In the late 1990s, a completely different type of rapper broke out onto the national hip hop music scene. For one thing, he was white (and that mattered in a big way because he was breaking new ground). To that point, almost all rappers with any amount of sustained and meaningful mainstream success in the world of rap (under the umbrella of hip hop) were black. I first became acquainted with Eminem through a combination of MTV music videos (yes, MTV still had music videos in the late 1990s) and regular radio air play (which was shocking because Eminem didn't fit neatly into the pop scene or the rap scene). In particular, the songs "My Name Is" and "The Real Slim Shady" ushered in a new era of rap/hip hop music which would transcend racial lines in due time.
At first, the general vibe was that Eminem could not possibly be accepted by mainstream rap/hip hop. By 2002, however, it became very apparent that he was right in the middle of this movement to rethink rap/hip hop and who could produce hits and be considered key contributors to the genre. That fall, the movie Eight Mile was a smash hit (and my all time favorite Eminem song emerged, "Lose Yourself").
As the years have rolled by since 2002, Eminem has had his personal and professional ups and downs. For the most part, professionally, he has been wildly successful. But at the same time, he has had his own personal challenges which have limited his consistent success. Through it all, when Eminem is active, he has continued to produce one hit after another (whether on his own or in collaboration with other talented hip hop, rap and pop artists). While to be honest, I don't enjoy his newer stylings on any level close to what he was kicking out between the years 1999 and 2004, there is no doubt that he is and forever will be one of the most accomplished and universally-recognized rappers/hip hop artists of all-time.
Here is a list of my 10 favorite Eminem songs:
1. Lose Yourself - 2002 - A very inspirational song that accompanied the movie Eight Mile
2. Stan (featuring Dido) - 2000 - This song has a hauntingly beautiful refrain
3. My Name Is - 1999 - The first mainstream song that really hit the charts
4. The Real Slim Shady - 2000 - A fantastic song with a great music video
5. Without Me - 2002 - Eminem's first 'come back' song after a brief hiatus to deal with personal issues
6. Sing for the Moment - 2003 - Taking an Aerosmith song and putting his own flavor to it
7. Cleanin' Out My Closet - 2002 - A thoughtful well-crafted song
8. Encore (featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent) - 2002 - Eminem's best collaboration effort ever
9. Just Lose It - 2004 - This song is rather unique to say the least
10. Forgot About Dre (with Dr. Dre) - 2000 - A tribute to Dr. Dre and a reintroduction to Dr. Dre after Dr. Dre had (apparently) fallen out of mainstream favor
Copyright 2016 - Luke Enno
