"The Way I Am" is a song written, produced, and performed by American rapper Eminem from his third album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000).

It features a much darker and emotionally driven sound than the album's lead single "The Real Slim Shady".

The song makes points such as him not being able to go out in public and live a normal life due to him being harassed by fans.

/ Middle America, now it's a tragedy / Now it's so sad to see, an upper-class city / Having this happening," refer to the Columbine High School massacre with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Same critic listed it in Recommended Downloads and praising the single: "Built over doomy, gothic arpeggios, rumbling bass, and church bells, Eminem lays down one of the most perfectly formed lyrics of his career, weaving in and out of a tight rhyme scheme that echoes the loping piano motif.

"[5] IGN praised the song: "Eminem is an angry ass white boy and the vitriol continues on 'The Way I Am', in which he soundly states 'I am whatever you say I am / If I wasn't why would I say I am?'

And when he complains that he's 'so sick and tired of being admired...', one almost believes that he'll hang up the mic and disappear (but Em obviously loves the attention so that's not an option at this point in the game).

The throbbing, tubular bell and piano laced beat only add to the intensity of the track (incidentally it was crafted by Em himself and it's one of the more stellar examples of his often hit or miss production techniques).

"[6] Sal Cinquemani called this song: "He (Eminem) revels in the fact that there's teen violence in upper-class cities on the epic 'The Way I Am'".

In the music video version of the song, wind sound effects can be heard when Eminem sings the intro, the first & last chorus.