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The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
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  1. All Music Guide
    100
    A fairly brilliant expansion of his debut, turning his spare, menacing hip-hop into a hyper-surreal, wittily disturbing thrill ride.
  2. Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
    100
    Disable your prejudgment button and you'll hear a work of art whose immense entertainment value in no way compromises its intimations of a pathology that's both personal and political, created by one of those charming rogues you encounter so much more often on the page...
  3. Vibe
    100
    Eminem has crafted the best album of the year so far with The Marshall Mathers LP and it comes dangerously close to being a classic.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is indefensible and critic-proof, hypocritical and heartbreaking, unlistenable and undeniable; it's a disposable shock-rap session, and the first great pop record of the 21st century.
  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    90
    Gruelling assault course of lyrical genius that pours itself into the 18 tracks on this album-
  6. Village Voice
    90
    The ever increasing variety in Eminem's voice (drawled Southern-bounce cadences, impatiently curt throaty staccatos, flat Beck-like deadpans, crying and screaming) somehow feels completely conversational, and the musical backdrop (calypso/Caribbean, Gothic etherea, jiggy disco evolving into P.M. Dawn) is frequently, of all things, beautiful.
  7. Wall of Sound
    80
    It's smartly crafted black comedy from hip-hop's greatest white MC, a strong storyteller and a master of the metaphor, who produces staggeringly popular music that's mostly meant to be enjoyed with both a pained grimace and a smirk.
  8. Rolling Stone
    80
    He is, simply, better than any other MC in hip-hop except for Jay-Z.... The Marshall Mathers LP is a car-crash record: loud, wild, dangerous, out of control, grotesque, unsettling. It's also impossible to pull your ears away from.
  9. CDNow
    80
    The words are now injected with a new industrial strength venom that make the last album seem like Hanson's Christmas disc.
  10. MTV.com
    80
    What's most pure is Eminem's liberating fearlessness in taking hip-hop left turns and acting the fool. The best hip-hop stand-up comic since Biz Markie; all that and a bag o' chronic.
  11. Salon.com
    80
    An airtight masterpiece of rhyme-
  12. Checkout.com
    70
    There are songs on Mathers that are very, very good; as a result, when Eminem misses the mark, it feels incredibly frustrating, because you know what he's capable of.
    All this publication's reviews
  13. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    70
    Aside from the horrifyingly detailed stalker narrative of "Stan" and the homicidal fantasy of "Kim," nothing on Marshall Mathers rises above the level of locker-room insults -- nearly every song seems to feature Eminem's giving someone the finger.
  14. The A.V. Club
    70
    Mathers is frequently brilliant and unique, if extremely flawed.
  15. Q Magazine
    60
    True, even misdirected, Eminem's disaffection sucks you in and the wholesale nihilism can still provoke shivers. But it all used to be more fun.
  16. L.A. Weekly
    60
    It just isn't as much fun this time around, no matter how fresh Dre's beats are or how many worthy targets get shot down along with the innocent.
  17. Spin
    60
    Funny how so much controversy can spring up over an album that is, musically, not all that noteworthy.... what could have been a brilliant statement, instead elevates Eminem to the rarified air of true platinum rappers: ie, those that drop outstanding rhymes over frustratingly mediocre beats.
  18. Sonicnet
    50
    The problem is, as the album drags on, young Master Mathers wastes his considerable wit and opts to grouse in the guise of a rampaging reactionary. Song after song finds Eminem viciously baiting real and imagined enemies, as if that's all he knows how to do.
  19. HOB.com
    40
    The problem is that he's just not that funny. For someone who takes such pleasure in spouting off on everything and everyone, from fans and critics to boy bands and label executives, Eminem really has nothing to say.
  20. Dot Music
    40
    The production, however, is first rate, Dre proving that he really is on fire at the moment. Eminem's microphone skills are similarly beyond question ' though a little too shouty on occasion. It's just that his self-indulgent and irritatingly stupid rants will prove too much for any audience that recognises irony in Beavis and Butthead.
  21. Slant Magazine
    Feb 13, 2012
    30
    The collaborative efforts of tracks like "Bitch Please II" and "Under the Influence" make Eminem seem like an ornamental prop in Dr. Dre's ever-growing hip-hop dynasty.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
9.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 310 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 189 out of 197
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 197
  3. Negative: 8 out of 197
  1. TyroneP
    10
    Possibly the best thing about The Marshall Mathers LP is hearing Eminem verbally slap the world's moral guardians senseless. However, because of its lyrical content (and also because he so frequently and ruthlessly disses 'N Sync) the pure catchy-pop of the record is often overlooked.… Full Review »
  2. BlueLotusPoet
    10
    Practically Eminem at his best. While shock rap isnt really something difficult to do, Eminem mixes it with his lyrical cleverness. He throws out memorable punchlines bound to stick and he does it in a style which is clearly not simple and just thrown out with little effort. This album is quite a treasure, being that its one of the few pieces of work that are connected to the mainstream success of the heavilly underground infested horrorcore community.… Full Review »
  3. rollingstone82
    10
    A pathological masterpiece that succeeds in presenting emotion and uncompromising entertainment. This album turned the whole world upside down. It sold 1.75 million in its first week, went 5x platinum in its first month, sold 19 million total worldwide, and won Grammys. This isn't the type of album expected to achieve such heights. But at the same time, only one person is capable of making such an album. And that is Eminem. On his last album, he was goofy and his content was easy to distinguish as real or fake. This time is different. He is scarier, darker, more insane, and funnier. And that line between reality and fiction gets blurry. He can be serious when he's joking and joking when serious. So he leaves the deciphering up to us to determine his character. Thankfully, that is a strong point of this brilliant album. He gives us glimpses of his thoughts. He shows us his rage, his madness, and his emotions and feelings even on the most laughable subjects. On Marshall Mathers, he tells of his anger towards gang violence (bloods and crips), the formidable pop music, the criticism and backlash he received, and Insane Clown Posse. On Who Knew, Eminem talks about his quick and unexpected rise to fame and how his influence has become huge and how censorship groups have become so sensitive on what should be recognized as simply music. On Stan, he unweaves a fictional tale of an obsessed fan who writes letters to Eminem and goes mad after no response, and the Em's final response and advice before finding out that his fan had killed himself in a car accident. It's spooky but makes great points. But the greatest track of the album is Kim. A haunted tale of Eminem visualizing himself killing his wife. He raps in a way that sounds like he's shouting. But the fact that makes this song so great is that the audience sympathizes with him even if he is a murderer. Other tracks are amazing like The Real Slim Shady (which is WAY better than My Name Is). But Kim is the standout. Marshall Mathers LP was the album that made me appreciate music in times where good music was scarce. Some say the album is overrated obviously because it sold millions and made Em a pop superstar. But one should lose the prejudgment and understand that this is a work of art that deserves to be recognized as one of the seminal albums not just in hip hop but in pop music.… Full Review »
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