History Music / TheEminemShow

Much like its two predecessors, ''The Eminem Show'' was also given a spot on ''Magazine/RollingStone''[='=]s [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime "500 greatest albums"]] list at #317 in 2003, before it was dropped in the 2012 revised list, and was also recognized by the magazine as its 84th greatest album of the 2000s.

[[caption-width-right:318:Guess who's back -- back again?\\

[[caption-width-right:318:''"Guess who's back / back again? / Shady's back / tell a friend"'']]

''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth album by Music/{{Eminem}}, released just before summer 2002. Em had extremely big shoes to fill, considering his last two releases (''Music/TheSlimShadyLP'' and ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'') were and still are seen as some of the greatest albums of their genre, and everyone was wondering if Em could come through and pull off the threepeat.

''The Eminem Show'' received much celebration from critics, with people acknowledging Em's growth as not only a rapper but a person. It gave the rapper his third consecutive UsefulNotes/GrammyAward win for Best Rap Album as well as his second consecutive nomination for Album of the Year. It was also his second album in a row to be certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling over 10 million copies, and it has gone on to sell three times that around the world.

Much like its two predecessors, ''The Eminem Show'' was also given a spot on ''Magazine/RollingStone''[='=]s [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime "500 greatest albums"]] list at #317, and was also recognized by the magazine as its 84th greatest album of the 2000s.

* {{Bowdlerise}}: Due to the song’s explicit subject matter, "Drips", which is about how Obie Trice and Eminem had sex with a girl that gave them both STDs, was removed from the album’s clean version.

** He is a [[JustForFun/OneOfUs comic book nerd]]. In the "Without Me" music video and others, Eminem dresses up in a {{Comicbook/Robin}}-esque costume and becomes "Rap-Boy" to save the day, preventing underage kids from listening to his controversial songs alone without parental advisory! There's a lot of shots [[Film/BatmanAndRobin on Eminem's crotch]], by the way. his "Backwards E" logo is used as the Robin symbol, and he uses the recurring depiction to show himself as the sidekick to Music/DrDre's Batman-esque hero. A similar shoutout pops up in the track "Business", where Dr. Dre and Eminem play an Creator/AdamWest-[[Series/{{Batman}} style]] intro ("To the Rapmobile!").

* SillinessSwitch: "Without Me". Especially the video, where he's dressed in [[Series/{{Batman}} Adam West-era Robin-esque]] outfit. (made even funnier as Music/DrDre is only in black and shades, because he *refused* to get dressed as Batman...)

** He is a [[OneOfUs comic book nerd]]. In the "Without Me" music video and others, Eminem dresses up in a {{Comicbook/Robin}}-esque costume and becomes "Rap-Boy" to save the day, preventing underage kids from listening to his controversial songs alone without parental advisory! There's a lot of shots [[Film/BatmanAndRobin on Eminem's crotch]], by the way. his "Backwards E" logo is used as the Robin symbol, and he uses the recurring depiction to show himself as the sidekick to Music/DrDre's Batman-esque hero. A similar shoutout pops up in the track "Business", where Dr. Dre and Eminem play an Creator/AdamWest-[[Series/{{Batman}} style]] intro ("To the Rapmobile!").

# "Say What You Say" (feat. Dr. Dre) (5:09)

* SelfDeprecation: Eminem's portrayal of Robin in the music video of "Without Me". He comes across as a total buffoon, making even Dr. Dre look in the camera with an exasperated look.

** He is a [[OneOfUs comic book nerd]]. In the "Without Me" music video and others, Eminem dresses up in a {{Comicbook/Robin}}-esque costume and becomes "Rap-Boy" to save the day, preventing underage kids from listening to his controversial songs alone without parental advisory! There's a lot of shots [[Film/BatmanAndRobin on Eminem's crotch]], by the way. his "Backwards E" logo is used as the Robin symbol, and he uses the recurring depiction to show himself as the sidekick to Dr. Dre's Batman-esque hero. A similar shoutout pops up in the track "Business", where Dr. Dre and Eminem play an Creator/AdamWest-[[Series/{{Batman}} style]] intro ("To the Rapmobile!").

* SillinessSwitch: "Without Me". Especially the video, where he's dressed in [[Series/{{Batman}} Adam West-era Robin-esque]] outfit. (made even funnier as Dr. Dre is only in black and shades, because he *refused* to get dressed as Batman...)

->''What I did was stupid, no doubt it was dumb''\\
''But the smartest shit I did was take the bullets outta that gun''\\
''Cause I'da killed him; shit I woulda shot Kim and him both''\\
''It's my life, I'd like to welcome y'all to [[AlbumTitleDrop The Eminem Show]]...''
-->--'''"Cleanin' Out My Closet"'''

--> ''If it's all political''
--> ''and my music is literal''
--> ''and I'm a criminal''
--> ''How the [[PrecisionFStrike FUCK]] can I raise a little girl?''

-->''I was a baby, maybe I was just a couple of months''\\
''My faggot father must'a had his panties up in a bunch''\\
''Coz he split; wonder if he even kissed me goodbye''\\
''No, I don't; on second thought I just fuckin' wish he would die!''

--> ''See, what hurts me the most is, you won't admit you was wrong,\\

* {{Hypocrite}}: "Cleanin' Out My Closet":
--> ''Now I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition''
--> ''Take a second to listen for who you think this record is dissing''

--> ''Look at these eyes, baby blue, baby, just like yourself. If they were brown, Shady'd lose, Shady sits on the shelf.''

--> ''Obie Trice, real name, no gimmicks''
--> ''Two trailer park girls go round the outside''

--> ''Through this pen, motherfuckers know I'll never be Marshall again!''

-->'''Steve''': I got [''The Eminem Show'']...
--->'''Em''': And?
--->'''Steve''': ...and this is by far the most ('''[[DisproportionateRetribution BANG]]''')...[[spoiler:incredible thing...I've ever heard]].

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: As usual many songs are about Eminem's pet peeves again: people criticizing him and his family troubles.

** In "Without Me" Eminem references Music/{{Prince}} turning himself into a symbol and calls himself "the worst thing since Music/ElvisPresley to do black music so sufficient". He also dresses up as Elvis in the video. The rabbit in the video is a shout-out to the song "You're A Superstar" by Love Inc. Near the end, in the most talked about segment, Eminem imitates UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden, who is then chased away by a group of rappers, until he surrenders and everybody starts dancing along with him.

** The music video of "Without Me" is one long TakeThat aimed at people who criticized his work in public, including Lynn Cheney (though it's her husband Dick Cheney whose hart problems are addressed), the FCC, Kriss Kirkpatrick, Music/LimpBizkit and Music/{{Moby}}. UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden is also targeted. And of course his mother, Debbie.

'''''The Eminem Show''''' is the fourth album by Music/{{Eminem}}, released just before summer 2002. Em had extremely big shoes to fill, considering his last two releases (''Music/TheSlimShadyLP'' and ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'') were and still are seen as some of the greatest albums of their genre, and everyone was wondering if Em could come through and pull off the threepeat.

-->''What I did was stupid, no doubt it was dumb''\\

* ListSong: "'Till I Collapse" references several rappers Eminem sees as the best: Music/{{Redman}}, Music/JayZ, Music/TupacShakur, Music/TheNotoriousBIG, Music/Andre3000, Music/{{Jadakiss}}, Music/{{Kurupt}}, Music/{{Nas}} and himself.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: In the music video of "Without Me" Eminem and Dr. Dre try and save a little boy from buying "The Eminem Show". As they show to him it contains a ''Parental Advisory'' sticker.

** Not only that, but even before that song he had several tracks dissing his mom, such as "My Name Is", "My Mom", and "Kill You".

''Eminem Show'' received much celebration from critics, with people acknowledging Em's growth as not only a rapper but a person. It gave the rapper his third consecutive GrammyAward win for Best Rap Album as well as his second consecutive nomination for Album of the Year. It was also his second album in a row to be certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling over 10 million copies, and it has gone on to sell three times that around the world.

Much like its two predecessors, ''Eminem Show'' was also given a spot on ''Magazine/RollingStone''[='=]s [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime "500 greatest albums"]] list at #317, and was also recognized by the magazine as its 84th greatest album of the 2000s.

----

* BookEnds: The music video for "Cleanin' Out My Closet" begins with a door opening and ends with the same door closing.
* CallingTheOldWomanOut: "Cleanin' Out My Closet".

* {{Hypocrite}}: From "Cleanin' Out My Closet":

* NewSoundAlbum: Production style switched to a more cinematic high end sound beginning with ''The Eminem Show''.

** "Without Me" contains resung elements from "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm [=McLaren=], and samples "Rap Name" by Obie Trice (uncredited).

** He is a [[OneOfUs comic book nerd]]. In the "Without Me" music video and others, Eminem dresses up in a {{Comicbook/Robin}}-esque costume and becomes "Rap-Boy" to save the day, preventing underage kids from listening to his controversial songs alone without parental advisory! There's a lot of shots [[Film/BatmanAndRobin on Eminem's crotch]], by the way. his "Backwards E" logo is used as the Robin symbol, and he uses the recurring depiction to show himself as the sidekick to Dr. Dre's Batman-esque hero. A similar shoutout pops up on the Eminem Show in the track "Business", where Dr. Dre and Eminem play an Creator/AdamWest-[[Series/{{Batman}} style]] intro ("To the Rapmobile!").

''My faggot father must'a had his panties up in a bunch''\\
''Coz he split; wonder if he even kissed me goodbye''\\
''No, I dont; on second thought I just fuckin' wish he would die!''

'''Coz he split; wonder if he even kissed me goodbye''\\

Much like its two predecessors, ''Eminem Show'' was also given a spot on ''Magazine/RollingStone''[='=]s [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime "500 greatest albums"]] list at #317, and was also recognized by the magazine as its 84th greatest album of the 2000s.