Today In Hip Hop History: Eminem Dropped His Second Album ‘The Slim Shady LP’ 27 Years Ago

On this day in 1999, Marshall Mathers introduced the world to The Slim Shady LP and in doing so, shifted the entire trajectory of Hip Hop heading into the new millennium.

Released on Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records, The Slim Shady LP was more than just a major label debut. It was a cultural detonation. Backed by Dr. Dre’s polished, cinematic production and fueled by Eminem’s unfiltered alter ego, the album blurred the lines between satire, horrorcore, battle rap and brutally honest autobiography.

For those who remember the moment, Slim Shady didn’t arrive quietly. He crash-landed.

The breakout single “My Name Is” instantly separated Eminem from every other rapper on the radio. It was playful, offensive, clever and technically sharp all at once. But beneath the cartoonish shock value was a writer who could really rap. Songs like “Role Model,” “Guilty Conscience” featuring Dr. Dre, and “Brain Damage” showcased a storyteller with razor precision timing and a twisted sense of humor that masked real trauma.

Then there was “’97 Bonnie & Clyde,” one of the most controversial records of its era. Whether you saw it as art, therapy or provocation, it forced the culture to confront uncomfortable boundaries in music.

Commercially, the album was a juggernaut. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell over five million copies in the United States alone. It earned Eminem his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and marked the official arrival of Dr. Dre’s Aftermath as a dominant force in shaping late 90s and early 2000s Hip Hop.

But beyond sales and accolades, The Slim Shady LP cracked open the door for something bigger.

At a time when regional sounds were clearly defined and authenticity was tightly guarded, Eminem’s emergence challenged assumptions about race, geography and what mainstream rap could look like. He wasn’t the first white rapper — far from it — but he was the first to weaponize elite lyricism, controversy and pop visibility at that level simultaneously.

The album also set the foundation for the run that followed: The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, and a reign that would define early 2000s Hip Hop globally.

Twenty seven years later, The Slim Shady LP still feels like a warning shot. It reminds us of an era when lyrical ability mattered, when albums had skits that built worlds, and when shock value had structure behind it.

Love it or hate it, this was a project that forced the culture to react.

Salute to Eminem and Dr. Dre for delivering one of the most disruptive debuts in Hip Hop history.