Hip-Hop Classic #19: Eminem - Stan (Chosen by Marvyn Harrison)

'Stan' is the third single from Eminem's record-breaking third studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP, which was released in 2000 on Aftermath Records. The song was produced by The 45 King and Em himself, and uses a slightly modified break from Dido's 'Thank You' as its base sample - the opening lines of 'Thank You' are also sampled for the chorus (coincidentally, both songs were released as singles in late 2000). The song tells the story of a fictional man named Stan who claims to be Eminem's biggest fan. Throughout the story, he becomes progressively more and more obsessed with Eminem, culminating in his suicide. The first three verses are delivered by Eminem as Stan while the fourth verse is Eminem attempting to write to Stan, only to realisee that he had already heard about Stan's death on the news. 'Stan' has sold over 750,000 copies in the UK, and is without doubt one of Eminem's best/signature songs. Amazing piece of music.

Marvyn Harrison: "Eminem at his very best"