The Eminem Show

The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 26, 2002, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records and Interscope Records. Eminem produced most of the album himself, with additional production by Dr. Dre, Jeff Bass, and Mr. Porter. While Eminem's previous two albums explored the frustration of life among America's underclass, The Eminem Show marked a drastic thematic shift. Guest appearances include Obie Trice, D12, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Dina Rae and Eminem's daughter, Hailie Jade.

The Eminem Show's themes are predominantly based on Eminem's prominence in hip-hop culture, as well as his ambivalent thoughts of fame. It also features political commentary on the United States, including references to 9/11, Osama bin Laden, the war on terror, President George W. Bush, Lynne Cheney and Tipper Gore. It notably also incorporates a heavier use of rap rock than Eminem's previous albums. Due to its less satirical and shock factor lyrical approach, The Eminem Show was regarded as Eminem's most personal album at the time and a step back from the Slim Shady alter ego. The album was widely considered the most anticipated album of 2002.

The Eminem Show debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and stood there for six non-consecutive weeks. It sold over 1.3 million copies in its second week in the US, where it registered a full week of sales. It also topped the UK Albums Chart for five consecutive weeks and topped the charts in 16 other countries. It produced four commercially successful singles, "Without Me", "Cleanin' Out My Closet", "Superman", and "Sing for the Moment", and it features one of his most popular songs, "'Till I Collapse". The album was a critical success, with praise directed at Eminem's mature, introspective lyricism and the album's experimental production. Several publications named it the best album of 2002 and among the best albums of the 2000s.

The Eminem Show was both the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States and the best-selling album worldwide of 2002. The album has since been certified 12× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and its worldwide sales of 27 million copies make it one of the best-selling albums of all time, the second-best-selling album of the 21st century, and the best-selling hip hop album of all time. At the 2003 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album, while "Without Me" won Best Music Video.

Speaking to Spin, Eminem said, "Eventually, I might need some drama in my life to inspire me [...] With The Marshall Mathers LP, everything that everybody was saying–I took that, and it was my ammo. And then when shit died down a little bit, I had other turmoil in my personal life, so that was what I was able to dump out on The Eminem Show. Now, I just gotta wait for the next phase of my life. But something always seems to happen, man; something's always gotta be fucking turbulent."

Eminem cited that the inspiration for the album was taken from the Peter Weir-directed 1998 science fiction comedy-drama film The Truman Show. Jim Carrey starred in the film as the lead character Truman Burbank, a man who unwittingly lives inside a TV show, where his life is broadcast to viewers around the world. Eminem spoke on the film's influence, saying, "My life felt like it was becoming a circus around that time, and I felt like I was always being watched [...] Basically, Jim Carrey wrote my album."

Speaking with Rolling Stone in 2002, Eminem said "'Sing for the Moment' was the first song I wrote for the album; 'Cleanin Out My Closet' was the second. I had the line in 'Cleanin Out My Closet' — 'I'd like to welcome y'all out to The Eminem Show'—and it was just a line, but I sat back and I was like, 'My life is really like a fucking show'. I have songs on the album that I wrote when I was in that shit last year, with a possible jail sentence hangin' over my head and all the emotions going through the divorce. I went through a lot of shit last year [lawsuits, divorce and the threat of jail time] that I resolved at the same time, all in the same year. And, yeah, that's when half of the album was wrote".

Eminem had started recording the album around the same time he was filming 8 Mile. Production was used for both the soundtrack of the film and his album. The album also saw Eminem take a substantially more predominant production role; most of it was self-produced, with his longtime collaborator Jeff Bass co-producing several tracks (mainly the songs which eventually became the released singles). Dr. Dre, in addition to being the album's executive producer, produced only three individual tracks: "Business", "Say What You Say", and "My Dad's Gone Crazy". Regarding his increase in producing, Eminem told Rolling Stone, "I actually know how to program a drum machine now. It used to be so simple—just writing lyrics and raps, laying vocals and leaving the studio was great. But now that I'm so into producing, it's a fucking job."