As the notorious first "official" full length album from the N.W.A camp, Eazy-E helped establish a stranglehold on the "Gangsta Rap" genre before there ever was such a term.
The Slim Shady LP announced not only Eminem's arrival, but it established that his producer Dr. Dre was anything but passé, thereby raising expectations for 2001, the long-anticipated sequel to The Chronic.