Shady XV

Shady XV
The background is a dimly-lit, black diamond plate. On it, a black and red hockey mask, under two crossed chainsaws is depicted.
Compilation album by
Shady Records
ReleasedNovember 24, 2014 (2014-11-24)
RecordedDisc 1: 2014
Disc 2: 2000–12
GenreHip hop
Length123:11
Label
Producer
Shady Records compilation chronology
Eminem Presents: The Re-Up
(2006) 		Shady XV
(2014) 		Southpaw (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)
(2015)
Singles from Shady XV
  1. "Guts Over Fear"
    Released: August 25, 2014
  2. "Till It's Gone"
    Released: September 16, 2014
  3. "Y'all Ready Know"
    Released: November 3, 2014
  4. "Detroit vs. Everybody"
    Released: November 11, 2014

Shady XV (stylized as SH∀DYXV, pronounced ''shady fifteen') is a hip hop compilation album performed by various artists of Shady Records. The double disc album was released on November 24, 2014, by Shady Records and Interscope Records. The album was released in honor of the label's 15th anniversary and as its 15th project (excluding Eminem's solo releases). The compilation consists of two discs, the first featuring new material from Shady Records artists such as Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, D12 and Yelawolf, as well as the label's founder Eminem. The second disc includes the label's greatest hits, also featuring former Shady Records members. All previous and current members of the label are represented on the album.

Release and promotion

[edit]

On June 3, 2014, Eminem's manager and Shady Records co-founder Paul Rosenberg tweeted "Shady XV".[1] On August 23, 2014, during his final stop of The Monster Tour with Rihanna at Detroit, Michigan's Comerica Park, Eminem wore a T-shirt branded "Shady XV".[2] On August 25, 2014, he tweeted "Yes it's official... #SHADYXV Black Friday," leading to speculation about a release on Black Friday, which fell on November 28, 2014. He also released a 20-second teaser video, featuring images of Eminem and other Shady Records artists.[3] On the same day, August 25, a press release was issued on Eminem's official website, announcing that Shady XV, a two-disc compilation featuring a collection of Shady Records' greatest hits on one disc and new material from Eminem, Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, D12, and Yelawolf on the other, was set to release on November 24, 2014, in the week of Black Friday.[4]

On October 13, 2014, Eminem posted a video on various social media websites of the artwork, along with the description "Back to basics! Here's the cover for #SHADYXV out 11/24."[5] The cover depicts a black and red hockey mask under two crossed chainsaws.

The album was released on disc and as a digital download on November 24, 2014, as the 15th release on the label (excluding Eminem's solo releases) and 15 years after its inception.[4] The "greatest hits" disc contains tracks by current Shady Records members, as well as previous members 50 Cent, Obie Trice, Bobby Creekwater, Ca$his and Stat Quo. The track list was revealed on October 29, 2014, on the official website.[6]

A rap cypher by Eminem, Slaughterhouse, and Yelawolf, titled 'SHADY CXVPHER', premiered on Vevo on November 10, 2014, to promote the album.[7] On November 18, 2014, Eminem revealed info about the "Lose Yourself" demo version, the last track on the second disc. It contains alternate lyrics to the original beat that were recorded but never published. Eminem had no memory of this scrapped version until he was recently reminded.[8]

Music and lyrics

[edit]

"Guts Over Fear" is about Eminem and his struggles as an artist, and touches up on moments of his career. "Detroit vs. Everybody" is a posse cut which features Eminem and fellow Detroit natives Royce da 5'9", Big Sean, Danny Brown, Trick-Trick, and Dej Loaf rapping over a boom bap beat.[9]

Singles

[edit]

The first single, "Guts Over Fear", which features vocals by Australian singer-songwriter Sia and production from Emile Haynie, was previewed in the trailer for the film The Equalizer, released on June 16, 2014 (with its title not yet revealed).[10][11] A TV spot for the film was released on August 24, 2014, and aired during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, at the end of which it was promoted as "featuring the new song Eminem feat. Sia 'Guts Over Fear' from Shady XV - Black Friday".[12] The song was a new leak before it was released a day later on the iTunes Store.[13] It was later confirmed that the track would also roll during the closing credits of The Equalizer.[4] The second single, "Y'all Ready Know" by Slaughterhouse, was released on November 4, 2014.[14] The music video was released the same day. The third and last single, "Detroit vs. Everybody" by Eminem, Trick-Trick, Dej Loaf, Big Sean, Royce Da 5'9", and Danny Brown, premiered on Eminem's radio channel Shade 45 on November 10, 2014. It was officially released on iTunes later that night.[15]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic61/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Entertainment WeeklyB[18]
Exclaim!7/10[19]
HipHopDX[20]
Knoxville News Sentinel[21]
The National[22]
The New Zealand Herald[23]
New York Daily News[24]
The Plain DealerB+[25]
Pitchfork2/10[26]

Shady XV received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 61, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 9 reviews.[16] Samantha O'Connor of Exclaim! said, "For the Shady diehard fans, Shady XV is enough. But for those searching for that nostalgic surge of adrenaline-inducing passion and innovative content reminiscent of the Shady reign, it's better to skip the new material and head straight to the classics."[19] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said, "Shady's first half is, like most new Eminem material, more problematic but also more rewarding. With its aggro-horrorcore production, trapped-in-2001 cultural nods (there's a reference to former congressman Gary Condit), and Billy Squier sample, it's essentially The Marshall Mathers LP 2.5, with all the accompanying dicey gender politics."[18]

Homer Johnsen of HipHopDX said, "Some songs border on perfection. A few more are just solidly average. Yet, it all balances out, and the rhymes on full display make Shady XV a great compilation release."[20]

Commercial performance

[edit]

The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 138,000 copies in the United States.[27] In its second week, the album dropped to number 21 on the chart, selling 28,000 copies.[28] In its third week, the album dropped to number 37 on the chart, selling 18,000 copies.[29] In its fourth week the album dropped to number 54 on the chart, selling 17,000 copies.[30] As of June 27, 2015, Shady XV has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping more than half-million units (in this case, 250,000 copies double album sets, which are double-counted by the RIAA).[31]

Track listing

[edit]
Disc one (X)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Shady XV" (performed by Eminem)
Eminem5:01
2."Psychopath Killer" (performed by Slaughterhouse featuring Eminem and Yelawolf)
5:19
3."Die Alone" (performed by Eminem featuring Kobe)
  • Mathers
  • Resto
3:36
4."Vegas" (performed by Bad Meets Evil)
  • Mathers
  • Montgomery
  • Resto
5:36
5."Y'All Ready Know" (performed by Slaughterhouse)
DJ Premier3:51
6."Guts Over Fear" (performed by Eminem featuring Sia)
  • Emile Haynie
  • John Hill
  • Eminem[a]
5:01
7."Down" (performed by Yelawolf)
Conrad Clifton3:26
8."Bane" (performed by Kon Artis, Swifty McVay, Bizarre & Kuniva of D12)
4:24
9."Fine Line" (performed by Eminem)
  • Mathers
  • Resto
5:07
10."Twisted" (performed by Skylar Grey, Eminem and Yelawolf)
4:59
11."Right for Me" (performed by Eminem)
  • Mathers
  • Resto
4:57
12."Detroit vs. Everybody" (performed by Eminem, Royce da 5'9", Big Sean, Danny Brown, Dej Loaf and Trick-Trick)
5:57
European bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Till It's Gone" (performed by Yelawolf)
  • Atha
  • William "WLPWR" Washington
  • Mike Hartnett
  • Matt Hayes
WLPWR4:35
Disc two (V)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Get Money" (performed by 50 Cent)
Apex3:43
2."Purple Pills" (performed by D12)
5:04
3."Lose Yourself" (performed by Eminem)
  • Mathers
  • Bass
  • Resto
5:20
4."Cry Now (Shady Remix)" (performed by Obie Trice, Kuniva, Bobby Creekwater, Cashis and Stat Quo)
Witt & Pep5:09
5."Let's Roll" (performed by Yelawolf featuring Kid Rock)
3:55
6."Hammer Dance" (performed by Slaughterhouse)
4:05
7."P.I.M.P." (performed by 50 Cent)
  • Jackson
  • Porter
Mr. Porter4:09
8."You Don't Know" (performed by Eminem, 50 Cent, Cashis and Lloyd Banks)
4:17
9."My Band" (performed by D12)
  • Porter
  • Moore
  • Holton
  • Carlisle
  • Rufus Johnson
  • Mathers
  • Resto
  • Steve King
4:58
10."Wanna Know" (performed by Obie Trice)
  • Trice
  • William Jones
  • Dennis Webber
  • Haynie
Haynie4:04
11."Wanksta" (performed by 50 Cent)
  • Jackson
  • John Freeman
John "J-Praize" Freeman3:38
12."The Setup" (performed by Obie Trice featuring Nate Dogg)
3:13
13."In da Club" (performed by 50 Cent)
  • Jackson
  • Young
  • Elizondo
  • Dr. Dre
  • Elizondo[a]
3:13
14."Fight Music" (performed by D12)
  • Carlisle
  • Holton
  • Rufus Johnson
  • Mathers
  • Moore
  • Porter
  • Young
  • Elizondo
Dr. Dre4:21
15."Pop the Trunk" (performed by Yelawolf)
  • Atha
  • Washington
WLPWR3:48
Best Buy bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Don't Front" (performed by Eminem featuring Buckshot)
Katalyst4:46
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Lose Yourself" (original demo version) (performed by Eminem)
  • Mathers
  • Bass
  • Resto
3:00
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer.
Sample credits

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Silver 60,000*
United States (RIAA)[52] Gold 250,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Rosenberg, Paul (June 3, 2014). "Shady XV". Retrieved September 13, 2014 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Stutz, Colin (August 24, 2014). "What's Eminem's New Black Friday Release 'Shady XV' All About?". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  3. ^ Mathers, Marshall (August 25, 2014). "Yes it's official... #SHADYXV Black Friday". Retrieved August 25, 2014 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b c "Shady XV - Details released". Eminem.com. August 25, 2014. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  5. ^ Mathers, Marshall (October 13, 2014). "Back to basics! Here's the cover for #SHADYXV out 11/24". Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved October 13, 2014 – via Instagram.
  6. ^ "SHADYXV Tracklist Revealed + New Merch Colorways Released". Shady Records. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  7. ^ Adam Graham (November 10, 2014). "Eminem freestyle anchors new Shady Records cypher clip". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  8. ^ Renshaw, David. "Eminem previews demo version of 'Lose Yourself' with alternate lyrics". NME. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  9. ^ Ortiz, Edwin (October 30, 2014). "Interview: Statik Selektah Talks About 'Detroit Vs. Everybody,' His Upcoming Collaboration With Eminem, Big Sean, and More". Complex. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  10. ^ Gallo, Phil (August 25, 2014). "Eminem Announces 'Shady XV' With New Track 'Guts Over Fear' and New Compilation". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  11. ^ Fleischer, Adam (June 12–16, 2014). "Check Out Eminem's New Song In 'The Equalizer' Trailer". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 15, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  12. ^ Frydenlund, Zach (August 24, 2014). "Eminem Announces 'Shady XV' Compilation Album". Complex. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  13. ^ "Eminem – Guts Over Fear (feat. Sia) – Single". iTunes Store. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  14. ^ Thomas, Chris (4 November 2014). "Slaughterhouse – "Y'all Ready Know" [LISTEN]". Hip Hop Wired. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  15. ^ Shady Records (November 11, 2014). "Midnight ET". Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved November 17, 2014 – via Instagram.
  16. ^ a b "Reviews for Shady XV by Eminem". Metacritic. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  17. ^ Jeffries, David. "Shady XV – Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  18. ^ a b Anderson, Kyle (November 26, 2014). "SHADYXV Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  19. ^ a b Samantha O'Connor (November 25, 2014). "Eminem / Shady Records Shady XV". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  20. ^ a b Homer Johnsen (November 24, 2014). "Eminem & Various Artists – SHADYXV". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  21. ^ "'Tuned In' review: You've heard it all before from Eminem". Knoxville News Sentinel. November 25, 2014. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  22. ^ Workman, Adam (December 1, 2014). "Album review: Various Artists – Shady XV". The National. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  23. ^ Schulz, Chris (December 4, 2014). "Album review: Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  24. ^ Farber, Jim (November 24, 2014). "'Shady XV,' 'Beyoncé Platinum Deluxe Edition,' music review". New York Daily Times. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  25. ^ L. Smith, Troy (November 24, 2014). "Eminem celebrates 15 years of lyrical supremacy on 'Shady XV' (album review)". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  26. ^ "Shady XV – Various Artists". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  27. ^ Tardio, Andres (2014-12-03). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Eminem, Rick Ross, Beyonce". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2014-12-03.
  28. ^ Harling, Danielle (2014-12-10). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Wu-Tang Clan, Mary J. Blige, Eminem". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
  29. ^ Tardio, Andres (2014-12-17). "Hip Hop Album Sales: J. Cole, Eminem, PRhyme". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2014-12-17.
  30. ^ Balfour, Jay (2014-12-24). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, D'Angelo". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2014-12-24.
  31. ^ "Shady XV goes gold". Southpawer. 27 June 2015. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  32. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 20 Compilation Albums". ARIA. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  33. ^ "Austriancharts.at – {{{artist}}} – ShadyXV" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  34. ^ "Ultratop.be – {{{artist}}} – ShadyXV" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  35. ^ "Ultratop.be – {{{artist}}} – ShadyXV" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  36. ^ "Various Artists Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  37. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – {{{artist}}} – ShadyXV" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  38. ^ "Lescharts.com – {{{artist}}} – ShadyXV". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 201.
  39. ^ "Officialcharts.de – {{{artist}}} – ShadyXV". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  40. ^ "Compilation – Classifica settimanale WK 49 (dal 2014-12-01 al 2014-12-07)" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  41. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  42. ^ "Swisscharts.com – {{{artist}}} – ShadyXV". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  43. ^ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  44. ^ "Various Artists Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  45. ^ "Compilations Albums: Week December 13, 2014". Billboard.biz. December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  46. ^ "Various Artists Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  47. ^ "Billboard Top Canadian Albums - Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  48. ^ "Billboard 200 - Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  49. ^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums- Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  50. ^ "Billboard Rap Albums- Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  51. ^ "British album certifications – Various Artists – ShadyXV". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  52. ^ "American album certifications – Eminem – ShadyXV". Recording Industry Association of America.
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