Eminem’s landmark third album dropped on May 23, 2000, and a quarter-century later, it is still shaking the culture.
“The Marshall Mathers LP” marked a turning point for Eminem — both as an artist and as a cultural figure. It followed the breakthrough success of “The Slim Shady LP”, but this time, Em took it further: rawer, darker, and more unfiltered than ever before.
Recorded across several Detroit studios over ten months, the project featured production from Dr. Dre, Mel-Man, F.B.T., The 45 King, and Eminem himself. It blended elements of hardcore rap, horrorcore, and biting satire with deeply personal reflections — tackling Em’s rapid rise, media backlash, and family tensions.
The album exploded out of the gate, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and holding that spot for eight straight weeks. With 1.78 million copies sold in its first week, it became one of the fastest-selling albums in U.S. history.
Critically acclaimed and commercially unstoppable, “The Marshall Mathers LP” has sold over 25 million copies worldwide and is certified Diamond and 12× Platinum by the RIAA. It won Best Rap Album at the 2001 Grammys, while “The Real Slim Shady” took home Best Rap Solo Performance.
Now, 25 years later, “The Marshall Mathers LP” is still widely regarded as Eminem’s greatest work — and one of the most influential rap albums of all time.
Eminem dropped a merch capsule to celebrate the MMLP anniversary, and we dropped a new TME Podcast episode entirely focused on the album.
