Eminem

Early Years

Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, was raised by a single mother in Detroit. He spent most of his unhappy childhood in constant motion. The family moved from one trailer to another, occasionally staying with relatives or living in their car when finances were tight.

Interested in rap music from a young age, Eminem first began performing at the age of 13. However, his early efforts to gain recognition were tainted by the fact that he was white in a predominantly black genre. It wasn’t until he was spotted by rap artist and producer Dr. Dre at the 1997 Rap Olympics freestyle battle that his career truly began.

Accomplishments

Today, Eminem takes his painful childhood experiences and turns them into music for the millions of disaffected youth who sympathize with his tales of the white lower-class experience.

As a rapper, his accomplishments include:

• According to Guinness World Records, he is the fastest-selling rap artist ever. The Marshall Mathers LP sold over 1.7 million domestic copies in its first week.
• My Name Is was the first rap video to hit the top spot on MTV’s TRL.
• Lose Yourself, from the movie 8 Mile, was the first rap song ever to win an Oscar for Best Song.
• In November 2002, he was the first artist to capture the honor of having the top album (Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture 8 Mile), movie (8 Mile), and song (Lose Yourself) at the same time.
• He’s one of the few rappers to achieve a Diamond RIAA Certification, indicating sales of over of 10,000,000 units.
• Nobel prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney has praised Eminem for his "verbal energy" and efforts to increase public interest in poetry.

Controversy

Despite his obvious musical gifts, Eminem’s career has been plagued by controversy. For example:

• He was sued by his mother over references to her drug use in My Name Is. She had demanded $10 million, but later settled for $25,000. However, $23,000 of this settlement was used to pay her legal fees.
• He was sued by DeAngelo Bailey, a childhood bully, over the lyrics in the song Brain Damage. Judges later dismissed the suit.
• After The Marshall Mathers LP was nominated for Album of the Year in 2001, the gay-rights group GLAAD organized a boycott of the Grammys.
• In 2004, his video for Just Lose It was pulled off BET for its negative portrayal of Michael Jackson’s personal life. However, MTV and VH1 opted to keep it on the air.
• He entered rehab for a dependency on sleep medication in August 2005.

Eminem Trivia

If you’re an Eminem fan, you’ll want to impress your friends with the following trivia:

• Eminem is a play on his initials, M & M.
• He dropped out of high school at 17, after failing the ninth grade three times.
• His hair is actually a dark brown, but he’s been bleaching it with peroxide since he was a teenager.
• His “Ronnie R.I.P.” tattoo on his upper left arm is in remembrance of the uncle who first introduced him to rap music. Ronald Polkingharn committed suicide in 1991.
• His “PROOF” tattoo on his lower left arm is a tribute to DeShaun Dupree Holton, his best friend who was shot to death on April 11, 2006.
• He has married and divorced his childhood sweetheart, Kimberly Ann Scott, twice. Kim is the mother of his daughter, Hailie Jade.
• He cites his most important musical influences as Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Dr. Dre, N.W.A., Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Kool G. Rap, Masta Ace, Nas, 2Pac, Biggie, Jay-Z, KRS-One, and Treach from Naughty by Nature.

Additional Information

• Official website
• Fan site
• Song lyrics and photos
• MTV photos, videos, and articles