Far before his successes, in November of 1996, Eminem released his debut studio album ‘Infinite’. The album was produced by Em himself and long-time collaborator, Denaun Porter. Other guest MC’s include future D12 members Mr. Porter and Proof, as well as Detroit rappers Thyme, Eye-Kyu and Three. Upon its first release, Eminem sold the copies of ‘Infinite’ himself from the back of his car on Detroit’s streets, which were released on cassette and vinyl. It is unknown how well the album initially sold, with Eminem saying ‘maybe 70 copies’, but with others saying anywhere between 100 and 1000. He had recorded the album with the Bass Brothers after signing to FBT Productions in 1992, inspired by 90’s hip-hop staples including Nas’ ‘Illmatic’ and his collaborator AZ, to which he was heavily compared to upon ‘Infinite’s release.

The album has a much more relaxed feel compared to the rest of Eminem’s discography post-1999, where he became known for his crude, controversial and offensive lyricism. On ‘Infinite’ however, Em stated he was figuring out how to present himself on the mic, and this starting point defined his later works, as ‘Infinite’ still boasts the very intricate and clever wordplay that Em would later become famed for. The LP features very chilled, jazz-rap style beats, which could be compared to that of early Tribe Called Quest or Digable Planets, with much calmer lyrics than his usual noted style. Em had attempted to make ‘Infinite’ relatively clean, in hopes of Detroit radio stations giving him air-time.

Whilst ‘Infinite’ came before his Slim Shady days, traces of what was to come can be found on tracks like ‘Backstabber’, a silly story of a mass murder whom Eminem sets out to confront. ‘Infinite’ also helped sculpt his success as it’s disappointing sales led to Em developing into his Slim Shady alter ego, which saw international success in 1999 with the help of Dr. Dre on breakout single, ‘My Name Is’. ‘Infinite’ is currently unavailable on streaming services, except a remix of its title track, which was released in 2016 for the album’s 20th anniversary. For me, ‘Infinite’ is a gem of an album I have just rediscovered which holds a lot of nostalgia, and is a must-listen for any Eminem or hip-hop fans. My top three picks from ‘Infinite’ are below:

-’It’s Ok’ Feat. Eye-Kyu (3:30) -’Infinite’ (4:01) -’Backstabber’ Feat. Denaun Porter (3:23)