Friday Faceoff: OnSMASH & Complex Debate Eminem's Best Music Videos

Step into the debate and watch some classic Shady clips.

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Each week in the Friday Faceoff, the editors of Complex will have an open debate with one of the other websites in the Complex Media Network on a timely topic. We encourage everyone to chime in with comments about our choices, whether you agree or disagree. Don't worry, we can take a sneak-diss or two.

Last week, we argued video game movies with Planet XBox 360. This week, we're going up against music video paradise OnSMASH. The big homie Hof and his team were nice enough to argue with us to determine the best Eminem videos of all time.

In case you haven't noticed, Slim Shady is back—his new album Relapse leaked yesterday, and his excellent serial killer clip for "3 A.M." (watch it here) shows he still knows how to make a striking music video. But will it make the list of Em's greatest videos ever? Keep reading to check out our top 5 debate...

ONSMASH #5 PICK: "The Way I Am" (2000)

OnSMASH Says: In this self-produced classic, Em lashes out against overzealous fans, pressuring record executives, critics and the other causes of stress in his life. This is an essential video because Em expresses the immense amount of pressure he's under to outperform his previous hit records. Em raps his verses while taking a header off a building showing just how uncomfortable he is with his celebrity.
Complex says: A classic, no question. Our only complaint is that you didn't rank this masterpiece higher!

COMPLEX #5 PICK: "Mosh" (2004)

Complex Says: Released on the eve of the 2004 Presidential Election, "Mosh" is the rare exception to the "all animated videos suck" rule. The anti-War, anti-Bush protest video was produced by the Guerilla News Network and brought a very necessary message to the forefront of hip-hop, even if it was too late to stop Bush's reelection.
OnSMASH Says: Super Predictable. Expected better from Complex, shocked "Lose Yourself" isn't on here.

CLICK NEXT FOR OUR #4 PICKS!

 


ONSMASH #4 PICK: "Cleaning Out My Closet" (2002)

OnSMASH Says: This was the first video where Em puts the Slim Shady humor on hold and gives fans an introspective look into his childhood, marital troubles and feud with his mother. Fans finally get to see past the Slim Shady clown and feel Em's pain and cynical view of today's pop culture.
Complex says: We're not mad at this pick. Definitely one of our favorite Em songs, but as a video, it didn't make our list because we ultimately felt it was less memorable than some of his other "introspective" clips.

COMPLEX #4 PICK: "Superman" (2003)

Complex Says: Em's lone "glossy" video features him literally swimming in a sea of women and arguing with plastic porn star Gina Lynn through a hotel peep hole. We're guessing Interscope didn't like it as much as we did since this one went straight-to-DVD without being played on MTV.
OnSMASH Says: This "Superman" pick downright irritates me. The song is dope but there is nothing special about this video, especially when Em has so many classic joints. Very disappointed.

CLICK NEXT FOR OUR #3 PICKS!

 

ONSMASH #3 PICK: "My Name Is" (1999)

OnSMASH Says: This was not only the song that propelled Eminem to super-stardom, but also the first rap song to grace TRL's #1 Spot and holding it until it was retired after thirty straight days. This video set the bar for Slim Shady's scarcastic commentary on America's pop culture. Without this video, there is no "Real Slim Shady", "Without Me" or "We Made You"
Complex says: It's hard to hate on this one, even though it didn't make our list. As his first video with Aftermath, this definitely set the funny-first-single blueprint he would follow for the rest of his career. But the first isn't always the best—word to the Infinite album.

COMPLEX #3 PICK: "Guilty Conscience" (1999)

Complex Says: The Slim Shady LP's second video was mad innovative, literally freezing action scenes so Dre & Em could rap around them (a technique that had just been popularized in The Matrix). For the mainstream, this was the first indication that there was a real method to Marshall's madness.
OnSMASH Says: Good pick, too bad you don't seem to appreciate the significance.

CLICK NEXT FOR OUR #2 PICKS!

 

ONSMASH #2 PICK: "Guilty Conscience" (1999)

OnSMASH Says: Who can forget this age old tale of morality featuring Eddie, Stan and Grady as Dr. Dre and Eminem play the respective roles of good vs. evil in the impressionable brains of these young men. This is the quintessential video that showcases Em's creativity and Dr. Dre commitment to his protege.
Complex says: Good pick. We definitely do appreciate the significance! Just not as much as...

COMPLEX #2 PICK: "The Way I Am" (2000)

Complex Says: The masterpiece of Em's "serious" videos features a Marilyn Manson cameo and pioneered his exploration of certain darker themes that would keep popping up in future clips: family drama, record label manipulation and the pressures of fame. He spends most of the video rapping while free-falling from a skyscraper, a powerful image that stands out as one of his best.
OnSMASH Says: Can't front, a solid pick.

CLICK NEXT FOR OUR #1 PICKS!

 

ONSMASH #1 PICK: "Stan" (2000)

OnSMASH Says: We see the classic view of an obsessive Eminem fan. Dido plays the cameo as pregnant wife. I have never seen a better video that encapsulates the song so perfectly. This video is an epic mini-movie that made all the critics wake and realize there was something special going on with Em. Not to mention this is the same song he performed with Elton John, risking not only his credibility but everything he worked for. Truely a groundbreaking song and video.
Complex Says: Super predictible! Any critic who didn't realize there was something special going on with Eminem by the time "Stan" came out clearly had his head up his ass. There's no question that this was a career-defining song for Em, and the Grammy performance with the big homie E.J. was a powerful statement, but as a video..."Stan" is probably better suited for '90s teenybopper actor Devon Sawa's highlight reel than this countdown. Of his darker, more cinematic videos, this one pales in comparison to "The Way I Am," which came out just a few months earlier.

COMPLEX #1 PICK: "The Real Slim Shady" (2000)

Complex Says: In 50 years, this is the video that the world will most remember Eminem for. The army of bleach-blond Slim Shadys, the Christina Aguilera blow-up doll, the ass-sault of NSYNC: everything about this video sums up the TRL era perfectly. Sure, "My Name Is" established his poppy, celebrity-mocking video formula, but this brightly-colored mental hospital montage is far more iconic in retrospect.
OnSMASH Says: Really???? Sums up the TRL era perfectly? Glad I can't relate to that statement since i haven't see a music video program since Ralph McDaniels' Video Music Box. What really has me dumbfounded is you guys don't have "Stan" in the top 5... Blasphemy!!! "My Name Is" set the formula for all these videos.

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