Standout cuts are:

"Marshall Mathers" - In his sick-but-honest manner, Em addresses issues that affect him personally like phony family members, Tupac and Biggie's death, and boy bands.

"Stan" - This track displays his true writing talent. In jarring detail, Em displays the thoughts of a troubled fan desparate for his attention.

"Who Knew" - This is aimed directly at parents who blame all the troubles they have with their children on Em and others in the entertainment industry. Definitely worth the listen for those with teens.

"Kim" - Not for those raised in an abusive household. Brutal, in-depth view of a jealous husband/lover with a motive to be "rid" of his girl.

"Criminal" - Twisted and funny (especially the robbery scene). Eminem displays his many personalities with tight lyrics.

Helping to hold this album down are his boys D-12 (Dirty Dozen) from his hometown Detroit. They represent on the demented "Amityville" track and on "Under The Influence".

Compared to his debut album, this album is a lot darker. Please remember folks, this is just entertainment. Relax and enjoy.

-Kenetic Monk


Eminem avoids the sophomore slump   May 25, 2000
 62 out of 76 found this review helpful

Wow! Many lack luster artists run out material by their second album, but Eminem has not only come up with new original songs, he's matured as an artist as well. Much of the album deals with Eminem's reaction to sudden stardom and his reflection on The Slim Shady LP. Listeners will notice this right away with PSA 2000. Where PSA from the Slim Shady LP was a warning, PSA 2000 is Eminem's response to criticism. "Stan" and "Marshall Mathers" are both excellent tracks that express a new Eminem who has experienced the goods and the bads of what it means to be famous. Yet Eminem lets us know that he has not changed, other people's perception of him has changed. Eminem weaves all of his emotions into the trademark lyrical style that earned him a Grammy. The downside of Eminem's original style is that guest rappers on the album seem out of place at times. All in all, The Marshall Mathers LP is a brilliant follow-up to his wildly successful debut album. Fans will not be disappointed!


The most wicked album ever!   May 23, 2000
 48 out of 59 found this review helpful

Having picked up the album on the day of release in England, this is dope! It's a lot better than his first album: don't believe me, check out the album's masterpiece 'Stan' about his obsessive fan! It's, in places, as funny, if not funnier than the 'Slim Shady LP', and will even fulfill you Dre heads with guests including RBX, Dre, X to the Z, Snoop, Nate and Sticky Fingaz, and D-12's own Bizarre. Basically, pick this up, it's hotter than hell!


TOTAL TRASH! AVOID THIS AND KEEP YOUR BRAIN CELLS...   August 6, 2000
 34 out of 62 found this review helpful

I guess I'm very lucky that I didn't spend money on this. A coworker of mine mentioned he had this CD so I asked to borrow it. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I am NOT a rap fan, but my curiosity got the best of me and I had to find out for myself what all the hoopla was about. And am I *EVER* glad I didn't spend money on this.

What's interesting is that young Mr. Mathers seems to possess quite a gift for rhyme and delivery which he unfortunately squanders in subject matters that are reminescent of a third-grader who just learned his first dirty word. The music is catchy, his delivery and enunciation are clear, and some of his phrasing is funny and sometimes actually clever (such as in "Who Knew" where he chastises parents for not having kept a closer eye on their children who learned to spew expletives left and right, presumably from an album such as his). But all these positives are so quickly erased by his choice of subject matters and his insistence on using as many vulgarities as he can within the 3-minute time span alloted for each song.

The whole thing is offensive, [and] not primarily because of the choice of vulgar words and the subject matters ...

...

PARENTS, TAKE NOTE: You *NEED* to listen to this! This is not an album whose worst offense is a bit of innuendo. This is hard-core vulgarity at its worst. Should your 12 year-old really be listening to this? Pop this in yourself and just listen to track 1 "PSA 2000". Your ears will bleed. I'm all for freedom of speech, but this is definitely not an album for kids.


Funny lyrics and.....what else?   May 27, 2000
 28 out of 54 found this review helpful

I'm not denying Eminem has skills to a certain level, but really. Once you get passed the funny lines, what's left? He has very little substance as far as lyrics go. Pretty much a one-dimensional MC. On "The Marshall Mathers LP," you'll find many stabs at groups such as Backstreet Boys, N'Stynk, I mean N'Sync, ICP, etc, as well as Britney Spears and the rest of the pop girl bands & boy bands. He gets his point across, and sure it's funny....to a certain extent. To me, an album like this consisting of comedy is good for two or three listens. You'll be laughing listening to it the first few times, but by the fourth time through, you'll take it out and before you know it there's dust gathering on the cover.
His one real attempt to stray away from the funnyness is "Stan," a story about a crazed fan who is suicidal cuz he can't be with his idol, Eminem. This would be a very-well constructed story except for one thing--the first verse doesn't rhyme at all. Still, it may be the best track on the album simply because it's a breath of fresh air from all the crazy lyrics and misguided flows. Speaking of misguided flows, his attempts at switching up his flow on a few tracks are all-out wack. He sounds like nothing more than a whiteboy tryin to sound hard.
"Kim" is just loud noise--pointless. "B**ch Please 2" doesn't match up to the original. "Real Slim Shady," well, at one time that might've been a pretty good track, but after gettin drug through the mud by MTV, now it's just 'blah.' And "Amityville" has to be one of the lousiest tracks I've heard in a long time.
Hidden amongst the mediocre are a few more standout tracks, namely "Kill You" and "Marshall Mathers." But those fail to push this album above "average" status.
I am not an Eminem hater (why would I have bought this album if I was?). But, to truly be considered a great MC, you have to come with more SUBSTANCE than just funny lines. Take an artist like Mos Def for example. He produces, he writes meaningful, poignant lyrics, and he has the creativity to do a great song about plain old water. That's the sign of a truly great MC. Maybe on his next album, Eminem will try to push his limit and step his substance-level up significantly. But as far as "The Marshall Mathers LP" goes, he fails to capture and HOLD the attention of the listener.