm}}:
142	** "Mom's spaghetti".
143	** "Have you ever been hated or discriminated against? I have. I've been protested and demonstrated against". It's arguably made worse by his pouty tone while he raps those lines.
144	* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was already being seen as increasingly irrelevant by 2004. However, Robert Smigel cited "Ass Like That" as giving Triumph's career a boost, even though it was a song entirely about dissing him, allowing him to continue to reappear during the later part of the 2000s and intervene in political events in the late 2010s.
145	* OlderThanTheyThink: People who got pissed at Eminem's political position against UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump in ''Revival'' seemed to have forgotten Trump is not the first President Em dissed in his tracks; "Square Dance" from ''The Eminem Show'' and "Mosh" and "We As Americans" from ''Music/{{Encore}}'' are jabs quite dedicated to UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush. His music video for "My Name Is", the song that made him famous, contains a diss aimed at Bill Clinton.
146	** The deep-throated angry delivery he used all throughout ''Recovery'' has often been cited as "the Recovery voice". However, he actually first rapped like this a few years prior on ''The Re-Up'', which was recorded in 2005-2006.
147	** One of the main issues of ''Relapse'' is the constant overuse of accents, but those actually started near the end of 2004's ''Music/{{Encore}}'', when the songs such as "Rain Man", "Big Weenie", and "Ass Like That" started getting really goofy. Em stated on a 2011 interview with ''Magazine/RollingStone'' that every day he had a pocketful of pills, and he would just go into the studio and fuck around.
148	* OnceOriginalNowCommon: Eminem was responsible for making white-rappers to be taken seriously after Music/VanillaIce and other one-hit-wonders made them into a joke, as he was also praised for his technical ability and highly offensive and disturbing lyrics.
149	* OneSceneWonder: His guest appearances have a habit of outshining the host artist, like in Music/{{Drake}}'s song "Forever".
150	** Or on "Drop the World" from the Music/LilWayne rock album ''Rebirth''. Most people, including Wayne's die-hard fans, weren't fans of the album, except for the song Em was on.
151	*** His appearance in "That's All She Wrote" on {{Music/TI}}'s "No Mercy" album was viewed the same way do to the huge online sales for that track alone compared to the rest of the album.
152	** His duet with Music/JayZ, "Renegade", is the most literal example of [[OneSceneWonder this trope]]: Em's the only guest on the whole album. This was even {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d by Music/{{Nas}} during his feud with Jay, saying "Eminem murdered you on your own shit!" The ironic thing is that his verses were prerecorded before Jay-Z got a hold of the track. It was originally supposed to be a Royce da 5'9" song[[note]]the "Jigga-Ji-Jigga" near the end of Em's first verse was recorded over the words "Royce, the king of Detroit" when Jay picked it up[[/note]].
153	** His cameo in ''Film/TheInterview'' is one of the more memorable scenes in the film.
154	* ParodyDisplacement: "Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?" is actually derived from the 1960s/70s game show ''Series/ToTellTheTruth'''s catchphrase "Will the real [person's name] please stand up?", used to reveal the true mystery guest. The song itself contains a few lines that parody a couple of contemporary songs like "The Bum Bum Song" and "The Bad Touch", which have largely been forgotten today.
155	* PresumedFlop:
156	** ''Music/{{Encore}}'' is believed to be the bad album that knocked Eminem off his imperial phase, as it was made during a hugely damaging CreatorBreakdown that almost killed Eminem, and would face CreatorBacklash a few years later. It went 4x Platinum, is one of the fastest selling albums in history, and got favourable reviews from critics (with a few critics, notably Robert Christgau, considering it better than ''The Eminem Show'', and Nick Hasted considering it a worthy sequel that was equivalently good). It was only seen as bad ''compared to Eminem's other albums'', with most of the negative reviews reacting to [[HypeBacklash Eminem's overexposure]], the potential racism of his beef with Music/MichaelJackson now that [[OldShame racist old raps of his had been discovered]], and a desire for him to [[FifteenMinutesOfFame clear out for the hot new thing]].
157	** ''Relapse'' was hit with CreatorBacklash almost as soon as it came out, its followup album ''Recovery'' is Eminem's official CareerResurrection, and ''Relapse'' has a reputation for being an underappreciated CultClassic, so it's assumed a flop. However, it was met with mixed but positive reviews, was the top selling hip-hop album of 2009 (it went Platinum within eight weeks and is currently 2x Platinum), and won a Grammy for Best Rap Album.
158	* ProductionRelatedPeriodPiece: The distinctive accent and lyrical content of ''Relapse'' Shady, plus Eminem abandoning it almost immediately, means that several of Eminem's features, mixtapes and leaks make very little sense out of the context of this era. Some post-2009 ''Relapse'' Slim material include "Things Get Worse", a Music/{{BoB\|Rapper}} collab from 2011 (which must have confused people coming to it after having a hit with the much tamer "Airplanes"), and "Discombobulated", a 2020 track based on a 2009-era verse and hook Eminem found and decided to complete.
159	* QuestionableCasting:
160	** Hearing him [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nuEnnm8vQA on the same song as]] [[Music/{{Paramore}} Hayley Williams]]. Considering the popularity of the song, however, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools maybe not]].
161	** On that note, a song featuring Music/BrunoMars? As shown on the song itself ("Lighters"), it's quite a big contrast.
162	** Most examples of this (him working with Fun., with Music/{{Pink}}!, with Akon) etc. are proof that Administrivia/TropesAreTools.
163	** The general fan consensus regarding ''Revival''. While people such as Skylar Grey and X Ambassadors are familiar collaborators to most, fans were particularly shocked to see the likes of Alicia Keys, P!nk, {{Music/Kehlani}}, and especially ''Music/EdSheeran'' on the track list, with not a single rap artist appearing as a guest star. Aside from Phresher, although he doesn't actually rap. Many people have also said the fact he and Ed Sheeran worked twice again after that is also quite strange.
164	* SampledUp: Results tend to be SugarWiki/{{Awesome\|Music}}, as shown by:
165	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNPnbI1arSE My Name Is]]" for Labi Siffre's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKISdd2mKzU I Got The...]]".
166	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSLZFdqwh7E&ob=av2e Stan]]" for Dido's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TO48Cnl66w&ob=av2n Thank You]]".
167	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4hAVemuQXY&ob=av2e Sing for the Moment]]" for Music/{{Aerosmith}}'s "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKuchOdtcFs&feature=related Dream On]]".
168	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lexLAjh8fPA&ob=av2e Like Toy Soldiers]]" for Martika's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpJy46o_7b0&feature=fvst Toy Soldiers]]".
169	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgT1AidzRWM&ob=av2e Beautiful]]" for [[Music/{{Queen}} Queen + Paul Rodgers']] "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o77jpbegrqc Reaching Out]]".
170	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab9176Srb5Y Berzerk]]" for Music/BillySquier's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLHc-yIAPbg The Stroke]]".
171	* SeasonalRot: Apparently, there are some who think Eminem's music was better before he kicked the drug habit.
172	* SequelDisplacement: Go ask someone what Eminem's first album was.[[note]]The correct answer is ''Infinite'', not ''Music/TheSlimShadyLP''. The former was released three years before the latter and only sold around 1000 copies.[[/note]]
173	* SignatureSong: "Without Me", "My Name Is", "The Real Slim Shady" and his quintessential album track "'Till I Collapse" for the post-''Infinite'' period, "Lose Yourself" for the post-''Music/TheEminemShow'' period and overall.
174	** As for signature song ''parts'': Rap God and Godzilla for their respective sections where Em raps over 10 syllables per second, becoming very popular internet challenges (the former even netted him an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records).
175	* SoOkayItsAverage: Most of his work after the extremely divisive ''Music/{{Encore}}'' is this with the possible exception of his early-2010's period besides the overwhelmingly negative reception of ''Revival'' and generally positive reception of ''The Marshall Mathers [=LP=] 2''. While they're very lyrical and competently produced, most music critics agreed that Eminem's novelty and shock-value has long worn-off and aren't as special or as boundary-pushing as they were decades prior.
176	* SpiritualSuccessor:
177	** Eminem was compared to Music/ElvisPresley in the press -- a fellow superstar from a white-trash background who became the focus of intense controversy and censorship by mainstreaming Black music. Eminem proudly (and not so proudly) took this part of the persona on, declaring himself "Rap's Elvis" in "Ricky Ticky Tock" and comparing himself to him in many songs and videos.
178	** Eminem is also a DarkerAndEdgier version of Music/BeastieBoys, a white rap group who also used a [[PissTakeRap comedic]] RapRock style and loved to wind up MoralGuardians with their over-the-top heel personas.
179	* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: For the fans who were disappointed in ''Music/{{Encore}}'' and ''Relapse'', ''Recovery'' was a significant step forward in quality. [[CreatorBacklash Given how poorly Eminem thought of the albums himself]] in some ''Recovery'' tracks, he feels the same.
180	** ''Kamikaze'' is generally considered a big improvement over the very controversial ''Revival''. Bonus points for being a literal surprise, in that it was suddenly dropped with no hype or marketing leading up to its release.
181	** Even those who weren't won over by ''Kamikaze'' generally agree that ''Music to Be Murdered By'' was pretty solid. For reference, [[WebVideo/TheNeedleDrop Anthony Fantano]], who has been very critical of Em's late 2010s efforts, agreed that it was a decent listen and a step in the right direction....which was then followed by him giving ''Side B'' a lower score.
182	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
183	** "Murder, Murder" off ''The Slim Shady EP.'' The second stanza sees him looting a house for, among other things, a Platform/Nintendo64 (to sell it at triple the price once shops run out) and some Beanie Babies.
184	** "The Real Slim Shady" is quite obviously a product of its time, with references to Creator/PamelaAnderson, Creator/TomGreen, [[Music/LimpBizkit Fred Durst]], and Creator/WillSmith's musical career.
185	** "Mosh" is a protest song that was released as a single prior to the 2004 US Presidential election, and its lyrics heavily reflect that. Mention is made of Bin Laden still being considered a terrorist threat, Em voices frustrations about the Bush administration by saying that then-president George W. Bush should go fight in the Iraq War as a way to "impress daddy" (George Bush Sr.), and the final lyrics are of Em saying "Mr. President! Mr Senator!", referencing the candidates of the 2004 US election (the aforementioned Bush, and Senator John Kerry). The music video even had two versions made (mainly just with different endings) and both are also equally as dated. The first one, released before the election, shows people showing up to vote between Bush and Kerry, and then the second version, released after the election, shows protesters breaking into the US Capitol Building while Congress is in session, with signs saying stuff like "Down with Bush!"
186	** His use of the term "wigger" in "The Way I Am" certainly dates it to the early 2000s, as the term has fallen out of use since then.
187	** "White America" references ''Total Request Live'' in its chorus, firmly planting it in the early 2000s.
188	** "Without Me" references Dick Cheney, how the FCC tried to take him off Creator/{{MTV}} (which has long since died out due to NetworkDecay and the internet), and then makes a series of {{Take That}}s to artists who haven't been relevant in years, specifically [[Music/NSync Chris Kirkpatrick]], Music/LimpBizkit, and Music/{{Moby}} (even stating the latter as being 36-years-old). All of this screams 2002, the year "Without Me" was released.
189	*** Moreover, one of the pot-shots issued at Moby was the lyric "Nobody listens to techno". It was pretty accurate in 2002, when ElectronicMusic was a ''very'' niche thing in America (to the point that American [=DJs=] and electronic musicians had to go abroad to find success). Come to TheNewTens, where EDM became a major genre and has permeated several different genres, [=EDM=] [=DJs=] are in high demand, and EDM festivals can pull in crowds numbering at over 100,000. Moby himself later noted in a [[http://wtop.com/entertainment/2016/06/moby-talks-porcelain-bourne-taking-high-road-eminem/slide/1/ 2016 interview]] how that particular lyric would be HilariousInHindsight later on. In 2013, even Eminem (whose dislike of techno was, apparently, sincere) would capitulate, releasing the techno-infused EDM rap "Rap God", which would become one of his {{Signature Song}}s.
190	** "Ass Like That" mentions Creator/MaryKateAndAshleyOlsen who haven't been very mainstream in several years, plus they're mentioned to be young adults, and even more noticeably mentions Music/HilaryDuff is underage (she was 17 at the time).
191	* ValuesDissonance: Eminem was always controversial among politicians, religious leaders, and overly strict parents. Yet, in the 2020's, he's also garnered some backlash from Gen-Z'ers for his liberal use of homophobic slurs and sexist remarks. To his credit, Em has toned these down considerably on his more recent albums.
192	* ValuesResonance: For better or worse, a song like "Stan," about a person who religiously obsesses over the personal life of a celebrity only to lash out when he doesn't get what he wants out of it, works very well in the age of social media, which not only allows but ''encourages'' people to virtually stalk, communicate with or even ''slander'' their favorite celebrities, as well as collectively hang onto literally every word they say as either gospel or leverage against them. It's even worse for the new generation of self-established internet personalities and web-based content creators who have even less of a buffer between themselves and their audience and are therefore even less equipped to deal with fame and the toxic people it attracts, resulting in many of suffering from irreparable damage to their mental health. And none of this is helped by the songs massive MisaimedFandom of people who call themselves "Stans" as a form of ''pride'' in their obsession over their favorite celebrities.
193	** And other UnintentionalPeriodPiece songs can find resonance even today. His blasting of the hipocrasy of the US government and the country as a whole on "White America" has, to some, seemed prescient.
194	* VindicatedByHistory:
195	** While controversial, there is a growing movement of appreciation for 2004's ''Music/{{Encore}}''. It met mixed reviews for its AlbumFiller issues, in particular a run of six [[GrossoutShow puerile comedy songs]] surrounded by [[MoodWhiplash dark love songs, earnest antibeef tracks, child abuse anecdotes and political polemic]]. Eminem also simplified his lyricism, freestyling most of the tracks in the aim of [[RevisitingTheRoots recapturing the spontaneity of his early work]], and taking influence from then-popular [[CondemnedByHistory snap and crunk music]]. However, ''Music/{{Encore}}'' has undergone ValuesResonance - its shock comedy is based on ToiletHumour and satire of [[HorribleHollywood entertainment industry sexual abuse]], which is transgressive and obnoxious [[KinderAndCleaner without targeting gay people and women]] like on earlier albums, and the serious songs showcase a mature, [[RealMenWearPink non-toxically masculine]] and [[PoliticalRap politically conscious]] Marshall more in line with modern sensibilities than the violent, [[TheGadfly slur-spewing brat]] of ''The Marshall Mathers LP''. The Music/DrDre production has aged well, and the [[ShiftingVoiceOfMadness cartoony voices]] and [[DenserAndWackier funny gimmick songs]] gave the album a second life in lipsync skits when [=TikTok=] took off. Retrospectively, Eminem's admission in 2010 that ''Music/{{Encore}}'' had been made [[CreatorBreakdown in the grip of an Ambien addiction]] recontextualised it as a LightmareFuel [[{{Addiction Song}} addiction album]], highlighting [[ConceptAlbum the album's coherent suicide theming]] (even people who hate the album tend to view the album packaging and photoshoot as Em's best). Eminem's 2010s turn towards [[TechnicianVersusPerformer extreme, crafted technical flows]] also makes ''Music/{{Encore}}'''s spontaneity and sense of play more striking and interesting.\
196	\
197	In 2010, Spin.com described the album as "a stunning portrait of a meltdown - especially at some of its dumbest moments. Eminem hopscotches between different accents and personas, repeating, interrupting, and contradicting himself... a virtuoso exploration of identity slippage". Billboard rated it his [[https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8071037/eminem-albums-ranked/ third best album]], putting it (as well as rap-geek-favourite ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'') above the generally canonised top-3 entry ''The Eminem Show''. XXL put ''Music/{{Encore}}'' as his [[https://www.xxlmag.com/eminem-albums-ranked/ 7th best]] (above the [[AudienceAlienatingEra initially-respected]] ''Recovery'') noting that it's aged well, and pointing out "Yellow Brick Road", "Mockingbird" and "Like Toy Soldiers" as standouts. ''Complex'' put ''Music/{{Encore}}'' as his [[https://www.complex.com/music/eminem-best-albums/encore fifth best solo studio album]] (eighth including a compilation, a bootleg and an indie release) and praised its TrollingCreator attitude, describing it as "schizophrenic awesomeness" and "the most 'Marshall' music ever". Another ''Music/{{Encore}}'' fan is Music/DannyBrown, who told ''Complex'' it was his favourite Eminem album, remarking on its over-the-top aesthetic and uncomfortable dark humour and saying he learned a lot about rapping from it, particularly the song "Rain Man", which he considered a masterpiece. Eminem himself wrote about all this in "Careful What You Wish For":
198	--->Every CD, critics gave it a three, then three\
199	years later they go back and re-rate it.\
200	Then called ''The Slim Shady LP'' the greatest,\
201	the ''Marshall Mathers'' was a classic,\
202	''The Eminem Show'' was fantastic,\
203	but ''Music/{{Encore}}'' just didn't have the caliber to match it.\
204	I guess enough time just ain't passed yet\
205	A couple more years, that shit'll be ''Illmatic''
206	** Eminem's {{Horrorcore}} album ''Relapse'' is now often considered better than ''Recovery'', sometimes ''[=MMLP2=]'', and occasionally even his 1999-2002 trio of albums, despite being hit with CreatorBacklash almost as soon as it came out. Initially slammed for its [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent bizarre accent rapping]], [[AudienceAlienatingPremise alienating]] content, outmoded [[BlackSheepHit comedy single]] and excessive celebrity namedropping, its reputation started to improve after its late-2009 UpdatedRerelease ''Relapse: Refill'', which added multiple songs considered among Eminem's career best. It was helped further by the rise of playlists, mitigating the album's [[TooBleakStoppedCaring desensitising]] content by allowing listeners to fall in love with each song individually, and the album's championing by Music/TylerTheCreator, who cited ''Relapse'' as a major influence on his albums ''Bastard'' and ''Goblin''. Once Eminem responded to the backlash to the album by [[WhatCouldHaveBeen cancelling]] ''Relapse 2'', switching to a [[RatedGForGangsta softer image]] and poppier [[NewSoundAlbum sound]], ''Relapse'' was then treasured by his fandom as the last of Em's albums in his original Dre-produced "shock-rap" style.\
207	\
208	Its present fans appreciate its ballsy anti-commercial {{Horrorcore}} approach (while still having enjoyable GlamRap and OdeToIntoxication cuts), the depth of the MedicalHorror SlasherMovie [[ConceptAlbum concept]], and the eccentric Music/DrDre beats (most of which were ''[[DevelopmentHell Detox]]'' rejects) which have aged better than the production on ''Recovery'' and ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2''[='=]s more radio-friendly cuts. Rap geeks also consider Eminem's beat-riding on ''Relapse'' a technical high point for him, as he used the weird beats as fuel for ConstrainedWriting, which helps some fans appreciate his [[AccentDepundent inventive use of accents to force impossible rhymes]]. As of 2020, Eminem softened his opinion towards the album, as he looked back positively on the album for the 11th anniversary of its release, and also emulated his ''Relapse'' rap style in ''Revival'''s "Framed!" and on ''Music to be Murdered By: Side B (Deluxe Edition)'' on the song "Discombobulated" (though he noted he still thinks ''Music/{{Encore}}'' is better). Complex called ''Relapse: Refill'' Em's [[https://www.complex.com/music/eminem-best-albums/relapse 6th best solo studio album]], praising how the accent and character work expresses anxiety and [[LossOfIdentity dissociation]], and concluded that even when Eminem doesn't know who he is, there's nobody else quite like him.
209	* WinBackTheCrowd: ''Recovery'' was designed to be one after the poor reception to ''Music/{{Encore}}'' and ''Relapse''. Whether he succeeded is up for debate.
210	** ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' was this to those who were unsatisfied with ''Recovery's'' more somber tone and sometimes heavy-handed lyrics, instead opting to go back to the more slightly more wicked and slick tone of ''Music/TheSlimShadyLP'' and ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'', while still retaining the lightning-fast flow he showcased in ''Hell: The Sequel'' and parts of ''Recovery''.
211	** Within only hours of its release, ''Kamikaze'' was praised near-universally as a drastic improvement over ''Revival''.
212	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: He has been criticized over and over for his vulgarity in music, and how it reaches to children, but the fact of the matter is no matter how colorful and cheery his voice may sound (although not so much anymore, though his later songs have him using a more cheerful voice) his songs ARE NOT for them. He even talks about it in his songs.

Context YMMV / EMINEM