Ranking the Best Songs on Eminem’s The Eminem Show

The 2022 story of Eminem is pretty weird.

If you dare to step foot on Hip-Hop Twitter, you’ll see a segment of fans praising Em as the greatest rapper of all time, a once-in-a-generation talent who lead the way for rap’s eventual mainstream popularity. Then there’s another segment of fans who dismiss him as a hyperactive culture vulture who was never embraced by REAL rap heads and represents the eventual commercializing of the genre.

The truth, as always, is in the middle.

One thing that cannot be denied, though, is the impact of Eminem’s fourth studio album, The Eminem Show, which achieved the coveted diamond status, thanks to 27 MILLION copies sold worldwide. Today marks 20 years since the album dropped, so I called on our boy Jakob Frazier for a chat. Soul In Stereo die-hards know Phrasure as the author of the Iron City’s Finest column here on the site, which showcases rising artists from Birmingham, Ala. But today we’re swinging through Detroit to rank and analyze Em’s most successful project to date.

Talk about your selection for best song.

Jakob: “Till I Collapse”

This song is a perfect example of why you listen to albums all the way through. Buried in the back half, which does suffer a bit, “Till I Collapse” is welcomed and refreshing burst of energy. It’s movie-trailer material that features one of my favorite Nate Dogg contributions. While it may be a near copy-and-paste of “Lose Yourself” (the slower instrumental intro, the spoken bit before the verse starts, the guitar led melody, the explosive chorus – not to mention it’s the same tempo), it’s Eminem doing what he does best – rapping about how much he loves to rap and how good he is at it.

Edd: “Sing for the Moment”

Speaking of “Lose Yourself,” time for my requisite Hot Take That Will Infuriate The Fanbase: I was never a big fan of that song. It always felt a little … heavy-handed. “Sing for the Moment,” does everything “Lose Yourself” attempts to accomplish, but with more fire and urgency. In just a couple of verses, Em spells out how hip-hop saved his life and why he has that unquenchable desire for success. It’s why I’ve always dismissed those who write him off as a clownish radio rapper. He’s HUNGRY and that drive is incredibly motivational.  

Who has the standout feature on the album?

Jakob: Dr. Dre on “Say What You Say”

I just spent an entire paragraph complimenting Nate Dogg, so suffice it to say that would be my pick, but in the interest of not repeating myself, I’ll go a different route. I could pick a cop-out like Joe Perry with his guitar solo at the end of “Sing for the Moment,” or Hailie Jade with her adorable (albeit moderately uncomfortable) additions to “My Dad’s Gone Crazy,” but I think I’ll pick Dre. He and Em just have a great chemistry on this joint, trading verses with ease.

Edd: Dr. Dre on “Say What You Say”

I think I’ll agree with Phrasure on this one. Nate Dogg seems like the easy answer but, really, Nate Dogg is just doing what Nate Dogg always does. I mean, you could have ME poorly reading Em’s verses and Nate’s hook would still make it a hit. But it’s the chemistry Em and Dre share on “Say What You Say” that made them rap’s dynamic duo in the early 00s.

Which song boasts the best production?

Jakob: “Business”

It’s driving. It’s urgent. It’s simple. The bass pumps, the drums are crisp, the horns are powerful, and the sirens are the cherry on top. What else can I say?

Edd: “Cleanin Out My Closet”

Another unpopular choice, I’m sure, but too bad, you’re the sucker who clicked on this post so now you gotta live with that!  It’s all your fault! “Cleanin Out My Closet” has always been a pretty divisive track – even by 2002 some fans were growing weary of Em’s mommy-bashing shtick.. But we’re here to discuss production, and I’m a sucker the simplicity of the beat. That subtle rumbling bass works very well and helps set a foreboding atmosphere. It’s not a banger, but it’s not supposed to be. Em is VERY hit-or-miss as a producer but this is one of his better beats.

Which song is the most underrated?

Jakob: “White America”

I’m sure it’s an odd choice, given that it’s literally the first full song on the album, but it’s an invigorated Eminem bringing up some interesting ideas on a hard-hitting beat and rapping really well. The off-key singing at the very end doesn’t do anything for me, but I can handle those few seconds considering what came before.

Edd: “Sing for the Moment”

Yeah, pretty much everything I said in the Best Song category goes here. I recognize that it’s weird to call a double-platinum single “underrated” but most of its props these days seem to be due to sales, not it substance. And there’s ton of substance there.

And on the other hand, what’s the most overrated song?

Jakob: “Superman”

I don’t need a sex song from Eminem. I simply don’t. I don’t care if it’s supposed to be tongue-in-cheek or funny or whatever. I don’t understand why this was a single. Also, if he was gonna have Dina Rae as a feature in the chorus, he should’ve gone all out and had her do the part in the verse where he imitates a woman. Maybe it wouldn’t have worked, but the song was a miss anyway.

Edd: “Without Me”

Hey now, I liked “Superman!” I know it’s cancel bait in 2022 but let me wallow in my toxic masculinity just once. Oh, but fellas, just don’t play that one in the presence of your wives – trust, I learned that lesson the hard way. Anyway, I never was a fan of the requisite Goofball Lead Single that Eminem unloaded on us with every album rollout, and “Without Me” is the most annoying of the bunch. They always charted well, of course, but they rarely reflected the sound of the album and are instant skip material.

Which song deserved to be a single?

Jakob: “Say Goodbye Hollywood”

This is tough because I think Em did a relatively good job of picking the singles for this one, and I don’t think any of the albums cuts would have made as much of an impact as singles, but I’ll go with “Say Goodbye Hollywood” solely because it has an easy-to-grasp chorus.

Edd: “Say Goodbye Hollywood”

Agree with Jakob, pretty much everything that should be a single is a single. My gut tells me to cheat and say “Business” – it was never an official single but they played it all the time on Louisville radio in 2003. “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” is probably the best choice, unless Em wanted to go all out on “My Dad’s Gone Crazy” … on second thought, yeah, let’s stick with “Say Goodbye to Hollywood.”

Is this Eminem’s best album?

Jakob: It’s… complicated. Marshall Mathers LP is obviously his most iconic, but it still relies so much on the poorly-aged shock value that I have a hard time calling it his best – then again, my personal favorite Em album is Recovery, so I may not be a spectacular barometer for this question. What I can say is that Em still was able to bring his signature humor while also presenting some maturation before he went off the deep end with Encore. The beats may not shine as much as they did on MMLP, but he made so many of them himself that it makes The Eminem Show feel so much more personal than any of his other albums – and that’s to date. Not to mention that his rapping is the most precise it’s ever been here, and we haven’t yet ventured into the overly-complicated, eyeroll-worthy dad jokes format nor the cramasmanywordsintoaverseasican format. This album, more than any of his other albums, is full of heart. So I think I’ll say yes. It’s his best album.

Edd: Calling Eminem Show the best Em album is like calling (the vastly underrated) Vol.2: Hard Knock Life Jay Z’s best album or (the hilariously overrated) Views Drake’s best album. All three are those artists’ most commercially successful albums, sure. But best? I wouldn’t go that far. I understand the argument though – The Eminem Show is the crowning achievement of Em’s 2000s peak, where he became THE critical and commercial darling of hip-hop. That said, it’s far from flawless, and lacks the cohesion and risks that defines Em’s true masterwork, The Marshall Mathers LP. Great album? No doubt. Most memorable album? Probably. Best? nah.

Who do you agree with, Jakob or Edd? Let us know below and share your favorite Eminem Show memories too.