It's hard to know what to make of Eminem, even if you realize that half of what he says is sincere and half is a put-on. The trick isn't just figuring out which is what -- it's realizing that there's truth in the joke, and vice versa. That's why many listeners and critics were taken aback by his dark, carnival-esque debut The Slim Shady LP, even dismissing his considerable skills as a rapper and social satirist because the vulgarities and gross-out humor were too detailed, even shocking, for some to believe that it was anything but real. As it turns out, that very blurring of boundaries is what gave the record depth, and to Eminem Read More