I had always planned to go into more detail about the different personas at some point on this blog, but for now we'll keep the focus on one album in particular.
I was browsing the Eminem sub-Reddit one day and I came across a post asking why the MMLP 2 album is so highly praised. The timing of my coming across this post couldn't be any more perfect as I had recently been on a MMLP 2 binge for probably a month and a half upon seeing the post, so I felt like I could offer some insight about what had led to and perpetuated my most recent binge of the album in question.
One of the reasons that the MMLP 2 album was so well-received by Eminem fans is because it has a good mix of all the personas and they all play off each other well throughout the entirety of the album.
Here's my break down of which tracks can be attributed to each of the three personas: Eminem, Slim Shady, and Marshall Mathers.
First thing of note is that Eminem, Marshall, and Slim Shady each have their own verses on Rhyme and Reason and sing the chorus together. All three also appear on Asshole and Wicked Ways, though arguably more mixed together than they are in Rhyme or Reason.
I could also argue that all three appear in Love Game; Slim Shady only appears subtly at the beginning and becomes more apparent towards the end of the song.
Here’s how I see a break down of the MMLP 2 tracks by persona:
Eminem Songs:
- Bad Guy****
- Survival
- Berzerk
- Rap God
- The Monster**
- Baby*
- Beautiful Pain*
- Stronger Than I Was
- Rhyme or Reason
- Wicked Ways*
- Love Game
- Asshole
Marshall Mathers Songs:
- Bad Guy****
- So Much Better
- Legacy
- Stronger Than I Was
- The Monster**
- Headlights
- So Far
- Evil Twin
- Desperation*
- Groundhog Day*
- Rhyme or Reason
- Wicked Ways*
- Love Game
- Asshole
- Don't Front*
Slim Shady Songs:
- Bad Guy****
- So Much Better
- Berzerk
- Brainless
- So Far
- Evil Twin
- Baby*
- Desperation*
- Groundhog Day*
- Rhyme or Reason
- Wicked Ways*
- Love Game
- Asshole
- The Monster***
- Don’t Front*
* Track From Extended Edition
**Refer to The Monster music video
*** present but locked in a cage surrounded by armed guards; appears vocally briefly in the first verse (in a straight-jacket as a memory) and then in his distorted voice form (likely the result of him being currently detained in the cage).
**** The Eminem persona appears in "Bad Guy" as the screaming in the background. Marshall is the story-teller. Slim Shady is arguably behind the presence that emerges after the car wreck.
In my honest opinion, MMLP 2 may be one of the best albums for differentiating between the personas, especially because they each have distinct verses on "Rhyme or Reason" and you can clearly hear how his the different pitched voices have been overlaid on top of one another to give the illusion that all the personas are singing the chorus together.
Combine that with the music video for "The Monster" and differences between the personas become strikingly apparent.
Looking forward to breaking down the personas more in a future post as well as looking more at how I came about my persona track breakdown for MMLP 2.
But this is all for now.
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