Infinite

Infinite is the debut studio album by Eminem, released on November 12, 1996, through Web Entertainment. It was pressed in small quantities on cassette and vinyl and sold locally in Detroit.

The story

The album was recorded between December 1995 and June 1996 in the basement studio of the Bass Brothers, Jeff and Mark Bass, who served as executive producers. About 1,000 copies were pressed. Eminem later wrote that it sold “maybe 70 copies,” while other accounts put sales in the hundreds. The track list includes “Backstabber,” a reworking of the song he had cut with Soul Intent in 1995.

Sound and production

Mr. Porter (Denaun Porter) handled most of the production, with Proof programming drums and Eminem contributing production. Eminem has said that he was young and influenced by other artists at the time, and that he received feedback that he sounded like AZ. The rapping is more conventional than the Slim Shady material that followed, which is how later reviewers tend to frame it.

Legacy

Reviews were mixed: AllMusic rated it 2.5 out of 5, and Complex called it “competent but unremarkable.” Its rarity made it a collector’s item. On November 17, 2016, just after the album’s 20th anniversary, Eminem’s official YouTube channel released a Bass Brothers remix of the title track along with a short documentary about the making of the record.

Released November 12, 1996. More from hip hop in 1996.