Infinite is the debut studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on November 12, 1996, by Web Entertainment. Recording sessions took place at the Bass Brothers' studio, with production handled by Mr. Porter, Proof, and Eminem himself. The album features guest vocals from fellow rappers Proof, Mr. Porter, Eye-Kyu, Three and Thyme, as well as singer Angela Workman on the track "Searchin". The copies were made on cassette and vinyl, and Eminem sold them out of the trunk of his car in Detroit. It is not officially available on any online music stores. However, on November 17, 2016, five days after the 20th anniversary of the album, Eminem posted a remaster and remix of the title track, made by the Bass Brothers, to his Vevo channel, made available digitally for the first time. Infinite was a commercial failure, selling around 1,000 copies. Retrospectively, the album received mixed reviews from critics.
Background and recording
In 1992, the rapper initially signed with FBT Productions, which has been run by brothers Jeff and Mark Bass. Eminem also held a minimum-wage job cooking and washing dishes at Gilbert's Lodge restaurant at St. Clair Shores for some time. Infinite was recorded in 1995 and released under the Bass brothers' independent label Web Entertainment the following year. Eminem was encouraged by others, who noted he sounded similar to rapper AZ. Mr. Porter produced the majority of the album, while Proof programmedthe drums.
Composition
Eminem purposely made Infinites songs "radio-friendly" in hopes of getting on the air on Detroit radio stations. Only around a thousand copies of the album were made. Subjects covered in Infinite included his and his grandma's struggles with raising Hailie Jade Mathers, Eminem's newborn daughter while on limited funds and his strong desire to get rich. After the release of Infinite, Eminem's personal struggles and abuse of drugs and alcohol resulted in a suicide attempt. Eminem recalls: "Obviously, I was young and influenced by other artists, and I got a lot of feedback saying that I sounded like AZ. Infinite was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself. It was a growing stage. I felt like Infinite was like the demo that just got pressed up." On May 14, 2009, Thisis50.com re-released it as a free download on their website to build anticipation for Eminem's comeback album Relapse. On November 17, 2016, a remix of the album's title track "Infinite" was released in commemoration of the album's 20th anniversary, followed by a documentary about the making of the album on the same day.
Reception
It is not known exactly how many copies Infinite sold. Eminem stated in The Way I Am that it sold "maybe 70 copies". However, other sources state the album sold a few hundred copies or even 1,000 copies. Eminem's overall disappointment with the album's lack of success inspired him to develop his famous Slim Shadyalter ego present in his later works. Retrospective reviews of the album are mixed. AllMusic gave it an "Editor Score" of 2.5 out of 5 stars, without a review. Rob Kenner of Complex gave the album a mixed review, saying Eminem "has yet to develop his own distinctive style", and that it was a "competent but unremarkable effort". Rolling Stone states that "Probably the most surprising thing on Infinite is hearing rap, 'In the midst of this insanity, I found my Christianity'" on "It's O.K.", noting that spiritual elements had not played a large role in his later lyrics. Eminem later referred to the album on his songs "Not Afraid" and "Castle", from his 2017 album Revival. In a more positive review, Tedd Maider of Consequence of Sound describes the album as "a more genuine glimpse of the rapper that is Eminem", and that its "quick-witted and unique rhyming", "lyrical chops, raw style beats, and mentality" could only be matched by The Marshall Mathers LP.
Track listing
Track listing and credits taken from album booklet. All songs produced by Eminem. Notes
"Open Mic" contains a sample of "Give Me Your Love " performed by Curtis Mayfield, and "World Go Round" performed by Naughty by Nature.
"Never 2 Far" contains a sample of "Right on Time" performed by Maze.
"Searchin'" contains a sample of "The Dude" performed by Quincy Jones.
"Backstabber" contains samples of "Fuckin' Backstabber" performed by Soul Intent, "Jealous" performed by LL Cool J, and "Get Down" performed by Craig Mack.
"Jealousy Woes II" contains samples of "Say What" performed by Idris Muhammad, "Jealous" performed by LL Cool J, and "The World Is Yours" performed by Nas.
