Trivia

• “The Real Slim Shady” was released as the album’s lead single, becoming Eminem’s biggest hit to that point. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became his first song to reach No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It also won Best Rap Solo Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards.
• The song was the final track recorded for the album, written after the label felt the project lacked a definitive lead single. The search for a hit also resulted in the creation of “The Way I Am,” which ultimately served as the album’s second main single.
• At the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, Eminem delivered a legendary performance of this song, leading a legion of clones from the street outside Radio City Music Hall directly onto the main stage. The recording was later included on the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Marshall Mathers LP.
• Eminem eventually sidelined the song in concert, mirroring the fate of his breakout single “My Name Is.” In more recent years, however, he has reintroduced the song as part of a medley, often including “Without Me.”

Words from Eminem

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Eminem had the hook for “The Real Slim Shady” written before the beat existed, but finding the right instrumental proved difficult. After several unsuccessful attempts in the studio, keyboardist Tommy Coster played a melody that immediately caught Eminem’s attention. “What was that?” he recalled asking before bringing Dr. Dre back into the room to hear it. The beat was completed shortly afterward.

The following day, Interscope asked whether Eminem had come up with a suitable lead single for The Marshall Mathers LP. He played them “The Way I Am,” but the label felt it wasn’t the right choice for the album’s first single. Although “Criminal” had also been discussed, Eminem convinced them to let him take the unfinished “The Real Slim Shady” instrumental home over the weekend, promising to have the lyrics written by Monday.

During that weekend, fresh inspiration arrived. Will Smith had publicly criticized gangsta rap, while Christina Aguilera discussed Eminem’s marriage on MTV before he was ready for the information to become public. Eminem incorporated both subjects into the song, recording it on Monday and completing it in a single session. “Things happen for a reason,” he later reflected.