Eminem - The Slim Shady LP Lyrics

- Release date: February 1999 -

The Slim Shady LP is the second studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on February 23, 1999. It is his major-label debut and was released under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.

Upon its release, there were several complaints about The Slim Shady LP's lyrical content. The song "Guilty Conscience" (the album's second single) ends with Eminem and Dr. Dre apparently succeeding in encouraging a man to murder his wife and a man having sex with her. In 1997 Eminem recorded "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", in which Eminem raps about a journey by car toward the beach with his daughter, the purpose of this journey being to dispose of his dead wife's corpse. Eminem defended himself, saying the record and lyrics were for entertainment purposes and were not to be taken seriously.

Most songs feature substantial amounts of swearing, homophobic slurs, numerous references to sex and drugs, and over-the-top descriptions of violence like in the songs "My Name Is", "As The World Turns", "Guilty Conscience", and "Brain Damage". Fans of the album have generally defended it by saying that the lyrics are not to be taken seriously and the media is equally to blame for the images they portray on television. Eminem himself has referenced Slim Shady as an exaggerated persona. Mentioned in the "Public Service Announcement" at the beginning of the album, the Slim Shady persona does not accurately represent Eminem's real life and many lyrics are meant as a joke or sometimes out of anger in contrast to his more serious, best-selling second effort The Marshall Mathers LP.

The album was met with critical and commercial success. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart behind TLC's FanMail with 283,000 copies sold in its opening week. The album went on to be certified quadruple-platinum by the RIAA. To date, it has moved four million units in the United States. "Just Don't Give a Fuck" was the first and only underground single from the album. The first official single was "My Name Is". The album won the Grammy for Best Rap Album.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 273 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.