The Slim Shady EP

The Slim Shady EP is a demo album released by the rapper Eminem in 1997 on Web Entertainment. It was released on cassette and about 150 CDs were pressed as well. The demo is very highly sought after and an original cassette will reach over US$500 on eBay - however, it was pirated extensively since Eminem became famous, and legitimate copies are extremely rare and difficult to authenticate. Modified versions of the tracks "Just Don't Give A Fuck", "Mommy"/"Just the Two of Us" (as "97 Bonnie & Clyde"), and "If I Had" appeared on 1999's The Slim Shady LP.

Eminem first introduced his "Slim Shady" persona on this EP, and his lyrics are a marked departure from those found on Infinite, featuring constant references to drug use, perverted sexual acts, mental instability, and over-the-top violence. Another departure was his exploration of more serious themes of dealing with poverty, his direct and self-deprecating response to criticism, and of marital and familial difficulties. His flow is also noticeably different than on Infinite (where critics claimed he sounded too much like Nas and AZ), utilizing more a more complex rhyme structure and clever story telling. The production value of the music on the tracks &mdash; from previous collaborators DJ Head, The Bass Brothers, and Mr. Porter &mdash; was also noticeably higher than on his prior efforts.

Unlike Infinite, The Slim Shady EP gained Eminem significant underground attention and eventually garnered the interest of Interscope founder Jimmy Iovine and famous West Coast hip-hop producer Dr. Dre, who subsequently signed Eminem to his fledgling Aftermath label and executive-produced his breakthrough major-label debut The Slim Shady LP.

The album cover depicts the opening skit as well as the first track, in which Slim Shady (a character which Eminem apparently "killed" in the past) awakens Eminem and orders him to look in the mirror to see that he is "nothing without him". Eminem resists and screams in the background while Slim Shady yells back and laughs at Eminem's horror. By the second track, Eminem and Slim Shady become the same person.

Upon the release of the album, white underground New York rapper Cage accused Eminem of copying his style, claiming the "Slim Shady" persona had adapted the over-the-top violence and perversion that Cage had become known for in the underground hip-hop circuit with the recent release of his single "Agent Orange." Certain hip-hop fans have also interpreted similarities between Cage and Eminem's nasal tone as well as Eminem's new flow on this album and Cage's flow. The two exchanged minor disses early in Eminem's career.

It should be noted that there were multiple underground "shock rappers" (known sometimes as "acid rap") in Detroit (Eminem's hometown) at the time such as Esham, so depicting violence, drug use, or sex in underground rap was not something unique to Cage.

Track listing

 * 1) "Intro (Slim Shady)" (Produced by Eminem)
 * 2) "Low, Down, Dirty"
 * 3) *Scratches: DJ Head
 * 4) "If I Had (Produced by DJ Rec)
 * 5) *Background Vocals: Kristie Abete
 * 6) *Drum Programming: DJ Head in
 * 7) "Just Don't Give a Fuck" (Produced by Denaun Porter)
 * 8) *Background Vocals: Frogg
 * 9) *Cuts by Kid Rock
 * 10) "Mommy"
 * 11) "Just the Two of Us" (Produced by DJ Head)
 * 12) *Scratches: DJ Len Swann
 * 13) *Samples "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.
 * 14) "No One's Iller" (featuring Swift, Bizarre Kid & Fuzz) (Produced by DJ Head)
 * 15) "Murder Murder" (Produced by DJ Rec)
 * 16) *Scratches: DJ Len Swann
 * 17) *Samples "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon
 * 18) "If I Had" (Radio Edit)"
 * 19) *Background Vocals: Kristie Abete
 * 20) *Drum Programming: DJ Head
 * 21) "Just Don't Give a Fuck (Radio Edit)"
 * 22) *Background Vocals: Frogg