25 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time

Few rappers have had quite the career beginnings of Detroit native Eminem. After the inventive and controversial Slim Shady LP in 1999, Eminem decided to double down on his shock-rap persona with its follow-up, The Marshall Mathers LP, one of the best-selling albums of all time.

The MMLP has everything that made his debut record so popular, but it also has an added edge. Though the controversy is more alive than ever on tracks such as "Who Knew" and "Criminal", songs like "The Way I Am" and "Stan" showed Eminem was not just there to shock and split opinion - he was there to tell stories, vent his frustrations and show off just how effortless a lyricist he could be.

Throughout the album, Eminem is aware of how people see him, and that only adds fuel to the fire, bringing out one of the best rap personas in hip-hop history with startling results.