But it was, and often still manages to be, totally mesmerizing. The album is relentlessly violent and filled with Eminem doing colorful character work. When the hooks are consistent, they’re often unmelodic and lyrically unacceptable to sing in public. The album’s smash single, “My Name Is,” derives its title from a name tag. It would have been easy to write him off as a gimmick. This sometime-merry menace has been imitated countless times since, but no one can do it as well because Em made it look so good. What was thrilling to some – and grisly to others – was the authenticity with which Eminem managed to portray himself (or himselves, depending) as this morally derelict prankster – some Loony Tunes version of Hannibal Lecter who would chug a 40 with you and then bludgeon you to death with the bottle.
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