Eminem-born Marshall Mathers-is currently second only to Tupac in hip-hop album sales. I believe him to be by far the greatest hip-hop artist of all time. The following is a list of what I think to be the best Eminem songs
10. Like Toy Soldiers – Encore
Encore is one of my least-favorite Eminem albums to date. After the great success of The Eminem Show in 2002, this 2004 release was disappointing. Eminem seems to move away from his lyrical talent and toward the same beat-focused music that every other hip-hop artist is using today. Because it was Eminem’s lyrics that truly made him a great rapper, this was disappointing. That said, Like Toy Soldiers is still a great song from this album, and deserves placement on this list.
9. The Way I Am – The Marshall Mathers LP
Although it never became very popular as a single, The Way I Am is a very powerful song from The Marshall Mathers LP. It speaks to the pressures that Eminem felt after being thrust into superstardom, and it epitomizes the anger so often attributed to him.
8. Cleanin’ Out My Closet – The Eminem Show
One of the most successful songs from The Eminem Show, this song is both lyrically and rhythmically strong, and it is very deserving of a place on this list.
7. Guilty Conscience – The Slim Shady LP
A song featuring Dr. Dre, this is Eminem’s song that most closely resembles the popular gangster rap of the 1990s. Although it is quite uncharacteristic of Eminem, it is still an excellent song worthy of its place on this list.
6. My Name Is – The Slim Shady LP
This is the song that first brought Eminem into the public eye. While it didn’t originally receive mainstream success, it was very well received within the rap community, and strong mainstream reception eventually followed. As the song that first brought Eminem out of obscurity, this song certainly deserves to be on this list.
5. Without Me – The Eminem Show
The most successful song from the Eminem show, this song is very catchy. While it does not deal with many important topics, the skill with which Eminem weaves the lyrics and beat together make this song worthy of this placement.
4. The Real Slim Shady – The Marshall Mathers LP
This is the song that brought Eminem mainstream success and superstardom. By far this is the most successful song from The Marshall Mathers LP, and its impact makes its position on this list well deserved.
3. Stan – The Marshall Mathers LP
Although this song never received strong success in the United States, it rose to the top of the charts throughout the world. This is a very powerful and sobering song that deals with the dangers of obsession. The background music and sounds make this song powerfully ominous and contribute to its greatness.
2. Lose Yourself – 8 Mile Soundtrack
This is the song that helped to convince everybody that Eminem was not all bad, and that listening to him was not offensive. This is Eminem’s only song to reach number 1 on the United States pop charts. It deals with the difficulty of rising up through the world of hip-hop, and it evokes strong emotions. The brilliant lyrics of this song are second only to those of the following song, number one on this list.
1. ‘Till I Collapse – The Eminem Show
This song epitomizes everything that separates Eminem from every other rapper today. Eminem doesn’t simply make use of strong beats and end-of-line rhyming. Eminem creates works of poetry, filled with the assonance and alliteration that simply make his songs sound amazing. While never released as a single, ‘Till I Collapse is an incredible well-written and powerful song. I believe it to be not only the best song from The Eminem Show, but also Eminem’s best song of all time.
This list is by no means exhaustive or comprehensive, so feel free to comment with your own ideas regarding Eminem’s best songs
