The Slim Shady LP announced not only Eminem's arrival, but it established that his producer Dr. Dre was anything but passé, thereby raising expectations for 2001, the long-anticipated sequel to The Chronic. It suggested that 2001 wouldn't simply be recycled Chronic, and, musically speaking, that's more or less true. He's pushed himself hard, finding new variations in the formula by adding ominous strings, soulful vocals, and reggae, resulting in fairly interesting recontextualizations. Padded out to 22 tracks, 2001 isn't as consistent or striking as Slim Shady, but the music is always brimming with character. Song after song, there's a never-ending litany of violence, drugs, pussy, bitches, dope, guns, and gangsters. After a full decade of this, it takes real effort to get outraged at this stuff, so chances are, you'll shut out the words and groove along since, sonically, this is first-rate, straight-up gangsta.
| A1 | Lolo (Intro) | 0:40 |
| A2 | The Watcher | 3:28 |
| A3 | Fuck You | 3:25 |
| A4 | Still D.R.E. | 4:28 |
| A5 | Big Ego's | 4:01 |
| B1 | Xxplosive | 3:35 |
| B2 | What's The Difference | 4:04 |
| B3 | Bar One | 0:51 |
| B4 | Light Speed | 2:30 |
| B5 | Forgot About Dre | 3:54 |
| B6 | The Next Episode | 2:42 |
| C1 | Let's Get High | 2:27 |
| C2 | Bitch Niggaz | 4:14 |
| C3 | The Car Bomb | 1:01 |
| C4 | Murder Ink. | 2:28 |
| C5 | Ed-Ucation | 1:32 |
| C6 | Some L.A. Niggaz | 4:25 |
| C7 | Pause 4 Porno | 1:33 |
| D1 | Housewife | 4:03 |
| D2 | Ackrite | 3:40 |
| D3 | Bang Bang | 3:42 |
| D4 | The Message | 5:11 |
