Slim Shady EP

Untitled

The Slim Shady EP is a 1997 EP release by rapper Eminem on the Detroit-based record label Web Entertainment. The Slim Shady EP was released on cassette and CD. Eminem sold roughly 250 copies of this EP independently, according to an interview he did on Zane Lowe.

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, 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 family difficulties. His flow is also noticeably different than on Infinite; whereas critics claimed he sounded too much like Nas and AZ on that album. Eminem also began utilizing story telling on this EP. The production value of the music on the tracks — from previous collaborators DJ Head, The Bass Brothers, and Mr. Porter — was also noticeably higher than on prior album efforts.

Unlike Infinite, The Slim Shady EP gained Eminem significant underground attention and eventually garnered the interest of 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.

Album Cover

The album cover depicts the opening intro 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. Eminem is also ordered by "Slim Shady" to look into the mirror, and the sound of glass breaking is heard, alluding once again to the cover.

In the music video for "When I'm Gone", Eminem breaks a mirror in order to kill Slim Shady. Interestingly, he states "die Shady" in the lyrics before the mirror breaks. However, it appears as though Slim Shady has repossessed Eminem during the events of "Dr. West (skit)" on his Relapse album, as the doctor transforms into Slim Shady and takes over Marshall during one of his dreams, and then is awakened by his clock.

A bonus track in Relapse, entitled, "My Darling" features Slim Shady returning for Marshall. This time trying to persuade him to dye his hair back from the current black to the bleached blond he was known for. Again, he breaks a mirror in the song yelling, "fuck this mirror", but the Slim character responds, "I'm not in the mirror, I'm inside you". Marshall attempts to shoot himself to kill Slim Shady, but this fails, with Marshall and the Slim soul surviving.

Promotional releases

Web Entertainment released a promotional version of The Slim Shady EP in the Fall of 1997. It was a four-track cassette. The four songs on the cassette were, "Just Don't Give A Fuck", "Murder, Murder", "Just The Two Of Us", "Low Down, Dirty". These cassettes were handed out for free by Eminem at local Detroit Hip Hop shows, as well as at the infamous Rap Olympics in 1997.

Unsigned Hype

Eminem was featured in the March 1998 edition of The Source magazine's, "Unsigned Hype" column. The author of the column highlighted two tracks from Eminem's The Slim Shady EP; "Just The Two Of Us," and "Murder, Murder." The column was written about a month or two prior to Eminem's record deal with Aftermath Entertainment but wasn't published until March 1998. Being featured as an "unsigned hype" in The Source gave Eminem's career a great boost. Later in Eminem's career, he beefed with Benzino, the co-owner of the magazine.

Track listing

#	Title	Producer(s)	Samples	Time
1	"Intro" (Slim Shady)	Eminem		1:05
2	"Low Down, Dirty"	Mr. Porter, Kuniva	"Soopaman Luva 3" by Redman "One More Chance" (Remix) by Notorious B.I.G.	4:44
3	"If I Had..."	DJ Rec		4:07
4	"Just Don't Give A Fuck"	F.B.T.		4:01
5	"Mommy" (Skit)	F.B.T.		0:36
6	"Just the Two of Us"	DJ Head	"Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.	4:20
7	"No One's Iller" (feat. Swift, Bizarre, Fuzz Scoota)	DJ Head	"Wildflower" by Hank Crawford	4:59
8	"Murder, Murder"	DJ Rec	"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon "Outlaw" by 2Pac "No One's Iller" by Eminem "SlaughtaHouse" by Masta Ace	4:41
9	"If I Had..." (Radio Edit)	DJ Rec		4:03
10	"Just Don't Give A Fuck" (Radio Edit)	Mr. Porter		4:04