Just Lose It by Eminem

Every New Zealand #1 single…

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Just Lose It by Eminem

Topped the NZ chart: from 5 November 2004 for five weeks

I’ve never devoted much thought to Eminem. I was almost through my teens when his breakthrough The Slim Shady LP appeared. Based on the smattering of singles I know, I’ve always thought of him as talented but gimmicky.

From most reports, ‘Just Lose It’ isn’t a great entry point to Eminem. Most of the affection for him centres on his three albums from 1999, 2000, and 2002. ‘Just Lose It’, the lead single from his 2004’s Encore, could be seen as a jumping the shark moment, where the critical acclaim cooled off.

It’s gimmicky. It uses Pee-wee Herman’s guffaws as its main hook. Eminem resorts to cheap rhymes like “Chubba-chubba-chubba-chubba-chubba-chubba-chubby/I don’t have any lines to go right here, so chubba-Teletubby.” And it’s devoid of subtlety, with its jives at Pee-wee Herman and Michael Jackson.

I am very angry at Eminem’s depiction of me in his video. I feel that it is outrageous and disrespectful. It is one thing to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning and insensitive. I’ve admired Eminem as an artist, and was shocked by this. The video was inappropriate and disrespectful to me, my children, my family and the community at large.

Michael Jackson, phone call to Steve Harvey’s radio show

Eminem is an accomplished, charismatic rapper, and there’s a good beat behind him here. But I assume he has much better songs in his catalogue.

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• NZ #1 hits
• 2000s album reviews