Review Summary: The complete antithesis to Eminem's alter ego 'Slim Shady'.
Picking up Detroit rapper Eminem's true debut "Infinite", I honestly didn't know what to expect. I've always known Marshall Mathers II as the rapper who's subject matter in his raps were always depicted in a rather grisly and violent fashion: whether it be degrading his first and only wife Kim immensely in tracks like the self-titled "Kim" in the Marshall Mathers LP in 2001, or ripping his mom and biological father who left him when he was born. While Eminem has toned down a little bit with his horror-like lyricism, apologizing to his mom publicly on the track "Headlights" in 2013: I've always seen Eminem as a rapper who's been constantly troubled by his past, letting out his feelings in ways I've never seen done by any other rapper with strong lyricism. I had absolutely no clue "Infinite" existed, and when I downloaded the whole album: I was absolutely surprised. This is nothing that I have ever seen from Eminem, the complete antithesis to his violent alter ego 'Slim Shady'.
"Infinite" didn't do so well for Eminem unfortunately, a long-lost rap album that came three years before his mainstream debut "The Slim Shady LP". There was only 1,000 vinyl and cassette copies of this, with multiple physical CDs being bootlegged and sold via online sites like eBay. No online music sources like iTunes sell this, a complete rarity considering how big Eminem has become throughout his storied music career. It showcases a side of Eminem that most of us have never really seen: a young rapper who was aspiring to be like the idols he jammed to in his life, one who just wanted to help his young family and fulfill his desire to be rich and famous. It also displays the polar opposite of his alter ego, showing nothing of the typically violent and degrading lyricism we've seen very prominently throughout his career. Its prevalent immediately as you turn up the title track, an introduction of himself and to what he is capable of lyrically. The instrumental is considerably somber and dark, with a soft piano playing elegantly in the background before it goes into full gear. Its very 8 Mile-esque, it certainly feels like a track that could've been on the soundtrack. After Eminem's hook, it has a scratching effect that feels very reminiscent of what Pete Rock does in his tracks, but it certainly gives the track a tougher vibe. While the instrumental is pretty good: undoubtedly the best on the album and capturing the dire atmosphere it was targeting, Eminem's rapping is the main attraction here. The title track contains some of the most witty, raw lyricism I've ever heard from him, containing a killer hook and exposing how Eminem wanted to create a record that while gritty at times: also wanted to have this sort of innocence too. Who would've thought we'd ever see a record from Eminem that's trying to capture something so positive such as that? This title track definitely deserves to be with the best of Eminem's singles, it's not only the best on the album obviously but its absolutely one of his highlights from his entire prestigious music career. It doesn't even contain much explicit content either, another rarity that 'Infinite' displays with very minimal cussing that you won't see on any other Eminem record period.
'Infinite' doesn't stop there, it continues to shock and surprise those who've listened to Eminem's later material with lyrical subject matter that is nothing degrading nor horror-like. "Searchin'" featuring former D12 member Mr. Porter may be the most surprising of them all: essentially a love song to his then-wife Kim. It is nothing short of extraordinary, as in later material we've come to known Eminem's ex as the one he hates with a burning passion and always hoping for the worst for her. You just wouldn't expect anything like this from Eminem, rapping lines like "The way your lips are sparklin'/the glare in the sun/you got your hair in a bun" which is nothing but mind-boggling. It makes you wonder: what caused Marshall to be so negative towards his ex? What caused him to be so outright angry and cynical in future material? Mr. Porter's guest appearance as a rapper: he was the main producer for the entire album, is pretty good as he throws it down pretty well. There's no doubt the instrumental sounds pretty cheesy: it's pretty prominent throughout the album with production that wasn't as strong as in later projects, which is really the only thing holding 'Infinite' back but it is likely due to the limited resources Eminem had at the time and it was all he could work with. The fact that Eminem was able to work with it and still provide really decent music only solidifies how strong he is as a rapper, as his lyricism throughout the record holds it up quite tightly. Other tracks like the empowering "Never 2 Far" see Eminem touching on his struggles at the time, however he believed unlike in future material and hoped that things would get better for him and his family. It is one of the more inspiring tracks on the record.
After listening to all of 'Infinite', it makes you wonder: how did this debut not do well? It isn't an album that is historic like an 'Illmatic', there's no doubt about that: but it was a pretty good record that should've rocked with the rest of the top-dog rappers that were out there at the time. The production aside from the title track isn't that impressive, with the potential hip-hop party anthem "Tonite'" being a prime example of its inefficiencies. With that aside, Eminem's lyricism strongly help the cause of his record with subject matter that is the polar opposite of essentially all his later records: so positive yet containing some of his best in his career nonetheless. The guest appearances are decent too, such as Eye-Kyu on the battle track "313" and Three on "Maxine" but Eminem outshines them easily with his witty, creative lyricism. 'Infinite' only makes you have more questions about the Detroit rapper: what would've happened had the debut become successful? Would the Eminem we all know and appreciate even exist had this debut not succeeded? It leaves you with numerous questions that will never be answered. It certainly gives you a different side of Eminem that we never thought existed, and its certainly both fascinating and refreshing. The failure of 'Infinite' was undoubtedly a game-changer for Eminem: it almost took his life with an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and forced him to change his musical style a full 360 and create and eventually become the cynical, sadistic alter ego we know as 'Slim Shady'. The heavy ignorance of Detroit radio stations, music critics, and the general public of 'Infinite' forced Marshall to become: while he has embraced it and likes his persona, someone that he really was not and I'm pretty sure he was hesitant of it.
