Straight From The Lab
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''Straight from the Lab'' is a 2003 bootleg album consisting of previously unreleased songs by
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
. Some of the songs on the album were scheduled to be released the following year on Eminem's fifth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, ''
Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...
''. Two additional series of unreleased songs were leaked in 2011 and 2025 as ''Straight from the Lab Part 2'' and ''Straight from the Lab Part 3'', respectively.


Background

According to ''Complex'', the songs on ''Straight from the Lab'' were allegedly leaked by a friend of Eminem's brother Nate Mathers, who had found a CD containing a selection of unfinished music at Eminem's house.


Reception

In 2013, Jeff Rosenthal of ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'' ranked the third verse of "Bully" as Eminem's sixteenth best of all time, praising its demonstration of what he considered Eminem's two greatest strengths: "his ability to cut through bullshit and noise with a chainsaw" and "acknowledging his own hypocrisy". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' would also rank the song at number 50 on their 2024 list of "The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs".


''Part 1''


Notes:

* "Can-I-Bitch" samples
Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His songs " The Show" and ...
's song "
Children's Story "Children's Story" is a song recorded by British-American hip hop artist Slick Rick. Taken as the second single from his album ''The Great Adventures of Slick Rick'', the song was a Top 5 hit on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B Singles a ...
" in the first verse. It is also a word play on the title of
Canibus Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-American rapper. First having gained recognition for his freestyling abilities, he signed with Universal Records to release his debut studio al ...
's first album, entitled ''
Can-I-Bus ''Can-I-Bus'' is the debut album by American rapper Canibus, released on September 8, 1998, through Universal Records. The album was released after the rapper's success with his LL Cool J diss track, " Second Round K.O.", which was included on ' ...
'' being a diss track to Canibus and is an
answer song An answer song, response song or answer record is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer son ...
to the
Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
' 2002 song " The Night I Fell in Love". The song was reportedly recorded shortly following the release of Eminem's previous album ''
The Eminem Show ''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 26, 2002, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records and Interscope Records. Eminem produced most of the album himself, with additional production by ...
''. * "Bully" is a
diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...
aimed at rappers
Benzino Raymond Scott (born July 18, 1965), better known by his stage name Benzino or Ray Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper and record producer. Benzino produced records (as part of the production team Hang ...
,
Irv Gotti Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (June 26, 1970 – February 5, 2025), professionally known as Irv Gotti or DJ Irv, was an American record producer and music executive. Gotti started off as a New York hip-hop DJ in the 1980s, then becoming an A&R t ...
and
Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...
. After an incomplete version of the song leaked online in the week before its inclusion on ''Straight from the Lab'', Eminem's management team told
MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...
that it had been recorded around six months previously. * "Hailie's Revenge" (sometimes referred to as "Doe Rae Me"), which also first appeared on unofficial mixtapes earlier in 2003, is another diss track which features vocals from Eminem's daughter
Hailie Jade Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
in the intro and the outro. It is a response to Ja Rule's song "Loose Change", in which Ja Rule has insulted Eminem's family, including Hailie. * "We Are Americans" was later included on a bonus disc for Eminem's fifth studio album, ''
Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...
'', with the title "We As Americans". In 2022, Eminem stated that if the song had not leaked, it would have been the opening track on the album, followed by "Bully" as track two. The version in the bootleg is the original uncensored version, with the bonus disc version having a line about the president reversed, while this one does not. * "I Love You More" was also included on the ''Encore'' bonus disc, with the title "Love You More". * "Come on In" was later included on D12's sophomore album, ''
D12 World ''D12 World'' is the second and final studio album by American hip-hop group D12, released on April 27, 2004. The album sold 544,000 copies in its first week on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album is also the last D12 release to feature Proof befo ...
'', with the title "6 in the Morning".


''Part 2''

In 2011, a series of leaks occurred by a Twitter user named "NotAfraid2Leak", commonly referred to as "Koolo" These leaks occurred over the span of a few months, and eventually lead to a fully unreleased and unofficial project titled ''Straight From The Vault EP''. Since then, fans have retroactively compiled all of those songs into a follow up mixtape to ''Straight From The Lab'', titled ''Straight from the Lab Part 2''.


Notes

* "Living Proof" and "Echo" were later released on the deluxe version of
Bad Meets Evil Bad Meets Evil is an American Hip hop music, hip hop Supergroup (music), super duo composed of Detroit-based rappers Royce da 5′9″ ("bad") and Eminem ("evil"). Formed in 1997, the duo's name comes from the namesake song from Eminem's ''The ...
's debut album '' Hell: The Sequel''. * "Things Get Worse" was later released on B.o.B's ''Greatest Hits'' album. In 2019, the track leaked again with a never-before-heard verse that contained reference to the
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...
's assault of
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
saying that he would side with Chris Brown in this situation, which caused a lot controversy around the track. Eminem would eventually go on to apologize to Rihanna for the lyrics on "Zeus", a track off his 2020 album '' Music to Be Murdered By: Side B''. * "Goin' Crazy" (later mastered and retitled "Fame") was later released on D12's 2011 mixtape, ''Return of the Dozen Vol. 2''. * Some tracks on this bootleg were mistitled by the leaker, "Oh No" was later confirmed to be titled "Here We Go Again" and "I Get Money" was later confirmed to be titled "Get Money (Freestyle)".


''Part 3''

On 12 January 2025, a series of leaks surfaced online. The first 14 unreleased songs were compiled into a bootleg album titled ''Straight From The Lab, Part 3''. In the days that followed, more songs surfaced, leading dedicated fans to expand the tracklist, share updated versions, and work to derail any fake AI-generated songs. The songs were arranged chronologically based on their leak dates. Following the leak, studio employees of Eminem reported the incident to the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
on or about January 16, 2025. Investigators discovered that the music had been copied from password-protected hard drives stored in a safe at Eminem's studio in
Ferndale, Michigan Ferndale is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Ferndale borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a ...
, between October 2019 and January 2020; the studio employees had obtained an image listing the stolen music, now being illegally sold online, that they knew was stored on one of the hard drives. In March 2025, federal prosecutors charged Joseph Strange, a former
sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a sound recording, recording or a Concert, live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization (audio), equalization, Dynamic range ...
of Eminem's who had been working at his studio when the music was stolen, with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods. According to an FBI affidavit, Strange had been selling the music online to private collectors in exchange for
cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency (colloquially crypto) is a digital currency designed to work through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. Individual coin ownership record ...
, and in 2021 had signed an agreement as part of his
severance package A severance package is pay and benefits that employees may be entitled to receive when they leave employment at a company unwilfully. In addition to their remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following: * Any additional payment based ...
that he would not electronically distribute Eminem's work to others. The current tracklist is:


Notes

* "Antichrist" was originally recorded for the 2005 compilation, ''
Curtain Call A curtain call (often known as a walkdown or a final Bowing, bow) occurs at the end of a performance when one or more performers return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for the performance. In musical theatre, the performers typi ...
'', and was later altered and released on the 2024 album, '' The Death of Slim Shady''. * "I'm Sorry (Seasons)" was supposed to be the lead single for his 2010 album ''Recovery'', but the idea was scrapped due to sample clearance issues. *"Christopher Reeves" was recorded for the 2004 album, ''
Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...
,'' but was scrapped because Christopher Reeve died right before the release, as stated in Eminem's track, Guilty Conscience 2. Later was released under the title "Brand New Dance", with modern additions, on the 2024 album, '' The Death of Slim Shady''. * "Sexual Healing" is the original version of "Is This Love ('09)", which was released on the 2022 compilation ''
Curtain Call 2 ''Curtain Call 2'' is the second greatest hits album by American rapper Eminem, released on August 5, 2022, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. A double album, it is a successor of his previous greatest hits album, ' ...
''. The solo version is partly a reference track, recorded for
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
. * "Back and Forth", recorded for the 2009 album, ''
Relapse In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or r ...
'', was altered and released under the title "Discombobulated" on the 2020 album, ''
Music to Be Murdered By ''Music to Be Murdered By'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on January 17, 2020, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. Just like his previous studio album, ''Kamikaze'', i ...
.'' * "My Darling" and "Careful What You Wish For" are earlier versions of songs that were later released on '' Relapse: Refill''. * "This Is" is a demo of the song "
Survival Survival or survivorship, the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things ...
", released on Eminem's 2013 album, ''
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on November 5, 2013, by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. It is his last album to feature the involvement of the i ...
''. * "Jump Out" is a reference track, written and recorded by Eminem in August 2006 for Dr. Dre's scrapped album ''
Detox Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period o ...
''. * "Freak" was recorded circa 2017 and is an outtake from the soundtrack album of the comedy-drama film, '' Bodied''. * "Smack You" was more than likely intended to be on DJ Green Lantern's 2004 mixtape ''Invasion Part Three: Countdown to Armageddon'', but it was not released to respect Dr. Dre's wish of de-escalation as mentioned in the song " Like Toy Soldiers" as the song contains disses towards
Suge Knight Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. ( ; born April 19, 1965) is an American former record executive, former National Football League, NFL player, and convicted felon, who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central f ...
and
Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...
in a time when tensions between Shady/
Aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an America ...
and Murder Inc. were at an all-time high. *"Antichrist (skit)" has been reused in the songs " Rhyme Or Reason" and "
Evil Twin The evil twin is an Antagonist (literature), antagonist found in many different fictional genres. The twin is physically nearly identical to the protagonist, but with a radically inverted morality. In films, they may have a symbolic physical dif ...
" both in his 2013 album ''
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on November 5, 2013, by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. It is his last album to feature the involvement of the i ...
''. *"Trade Off" was planned to be featured on Slaughterhouse's scrapped album, Glasshouse. *"Marshall Powers" was planned to be the intro to Eminem's studio album,
Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
, but was scrapped because it "went too far". *"Love Drunk", "Sociopath", "Key To My Room", "Sexual Healing", and "Back and Forth" were all intended for Eminem's scrapped sequel to his 6th studio album, Relapse, titled "Relapse 2" but was ultimately scrapped due to
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
turning the album copy down.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Straight From the Lab Eminem compilation albums 2003 mixtape albums