Eminem is the first, and only, white rapper to really conquer the rap scene (sorry, Bubba Sparxxx…). He is the best-selling musician of the 2000's in the U.S. He sold 220 million records worldwide and is among the world's best-selling musicians ever. He won 15 Grammy's throughout his career.
Eminem's real name is Marshall Mathers, he has another alter ego called Slim Shady. Some call him the king of Hip Hop. His groundbreaking rhymes are often controversial and tend to focus on his personal life and his career. His style and delivery were first of their kind.
Eminem's out of this world story will make you listen to his albums in a whole different way.
A Legend is Born
He was born on October 17, 1972 in Missouri, the only son of Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. and Deborah Rae. His mom and dad were in a music band called Daddy Warbucks, before they separated. His father abandoned the family and moved to live in California. Both of his parents started over – his mother gave birth to another son (Nathan), while his father had two more kids – a son and a daughter (Michael and Sarah). Eminem and his mother moved a lot growing up, staying mainly in houses of relatives.
Bad Neighborhood and a Liking for Comics
As a teen Eminem wrote letters to his father, but those were never answered. Eminem was picked on quite a lot as a child, and once an attack by a bully resulted in a head injury.
Eminem grew up in a Detroit neighborhood that was inhabited mostly by working-class African Americans. Before discovering hip-hop Eminem was a huge fan of comic books (today it's rumored that Eminem's collection is otherworldly, and that he has items that aren't even available at the stores). Eminem even tried creating his own graphic novels.
The Way to Becoming one of the Greatest
His mother's step brother Ronnie let him hear his first hip-hop song and later became a musical mentor of his. When Ronnie committed suicide in 1991 Eminem was broken and couldn't speak or get out of the house for days.
When he was fourteen, he began rapping with his buddy Mike; they called themselves Manix and M&M. Eminem listened to every rap album that was ever created. He was unique in the sense that he orchestrated his songs around the lyrics, most rappers wrote their lyrics to beats. This helped him become one of the greatest.
A Knack for Words
Marshall didn't like school; he failed out of the 9th grade 3 times before giving up. But he always had a passion for English words. He once even said he enjoyed reading the dictionary and showed his proficiency of the slant rhyme by freestyling words that rhyme with orange. With this eager enthusiasm from the English language, he continued to writing lyrics for rap battles in the underground hip hop scene. He started participating in freestyle hip hop battles, one of them was at Maurice Malone’s Hip-hop Shop (a place where Proof hosted battles during the '90s) where he was up against Kuniva, who went on to became a member of D12.
Troubles at Home
Eminem's mother wasn't easy to get along with and they had quite a lot of fights. When Eminem became famous he spoke about his mother in a far from flattering way. In her defense, she said she was a good mother and that she had a significant part in his success.
Eminem dropped out of his high school when he was seventeen. He started working in some petty jobs in order to help his mother pay the bills. Eminem said that his mother would take most of his paycheck and then kick him out of the house.
The Dirty Dozen
Eminem also started building a name for himself, mainly in Detroit's underground hip hop scene. Eminem joined rap band New Jacks and then collaborated with Soul Intent along with his rapper friend Proof. Eminem and Proof then formed their own rap group with 4 other rappers, called D12 (The Dirty Dozen). They released their first album in 2001, Devil's Night (the meaning of the name was in reference to the habit of setting abandoned buildings on fire the night before Halloween). Eminem got himself a contract with FBT productions and recorded his first solo album, Infinite, for their independent label.
Financial Problems
The album failed when it came out in 1996. In the album Eminem talked a lot about the financial difficulties he had raising his newborn child, Hailie. He worked 60 hours a week washing dishes after his daughter was born. Eminem was fired from his job, drank a lot and tried to commit suicide. He moved to his mother's house along with Kim and Hailie. Eminem's failure led him to write angrier lyrics. He lived with his spouse Kim in a bad neighborhood and they got robbed a few times. Eminem created his sadistic and violent alter-ego Slim Shady that was also darkly humorous.
Starting Up a Family
Eminem was married twice to Kim Scott. He met her in high school and in no time she and her twin sibling Dawn moved in with him and his mom when he was only 17. Their unsteady relationship began 1989. Kim gave birth to their daughter Hailie in 1995. Eminem and Kim were married in 1999 and divorced two years later. The couple remarried seven years later in 2006. They divorced 4 months later and agreed to joint custody of their daughter. Eminem also has custody of Dawn's daughter Alaina, and Whitney, Kim's daughter from a previous relationship.
Eminem's Daughter Hailie
Beyond the profanity and invented personas, one thing remains authentic through Eminem's music - his love for his daughter Hailie. When I'm Gone from Curtain Call was a love letter from Eminem to Hailie, just like Mockingbird from the album Encore.
She appeared in his songs from the moment she came into the world. He portrays her as an anchor in the storm that is his life. She's the one keeping him sane in the crazy world he lives in. When he was hospitalized after a drug overdose, he said that the most difficult part was missing out on Christmas with his kids.
An Abusive, Drug-Addicted Parent
Eminem's relationships with his mother and his ex-spouse have been a reoccurring topic in his music. In The Slim Shady LP, he suggested that his mother was an abusive, drug-using parent. She filed a lawsuit against him for defamation (which was resolved privately). Eminem later said that despite saying that she did more drugs than he did, the drugs she abused were prescription drugs.
She admitted to taking Valium and Vicatin during Eminem's childhood. After portraying her in a negative way in other of his songs he eventually expressed regret to her with his 2014 track Headlights.
Killing His Spouse
The rapper's relations with Kim were also stormy in music and in real life. He lyrically killed her in some of his songs (Kim, 97 Bonnie and Clyde) even using his daughter's voice in one of them. They married in 1999, divorced two years later and then married again in 2006 (lasted four months this time). They remained friends and of course share parenting duties. That's quite an achievement considering the ups and downs of their relationship and how it came across in Eminem's songs. In Eminem's album Revival (2017), he apologized to Kim for the way she was depicted in his music.
Shocking Talent
In 1997 he recorded and released his album Slim Shady EP. The album included a lot of violence, substance abuse, profanity and adult content. It also dealt with poverty and family problems. During the same year he also participated in the Rap Olympics, a rap battle tournament. He came in 2nd and got the attention of the legendary Dr. Dre (one of N.W.A's founding members). Jimmy Iovine, CEO of Interscope Records, sent a CD to Dre, the Dr. immediately said – find him, now. Dre was completely shocked by Eminem's talent and took him under his wing.
A Musician Not To Be Ignored
Eminem was living in a trailer when his EP Slim Shady ended up in the hands of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. Dre was criticized for working with a white rapper but ignored the judgement. Eminem's breakout single, My Name Is, had references to adult situations, violence and drugs. Even after censorship, the track was controversial—and this was when bestselling music was controlled by boy bands and Britney. Love him or hate him, Eminem was not to be ignored. He was a global success. All the controversies in his songs just made people talk about him even more.
Nobody's Safe
Many celebrities have been slammed by Eminem in his albums. Some of them include: Christina Aguilera, Carson Daly, Fred Durst, Ja Rule, Tyler The Creator, Will Smith, Nick Cannon, Miley Cyrus, Britney, Iggy Azalea, Lana Del Rey, Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, John Mayer, Sarah Palin, Machine Gun Kelly, Tony Romo, Amy Winehouse, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Hilary Clinton and the list goes on and on… Some claimed that some of his feuds were staged. For example, since Eminem & Machine Gun Kelly belong to the same label, it made sense that their feud was staged, people claimed.
Lawsuits Piling Up
In 1999, Eminem's mother filed a lawsuit against him for ten million dollars for slamming her on his album. She got approximately $1,600 in damages in 2001. In 2000, Eminem was arrested after he attacked John Guerrera in a parking lot after he spotted him kissing Kim. Eminem pleaded guilty for assault charges and was sentenced to 2 years' probation; Guerrera's assault charge was dismissed as a part of a plea agreement. During the same year Kim tried to commit suicide and later filed a lawsuit against Eminem for slandering her in his song Kim.
Canadian Officials VS. Eminem
In 2000, Canadian politicians tried to stop Eminem from performing there. He had a concert planned in Toronto, but a local attorney general said they were concerned about the violence in his songs. A complaint was filed against Eminem in Toronto's police department claiming he was promoting violence against women. Eventually after all the negative press hype he got there, Eminem performed in front of 60,000 people at Toronto's SkyDome.
This was exactly the center of the controversy surrounding the white rapper: Some considered his lyrics a brilliant, a biting take on pop culture & American values, while others found it offensive and hateful with the sole intention of selling more records.
A Bully?
Cleaner DeAngelo Bailey sued Eminem for a million$ in 2001, blaming him of portraying him in a negative and false way in his song Brain Damage. Bailey admitted bullying Eminem when they were in school, but said he never did anything more than push him a little bit. Eminem recalled coming home in tears many times because of him. He once returned home with a bruised nose, a busted lip and many cuts and bruises but refused ratting him out. Marshall's mother demanded he'd say who did it, but he gave her no names.
Bailey received no compensation and his lawsuit was dismissed.
Working With An Idol
Eminem was a huge fan of Dre, and it took him a while to feel comfortable around his idol. Eminem released The Slim Shady LP in 1999 and it was a quadruple platinum album. Despite being one of the year's most successful albums it was also a very controversial one, mainly because of its strong violent content. Dre and Eminem's partnership also gave birth to several hit songs like Forgot About Dre and What's the Difference from Dre's album 2001. Eminem said in a few interviews that he considered Dre to be the best beatmaker in the world, and the best mixer.
Breaking Records
The Marshall Mathers LP was released in 2000. It sold like hotcakes and broke records previously held by Snoop Dogg and Britney Spears. The 1st single from the album, The Real Slim Shady, was a smash hit despite being very offensive. In June of the same year Eminem performed in the Up in Smoke Tour with big name rappers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Proof, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, D12, MC Ren, Devin The Dude, Warren G, and Ice Cube. Surprise guest appearances also took place during some of the shows.
The Eminem Show
In 2002 The Eminem Show came out. It was another hit, reaching number 1 on the charts (best-selling album of 2002). The album's single, Without Me, slams Limp Bizkit, Dick Cheney and Moby among others. Other successful singles from the album include Cleanin' Out My Closet, Superman and Sing for the Moment. The album revolved around the effects of Eminem's rising to stardom, his relationship with his spouse Kim and with Hailie and his place in the rap community. Although The Eminem Show was yet another angry and controversial album, many found it less provocative than his previous one.
A Ten-Million-Dollar Lawsuit
In 2002, jazz pianist Jacques Loussier filed a ten-million-dollar lawsuit for copyright infringement against Eminem, Dr. Dre and Interscope records, claiming that the beat for one of their tracks (Kill You) was stolen from one of his instrumentals (Pulsion). He demanded that sales of The Marshall Mathers LP be stopped. Loussier has a studio in France that's been the recording location for songs and albums by Elton John, Pink Floyd and many others. Loussier’s recordings with his innovative Play Back Trio, which introduced improvisations into the canon of J.S. Bach, sold more than six million copies worldwide in the early 60's. The case was resolved in a private manner.
8 Mile
After participating in Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's movie The Wash (2001) Eminem got his starring role in the semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile (2002). The movie told the story of a young Detroit rapper trying to move up in the music world and dealing with life in his rough neighborhood. Lose Yourself, the song he wrote for the movie, tries to portray the lead character's fight to write lyrics worthy of a throwdown. He recorded a number of new songs for the movie's OST besides Lose Yourself (which won an Oscar for Best Original Song). Eminem didn't attend the Academy Award ceremony and sent someone else to receive the reward on his behalf.
Under Investigation From the Secret Service
Towards the end of 2003, the Secret Service announced it was investigating allegations that Eminem threatened President George W. Bush in one of his songs. The controversial words were - F**k money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents. Since "dead presidents" is slang for dollar bills and because he didn't specify the president of the U. S or mention Bush specifically, the Secret Service never took any real action against Eminem.The investigation led to nothing and the track eventually had a very limited release (included as a bonus track in a few editions of the CD).
Shady Records
After Eminem's Multi-Platinum successes, Interscope gave him his own label; Along with Paul Rosenberg they founded Shady Records in 1999. Eminem signed D12 and Obie Trice and in 2002 50 Cent was on board as well. In 2001 D12's first album, came out. After their debut, D12 took a 3-year hiatus and reunited in 2004 for their 2nd album.
His next album Encore, was released in 2004, and was successful as well. The album's first single was full of insults towards Michael Jackson, who was very unhappy with it.
Rumors of Retirement
Encore sold over five million records in the U.S and more than 2 million in Europe. Pee-wee Herman, MC Hammer and Madonna were slammed in Encore as well. Eminem also attacked president Bush in another song from the album. In 2005, rumors circled that Eminem was considering retirement. He released Curtain Call: The Hits, during the end of the year. Reporters claimed that Eminem would end his solo career and move on to work only as a producer and label executive. On the day of the album's release he made a public appearance and denied that he was quitting.
Drug Addiction
In 2005, Eminem began his 1st US musical tour in 3 years, with 50 Cent, The Alchemist, Obie Trice, G Unit, Lil Jon and D12 featuring. Later that year, Eminem started drug rehab as he was hooked on sleep medication. Eminem was addicted to Vicodin, Ambien and Valium.
At his lowest, Eminem took 60 Valium and 30 Vicodin per day. He also ate a lot of fast food and gained a lot of weight.
One day at McDonald's, he witnessed a conversation between two guys arguing if it was actually the legendary rapper since he gained a lot of weight and was unrecognizable.
Rehab
His own fans not recognizing him made him sad, but he had to wait for something dramatic to happen in order to turn his life around. In 2007, he was hospitalized after a drug overdose. He was very close to dying. He began rehab with a diet and exercise program that included a lot of running. Elton John became his sponsor and helped him out during that time, constantly calling to check on him. Their unlikely friendship began back in 2001 when they performed together Eminem's song Stan in the Grammy awards of the same year. Their bond shows the separation between Marshall Mathers and the identities he takes on in his music.
Comeback
Curtain Call: The Hits became another platinum hit. Eminem's autobiography came out in 2008. He wrote about his dealings with poverty, drug addictions, rising to stardom, and mental health.
Eminem dealt with personal problems and didn't hurry releasing his next album. In 2009 he released Relapse, an album he produced along with Dr. Dre (released under Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records). Although Relapse did not succeed as much as Eminem's previous records and got very mixed reviews, it still put him back in the center of the hip-hop world.
Recovery
Recovery, his 7th album was released in 2010. It was a follow-up to Eminem's previous album Relapse and was intended to come out as Relapse 2. Eminem thought the music in it was different and decided to turn it into a separate album. It was the best-selling record of the year. It was critically acclaimed despite claims that it was inconsistent. During the year Eminem performed together with Jay-Z in Detroit and NY, at shows called The Home & Home Tour. The first 2 shows sold out fast, and additional 2 shows were scheduled. Eminem also collaborated with Jay-Z's protege Rihanna that year.
Working Hard
In 2012 Eminem released his 8th album - The Marshall Mathers LP 2. It was the best-selling album of 2013. At that year's Grammy Awards, he was given the Best Rap Album award. In 2014, Eminem released Shady XV, it had 2 discs, one containing the greatest hits of Shady Records, and the other of new tracks by Shady Records musicians. A year later an Eminem Box Set, with 10 discs, was released. Among other things it had 7 of Eminem's 8 studio records and the soundtrack of his film 8 Mile.
Kamikaze
In 2018, Eminem released his 10th album Kamikaze, his 2nd album in eight months. It was his 9th record in a row that managed doing so. When Eminem released this unexpected album, he didn't arrange a press tour or any other kind of media promotion. He just put a link to buy the album on social media, asked fans to buy it and added a middle finger emoji.
He decided he wanted the music to do all the talking for him.
The album was filled with controversial lyrics—and attacked rival rappers and politicians he hated. Kamikaze got mixed reviews.
A unique voice
The dynamic and hostile nature of his music is disliked by some while resonating with others. Eminem can stay off-the-radar for years but remain productive. There were years in which he didn't release an album, but when one comes out, it's a best seller that combines topical and personal issues. He's edgy, always saying exactly what he's feeling, sparing no one’s feelings in the process.
In Stan, he explored not just sanity and the lack of it, but also terror, depression and laughter. He deals with profound human questions.
Eminem manages to bring a unique voice in a business full of clichés.