November 12, 2016 celebrates the 20th anniversary since the release of an album that would change the Hip Hop/Rap arena forever. Eminem’s debut album ‘Infinite’ drops in 1996 under Web Entertainment label and at this two-decade milestone they have remastered and remixed the album ‘Infinite.’
‘Infinite’ was Eminem’s one way ticket out of the underground rap-scene he was currently stuck in. He was that white rapper among a crowd of black people who dominated Hip Hop and Rap back then. For his luck Mark (Marky) Bass has listened to him on the radio and immediately identified the true potential of Marshall. He then witnessed that white rapper perform at the Hip Hop Shop (an underground rap battle arena) and decided to take him under their label ‘FBT Productions’. This is when Marshall meets his long time partner Jeff Bass.
So Eminem jumped on this opportunity and as per Marky and Jeff’s instructions produced ‘Infinite’-a radio-friendly and non-hostile album. In Eminem’s words, the album “flopped”. Marky explains;
“We had a tough time with that record. You know, I couldn’t get stores to take product, even I couldn’t give product away. It was a tough battle, but I wasn’t gonna give up…”
Watch Eminem, Mark and Jeff Bass Explain the Making of ‘Infinite’ Album
The not-so-glorious debut of the album pushed Eminem into a black hole that lead him for self doubt. Eminem explains his feelings;
“This is the best I can do. If this doesn’t work, it’s not gonna happen…”
But we all know it did happen for Eminem and he explains the reasons behind his comeback;
“I went through a series of events, style changes, sh*t happened in my life, just drastic, just different sh*t and the way I was rapping began to get more hostile and you know like fu*k the world type sh*t. So I started coming in with songs like that was talking about overdosing on drugs and fu*k life and this and that…”
Radio-friendly Eminem would have had his debut and last album at ‘Infinite’ had he not changed his style drastically and people began to listen to him when he did change.
“I don’t know, it seemed like as soon as I stopped giving a fu*k about what I was saying, people started giving a fu*k. It was like reverse effect…”
So the Eminem, Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers we know and love today was born.
Listen to the Remixed ‘Infinite’ Single
Leave a comment about ‘Infinite’ album and your favorite track out of it. And let us know what you think about the true story leading to release of the debut album of Marshall Mathers.