Eminem's stellar songwriting is part of what makes him one of the greatest emcees of our time. Whether he's dissing Mariah Carey or doting on his daughter, Em always seems to find the right combination of words and music. His catalog is bursting with such moments of brilliance. Check out the Detroit MC's best songs of all time.
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Taking a page from Aerosmith's songbook, Eminem creates a sprawling eye-opener about the hazards of monkey-see-monkey-do. Over the backdrop of Joe Perry's piercing guitar strokes, Em quips: "They say music can alter moods and talk to you./Well can it load a gun up for you and cock it too?/Well if it can, and the next time you assault a dude,/ Just tell the judge it was my fault, and I'll get sued."
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Having enraged everyone, including his (now estranged) wife and his mom, you would least expect Eminem to have a soft spot in his heart. Turns out he does. "Rock Bottom" has Em kicking his angry blonde image to the curb for a moment of introspection and self-pity, obviously penned at a time when life was "full of empty promises and broken dreams."
8. "We as Americans" [Encore B-Side]
|Download| You only need to listen to "Stan" once before realizing that this ill-fated account of a psychotic Eminem
worshipper is simply unforgettable. "Stan" unmasks a vulnerable Eminem,
one that turns up the pathos several notches while barely raising his
voice. Dido's ethereal crooning adds more soot to the tale.
10. "Sing for the Moment" [The Eminem Show]
Taking a page from Aerosmith's songbook, Eminem creates a sprawling eye-opener about the hazards of monkey-see-monkey-do. Over the backdrop of Joe Perry's piercing guitar strokes, Em quips: "They say music can alter moods and talk to you./Well can it load a gun up for you and cock it too?/Well if it can, and the next time you assault a dude,/ Just tell the judge it was my fault, and I'll get sued."
9. "Rock Bottom" [The Slim Shady LP]
Having enraged everyone, including his (now estranged) wife and his mom, you would least expect Eminem to have a soft spot in his heart. Turns out he does. "Rock Bottom" has Em kicking his angry blonde image to the curb for a moment of introspection and self-pity, obviously penned at a time when life was "full of empty promises and broken dreams."
8. "We as Americans" [Encore B-Side]
| Download | Sure, Eminem initiated a shift towards political candidness on The Eminem Show,
but this pre-"Mosh" thump truly solidified his no-holds-barred
attitude. Over the backdrop of riveting piano loops, Em spites everyone
from the police department to the president.
7. "Till I Collapse" (feat. Nate Dogg) [The Eminem Show]
| Download | Highlighted
by a sprightly sound clash and stained with enough frustration that
reveals Marshall's unwillingness to abandon his hip-hop roots, the Nate
Dogg-assisted "Till I Collapse" is a special song indeed. Despite his
fury, Slim stops to salute his elders: "I got a list here's the order
that my list it's in;/It goes Reggie, Jay-Z, Tupac and Biggie Andre from OutKast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas and then me."
6. "Role Model" [The Slim Shady LP]
| Download | "I'm cancerous, so when I diss you wouldn't wanna answer this/If you responded back with a battle rap you wrote for Canibus//"
Some say this was the one that jumped off a battle between Eminem and Canibus. Whatever the case, "Role Model" stands as a testament to the impeccable chemistry between Eminem and his producer-mentor Dr. Dre.
Some say this was the one that jumped off a battle between Eminem and Canibus. Whatever the case, "Role Model" stands as a testament to the impeccable chemistry between Eminem and his producer-mentor Dr. Dre.
5. "Yellow Brick Road" [Encore]
| Download | The
"N" word is already at the heart of a burning controversy within the
African-American populace. So, imagine what the world's most famous
white rapper was up against when a couple of kids came forth with a tape
of him using the racial epithet. Rather than hop on a podium and yell
"I'm not racist!," Em opted for a viable approach: a song indexing his
upbringing in a pre-dominantly black Detroit neighborhood. "Yellow Brick
Road" chronicles what that tape forgot to tell you.
4. "Guilty Conscience" (featuring Dr.Dre) [The Slim Shady LP]
| Download | With
Dr. Dre posturing as the antithesis of Em's evil-minded conscience,
both doctor and patient conceive a cure for dry hip-hop collaborations.
Slim Shady instructs a young party-crasher to rape a 15-yr old girl,
while Dre battles him to prevent the disturbingly immoral act from
occurring. Hip-hop emerges victorious.
3. "The Way I Am" [Marshall Mathers LP]
| Download | No
targets. No punching bags. Just Eminem defending his sheer existence as
an unapologetic, foul-mouthed, lyrically-equipped artist who can't
stand boy bands.
2. Eminem - "Lose Yourself" [8 Mile OST]
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Eminem's songwriting prowess is part of what made him one of the premier MCs of the 2000s. "Lose Yourself" has the double gift of being both an inspirational speech and an instructional manual. Em instructs you to "lose yourself in the moment," while the beat motivates you to move your feet. Perfect for a mid-tempo workout session. Plus, the songwriting is pure genius.
Eminem's songwriting prowess is part of what made him one of the premier MCs of the 2000s. "Lose Yourself" has the double gift of being both an inspirational speech and an instructional manual. Em instructs you to "lose yourself in the moment," while the beat motivates you to move your feet. Perfect for a mid-tempo workout session. Plus, the songwriting is pure genius.
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