The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with the 45 King, the Bass Brothers, and Mel-Man. Recorded over a two-month period in several studios around Detroit, the album features more introspective lyricism, including Eminem's thoughts on his rise from rags to riches, the criticism of his music, and his estrangement from his family and wife. A transgressive work, it incorporates horrorcore and hardcore hip hop, while also featuring satirical songs. The album includes samples or appearances by Dido, RBX, Sticky Fingaz, Bizarre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, and D12.
"My Name Is" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his second album The Slim Shady LP (1999). It is also the opening song and lead single of the album. The song contains an interpolation from British singer Labi Siffre's 1975 track "I Got The..." featuring the bass and guitar riff as originally played by British pop rock duo Chas & Dave. The song was ranked at #26 on "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". "My Name Is" was also ranked #6 on Q Magazine's "1001 Best Songs Ever". "My Name Is" peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Eminem's first top 40 hit there. Outside the United States, "My Name Is" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, and United Kingdom.
"It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapper Ice Cube, released on February 23, 1993 by Lench Mob and Priority as the second single from his third solo album, The Predator (1992). The song was written by Ice Cube and produced by DJ Pooh, peaking at No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 27 on the UK Charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at No. 15, making it Ice Cube's highest-charting single on the chart to date. Its music video was directed by F. Gary Gray. The song's lyrics describe a generic pleasant day from his life; according to Ice Cube, he had no specific date in mind, though several attempts have been made to identify one.
"Check Yo Self" is the third and final single from American rapper Ice Cube's third solo album, The Predator (1992). It was released on July 13, 1993 by Priority Records, and features New York City rappers Das EFX. It topped both the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts while also reaching number 20 on the Hot 100 chart. The song retains two main versions, the original and a remix which utilizes the same beat as Grandmaster Flash's "The Message", titled "Check Yo Self ". The original mix includes a sample from the intro of the Beastie Boys' track "The New Style", which uses the phrase "check it" throughout the chorus.
"Changes" is a song by American rapper 2Pac. It was recorded in 1992 before being remixed and released as a single from Shakur's Greatest Hits compilation on October 13, 1998. The song features Talent, an R&B trio from Kansas City consisting of Marlon “Castor Troy” Hatcher, Keith “Casino” Murrell and Ernest “Bishop” Dixon that was active from 1998 to 2005. The song makes references to the many wars in the Middle East, the war on drugs, the treatment of black people by the police, racism, the reconciliation between the black and white people in America, the perpetuation of poverty and its accompanying vicious-cycle value system in urban African American culture, and the difficulties of life in the ghetto.
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America and is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. His global success is considered to have broken racial barriers to the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass and has been cited as influencing many musical artists. His best-known songs include "My Name Is", "The Real Slim Shady", "The Way I Am", "Stan", "Without Me", "Lose Yourself", "Mockingbird", "Not Afraid", and "Love the Way You Lie".
"Just Don't Give a Fuck" is the debut single by American rapper Eminem. The original version appears as the only single on his only EP, the Slim Shady EP. A re-recorded version appears on his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP. According to the book Angry Blonde, this was Eminem's first "real" song, and was when he first came up with the "Slim Shady" theme.
"The World Is Yours" is a 1994 song by American rapper Nas. It was the fourth single from his debut album Illmatic, released a month after the album. It is considered by music critics as one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever recorded; About.com ranked it seventh greatest rap song of all time. It reached number 13 on the Hot Rap Singles chart in 1994. It contains a sample of Ahmad Jamal's 1970 song, "I Love Music".
"It's Okay (One Blood)" is a song by American rapper and West Coast hip hop artist The Game featuring vocals from reggae singer Junior Reid, from his second studio album Doctor's Advocate. Released as the album's lead single on July 24, 2006, the song was written by The Game himself and Junior Reid, and it was produced by D-Roc, and Reefa. The Game himself revealed that the song would be released on July 31, 2006, but actually was released on July 24, 2006. The song was originally to be released on July 4, 2006 but got pushed back by The Game. Jimmy Rosemond, head of Czar Entertainment and The Game's manager, explained how "One Blood" would receive positive radio airplay and prove the talent that The Game had. A supposed original version of the song was released in late January 2011.
"Not Tonight" is a song performed by the American rapper Lil' Kim featuring Jermaine Dupri for her debut studio album Hard Core (1996). A remix was released the following year featuring female rappers Da Brat, Missy "Misdeameanor" Elliott, Angie Martinez, and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes for the Nothing to Lose soundtrack. It was released on June 24, 1997, by Atlantic Records.
"Around the Way Girl" is the third single by LL Cool J from his 1990 album Mama Said Knock You Out. The song later appeared on LL Cool J's 1996 greatest hits album, All World: Greatest Hits. "Around the Way Girl" peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming LL Cool J's first top 10 single. It was also a hit on the R&B and dance music charts, where it peaked at #5 and #7, respectively. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified "Around the Way Girl" Gold on January 15, 1991, for sales of over 500,000 copies.
Power is the second studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released on September 13, 1988, by Sire Records. Recorded at Syndicate Studios West in Los Angeles, the home studio of DJ Evil E, it was produced by Ice-T and Afrika Islam. The Los Angeles Daily News noted that its lyrical themes ranged from sex to gun violence, and that Ice-T "implicates everyone from radio programmers to the police as accomplices in the decline of western civilisation." The album contains lyrics that began a feud between Ice-T and rapper LL Cool J. The album cover, which features Ice-T's then-girlfriend Darlene Ortiz, Ice-T, and DJ Evil E, was described as "perpetuating stereotypes" by the Chicago Tribune and "violence-glorifying" by both the Chicago Sun-Times and The Sydney Morning Herald.
"How I'm Comin'" is a song by LL Cool J, released as the first single from his fifth album, 14 Shots to the Dome. It was released on February 15, 1993 for Def Jam Recordings and featured production from Marley Marl, QDIII and LL Cool J. The drum loop in the song is sampled from "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground.
"Feels Good" is a number-one R&B single by Tony! Toni! Toné! featuring a rap verse by Mopreme Shakur. The hit song spent two weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart. It was also their first top-ten hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. "Feels Good" also peaked at number three on the dance charts.
"Shoop" is the lead single released from American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa's fourth studio album, Very Necessary (1993). The song was produced by group members Sandra "Pepa" Denton and Cheryl "Salt" James with Mark Sparks. Released in September 1993 by Next Plateau, the song became one of the group's more successful singles, reaching numbers four and five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, and topping the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart at number one. Two months after its release, "Shoop" was certified gold by the RIAA; it went on to sell 1.2 million copies. Its accompanying music video was directed by Scott Kalvert. The success of both this single and the follow-up single "Whatta Man" propelled Very Necessary to sell over 5 million copies in the US, becoming the group's best-selling album.
"Turn It Up (Remix) / Fire It Up" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released as the fourth and last single from his second studio album, When Disaster Strikes... (1997), and as the second single from the Can't Hardly Wait soundtrack on May 15, 1998, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. The song was written and produced by Busta Rhymes, and contains co-production by Flipmode Squad member and Busta's hype man Spliff Star.
"Poor Georgie" is the second single from hip-hop artist MC Lyte's third album Act Like You Know (1991). The song was produced by Ivan 'Doc' Rodriguez, and released on December 12, 1991. The song seeks to convey an anti-addiction message, through the story of George and the dysfunctional relationship MC Lyte has with this individual with self-destructive behaviors. It features a sample of "Georgy Porgy" by rock band Toto.
"Anything Goes" is the first single released from Ras Kass' debut album, Soul on Ice. Produced and written by Ras Kass himself, "Anything Goes" peaked at 20 on the Hot Rap Singles and #1 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
"Pusher Love Girl" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his third studio album, The 20/20 Experience (2013). It was written and produced by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with additional writing from James Fauntleroy. The song is an ode to the "intoxicating effects" of love and sex. "Pusher Love Girl" is a slow-tempo R&B song that goes through several different styles during its eight-minute duration. It opens with an orchestral intro, before transcending into its "funky main section". The song concludes with an outro that sees Timberlake rap over futuristic hip hop beats, comparing several narcotics to the love of his significant other.
"It's All About U" is a song by SWV, released on November 12, 1996 as the third single from their second album, New Beginning (1996). The song was written and produced by Allen "Allstar" Gordon. The song found all three members taking lead, but Taj took predominant lead as opposed to Coko.
