Most people are aware of the Marshall Mathers story where his demo tape mysteriously finds its way into the hands of superproducer Andre Young, who immediately signs the young man to a multi-album deal with his Interscope vanity imprint Aftermath Records, and markets him to the MTV audience as if he was a brand new entity on the scene. Which, of course, he was. But even though he was no novelty act (selling literally billions of albums, no matter how far downhill the quality levels dropped after the first few discs, pretty much cements your name in the history books), everybody has to start somewhere.
Infinite is Eminem's first actual album (The Slim Shady LP was just his mainstream debut), and it was created around a time in Marshall's life that was tumultuous. He was expecting his first child with his then-girlfriend Kim, and he had just had a falling out with the producer Manix, with whom Em had worked for years, recording freestyles and songs with the no-name crew Soul Intent. Personal issues plagued the team, and Em eventually just left the crew (harboring absolutely zero ill feelings whatsoever, Manix sold Eminem's demos, which included the infamous song where Marshall used the dreaded "n-word", to The Source, just before Em's nemesis Benzino was forced out. A class act, that Manix). With his need to focus on his craft, in an effort to turn his life around (most of the flick 8 Mile was no joke, y'all), Eminem (who was, at that point, called M&M, which is almost as silly a rap name as Eminem) paired up with another underground Detroit performer, Denaun Porter, who agreed to produce Em's debut disc Infinite. (Yes, it's the same Denaun Porter that's a part of D-12 today: this lends credence to the theory that Eminem hung around with the various members of the Dirty Dozen for years before being asked to become an official member). Of course, the odds are pretty even that there were other ghost-producers working on Infinite, but Mr. Porter (as he would later be known) was the only one that received any actual credit, and possibly payment (I heard that Eminem paid him with some two-for-one coupons at the Steak-N-Shake).
Considering the fact that you've never heard of it, it's not surprising that Infinite sold zero copies. Oddly, Eminem caught some flack for appropriating the styles of some of the more popular rappers of the day, such as Nasir Jones and AZ, who was never actually that popular. This is a far cry from the Eminem we know today, the man who used to create a new rhyme style for every single guest appearance he had, let alone every song, but in 2008 is very close to losing his White Rapper title to the likes of Asher Roth, unless, of course, his next album, tentatively titled King Mathers, is actually good.
But what are the odds of that? (Seriously, Marshall, prove me wrong.)
1. INFINITE
Because everybody and their mother is familiar with Eminem at this point, it's almost impossible to imagine a time when the motherfucker wasn't a multi-platinum artist. And that's too bad. Apparently Marshall has always been lyrically proficient, making Infinite an underground release with some pretty good wordplay, but really shitty production (like the majority of underground releases, actually).
2. W.E.G.O. (FEAT DJ HEAD & PROOF)
The overused "radio station skit" that is notable only because of the participation of Proof (R.I.P.).
3. IT'S OK (FEAT EYE-KYU)
These fake-ass East Coast beats are getting to sound pretty frustrating, especially since everybody involved with Infinite is from fucking Detroit.
4. TONITE
Marshall's internal rhyme scheme was present even on Infinite, although it still needed some polish to win over the hip hop heads. This is a radio-friendly Em that you've never heard before: rhyming over a faux-R&B track. Not completely horrible, but it is what it is.
5. 313 (FEAT EYE-KYU)
A boring-ass Detroit collaboration cut with Eye-Kyu. Well, at least Bizarre isn't here to fuck everything up with his boring-ass "jokes" masquerading as rhymes. And I stand by my previous statement: there is not a person in this world that thinks Em is "alright", but believes Bizarre to be the shit. Nobody. And if you claim to be in the comments, then you're a liar.
6. MAXINE (FEAT 3 & DENAUN PORTER)
Another dull posse cut, this one notable because Kon Artis, also known as Mr. Porter, also known as Denaun, also known as "one of the interchangeable rappers in D-12", appears alongside his future boss. Funny the way the world turns, huh?
7. OPEN MIC (FEAT THYME)
Features what could be the genesis of the Slim Shady alias, what with the Jason reference and the origins of his later rhyme "I used to give a fuck, now I give a fuck less" (which Shawn Carter would later steal for his own "Success", although I'm sure he had Marshall's blessing). The guy on the hook has a voice that could resurrect a dead dog, it's that screechy, but otherwise, I really liked this song. The beat is pretty good, too.
8. NEVER 2 FAR
It's interesting to hear the lyrical content of this song today (Marshall dreams of a better life for himself and his unborn child) when you know that he actually made it, and is, in reality, one rich motherfucker. Also, this might be the first time Em has tried to inspire his listeners, although he would pull that off much more effectively with his Academy Award-winning "Lose Yourself" from the 8 Mile soundtrack.
9. SEARCHIN'
I never want to hear Eminem rap on a song with an indistinguishable R&B chick on the hook ever again.
10. BACKSTABBER
This is actually a remake of a song that Eminem did in the past called "Fucking Backstabber", which was recorded either with a crew called Soul Intent or while Eminem was part of a crew called Soul Intent (depending on who you want to believe). After hearing this, I have to wonder how fucking boring the original version had to be in order to warrant this reimagining sounding merely dull.
11. JEALOUSY WOES II
This song isn't bad, but the chick's voice (I thought it was Marshall himself, disguising his own tone, until she said the "n-word", and I realized that there was no way Eminem would be stupid enough to spit that word on wax twice) is annoying as shit. The song also loses its focus as the track wears on, but that won't matter, as it will have also lost its audience by the time the disc ends.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Infinite is a discomforting listen, because it takes an artist that you're familiar enough with, and places him in an unintelligibly mainstream-esque course of action: there's no way Marshall himself could have thought that this shit would move units. Ultimately, the failure of this album, combined with the stresses of his daily life, led to a deep depression, which Em was only able to break out of by creating an angry alias that wasn't afraid to say some of the most vile, hateful things that would ever come out of the hip hop world. For now, though, there's Infinite.
BUY OR BURN? You can't buy this one anyway, since it's been officially out of print for at least a decade. Bootleg versions are bountiful, especially in Europe, but truthfully, I wouldn't even bother with a burn. This is strictly for Marshall fiends only: all else need not apply.
BEST TRACKS: "Open Mic"; "Never 2 Far"
-Max
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