It was 2000, and I burned “The Marshall Mathers LP” from a friend. It was the day after the CD dropped, and everyone in school wanted it. This was high school, and heck, Eminem was the man. And for a growing and emotional little white boy, Eminem was the cure.
First couple songs were good, a little much, but good. Then came “Stan.” The Dido sample was a break from the turgid beats Eminem was known to drop. Yeah, the beats came in, but “Stan” was very different. Combine the way the verses grow more intense and sad, and the way Em plays the role of Stan, then comes back to play himself, with the construction of the lyrics … well, I listened to it repeatedly, obsessively. I knew pretty early on that “Stan” was Eminem’s masterpiece. It was, maybe, the best rap song I’d ever heard.
To boot, “Stan” is the definitive crazy-fan song. Nowhere else to go from there. And after all the dirt clears on Eminem’s career, we’ll always point back to “Stan.” That’s the greatness.
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