Yesterday was the 35th birthday of Marshall Mathers, best known to the world as Eminem (although, you should probably know the name Marshall Mathers by this point).
I ignored the chance to pay tribute to Eminem yesterday, but then I saw this video of ESPN's Skip Bayless talking about Eminem. If Bayless is paying tribute to Eminem, then dammit, there's no reason I shouldn't.
(Also, listening to Bayless and the other guy argue over who loves rap more, I kept waiting for one of them to say, "man, that Skee-Lo had some hot joints!!!" and then have the other one respond, "nothing beats Kriss Kross!!!!")
So now, I present to you, a belated birthday tribute to Eminem. We'll stick to his more well-known songs, but we're not including "My Name Is" or "The Real Slim Shady" for obvious reasons. In no particular order...
"Lose Yourself" - Arguably Eminem's biggest hit, from 8 Mile. Not the best video to come out of 8 Mile (we'll get to that), but a solid tune that was enjoyed by rap and rock fans alike.
"The Way I Am" - Eminem lashes out at the media. The executive's voice-over intro to this song is some of the worst acting ever (it's muffled in the video, but worse on the CD).
"Guilty Conscience" - I wish more rappers made edited versions of their songs. It's like getting two songs for the price of one. For those of you who only know this video, the real version of "Guilty Conscience" is way worse. I guess censors get uptight about statchetory rape lyrics. Lame.
"Kill You," "Who Knew" & "Brain Damage" - Three personal favorites. "Who Knew" is one of my favorite rap songs ever. None of these were singles, but they all caused backlash from various media outlets and activist groups. I guess GLAAD hates awesome beats.
"Sing For The Moment" - Good message, good sample, best use of the word "ignoramus" in a rap song ever.
"Stan" - This song provided my friend Dan and I with tons of comedy back in the day. There was a 2-month period where I started every sentence to him with "Dear Dan..." then add something like, "I know you got my letter, I wrote the address good." I have nothing else to contribute, sorry.
"Mockingbird" - Even when you first hear this song, you know that rap breakdown in the middle is coming.
"Drug Ballad" - The Marky Mark line is the best.
The Final Rap Battle in 8 Mile/The "Lunch Truck Rap Battle" - The final battle is perhaps Eminem's finest moment, and the "Lunch Truck Battle" is definitely his funniest. "Look at your boots, they're starting to grow roots!"
