It’s not just that Eminem is offensive—he’d rap about killing his mom for a good punchline (and has). It’s that in the process of deliberately trying to piss off everyone within reach, he's managed to tap into the American id with a clarity most artists—rappers or otherwise—don’t have the mettle to. And like any comedian worth his props, he never lets you get a laugh off without forcing you to think about about the tragedies that forged it. From provocations and murder fantasies to gut-turning examinations of his own traumas and travails, here’s the best of Eminem—a definitive artist of his era.