Shady XV

Shady XV (stylized as SHADYXV) 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.

Shady XV
Compilation album and greatest hits by Shady Records
Released	November 24, 2014
Recorded	Disc 1: 2014 Disc 2: 2000–12
Genre	Hip hop
Length	123:11
Label	Shady Interscope
Producer	Eminem (exec.) Disc X: Boi-1da Conrad Clifton DJ Premier Emile Haynie Eminem John Hill Just Blaze Luis Resto Marv Won The Maven Boys Mr. Porter Statik Selektah WLPWR Disc V: Apex AraabMuzik Dr. Dre Eminem Emile Haynie Jeff Bass John "J-Praize" Freeman Katalyst Luis Resto Mike Elizondo Mr. Porter Mr. Pyro Witt & Pep WLPWR
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
"Guts Over Fear" Released: August 25, 2014 "Till It's Gone" Released: September 16, 2014 "Y'all Ready Know" Released: November 3, 2014 "Detroit vs. Everybody" Released: November 11, 2014

Release and promotion

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 designed by Cuzzalo Ink under two crossed chainsaws.[5][6]

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.[7]

A rap cypher with Eminem, Slaughterhouse, and Yelawolf, titled 'SHADY CXVPHER', premiered on Vevo on November 10, 2014 to promote the album.[8] 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.[9]

Music and lyrics

"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.[10]

Singles

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).[11][12] 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".[13] The song was a new leak before it was released a day later on the iTunes Store.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	61/100[17]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[18]
Entertainment Weekly	B[19]
Exclaim!	7/10[20]
HipHopDX	[21]
Knoxville News Sentinel	[22]
The National	[23]
The New Zealand Herald	[24]
New York Daily News	[25]
The Plain Dealer	B+[26]
Pitchfork	2/10[27]

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.[17] 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."[20] 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."[19]

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."[21]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 138,000 copies in the United States.[28] In its second week, the album dropped to number 21 on the chart, selling 28,000 copies.[29] In its third week, the album dropped to number 37 on the chart, selling 18,000 copies.[30] In its fourth week the album dropped to number 54 on the chart, selling 17,000 copies.[31] 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).[32]

Track listing

Disc one (X)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Shady XV" (performed by Eminem)	Marshall Mathers William Squier	Eminem	5:01
2.	"Psychopath Killer" (performed by Slaughterhouse featuring Eminem and Yelawolf)	Dominick Wickliffe Ryan Montgomery Mathers Luis Resto Michael Atha Matthew Samuels Zale Epstein Brett Kruger Daniel Daley Justin Smith	Boi-1da The Maven Boys^[a] Just Blaze^[a]	5:19
3.	"Die Alone" (performed by Eminem featuring Kobe)	Mathers Resto	Eminem Luis Resto^[b]	3:36
4.	"Vegas" (performed by Bad Meets Evil)	Mathers Montgomery Resto	Eminem Resto^[b]	5:36
5.	"Y'All Ready Know" (performed by Slaughterhouse)	Wickliffe Montgomery Joell Ortiz Joe Budden Christopher Martin	DJ Premier	3:51
6.	"Guts Over Fear" (performed by Eminem featuring Sia)	Mathers Resto Emile Haynie John Hill Sia Furler	Emile Haynie John Hill Eminem^[a]	5:01
7.	"Down" (performed by Yelawolf)	Atha Clifton Rogers Don Nix	Conrad Clifton	3:26
8.	"Bane" (performed by D12)	Denaun Porter Marvin O'Neal Ondre Moore Rufus Johnson Von Carlisle	Mr. Porter Marv Won^[a]	4:24
9.	"Fine Line" (performed by Eminem)	Mathers Resto	Eminem Resto^[b]	5:07
10.	"Twisted" (performed by Skylar Grey, Eminem and Yelawolf)	Mathers Resto Atha Holly Hafermann Herb Rooney	Eminem Resto^[b]	4:59
11.	"Right for Me" (performed by Eminem)	Mathers Resto	Eminem Resto^[b]	4:57
12.	"Detroit vs. Everybody" (performed by Eminem, Royce da 5'9", Big Sean, Danny Brown, Dej Loaf and Trick-Trick)	Mathers Montgomery Deja Trimble Daniel Sewell Sean Anderson Patrick Baril James Brown Peter Beveridge Andy James J. Trotti	Statik Selektah Eminem	5:57

European bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Till It's Gone" (performed by Yelawolf)	Atha William "WLPWR" Washington Mike Hartnett Matt Hayes	WLPWR	4:35

Disc two (V)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I Get Money" (performed by 50 Cent)	Curtis Jackson Kirk Robinson	Apex	3:43
2.	"Purple Pills" (performed by D12)	Carlisle DeShaun Holton Johnson Mathers Moore Porter Jeff Bass	Eminem Bass^[b]	5:04
3.	"Lose Yourself" (performed by Eminem)	Mathers Bass Resto	Eminem Bass^[b]	5:20
4.	"Cry Now (Shady Remix)" (performed by Obie Trice, Kuniva, Bobby Creekwater, Cashis and Stat Quo)	Obie Trice Dewitt Moore Bryan Johnson Joseph Scott Don Robey C. Louis D. Campbell Stanley Benton Ramone Johnson Carlisle Antione Rogers	Witt & Pep	5:09
5.	"Let's Roll" (performed by Yelawolf featuring Kid Rock)	Atha Jimmy Giannos Dominic Jordan Das Simmons Jason Boyd	The Audibles Mr. Pyro Eminem^[a]	3:55
6.	"Hammer Dance" (performed by Slaughterhouse)	Montgomery Budden Ortiz Wickliffe Ana Orellana Jonathan Davis Reginald Arvizu James Shaffer David Silveria Brian Welch	AraabMuzik Eminem^[b]	4:05
7.	"P.I.M.P." (performed by 50 Cent)	Jackson Porter	Mr. Porter	4:09
8.	"You Don't Know" (performed by Eminem, 50 Cent, Cashis and Lloyd Banks)	Mathers Jackson Christopher Lloyd Ramone Johnson Resto	Eminem Resto^[b]	4:17
9.	"My Band" (performed by D12)	Porter Moore Holton Carlisle Rufus Johnson Mathers Resto Steve King	Eminem Resto^[b]	4:58
10.	"Wanna Know" (performed by Obie Trice)	Trice William Jones Dennis Webber Haynie	Haynie	4:04
11.	"Wanksta" (performed by 50 Cent)	Jackson John Freeman	John "J-Praize" Freeman	3:38
12.	"The Setup" (performed by Obie Trice featuring Nate Dogg)	Trice Andre Young Mike Elizondo Nathaniel Hale	Dr. Dre Mike Elizondo	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. Dre	4:21
15.	"Pop the Trunk" (performed by Yelawolf)	Atha Washington	WLPWR	3:48

Best Buy bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Don't Front" (performed by Eminem featuring Buckshot)	Mathers Kenyatta Blake	Katalyst	4:46

Bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
17.	"Lose Yourself" (original demo version) (performed by Eminem)	Mathers Bass Resto	Eminem Bass^[b]	3:00

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer.
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer.

Sample credits

• "Shady XV" contains elements of "My Kinda Lover", written and performed by Billy Squier. Contains elements of "Fack" and "The Monster" performed by Eminem.
• ”Die Alone” interpolates “Just So You Don’t Die Alone”, written and performed by Luis Resto.
• "Down" contains elements of "Going Down", written by Don Nix and performed by Freddie King.
• "Twisted" contains elements of "Synthetic Substitution", written by Herb Rooney and performed by Melvin Bliss.
• "Detroit vs. Everybody" contains elements of "Funky Drummer", written and performed by James Brown, and "Static on the Frequency", written by Peter Beveridge, Andy James and Jon Trotti and performed by Peter Beveridge.
• "I Get Money" contains elements of "Top Billin'", written by Kirk Robinson and performed by Audio Two.
• "Cry Now" contains elements of "Blind Man", written by Joseph Scott and Don Robey, and performed by Bobby "Blue" Bland.
• "Hammer Dance" contains elements of "Falling Away from Me", written by Jonathan Davis, Reginald Arvizu, James Shaffer, David Silveria and Brian Welch, and performed by Korn.
• "Wanna Know" contains elements of "It Couldn't Be Me", written by William Jones and Dennis Webber and performed by Power of Zeus.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2014–15) Peak position Australian Compilation Albums (ARIA)[33] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] 13 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 26 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 68 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[37] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[38] 75 French Albums (SNEP)[39] 32 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[40] 8 Italian Compilation Albums (FIMI)[41] 3 Polish Albums (ZPAV)[42] 38 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 7 UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[44] 5 US Billboard 200[45] 3 US Compilation Albums (Billboard)[46] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[47] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[48] 32 US Billboard 200[49] 104 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[50] 13 US Rap Albums (Billboard)[51] 10

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[52]	Gold	250,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of Billboard number-one R&B/Hip-Hop albums of 2014
• List of number-one albums of 2014 (Canada)

References

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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. "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". Retrieved October 13, 2014 – via Instagram.
6. Orosco, David (September 5, 2014). "The meeting at Interscope Records went great!!! (...)". Cuzzalo Ink. Retrieved October 20, 2014 – via Instagram.
7. "SHADYXV Tracklist Revealed + New Merch Colorways Released". Shady Records. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
8. Adam Graham (November 10, 2014). "Eminem freestyle anchors new Shady Records cypher clip". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
9. Renshaw, David. "Eminem previews demo version of 'Lose Yourself' with alternate lyrics". NME. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
10. 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.
11. Gallo, Phil (August 25, 2014). "Eminem Announces 'Shady XV' With New Track 'Guts Over Fear' and New Compilation". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
12. Fleischer, Adam (June 12–16, 2014). "Check Out Eminem's New Song In 'The Equalizer' Trailer". MTV News. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
13. Frydenlund, Zach (August 24, 2014). "Eminem Announces 'Shady XV' Compilation Album". Complex. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
14. "Eminem – Guts Over Fear (feat. Sia) – Single". iTunes Store. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
15. Thomas, Chris. "Slaughterhouse – "Y'all Ready Know" [LISTEN]". Hip Hop Wired. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
16. Shady Records (November 11, 2014). "Midnight ET". Retrieved November 17, 2014 – via Instagram.
17. "Reviews for Shady XV by Eminem". Metacritic. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
18. Jeffries, David. "Shady XV – Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
19. Anderson, Kyle (November 26, 2014). "SHADYXV Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
20. Samantha O'Connor (November 25, 2014). "Eminem / Shady Records Shady XV". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
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25. Farber, Jim (November 24, 2014). "'Shady XV,' 'Beyoncé Platinum Deluxe Edition,' music review". New York Daily Times. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
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27. "Shady XV – Various Artists". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. Tardio, Andres (2014-12-17). "Hip Hop Album Sales: J. Cole, Eminem, PRhyme". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2014-12-17.
31. 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.
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41. "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.
42. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
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44. "Official Compilations Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
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51. "Billboard Rap Albums- Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
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