18 years ago, Eminem welcomed us to the real world of Marshall Mathers with his fourth studio album, The Eminem Show. The hip-hop with rap-rock flavor album was released on May 26, 2002, through Eminem's Shady Records imprint and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. Supported by signature hits like Without Me, Cleanin' Out My Closet, Sing for the Moment, and Superman, the most anticipated album of 2002 debuted atop and spent five weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. Not only did it cement Eminem's place in the rap game for releasing three back-to-back classic records, but it also solidified his work as a producer.
"Eventually, I might need some drama in my life to inspire me," he told SPIN with a hint of a grin. "With [2000's] The Marshall Mathers LP, everything that everybody was saying–I took that, and it was my ammo. And then when shit died down a little bit, I had other turmoil in my personal life, so that was what I was able to dump out on The Eminem Show. Now, I just gotta wait for the next phase of my life. But something always seems to happen, man; something's always gotta be f*****g turbulent."
Whether you're jamming to the goofy jam Without Me or relating to Eminem's childhood wounds on Cleanin' Out My Closet right now, we've got you covered. These are all the 15 facts you might wanna know about Eminem's 2002 magnum opus, The Eminem Show.
15 The Eminem Show Was Inspired By The Truman Show
Yep, you've read that right. Eminem took Peter Weir-directed 1998 sci-fi comedy flick, The Truman Show, as an inspiration to The Eminem Show. Jim Carrey starred as Truman Burbank, a man who unwittingly lives inside a TV show, where his life is broadcast to viewers around the world.
"My life felt like it was becoming a circus around that time, and I felt like I was always being watched," Eminem took to Instagram to celebrate the album's 15th birthday in 2017.
"Basically, Jim Carrey wrote my album," he continued.
14 Eminem Began Recording The Album Between The Set Of 8 Mile
Eminem's rap battle movie, 8 Mile, was shot first in Highland Park, Detroit, in September 2001. 8 Mile, titled first as Untitled Detroit Project, was the first blockbuster movie to set The Motor City as its background scene since Jennifer Lopez-starred 1997 crime drama, Out of Sight. Eminem's crazy work ethic let him produce The Eminem Show, 8 Mile and its accompanying album, and D12's Devil's Night album all in the same year.
13 At The Same Time, He Was Also Crafting D12's Devil's Night Album
After an unbeaten run of back-to-back classic albums, respectively, in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP & 2000 with The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem took his group D12 and signed them under his Shady Records imprint. Their debut album, Devil's Night, was released on June 19, 2001, around the same time when Eminem started filming 8 Mile and recording The Eminem Show. The horrorcore album was supported by four singles, including S**t on You, Purple Pills, and The Warriors-inspired Fight Music.
12 Eminem Chose A Less Comedic & Shock Factor Lyrical Approach To Prove That He Can Still Sell Records Without 'Thought-Provoking Lyrics'
If you think Eminem is only famous because of his bravado attitude and troublesome lyrics, you're wrong. The Eminem Show proved that he is more than just an average whiny-white boy who raps about shock values. "One of the frustrating things was people saying, 'He's got to cuss to sell records,'" Eminem told SPIN in 2002. "That's why with this album, I toned it down a bit as far as shock value. I wanted to show that I'm a solid artist, and I'm here to stay."
11 Eminem Literally 'Had No Snares In His Headphones' On Cleanin' Out My Closet
Eminem kicks off the album's second single, Cleanin' Out My Closet, with a line, "Where's my snare? / I have no snare in my headphones / There you go, yeah, yo, yo," before going into a full-attack mode against his childhood wound. Eminem took to his official Genius page in 2016 to explain the intro, "This was true. I was recording and couldn't hear the snare, the engineer had it muted for some reason. I left it."
10 The Eminem Show Solidified Eminem As A Producer
Eminem shut down the haters who claim that he would never be at the way he is now without Dr. Dre's production with The Eminem Album, which consisted of 15 songs and 5 skits. In fact, he self-produced all the songs from The Eminem Show except for three: My Dad's Gone Crazy featuring his then 6-year-old Hailie, Dr. Dre-assisted Say What You Say, and Business.
9 The Story Behind Sing For The Moment
One of the most iconic tracks of the album is Sing for the Moment, which samples Aerosmith's 1973 power ballad, Dream On, on its chorus. Eminem addresses the critics and haters who 'didn't understand why people were identifying with him.'
He wrote on his Genius page in 2015, "I may not be shit to you, but there's a kid in f*****g Nebraska, or somewhere, that I'm talking to. I don't care if you're listening, because he's listening. That's who I'm directing my material at."
8 Gym Motivation Tune Till I Collapse Was Never Released As A Single
You might be familiar with gym tune, Nate Dogg-assisted Till I Collapse. It's the 18th song of the album, but even though it was never released as a single, the song managed to chart numerous times worldwide. Many sportsmen, including baseball pitcher Jesse Litsch and boxer Shane Mosley and action-packed video games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, have used the song to lift up the atmosphere.
7 The Story Behind The Kiss Skit
If you're familiar with Eminem's love-hate story with his ex-wife Kim, you might find this story familiar. The Kiss is a re-enactment skit of what happened on June 4, 2000, in the early morning in Warren, Michigan. After a dialog with his friend Gary Kozlowski, Eminem pistol-whipped John Guerra, a 6'2" Hot Rocks Café bouncer, who had been seeing Eminem's wife, Kim, behind his back. Then, the skit smoothly intertwines with the next song, Soldier.
6 Eminem Vs. John Guerra
Then, the night at Hot Rocks Café in Warren escalated into something ugly. The club bouncer sued Eminem for 'assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress' a few days after the incident. Then, Eminem had to pay an amount of money and went through two years of probation.
"I'm glad the judge and the courts treated me fair and as a human being," Eminem told reporters, as reported by MTV. "I just want to get it behind me and get back to spending time with my little girl and making music."
