The disappointment from this experience and vexing situation greatly influenced his lyrical style: "After that record, every rhyme I wrote got angrier and angrier. Infinite achieved little commercial success and was largely ignored by Detroit radio stations, such as WJLB (97.9 FM in Detroit), and in specific tracks Eminem raps explicitly about this problem, like in "Just Don't Give a Fuck" "If I Had" and "Low Down, Dirty". In 1996, his debut album Infinite, which was recorded at the Bassmint, a recording studio owned by the Bass Brothers, was released under their independent label Web Entertainment. According to Billboard, at this point in his life Eminem had "realized his musical ambitions were the only way to escape his unhappy life". Porter - was also noticeably higher than on prior album efforts. The production value of the music on the tracks - from previous collaborators DJ Head, The Bass Brothers, and Mr. Eminem also began utilizing story telling on this EP. His flow is also noticeably different from Infinite where critics claimed he sounded too much like Nas and AZ.
Another departure was his exploration of more serious themes of dealing with poverty, his direct and self-deprecating response to criticism, and of marital and family difficulties. His lyrics are a marked departure from those found on Infinite, featuring constant references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability, and over-the-top violence. Since the EP was released before he was signed to Interscope and Aftermath, original copies are now highly valued. Dre, who subsequently signed Eminem to his Aftermath Entertainment record label, and served as executive producer on his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP (1999).Įminem first introduced his "Slim Shady" persona on the EP. Unlike Infinite, Slim Shady EP helped Eminem gain the interest of CEO Jimmy Iovine (co-founder of Interscope Records) and West Coast hip-hop producer Dr. Slim Shady EP is the only extended play by American rapper Eminem, released on Decemthrough the Detroit-based record label Web Entertainment.