Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972),[1] better known by his stage name Eminem and by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter, and actor. In addition to his solo career, Eminem is a member of his group D12, as well as one half of the hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, alongside Royce da 5'9". Eminem is one of the world's best-selling music artists and is the best-selling artist of the 2000s.[2] He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone magazine which ranked him 82nd on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[3] The same magazine declared him The King of Hip Hop.[4] Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has achieved ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200. Eminem has sold over 100 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. As of early January 2012, he has sold 49.1 million albums and 42 million tracks the United States itself.[5]
After releasing his independent debut album Infinite in August 1996, Eminem rose to mainstream popularity with the release of his February 1999 album The Slim Shady LP. The LP also earned Eminem his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The Slim Shady LP was followed by The Marshall Mathers LP in May 2000 and The Eminem Show in late May 2002, both of which also won Best Rap Album Grammy Awards, making Eminem the first artist to win Best Rap Album for three consecutive LPs. This was followed by another studio release in November 2004 titled Encore. Eminem then went on hiatus after touring in 2005. He released his sixth album Relapse in May 2009. In June 2010, Eminem released his seventh studio album Recovery. Recovery was an international success and was named the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, becoming the rapper's second album, after The Eminem Show, to become the internationally best-selling album of its year. Eminem won Grammy Awards for both Relapse and Recovery, giving him a total of 13 Grammys in his career.[6] His eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was released in early November 2013.
Eminem has opened other ventures, including his own record label Shady Records with his manager Paul Rosenberg. He also has his own radio channel, Shade 45 on Sirius XM Radio. In November 2002, Eminem starred in the hip hop drama film 8 Mile. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, becoming the first rap artist ever to win the award.[7] He has also made cameo appearances in The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), and the television series Entourage.
Contents [show]
Life and career
1972–95: Early life and beginnings
Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He is the only child of Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. (born c. 1951) and Deborah R. "Debbie" Nelson (born 1955). Eminem is of English, German, Scottish, and Swiss descent.[8] Debbie was 14 when she first met 18-year-old Bruce[9] and nearly died during Eminem's 73-hour birth.[10] His parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing Ramada Inns along the Dakota-Montana border before their relationship went sour. Bruce left the family shortly thereafter, moving to California.[11] From later relationships, Bruce has two other children, Michael and Sarah (born c. 1982),[12] while Debbie has a son Nathan Kane "Nate" Samara (known as Nate Kane) (born February 3, 1986). During childhood, Eminem and Debbie shuttled between Missouri and Michigan, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and mostly living with family members. In Missouri, they lived in various cities and towns, including Saint Joseph, Savannah, and Kansas City,[13] before finally settling in Warren, Michigan when Eminem was eleven.[11][14] As a teen, Eminem wrote letters to his father Bruce. According to Debbie, all of these came back "return to sender."[11] Friends and family contend Eminem was a happy child but also "a bit of a loner" who often was bullied; one such persecutor, De'Angelo Bailey, beat Eminem so significantly that he suffered a severe head injury. In response, Debbie Nelson filed a lawsuit against the school in 1982, but the case was dismissed the following year.[10]
Eminem spent much of his formative years living in a largely black lower-middle-class Detroit neighborhood.[11] He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Eminem was confronted and beaten up by African-Americans on several occasions.[11] As a child, Eminem developed an interest in storytelling and aspired to become a comic book artist before discovering hip hop.[15] Eminem heard his first rap song, "Reckless" featuring Ice-T, at age nine on the Breakin' soundtrack, which he received as a gift from Debbie's half-brother Ronald "Ronnie" Polkinghorn. Ronnie committed suicide ten years later; the loss affected Eminem so greatly that he stopped speaking for days and was absent at the funeral.[11] His home life was seldom stable, and Eminem frequently fought with his mother, who was once described by a social worker as having a "very suspicious, almost paranoid personality." Debbie bristled at any suggestion that she was less than an ideal mother when her son became famous, contending that she sheltered Eminem and was responsible for his success. In 1987, Debbie allowed runaway Kimberly Ann "Kim" Scott to stay at their home; several years later, Eminem would begin an on-and-off relationship with Kim.[10] After spending three years in ninth grade due to truancy and poor grades,[16] he dropped out of Lincoln High School at age 17. Although he was highly interested in English, he was never into literature (preferring to read comic books instead) and disliked math and social studies.[17] He worked several jobs to help his mother with bills, later maintaining that he would often be kicked out regardless. When she would leave to play bingo, Eminem would blast the stereo and write lyrics.[11]
At the age of 14, he began rapping with high-school friend Mike Ruby, the two adopting the names "Manix" and "M&M," which soon morphed into Eminem.[1][10] Eminem grew ready to test his skills by sneaking into neighboring Osborn High School with friend and fellow rapper Proof for lunchroom freestyle battles.[18] On Saturdays, the two friends attended open-mic contests at the Hip-Hop Shop, located on West 7 Mile. The spot was considered the "ground zero" for the Detroit rap scene.[11] While struggling to succeed in a predominantly black industry, he gained the approval of underground hip hop audiences.[1][19][20] To put together verses, Eminem wanted the most words to rhyme, and would write long words or phrases out on paper and, underneath, proceed to rhyme each syllable.[17] Even though it would often make little sense, the drill helped him practice.[17] Based on his growing profile and reputation, he was recruited to join several rap groups. The first of these was the New Jacks, and after they disbanded, he joined Soul Intent, who released a single in 1995.[1] This single also featured Proof, and the two rappers broke off on their own to form D12, a six-member crew that functioned more as a Wu-Tang-styled collective than a regularly performing group.[11] Eminem had his first run-in with the law at age 20, when he was arrested for involvement with a drive-by shooting with a paintball.[10]
1996–99: Early career, Infinite, and The Slim Shady LP
Eminem was soon signed to FBT Productions, run by brothers Jeff and Mark Bass, and recorded his debut album, Infinite, under their independent label Web Entertainment.[21] Subjects covered in Infinite included his struggles with raising his newborn daughter Hailie Jade Scott Mathers while on limited funds. During this period, Eminem's rhyme style was primarily inspired by rappers Nas and AZ and his work lacked the comedically violent slant he would later gain fame for.[22] Infinite was largely ignored by Detroit disc jockeys, and the feedback Eminem received—"Why don't you go into rock and roll?"—led him to craft angrier, more moody tracks.[11] During this time, he and Kim Scott lived in a high-crime neighborhood, where their house was burglarized numerous times.[11] He held a minimum-wage job of cooking and dishwashing at the rustic, family-style restaurant Gilbert's Lodge at St. Clair Shores for some time.[23] Eminem was described by his former boss as a model employee, once working 60 hours a week in a six-month period shortly after Hailie's birth.[10] Shortly before Christmas, he was fired from his job at Gilbert's Lodge. "It was, like, five days before Christmas, which is Hailie's birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something."[11] After the release of Infinite, Eminem's personal struggles and abuse of drugs and alcohol culminated in an unsuccessful suicide attempt.[1] By March 1997, he was fired from Gilbert’s Lodge for the last time, and was still living in his mother's mobile home with Kim and Hailie.[10]
Things began to pick up when Eminem developed his sadistic, ultra-violent alter ego Slim Shady. The character, "a drug-dealing, bloodthirsty thug who spits furious rhymes about murder, rape, drugs and living by the law of the urban jungle," tapped into Eminem's rage and resentment.[10] In the spring of 1997, he recorded his debut EP, the Slim Shady EP, issued later that winter by Web Entertainment.[11] The EP features constant references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability, and over-the-top violence. Other departures were his exploration of more serious themes—such as dealing with poverty and marital and family difficulties—and his direct and self-deprecating response to criticism.[1] Hip-hop magazine The Source featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column in March 1998.[24] After being evicted from his home, he traveled to Los Angeles to participate in the 1997 Rap Olympics, an annual nationwide rap battle competition. He placed second, and the staff at Interscope Records who attended the event sent a copy of the Slim Shady EP to company CEO Jimmy Iovine. Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath Entertainment. Dr. Dre recalled, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find him. Now.'" Dr. Dre faced criticism from associates for hiring a white rapper, but maintained confidence in his decision: "I don't give a fuck if you're purple: If you can kick it, I'm working with you."[11] Eminem, who had idolized Dr. Dre since listening to his group N.W.A as a teenager, was nervous to work with him on the album: "I didn't want to be starstruck or kiss his ass too much..... I'm just a little white boy from Detroit. I had never seen stars, let alone Dr. Dre."[25] However, he became more comfortable working with Dr. Dre after a series of highly productive recording sessions.[26]
Eminem released The Slim Shady LP in February 1999. It became one of the most popular albums of the year, going triple platinum by the end of the year.[27] With the album's popularity came controversy surrounding many of the album's lyrics. In "'97 Bonnie and Clyde", he describes a trip with his infant daughter, disposing of his wife's body. Another song, "Guilty Conscience", ends with his encouraging a man to murder his wife and her lover. "Guilty Conscience" marked the beginning of the friendship and musical bond that Dr. Dre and Eminem would share. The two label-mates would later collaborate on a line of hit songs, including "Forgot About Dre" and "What's the Difference" from Dr. Dre's album 2001, "Bitch Please II" from The Marshall Mathers LP, "Say What You Say" from The Eminem Show, "Encore/Curtains Down" from Encore, and "Old Time's Sake" and "Crack a Bottle" from Relapse. Dr. Dre would go on to make at least one guest appearance on all of Eminem's studio albums under the label Aftermath.[28] The album has now been certified 4× platinum by the RIAA. With the release of it, Eminem was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper Cage.[29][30]
2000–02: The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show
The Marshall Mathers LP was released in May 2000. It went on to sell 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking the records set by Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle as the fastest-selling hip hop album and by Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time as the fastest-selling solo album in United States history.[31][32] The first single released from the album, "The Real Slim Shady", was a success and created some controversy by insulting celebrities and making dubious claims about them; he states, among other things, that Christina Aguilera performed oral sex on Fred Durst and Carson Daly.[33] In his second single, "The Way I Am", he reveals to his fans the pressures from his record company to top "My Name Is" and sell more records. Although Eminem had parodied shock rocker Marilyn Manson in the music video for "My Name Is", the artists are reportedly on good terms; Manson is name-dropped in "The Way I Am" and also appeared in its music video, as well as performing a remix of the song with Eminem in concert.[34] In the third single, "Stan" (which samples Dido's "Thank You"), Eminem attempts to deal with his new-found fame, taking on the persona of a deranged fan who kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend, mirroring "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" on The Slim Shady LP.[19] In the music video of "Stan", Eminem was shown writing with his left hand, ending the fan debate over his dominant hand. Q magazine named "Stan" the third-greatest rap song of all time,[35] and the song came tenth in a similar survey conducted by Top40-Charts.com.[36] The song has since become highly acclaimed and was ranked 290th in Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.[37] In July 2000, Eminem became the first white person to be featured on the cover of The Source magazine.[24] The Marshall Mathers LP has been certified 10× Platinum by the RIAA.
Eminem performing on tour in promotion of The Eminem Show.
Eminem performed with Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001;[38] the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), an organization that perceived Eminem's lyrics to be homophobic, condemned the openly gay John's decision to perform with Eminem.[39] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "It was the hug heard 'round the world. Eminem, under fire for homophobic lyrics, shared the stage with a gay icon for a performance of "Stan" that would have been memorable in any context."[40] On February 21, the day of the ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center, the venue where the Grammy ceremony was held.[41] Music tours that he participated in for 2001 included the Up in Smoke Tour with rappers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and Ice Cube,[42] the Family Values Tour with the band Limp Bizkit,[43] and headlining the Anger Management Tour with Papa Roach, Ludacris, and Xzibit.
Eminem released The Eminem Show in May 2002. It became another hit for the rapper, reaching number one on the charts and selling well over 1.332 million copies in its first full week of sales.[27] It featured the single "Without Me", in which Eminem makes derogatory comments about boy bands, Limp Bizkit, Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney, and Moby, among others. The Eminem Show has been certified 10× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album reflected on the impact of his rise to fame, his relationship with his wife and daughter, and his status in the hip-hop community. He also addresses the charges he faced over assaulting a bouncer he saw kissing his wife in 2000. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic felt that while there was clear anger present on several tracks, this album was considerably less inflammatory than The Marshall Mathers LP.[44] However, L. Brent Bozell III, who previously criticized The Marshall Mathers LP for its lyrical content that Bozell perceived to be misogynistic, noted The Eminem Show for its extensive use of obscene language, giving Eminem the nickname "Eminef" for the bowdlerization of motherfucker, an obscenity prevalent in the album.[45] The Eminem Show was the best-selling album of 2002.[46]
2003–07: Encore and musical hiatus
On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service admitted that it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States.[47] The lyrics that had led to this were "Fuck money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents". These lyrics come from the track "We As Americans", which was later released on a bonus CD accompanying deluxe editions of Eminem's fourth major album, Encore.[48]
Encore was released in 2004. The album was another chart-topper. Its sales were driven partly by its first single, "Just Lose It", which features attacks on Michael Jackson. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Michael Jackson called into the Los Angeles-based Steve Harvey radio show to report his displeasure with the video, which parodies Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery, and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984. The lyrics to "Just Lose It" refer to Jackson's legal troubles, although Eminem does state in his song "that's not a stab at Michael / That's just a metaphor / I'm just psycho". Many of Jackson's supporters and friends spoke out about the video, including Stevie Wonder, who called the video "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit",[49] and Steve Harvey, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back."[49] In the video, Eminem parodied Pee-wee Herman, MC Hammer, and "Blond Ambition"-era Madonna.[50] Regarding Jackson's protest, "Weird Al" Yankovic, who parodied the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" on a track titled "Couch Potato" on his 2003 album Poodle Hat, told the Chicago Sun-Times, "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my 'Lose Yourself' parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career. So the irony of this situation with Michael is not lost on me."[51] Black Entertainment Television was the first channel to stop airing the video. MTV, however, announced that it would continue airing the video. The Source, through its CEO Raymond "Benzino" Scott, wanted not only for the video to be pulled, but for the song to be removed from the album and for Eminem to publicly apologize to Jackson.[52] In 2007 Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music LLC from Viacom. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem, Shakira, and Beck, among others.[53]
Despite the comedic theme of the lead single, Encore had its fair share of serious subject matter, including the anti-war track "Mosh". On October 25, 2004, a week before the 2004 US Presidential election, Eminem released the video for "Mosh" on the Internet.[54] The song was strongly critical of President George W. Bush, with lyrics such as "fuck Bush" and "this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president".[55] The video features Eminem gathering up an army of people, including rapper Lloyd Banks, presented as victims of the Bush administration, and leading them to the White House. However, once the army breaks in, it is revealed that they are there to simply register to vote, and the video ends with the words "VOTE Tuesday November 2" on the screen. After Bush was re-elected, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading while Bush was giving a speech.[56]
In 2005, some industry insiders speculated that Eminem was considering ending his rapping career after six years and several multi-platinum albums. Speculation began in early 2005 about a double-disc album to be released late that year, rumored to be titled The Funeral.[57] The album later manifested itself as a greatest hits album under the name Curtain Call: The Hits in December. In July 2005, the Detroit Free Press broke news of a potential final bow for Eminem as a solo performer, quoting members of his inside circle who said that he would begin to fully embrace the role of producer and label executive. On the same day of the release of the compilation album, Eminem denied that he was retiring on Detroit-based WKQI's "Mojo in the Morning" radio show, but implied that he would at least be taking a break as an artist, saying "I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going ... This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call', because this could be the final thing. We don't know."[58] He released The Re-Up with the members of his record label, Shady Records. It was released in 2006.
In 2005, Eminem was a subject of Bernard Goldberg's book, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America; he ranked No. 58.[59] Goldberg cited a 2001 column by Bob Herbert of The New York Times claiming, "In Eminem's world, all women are whores and he is eager to rape and murder them."[60] Goldberg cited Eminem's song "No One's Iller" from the Slim Shady EP as an example of misogyny in his music.[61] In summer 2005, Eminem embarked on his first US concert run in three years, the Anger Management 3 Tour, featuring 50 Cent, G-Unit, Lil Jon, D12, Obie Trice, The Alchemist, and others. In August 2005, Eminem canceled the European leg of the tour and subsequently announced that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment for a "dependency on sleep medication".[62] Curtain Call: The Hits was released on December 6, 2005, under Aftermath Entertainment.[63] In its first week it sold nearly 441,000 copies in the US and was Eminem's fourth straight No. 1 album on the Billboard Hot 200.[64] The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA.[65]
In September 2007, Eminem called into New York radio station Hot 97 during an interview with 50 Cent and said he was "in limbo" and "debating" about when and if he would release another album. He said, "I'm always working – I'm always in the studio. It feels good right now, the energy of the label. For a while, I didn't want to go back to the studio..... I went through some personal things. I'm coming out of those personal things [and] it feels good."[66]
2008–09: Relapse and Refill
Eminem, along with D12, performing in May 2009
Eminem made an appearance on his Sirius channel Shade 45 in September 2008, during which he said, "Right now I'm kinda just concentrating on my own stuff, for right now and just banging out tracks and producing a lot of stuff. You know, the more I keep producing the better it seems like I get 'cause I just start knowing stuff."[67] It was around this time that Interscope finally confirmed the existence of a new Eminem album,[68] with Spring 2009 later being stated as the period in which the album is due.[69] In December 2008, he gave more details on the album, which he recently reported was being titled Relapse. He said, "Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man. Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on 'Relapse'. We are up to our old mischievous ways ... let's just leave it at that."[70]
On March 5, 2009, Eminem reported in a press release that he would be releasing two new albums that year. Relapse, the first album, was released on May 19, while the first official single, "We Made You", and its music video were both released on April 7.[71] While Relapse did not manage to sell as well as Eminem's previous efforts, it was still a commercial success that received some critical acclaim, while also re-establishing his presence in the hip hop world. Relapse was named one of the top albums of 2009. Relapse has sold more than five million copies worldwide. During the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Sacha Baron Cohen descended upon the audience wearing an angel's costume and landed on top of Eminem with his buttocks facing toward Eminem's face, resulting in Eminem storming out of the awards ceremony in disgust. Three days later, Eminem stated it was a staged act that they had planned together.[72] On October 30, Eminem performed at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans as a headliner in his first full performance in 2009.[73] The performance included several songs from Relapse, as well as many of Eminem's older hits and an appearance by D12. On November 19, Eminem announced on his website that Relapse: Refill would be released on December 21. The album was a re-release of the Relapse album with seven bonus tracks, including "Forever" and "Taking My Ball". In a statement he described the forthcoming CD:
"I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned ... Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year ... I got back in with Dre and then a few more producers, including Just Blaze, and went in a completely different direction which made me start from scratch. The new tracks started to sound very different than the tracks I originally intended to be on Relapse 2, but I still want the other stuff to be heard."[74]
2010–11: Recovery and Bad Meets Evil reunion
Eminem and Rihanna performing "Love the Way You Lie" at E3 Expo Party in 2010
On April 14, 2010, Eminem tweeted, "There is no Relapse 2", to his followers. This caused people to believe that he was not releasing an album at all, but it simply meant that the album title would be changed to Recovery. He confirmed this by tweeting, "RECOVERY", with a link to his website. Eminem said, "I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year. But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title." His seventh studio album, Recovery, was released on June 18.[75] In the US, Recovery sold 741,000 in its first week to land atop the Billboard 200.[76][77] It became Eminem's sixth consecutive number-one album in the US and achieved international commercial success, charting at number one in several other countries. It stayed at number-one on the US Billboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks and a total of seven weeks.[78][79] Recovery was reported by Billboard to be the best-selling album of 2010, making Eminem the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history to have two year-end best-selling albums.[80] Recovery is the best-selling digital album in history.[81] The first single, "Not Afraid", was released on April 29, and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video was released on June 4.[82] "Not Afraid" was followed by a second single, "Love the Way You Lie", which debuted at number 2 and then rose to the top.[83] "Love the Way You Lie" was the best-selling single of 2010 in the United Kingdom, even though it did not reach number 1 there; this is the first time this has happened in the UK since 1969.[84] Despite some criticism toward its consistency, Recovery received positive reviews from most music critics. As of November 21, 2010, the album had sold three million copies in the US.[85] Recovery was also named the best-selling album worldwide of 2010, joining The Eminem Show, which was the best-seller of 2002, giving him two worldwide year-end number one albums.[86][87] With Recovery, Eminem achieved the record for most successive US No.1 albums by a solo artist.[88]
Eminem appeared at the 2010 BET Awards,[89] performing "Not Afraid" and "Airplanes, Part II", with B.o.B. He also performed at the Activison E3 concert. In June 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in a pair of concerts in Detroit and New York. The event was dubbed The Home & Home Tour. The first two concerts rapidly sold out, prompting the scheduling of an additional show at each venue.[90] BET also named Eminem the number one rapper of the 21st century.[91] Eminem opened the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010, performing "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie", with Rihanna singing the chorus.[92] Due to the success of Recovery and the Home & Home Tour, he was named the 2010 Hottest MC in the Game by MTV[93] and "Emcee of the Year" by hip hop news website HipHopDX.[94] Eminem and Rihanna collaborated once again to make "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", the sequel to their hit single "Love the Way You Lie". Unlike on the original "Love the Way You Lie", on the sequel Rihanna is the main vocalist. The song is said to be from the female perspective.[95] In December 2010, in Billboard's "The Top 25 Music Moments of 2010", The "Great Eminem Recovery" was named the number one music moment of 2010.[96] Eminem appeared at the 2011 Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, performing "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" with Rihanna and Adam Levine, and "I Need a Doctor" with Dr. Dre and Skylar Grey.[97] In February 2011, it was announced that "Space Bound" would be released as the fourth single from Recovery, and that a music video for the song would also be released and was shot with former porn star Sasha Grey.[98][99] The long-awaited video was released on June 24 on the iTunes Store.[100]
Eminem performing in 2011.
In 2010, Eminem started collaborating with Royce da 5'9" on their first EP as Bad Meets Evil. The duo was formed in 1999 and has reunited. The EP, entitled Hell: The Sequel, was released on June 14, 2011.[101] Eminem was featured on "Writer's Block" by Royce da 5'9", which was officially released on April 8, 2011.[102] On May 3, 2011, they released the lead single "Fast Lane" for the upcoming sequel, for which a music video was shot.[103] In March 2011, within days of each other, both The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP were certified diamond by the RIAA. This makes Eminem the only rapper to have two diamond-certified albums.[104] Also, Eminem climbed to the top of the Facebook charts by being the most followed person with more than 60 million "likes", outscoring Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and Michael Jackson.[105] Eminem is also the first artist in five years to have two number one albums in a 12-month period: Recovery and the collaborative Hell: The Sequel.[106] Early in 2011, Eminem leaked "2.0 Boys", for which Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse collaborated upon signing to Shady Records in January 2011 and performing it in April 2011.[107] Bad Meets Evil released their next single, "Lighters", on July 6, 2011, and they premiered a music video in late August.[108][109] On August 6, 2011, Eminem took several of his songs throughout his music career to a live performance at the Lollapalooza 2011, performing with various artists featured in their respective songs.[110]
2012–present: The Marshall Mathers LP 2
On May 24, 2012, Eminem announced he was working on his next studio album.,[111] set to be released in 2013.[112] Even without a title or release date, the album was included in multiple "Most Anticipated Albums of 2013" lists; including MTV, Complex Magazine where it was listed in sixth position; and XXL Magazine, where it was listed in fifth.[113]
On June 30, 2012, Eminem talked about the album with DJ Whoo Kid, on his own radio station, Shade 45. He stated that the material is taking shape, and that Dr. Dre will be involved in some way.[114] On August 30, 2012, Slaughterhouse member Royce da 5'9" gave his thoughts on the album, stating "I'm not so sure how the world is going to respond from some of the things that I've heard from him." Close friend and fellow rapper 50 Cent is also confirmed to feature on the album.[115] Eminem also was featured on Pink's album The Truth About Love on the track "Here Comes The Weekend".
On February 11, 2013, Shady Records President and Eminem manager Paul Rosenberg announced that Eminem's eighth studio album would be released after Memorial Day, 2013. "We fully expect to be releasing a new Eminem album in 2013. He's been working on it for some time," said Rosenberg. "It's safe to say that it will be post-Memorial Day at some point, but we're not exactly sure when. We've got some dates locked in for him to perform live in Europe in August, so we're trying to see what else lines up." The album remained untitled.[116] On March 22, 2013 Dr. Dre said that Eminem was close to finishing the album and that he worked together with Eminem on it.[117] Producer No I.D. has been confirmed to produce on the album.[118]
Eminem performing on the November 2, 2013 episode of Saturday Night Live.
On August 14, 2013, a song titled "Survival" featuring Liz Rodrigues, with production by DJ Khalil was premièred in the multiplayer trailer for the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts. A following press release revealed the first single from his eighth studio album would be released soon.[119][120] During the 2013 VMAs, it was revealed that Eminem's next album would be titled The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (a sequel to his previously released album The Marshall Mathers LP) and would be released on November 5, 2013.[121]
The lead single "Berzerk" was released on August 25, 2013. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following singles were "Survival", which was showcased during the Call of Duty: Ghosts reveal trailer,[122] "Rap God", and "The Monster" featuring Rihanna.
On November 3, 2013, Eminem was made the first YouTube Music Awards Artist of the Year.[123]
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was released as planned on November 5, 2013, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The standard edition contains 16 tracks, while the deluxe edition also includes a second disc with another 5 tracks. It became Eminem's seventh album to debut at No 1 on the Billboard 200. The album also has the second-largest debut sales week of the year.[124][125] After the album was released Eminem became first lead artist since The Beatles to have four singles score in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[126][127][128]
On November 10, 2013, Eminem won the “Global Icon” award at the 2013 MTV EMA Music Awards.[129]
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Eminem’s seventh consecutive No. 1 album in the UK. By achieving such a feat, Eminem became the first American act to score seven consecutive UK Number 1 albums and is now on par with The Beatles in second place for the most chart-topping U.K. albums in a row.[130][131][132] The album also secured Eminem's position in Canada as the best-selling artist and with the best-selling album in 2013.[133]
In January 2014, Mark Bass of the Bass Brothers confirmed that D12, had been recently recording at the F.B.T. studio and he had been mixing their recorded material. He also confirmed that Eminem was featured on at least three songs that have been completed.[134]
Other ventures
Shady Records and D12
Main articles: Shady Records and D12
As Eminem succeeded in multi-platinum record sales, Interscope granted him his own record label. He and his manager Paul Rosenberg created Shady Records in late 1999. He followed this by signing his own Detroit collective D12 and rapper Obie Trice to the label. In 2002, Eminem signed 50 Cent through a joint venture between Shady and Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. In 2003, Eminem and Dr. Dre signed Atlanta rapper Stat Quo to the Shady/Aftermath roster. DJ Green Lantern, the former DJ for Eminem, was signed to Shady Records until a dispute related to the 50 Cent and Jadakiss feud forced him to depart from the label; he is no longer associated with Eminem. The Alchemist is now officially Eminem's tour DJ. In 2005, Eminem signed another Atlanta rapper, Bobby Creekwater, to his label along with West Coast rapper Cashis.[16]
On December 5, 2006, Shady Records released compilation album, Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. It started out as a mixtape but Eminem found that the material was better than expected and released it as a full album. It was meant to help launch the new artists under the roster, like Stat Quo, Cashis and Bobby Creekwater.[135] Around the time of recording Infinite, Eminem and rappers Proof and Kon Artis gathered the group of rappers now collectively in the group D12, short for "Detroit Twelve" or "Dirty Dozen", performing in the manner of the multi-man group Wu-Tang Clan.[136] In 2001, Eminem brought his rap group, D12, to the popular music scene, and the group's debut album Devil's Night came out that year.[137] The first single released off of the album was "Shit on You", followed by "Purple Pills", an ode to recreational drug use. For radio and television, the censored version was heavily rewritten to remove many of the song's references to drugs and sex and was renamed "Purple Hills". While that single was a hit, the album's second single, "Fight Music", was not as successful.[138]
After their debut, D12 took a three-year break from the studio, later regrouping to release their second album, D12 World, in 2004, which featured the popular hit single release "My Band".[137] In April 2006, D12 member (and Eminem's childhood friend) Deshaun "Proof" Holton was killed in a club brawl on 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan, with US military veteran Keith Bender, Jr., who also died in the fray. The eruption is suspected to have been due to an argument over a game of pool. Proof was then allegedly shot by the bouncer Mario Etheridge, Bender's cousin. He was taken by private vehicle to St. John Health's Conner Creek Campus, an outpatient emergency treatment site, but pronounced dead on arrival. Eminem and former Detroit Shady Records artist Obie Trice spoke at the funeral.[139] D12 member Bizarre said that Eminem is not featured on his new album Blue Cheese & Coney Island because "he's busy doing his thing".[140] D12 released a mixtape in 2011 titled Return of the Dozen Volume 2 only featuring Eminem on one song, "Fame" unlike the group's previous mixtape Return of the Dozen where Eminem is not on any tracks.
Acting career
Although he had a small part in the 2001 film, The Wash, Eminem made his official Hollywood acting debut with the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile, released in November 2002. He has said the movie is not an account of his life, but a representation of growing up in Detroit. He recorded several new songs for the soundtrack, including "Lose Yourself," which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003. "Lose Yourself" would go on to become the longest running No. 1 hip hop single.[141] However, the song was not performed at the ceremony, due to Eminem's absence at the ceremony. His collaborator, Luis Resto, who co-wrote the song, accepted the award.[142]
Eminem has participated in various voice acting roles. Some of these include the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof, where he voices an aging corrupt police officer who speaks in Ebonics and guest spots on the Comedy Central television show Crank Yankers, and a web cartoon called The Slim Shady Show, which has since been pulled off-line and is instead sold on DVD.[143] He will be involved in either the soundtrack or scoring.[144] He was also in the running for the part of David Rice in 2008's film Jumper after Tom Sturridge was dropped just two weeks before filming. Concerns over not having a more prominent actor prompted the director, Doug Liman, to consider other actors for the role. He eventually selected Hayden Christensen over Eminem.[145] He also had a cameo appearance in the 2009 movie Funny People, in which he is involved in an argument with Ray Romano.
It was reported on November 8, 2009, that Eminem will star in the upcoming 3D horror anthology, Shady Talez, to be produced by John Davis.[146][147] A four-issue comic book series based on the film was expected to be published sometime in 2010.[148]
Eminem appeared alongside Christina Aguilera on the Entourage Season 7 finale titled 'Lose Yourself' as himself.[149]
Eminem is set to play a boxer in the upcoming film Southpaw. Peter Schiff will produce the film,[150] and Antoine Fuqua is reportedly the leading candidate to direct.[151] In January 2011, a report surfaced that Eminem will star in the upcoming thriller, Random Acts of Violence. His co-star Paul Walker died in a car accident on November 30, 2013.[152]
Eminem was offered the lead role in the 2013 sci-fi film Elysium but reportedly turned it down, leading director Neill Blomkamp to instead cast Matt Damon.[153]
Memoirs
On October 21, 2008, Eminem released a tell-all autobiography entitled The Way I Am, which details his struggles with poverty, drugs, fame, heartbreak and depression, along with stories about his rise to fame and commentary on past controversies. This book also contains some of the original lyric sheets from songs such as "Stan" and "The Real Slim Shady."[154]
Eminem's mother, Debbie Nelson, also released an autobiography entitled My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem in November 2008, which explains Nelson's life growing up, meeting Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. (Eminem's father) and Eminem's rise to, and struggle with, fame.
Advertising
Eminem was featured in two commercials that aired during Super Bowl XLV. The first, for Lipton's Brisk Iced Tea, was a one-minute spot that featured him as a claymation figure.[155] The other was a two-minute ad, at that time the longest in Super Bowl history, for the Chrysler 200. It featured Eminem driving through Detroit and ended with him taking the stage at the Fox Theatre with "Lose Yourself" playing as the soundtrack.[156][157]
Charity
Eminem has also founded his own charity named The Marshall Mathers Foundation, assisting disadvantaged youth. The foundation frequently works in conjunction with a charity founded by Norman Yatooma, a high profile Detroit attorney.[158]
Artistry
Influences and rapping technique
Eminem has named several MCs who influenced his rapping style, including Esham,[159] Kool G Rap,[160] Masta Ace,[161] Big Daddy Kane,[160] Newcleus,[161] Ice-T,[161] Mantronix,[161] Melle Mel (specifically the track "The Message"),[161] LL Cool J,[161] Beastie Boys,[161] Run–D.M.C.,[161] Rakim,[161] and Boogie Down Productions.[161]
In the book How to Rap, Guerilla Black notes that Eminem studied other MCs to create his rapping technique: "Eminem listened to everything and that's what made him one of the greats".[162] In the same book, Eminem is praised for various aspects of his rapping technique by numerous other MCs; these techniques include his varied and humorous subject matter,[163] connecting with his audience,[164] carrying a concept over a series of albums,[165] complex rhyme schemes,[166] his ability to bend words so that they rhyme,[167] his use of multisyllabic rhymes,[160] fitting many rhymes in each bar,[168] complex rhythms,[169] clear enunciation,[170] use of melody,[171] and syncopation.[172] He is also known to write the majority of his lyrics down on paper, as documented in his book The Way I Am, as well as taking a few days or a week to craft lyrics,[173] being a "workaholic",[174] and "stacking" vocals.[175]
Alter egos
Eminem uses alter egos in his songs to use different styles of rapping and subject matters. His most famous and popular alter ego, "Slim Shady", originated from the Slim Shady EP. While under this personality, Eminem makes violent and dark songs with a comical twist.[176] Though his Slim Shady persona has remained, Eminem did not include it in Recovery as much because he did not feel it fit the theme.[177]
Another character Eminem has portrayed is Ken Kaniff. Ken was originally played by fellow Detroit rapper Aristotle in the Slim Shady LP, who appeared in a prank call skit toward Eminem. After the Slim Shady LP, an argument led to Eminem taking the character of Ken Kaniff and playing him in several skits starting in the Marshall Mathers LP and onward (except for Encore and Recovery). In his Ken Kaniff personality, Ken is a homosexual who pokes fun at Eminem's songs. Aristotle, the original creator of Ken Kaniff, became angry over Eminem taking his character and created a mixtape in which he raps in his Ken persona denigrating Eminem.[178]
Featurings and productions
See also: Eminem production discography and Eminem guest appearances
Although he typically collaborates with various rappers under Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records, such as Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, D12, Obie Trice and also, Yelawolf, Eminem has collaborated with many other artists, including Redman, Kid Rock, DMX, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Drake, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Xzibit, Method Man, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Sticky Fingaz, T.I., and Young Jeezy among others. Eminem rapped a verse in a live performance of Busta Rhymes' "Touch It" remix at the 2006 BET Music Awards on June 27, 2006. Eminem was featured on Akon's single "Smack That" which appeared on his album Konvicted. He was featured on Lil Wayne's hit song "Drop the World". He is featured on the lead single off 50 Cent's fifth studio album Street King Immortal titled "My Life".
Eminem is also an active rap producer. Besides being the executive producer of D12's first two albums, Devil's Night and D12 World, he has executive produced Obie Trice's Cheers and Second Round's on Me as well as 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre.[179] In addition, Eminem has produced songs by other famous rappers, such as Jadakiss' "Welcome To D-Block", Jay-Z's "Renegade" and "Moment of Clarity" Lloyd Banks' "On Fire", "Warrior Part 2", and "Hands Up", Tony Yayo's "Drama Setter", Trick-Trick's "Welcome 2 Detroit", and Xzibit's "My Name" and "Don't Approach Me".[180] Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem himself, with co-production from longtime collaborator Jeff Bass.[181] He split the production with Dr. Dre on Encore. In 2004, Eminem was the Executive Producer of 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Game with 2Pac's mother Afeni Shakur.[182] He produced the UK No. 1 single "Ghetto Gospel" which featured Elton John.[183] He has produced "The Cross" off Nas's album God's Son.[184] On August 15, 2006, Obie Trice released Second Round's on Me. Eminem produced 8 tracks on the album. He was featured in the song "There They Go".[185] Eminem produced some tracks on Trick-Trick's album, The Villain. He is also featured in "Who Want It".[186] Eminem also produced four songs on Cashis's 2013 album The County Hound 2.
With regard to the productions on his own records, Eminem is seen as having an unusual style in that rather than write to beats he typically starts with an idea of how he wants his song to be structured based on the lyrics and then creates music according to that.[187] A notable exception to this was the song "Stan", which came from an idea and scratch track produced by Mark the 45 King.[187] After not significantly contributing production for his own records on Relapse and Recovery, on 2013's The Marshall Mathers LP 2 Eminem produced a significant amount of the album. He spoke on producing his own songs saying, "Sometimes, I may get something in my head, like an idea or the mood of something that I would want, and I'm not always gonna get that by going through different tracks that other people have made. They don't know what's in my head. I think maybe it helps, a little bit, with diversity, the sound of it, but also, I would get something in my head and want to be able to lay down that idea from scratch."[188]
Comparisons to other artists
As Asher Roth gained prominence being a white performer in a predominantly black musical genre, Roth has earned many comparisons to Eminem, so much so that he devoted a track on his album to the famed rapper, entitled "As I Em."[189]
Eminem and Christian hip hop artist KJ-52 were often compared to each other, as many called KJ-52 the "Christian counterpart" of Eminem.[190] KJ-52's single, "Dear Slim," became famous and controversial among Eminem fans when it was featured on the hit show Total Request Live. KJ-52 began to receive hate mail (including death threats) from Eminem's fans, though KJ-52 claimed that the song was not intended to be disrespectful.[191] This also led to the single being disparaged by VH1 as No. 26 on their "Top 40 Worst Moments in Hip Hop".[192]
Personal life
Family
Eminem has been the subject of much scrutiny, both as a rapper and in his personal life.[32] He was married twice to Kimberly Anne "Kim" Scott, whom he met in high school. He first met Kim when he was 15 and she was 13 while he was standing on a table with his shirt off rapping LL Cool J's "I'm Bad."[193] Kim had run away from her home as a teenager, along with her twin sister Dawn. They moved in with Marshall and his mother when he was 15. They began their on-and-off relationship in 1989. Their daughter Hailie was born on Christmas Day 1995. The couple married in 1999. In 2000, they filed for divorce shortly after Kim's second drunk driving conviction.[194] They first divorced in 2001.[195] They remarried in January 2006 but he soon ended their second marriage by filing for divorce in April 2006. The couple agreed to share custody of Hailie.[196]
In early 2010, Eminem responded publicly to tabloid reports of his pending reunion with Kim with a firm denial.[197] Eminem also has custody of Kim's niece Alaina (Dawn Scott's daughter),[195] who has been referenced by name in some songs, including "Mockingbird", "Airplanes Part II", and "Going Through Changes". Additionally, Eminem has custody of Whitney, a child Kimberley Scott had with another man. Whitney is mentioned in the songs "Deja Vu" and "Going Through Changes". Eminem had legal custody of his younger half-brother, Nate Kane, during his adolescence. Nate is mentioned in "Cleanin' Out My Closet", "My Mom", and "Headlights".
Regarding his religious views, Eminem said in 2009 "I definitely pray a lot more than I used to. I don’t feel like I’m crazy wacky religious. But I do believe in God, and I do pray."[198]
On November 5, 2013, Eminem released the track "Headlights" on his eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2[199] as an apology to his mother Debbie.[200]
After releasing his independent debut album Infinite in August 1996, Eminem rose to mainstream popularity with the release of his February 1999 album The Slim Shady LP. The LP also earned Eminem his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The Slim Shady LP was followed by The Marshall Mathers LP in May 2000 and The Eminem Show in late May 2002, both of which also won Best Rap Album Grammy Awards, making Eminem the first artist to win Best Rap Album for three consecutive LPs. This was followed by another studio release in November 2004 titled Encore. Eminem then went on hiatus after touring in 2005. He released his sixth album Relapse in May 2009. In June 2010, Eminem released his seventh studio album Recovery. Recovery was an international success and was named the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, becoming the rapper's second album, after The Eminem Show, to become the internationally best-selling album of its year. Eminem won Grammy Awards for both Relapse and Recovery, giving him a total of 13 Grammys in his career.[6] His eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was released in early November 2013.
Eminem has opened other ventures, including his own record label Shady Records with his manager Paul Rosenberg. He also has his own radio channel, Shade 45 on Sirius XM Radio. In November 2002, Eminem starred in the hip hop drama film 8 Mile. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, becoming the first rap artist ever to win the award.[7] He has also made cameo appearances in The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), and the television series Entourage.
Contents [show]
Life and career
1972–95: Early life and beginnings
Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He is the only child of Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. (born c. 1951) and Deborah R. "Debbie" Nelson (born 1955). Eminem is of English, German, Scottish, and Swiss descent.[8] Debbie was 14 when she first met 18-year-old Bruce[9] and nearly died during Eminem's 73-hour birth.[10] His parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing Ramada Inns along the Dakota-Montana border before their relationship went sour. Bruce left the family shortly thereafter, moving to California.[11] From later relationships, Bruce has two other children, Michael and Sarah (born c. 1982),[12] while Debbie has a son Nathan Kane "Nate" Samara (known as Nate Kane) (born February 3, 1986). During childhood, Eminem and Debbie shuttled between Missouri and Michigan, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and mostly living with family members. In Missouri, they lived in various cities and towns, including Saint Joseph, Savannah, and Kansas City,[13] before finally settling in Warren, Michigan when Eminem was eleven.[11][14] As a teen, Eminem wrote letters to his father Bruce. According to Debbie, all of these came back "return to sender."[11] Friends and family contend Eminem was a happy child but also "a bit of a loner" who often was bullied; one such persecutor, De'Angelo Bailey, beat Eminem so significantly that he suffered a severe head injury. In response, Debbie Nelson filed a lawsuit against the school in 1982, but the case was dismissed the following year.[10]
Eminem spent much of his formative years living in a largely black lower-middle-class Detroit neighborhood.[11] He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Eminem was confronted and beaten up by African-Americans on several occasions.[11] As a child, Eminem developed an interest in storytelling and aspired to become a comic book artist before discovering hip hop.[15] Eminem heard his first rap song, "Reckless" featuring Ice-T, at age nine on the Breakin' soundtrack, which he received as a gift from Debbie's half-brother Ronald "Ronnie" Polkinghorn. Ronnie committed suicide ten years later; the loss affected Eminem so greatly that he stopped speaking for days and was absent at the funeral.[11] His home life was seldom stable, and Eminem frequently fought with his mother, who was once described by a social worker as having a "very suspicious, almost paranoid personality." Debbie bristled at any suggestion that she was less than an ideal mother when her son became famous, contending that she sheltered Eminem and was responsible for his success. In 1987, Debbie allowed runaway Kimberly Ann "Kim" Scott to stay at their home; several years later, Eminem would begin an on-and-off relationship with Kim.[10] After spending three years in ninth grade due to truancy and poor grades,[16] he dropped out of Lincoln High School at age 17. Although he was highly interested in English, he was never into literature (preferring to read comic books instead) and disliked math and social studies.[17] He worked several jobs to help his mother with bills, later maintaining that he would often be kicked out regardless. When she would leave to play bingo, Eminem would blast the stereo and write lyrics.[11]
At the age of 14, he began rapping with high-school friend Mike Ruby, the two adopting the names "Manix" and "M&M," which soon morphed into Eminem.[1][10] Eminem grew ready to test his skills by sneaking into neighboring Osborn High School with friend and fellow rapper Proof for lunchroom freestyle battles.[18] On Saturdays, the two friends attended open-mic contests at the Hip-Hop Shop, located on West 7 Mile. The spot was considered the "ground zero" for the Detroit rap scene.[11] While struggling to succeed in a predominantly black industry, he gained the approval of underground hip hop audiences.[1][19][20] To put together verses, Eminem wanted the most words to rhyme, and would write long words or phrases out on paper and, underneath, proceed to rhyme each syllable.[17] Even though it would often make little sense, the drill helped him practice.[17] Based on his growing profile and reputation, he was recruited to join several rap groups. The first of these was the New Jacks, and after they disbanded, he joined Soul Intent, who released a single in 1995.[1] This single also featured Proof, and the two rappers broke off on their own to form D12, a six-member crew that functioned more as a Wu-Tang-styled collective than a regularly performing group.[11] Eminem had his first run-in with the law at age 20, when he was arrested for involvement with a drive-by shooting with a paintball.[10]
1996–99: Early career, Infinite, and The Slim Shady LP
Eminem was soon signed to FBT Productions, run by brothers Jeff and Mark Bass, and recorded his debut album, Infinite, under their independent label Web Entertainment.[21] Subjects covered in Infinite included his struggles with raising his newborn daughter Hailie Jade Scott Mathers while on limited funds. During this period, Eminem's rhyme style was primarily inspired by rappers Nas and AZ and his work lacked the comedically violent slant he would later gain fame for.[22] Infinite was largely ignored by Detroit disc jockeys, and the feedback Eminem received—"Why don't you go into rock and roll?"—led him to craft angrier, more moody tracks.[11] During this time, he and Kim Scott lived in a high-crime neighborhood, where their house was burglarized numerous times.[11] He held a minimum-wage job of cooking and dishwashing at the rustic, family-style restaurant Gilbert's Lodge at St. Clair Shores for some time.[23] Eminem was described by his former boss as a model employee, once working 60 hours a week in a six-month period shortly after Hailie's birth.[10] Shortly before Christmas, he was fired from his job at Gilbert's Lodge. "It was, like, five days before Christmas, which is Hailie's birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something."[11] After the release of Infinite, Eminem's personal struggles and abuse of drugs and alcohol culminated in an unsuccessful suicide attempt.[1] By March 1997, he was fired from Gilbert’s Lodge for the last time, and was still living in his mother's mobile home with Kim and Hailie.[10]
Things began to pick up when Eminem developed his sadistic, ultra-violent alter ego Slim Shady. The character, "a drug-dealing, bloodthirsty thug who spits furious rhymes about murder, rape, drugs and living by the law of the urban jungle," tapped into Eminem's rage and resentment.[10] In the spring of 1997, he recorded his debut EP, the Slim Shady EP, issued later that winter by Web Entertainment.[11] The EP features constant references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability, and over-the-top violence. Other departures were his exploration of more serious themes—such as dealing with poverty and marital and family difficulties—and his direct and self-deprecating response to criticism.[1] Hip-hop magazine The Source featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column in March 1998.[24] After being evicted from his home, he traveled to Los Angeles to participate in the 1997 Rap Olympics, an annual nationwide rap battle competition. He placed second, and the staff at Interscope Records who attended the event sent a copy of the Slim Shady EP to company CEO Jimmy Iovine. Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath Entertainment. Dr. Dre recalled, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find him. Now.'" Dr. Dre faced criticism from associates for hiring a white rapper, but maintained confidence in his decision: "I don't give a fuck if you're purple: If you can kick it, I'm working with you."[11] Eminem, who had idolized Dr. Dre since listening to his group N.W.A as a teenager, was nervous to work with him on the album: "I didn't want to be starstruck or kiss his ass too much..... I'm just a little white boy from Detroit. I had never seen stars, let alone Dr. Dre."[25] However, he became more comfortable working with Dr. Dre after a series of highly productive recording sessions.[26]
Eminem released The Slim Shady LP in February 1999. It became one of the most popular albums of the year, going triple platinum by the end of the year.[27] With the album's popularity came controversy surrounding many of the album's lyrics. In "'97 Bonnie and Clyde", he describes a trip with his infant daughter, disposing of his wife's body. Another song, "Guilty Conscience", ends with his encouraging a man to murder his wife and her lover. "Guilty Conscience" marked the beginning of the friendship and musical bond that Dr. Dre and Eminem would share. The two label-mates would later collaborate on a line of hit songs, including "Forgot About Dre" and "What's the Difference" from Dr. Dre's album 2001, "Bitch Please II" from The Marshall Mathers LP, "Say What You Say" from The Eminem Show, "Encore/Curtains Down" from Encore, and "Old Time's Sake" and "Crack a Bottle" from Relapse. Dr. Dre would go on to make at least one guest appearance on all of Eminem's studio albums under the label Aftermath.[28] The album has now been certified 4× platinum by the RIAA. With the release of it, Eminem was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper Cage.[29][30]
2000–02: The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show
The Marshall Mathers LP was released in May 2000. It went on to sell 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking the records set by Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle as the fastest-selling hip hop album and by Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time as the fastest-selling solo album in United States history.[31][32] The first single released from the album, "The Real Slim Shady", was a success and created some controversy by insulting celebrities and making dubious claims about them; he states, among other things, that Christina Aguilera performed oral sex on Fred Durst and Carson Daly.[33] In his second single, "The Way I Am", he reveals to his fans the pressures from his record company to top "My Name Is" and sell more records. Although Eminem had parodied shock rocker Marilyn Manson in the music video for "My Name Is", the artists are reportedly on good terms; Manson is name-dropped in "The Way I Am" and also appeared in its music video, as well as performing a remix of the song with Eminem in concert.[34] In the third single, "Stan" (which samples Dido's "Thank You"), Eminem attempts to deal with his new-found fame, taking on the persona of a deranged fan who kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend, mirroring "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" on The Slim Shady LP.[19] In the music video of "Stan", Eminem was shown writing with his left hand, ending the fan debate over his dominant hand. Q magazine named "Stan" the third-greatest rap song of all time,[35] and the song came tenth in a similar survey conducted by Top40-Charts.com.[36] The song has since become highly acclaimed and was ranked 290th in Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.[37] In July 2000, Eminem became the first white person to be featured on the cover of The Source magazine.[24] The Marshall Mathers LP has been certified 10× Platinum by the RIAA.
Eminem performing on tour in promotion of The Eminem Show.
Eminem performed with Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001;[38] the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), an organization that perceived Eminem's lyrics to be homophobic, condemned the openly gay John's decision to perform with Eminem.[39] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "It was the hug heard 'round the world. Eminem, under fire for homophobic lyrics, shared the stage with a gay icon for a performance of "Stan" that would have been memorable in any context."[40] On February 21, the day of the ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center, the venue where the Grammy ceremony was held.[41] Music tours that he participated in for 2001 included the Up in Smoke Tour with rappers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and Ice Cube,[42] the Family Values Tour with the band Limp Bizkit,[43] and headlining the Anger Management Tour with Papa Roach, Ludacris, and Xzibit.
Eminem released The Eminem Show in May 2002. It became another hit for the rapper, reaching number one on the charts and selling well over 1.332 million copies in its first full week of sales.[27] It featured the single "Without Me", in which Eminem makes derogatory comments about boy bands, Limp Bizkit, Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney, and Moby, among others. The Eminem Show has been certified 10× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album reflected on the impact of his rise to fame, his relationship with his wife and daughter, and his status in the hip-hop community. He also addresses the charges he faced over assaulting a bouncer he saw kissing his wife in 2000. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic felt that while there was clear anger present on several tracks, this album was considerably less inflammatory than The Marshall Mathers LP.[44] However, L. Brent Bozell III, who previously criticized The Marshall Mathers LP for its lyrical content that Bozell perceived to be misogynistic, noted The Eminem Show for its extensive use of obscene language, giving Eminem the nickname "Eminef" for the bowdlerization of motherfucker, an obscenity prevalent in the album.[45] The Eminem Show was the best-selling album of 2002.[46]
2003–07: Encore and musical hiatus
On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service admitted that it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States.[47] The lyrics that had led to this were "Fuck money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents". These lyrics come from the track "We As Americans", which was later released on a bonus CD accompanying deluxe editions of Eminem's fourth major album, Encore.[48]
Encore was released in 2004. The album was another chart-topper. Its sales were driven partly by its first single, "Just Lose It", which features attacks on Michael Jackson. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Michael Jackson called into the Los Angeles-based Steve Harvey radio show to report his displeasure with the video, which parodies Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery, and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984. The lyrics to "Just Lose It" refer to Jackson's legal troubles, although Eminem does state in his song "that's not a stab at Michael / That's just a metaphor / I'm just psycho". Many of Jackson's supporters and friends spoke out about the video, including Stevie Wonder, who called the video "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit",[49] and Steve Harvey, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back."[49] In the video, Eminem parodied Pee-wee Herman, MC Hammer, and "Blond Ambition"-era Madonna.[50] Regarding Jackson's protest, "Weird Al" Yankovic, who parodied the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" on a track titled "Couch Potato" on his 2003 album Poodle Hat, told the Chicago Sun-Times, "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my 'Lose Yourself' parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career. So the irony of this situation with Michael is not lost on me."[51] Black Entertainment Television was the first channel to stop airing the video. MTV, however, announced that it would continue airing the video. The Source, through its CEO Raymond "Benzino" Scott, wanted not only for the video to be pulled, but for the song to be removed from the album and for Eminem to publicly apologize to Jackson.[52] In 2007 Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music LLC from Viacom. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem, Shakira, and Beck, among others.[53]
Despite the comedic theme of the lead single, Encore had its fair share of serious subject matter, including the anti-war track "Mosh". On October 25, 2004, a week before the 2004 US Presidential election, Eminem released the video for "Mosh" on the Internet.[54] The song was strongly critical of President George W. Bush, with lyrics such as "fuck Bush" and "this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president".[55] The video features Eminem gathering up an army of people, including rapper Lloyd Banks, presented as victims of the Bush administration, and leading them to the White House. However, once the army breaks in, it is revealed that they are there to simply register to vote, and the video ends with the words "VOTE Tuesday November 2" on the screen. After Bush was re-elected, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading while Bush was giving a speech.[56]
In 2005, some industry insiders speculated that Eminem was considering ending his rapping career after six years and several multi-platinum albums. Speculation began in early 2005 about a double-disc album to be released late that year, rumored to be titled The Funeral.[57] The album later manifested itself as a greatest hits album under the name Curtain Call: The Hits in December. In July 2005, the Detroit Free Press broke news of a potential final bow for Eminem as a solo performer, quoting members of his inside circle who said that he would begin to fully embrace the role of producer and label executive. On the same day of the release of the compilation album, Eminem denied that he was retiring on Detroit-based WKQI's "Mojo in the Morning" radio show, but implied that he would at least be taking a break as an artist, saying "I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going ... This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call', because this could be the final thing. We don't know."[58] He released The Re-Up with the members of his record label, Shady Records. It was released in 2006.
In 2005, Eminem was a subject of Bernard Goldberg's book, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America; he ranked No. 58.[59] Goldberg cited a 2001 column by Bob Herbert of The New York Times claiming, "In Eminem's world, all women are whores and he is eager to rape and murder them."[60] Goldberg cited Eminem's song "No One's Iller" from the Slim Shady EP as an example of misogyny in his music.[61] In summer 2005, Eminem embarked on his first US concert run in three years, the Anger Management 3 Tour, featuring 50 Cent, G-Unit, Lil Jon, D12, Obie Trice, The Alchemist, and others. In August 2005, Eminem canceled the European leg of the tour and subsequently announced that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment for a "dependency on sleep medication".[62] Curtain Call: The Hits was released on December 6, 2005, under Aftermath Entertainment.[63] In its first week it sold nearly 441,000 copies in the US and was Eminem's fourth straight No. 1 album on the Billboard Hot 200.[64] The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA.[65]
In September 2007, Eminem called into New York radio station Hot 97 during an interview with 50 Cent and said he was "in limbo" and "debating" about when and if he would release another album. He said, "I'm always working – I'm always in the studio. It feels good right now, the energy of the label. For a while, I didn't want to go back to the studio..... I went through some personal things. I'm coming out of those personal things [and] it feels good."[66]
2008–09: Relapse and Refill
Eminem, along with D12, performing in May 2009
Eminem made an appearance on his Sirius channel Shade 45 in September 2008, during which he said, "Right now I'm kinda just concentrating on my own stuff, for right now and just banging out tracks and producing a lot of stuff. You know, the more I keep producing the better it seems like I get 'cause I just start knowing stuff."[67] It was around this time that Interscope finally confirmed the existence of a new Eminem album,[68] with Spring 2009 later being stated as the period in which the album is due.[69] In December 2008, he gave more details on the album, which he recently reported was being titled Relapse. He said, "Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man. Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on 'Relapse'. We are up to our old mischievous ways ... let's just leave it at that."[70]
On March 5, 2009, Eminem reported in a press release that he would be releasing two new albums that year. Relapse, the first album, was released on May 19, while the first official single, "We Made You", and its music video were both released on April 7.[71] While Relapse did not manage to sell as well as Eminem's previous efforts, it was still a commercial success that received some critical acclaim, while also re-establishing his presence in the hip hop world. Relapse was named one of the top albums of 2009. Relapse has sold more than five million copies worldwide. During the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Sacha Baron Cohen descended upon the audience wearing an angel's costume and landed on top of Eminem with his buttocks facing toward Eminem's face, resulting in Eminem storming out of the awards ceremony in disgust. Three days later, Eminem stated it was a staged act that they had planned together.[72] On October 30, Eminem performed at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans as a headliner in his first full performance in 2009.[73] The performance included several songs from Relapse, as well as many of Eminem's older hits and an appearance by D12. On November 19, Eminem announced on his website that Relapse: Refill would be released on December 21. The album was a re-release of the Relapse album with seven bonus tracks, including "Forever" and "Taking My Ball". In a statement he described the forthcoming CD:
"I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned ... Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year ... I got back in with Dre and then a few more producers, including Just Blaze, and went in a completely different direction which made me start from scratch. The new tracks started to sound very different than the tracks I originally intended to be on Relapse 2, but I still want the other stuff to be heard."[74]
2010–11: Recovery and Bad Meets Evil reunion
Eminem and Rihanna performing "Love the Way You Lie" at E3 Expo Party in 2010
On April 14, 2010, Eminem tweeted, "There is no Relapse 2", to his followers. This caused people to believe that he was not releasing an album at all, but it simply meant that the album title would be changed to Recovery. He confirmed this by tweeting, "RECOVERY", with a link to his website. Eminem said, "I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year. But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title." His seventh studio album, Recovery, was released on June 18.[75] In the US, Recovery sold 741,000 in its first week to land atop the Billboard 200.[76][77] It became Eminem's sixth consecutive number-one album in the US and achieved international commercial success, charting at number one in several other countries. It stayed at number-one on the US Billboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks and a total of seven weeks.[78][79] Recovery was reported by Billboard to be the best-selling album of 2010, making Eminem the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history to have two year-end best-selling albums.[80] Recovery is the best-selling digital album in history.[81] The first single, "Not Afraid", was released on April 29, and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video was released on June 4.[82] "Not Afraid" was followed by a second single, "Love the Way You Lie", which debuted at number 2 and then rose to the top.[83] "Love the Way You Lie" was the best-selling single of 2010 in the United Kingdom, even though it did not reach number 1 there; this is the first time this has happened in the UK since 1969.[84] Despite some criticism toward its consistency, Recovery received positive reviews from most music critics. As of November 21, 2010, the album had sold three million copies in the US.[85] Recovery was also named the best-selling album worldwide of 2010, joining The Eminem Show, which was the best-seller of 2002, giving him two worldwide year-end number one albums.[86][87] With Recovery, Eminem achieved the record for most successive US No.1 albums by a solo artist.[88]
Eminem appeared at the 2010 BET Awards,[89] performing "Not Afraid" and "Airplanes, Part II", with B.o.B. He also performed at the Activison E3 concert. In June 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in a pair of concerts in Detroit and New York. The event was dubbed The Home & Home Tour. The first two concerts rapidly sold out, prompting the scheduling of an additional show at each venue.[90] BET also named Eminem the number one rapper of the 21st century.[91] Eminem opened the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010, performing "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie", with Rihanna singing the chorus.[92] Due to the success of Recovery and the Home & Home Tour, he was named the 2010 Hottest MC in the Game by MTV[93] and "Emcee of the Year" by hip hop news website HipHopDX.[94] Eminem and Rihanna collaborated once again to make "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", the sequel to their hit single "Love the Way You Lie". Unlike on the original "Love the Way You Lie", on the sequel Rihanna is the main vocalist. The song is said to be from the female perspective.[95] In December 2010, in Billboard's "The Top 25 Music Moments of 2010", The "Great Eminem Recovery" was named the number one music moment of 2010.[96] Eminem appeared at the 2011 Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, performing "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" with Rihanna and Adam Levine, and "I Need a Doctor" with Dr. Dre and Skylar Grey.[97] In February 2011, it was announced that "Space Bound" would be released as the fourth single from Recovery, and that a music video for the song would also be released and was shot with former porn star Sasha Grey.[98][99] The long-awaited video was released on June 24 on the iTunes Store.[100]
Eminem performing in 2011.
In 2010, Eminem started collaborating with Royce da 5'9" on their first EP as Bad Meets Evil. The duo was formed in 1999 and has reunited. The EP, entitled Hell: The Sequel, was released on June 14, 2011.[101] Eminem was featured on "Writer's Block" by Royce da 5'9", which was officially released on April 8, 2011.[102] On May 3, 2011, they released the lead single "Fast Lane" for the upcoming sequel, for which a music video was shot.[103] In March 2011, within days of each other, both The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP were certified diamond by the RIAA. This makes Eminem the only rapper to have two diamond-certified albums.[104] Also, Eminem climbed to the top of the Facebook charts by being the most followed person with more than 60 million "likes", outscoring Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and Michael Jackson.[105] Eminem is also the first artist in five years to have two number one albums in a 12-month period: Recovery and the collaborative Hell: The Sequel.[106] Early in 2011, Eminem leaked "2.0 Boys", for which Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse collaborated upon signing to Shady Records in January 2011 and performing it in April 2011.[107] Bad Meets Evil released their next single, "Lighters", on July 6, 2011, and they premiered a music video in late August.[108][109] On August 6, 2011, Eminem took several of his songs throughout his music career to a live performance at the Lollapalooza 2011, performing with various artists featured in their respective songs.[110]
2012–present: The Marshall Mathers LP 2
On May 24, 2012, Eminem announced he was working on his next studio album.,[111] set to be released in 2013.[112] Even without a title or release date, the album was included in multiple "Most Anticipated Albums of 2013" lists; including MTV, Complex Magazine where it was listed in sixth position; and XXL Magazine, where it was listed in fifth.[113]
On June 30, 2012, Eminem talked about the album with DJ Whoo Kid, on his own radio station, Shade 45. He stated that the material is taking shape, and that Dr. Dre will be involved in some way.[114] On August 30, 2012, Slaughterhouse member Royce da 5'9" gave his thoughts on the album, stating "I'm not so sure how the world is going to respond from some of the things that I've heard from him." Close friend and fellow rapper 50 Cent is also confirmed to feature on the album.[115] Eminem also was featured on Pink's album The Truth About Love on the track "Here Comes The Weekend".
On February 11, 2013, Shady Records President and Eminem manager Paul Rosenberg announced that Eminem's eighth studio album would be released after Memorial Day, 2013. "We fully expect to be releasing a new Eminem album in 2013. He's been working on it for some time," said Rosenberg. "It's safe to say that it will be post-Memorial Day at some point, but we're not exactly sure when. We've got some dates locked in for him to perform live in Europe in August, so we're trying to see what else lines up." The album remained untitled.[116] On March 22, 2013 Dr. Dre said that Eminem was close to finishing the album and that he worked together with Eminem on it.[117] Producer No I.D. has been confirmed to produce on the album.[118]
Eminem performing on the November 2, 2013 episode of Saturday Night Live.
On August 14, 2013, a song titled "Survival" featuring Liz Rodrigues, with production by DJ Khalil was premièred in the multiplayer trailer for the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts. A following press release revealed the first single from his eighth studio album would be released soon.[119][120] During the 2013 VMAs, it was revealed that Eminem's next album would be titled The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (a sequel to his previously released album The Marshall Mathers LP) and would be released on November 5, 2013.[121]
The lead single "Berzerk" was released on August 25, 2013. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following singles were "Survival", which was showcased during the Call of Duty: Ghosts reveal trailer,[122] "Rap God", and "The Monster" featuring Rihanna.
On November 3, 2013, Eminem was made the first YouTube Music Awards Artist of the Year.[123]
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was released as planned on November 5, 2013, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The standard edition contains 16 tracks, while the deluxe edition also includes a second disc with another 5 tracks. It became Eminem's seventh album to debut at No 1 on the Billboard 200. The album also has the second-largest debut sales week of the year.[124][125] After the album was released Eminem became first lead artist since The Beatles to have four singles score in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[126][127][128]
On November 10, 2013, Eminem won the “Global Icon” award at the 2013 MTV EMA Music Awards.[129]
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Eminem’s seventh consecutive No. 1 album in the UK. By achieving such a feat, Eminem became the first American act to score seven consecutive UK Number 1 albums and is now on par with The Beatles in second place for the most chart-topping U.K. albums in a row.[130][131][132] The album also secured Eminem's position in Canada as the best-selling artist and with the best-selling album in 2013.[133]
In January 2014, Mark Bass of the Bass Brothers confirmed that D12, had been recently recording at the F.B.T. studio and he had been mixing their recorded material. He also confirmed that Eminem was featured on at least three songs that have been completed.[134]
Other ventures
Shady Records and D12
Main articles: Shady Records and D12
As Eminem succeeded in multi-platinum record sales, Interscope granted him his own record label. He and his manager Paul Rosenberg created Shady Records in late 1999. He followed this by signing his own Detroit collective D12 and rapper Obie Trice to the label. In 2002, Eminem signed 50 Cent through a joint venture between Shady and Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. In 2003, Eminem and Dr. Dre signed Atlanta rapper Stat Quo to the Shady/Aftermath roster. DJ Green Lantern, the former DJ for Eminem, was signed to Shady Records until a dispute related to the 50 Cent and Jadakiss feud forced him to depart from the label; he is no longer associated with Eminem. The Alchemist is now officially Eminem's tour DJ. In 2005, Eminem signed another Atlanta rapper, Bobby Creekwater, to his label along with West Coast rapper Cashis.[16]
On December 5, 2006, Shady Records released compilation album, Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. It started out as a mixtape but Eminem found that the material was better than expected and released it as a full album. It was meant to help launch the new artists under the roster, like Stat Quo, Cashis and Bobby Creekwater.[135] Around the time of recording Infinite, Eminem and rappers Proof and Kon Artis gathered the group of rappers now collectively in the group D12, short for "Detroit Twelve" or "Dirty Dozen", performing in the manner of the multi-man group Wu-Tang Clan.[136] In 2001, Eminem brought his rap group, D12, to the popular music scene, and the group's debut album Devil's Night came out that year.[137] The first single released off of the album was "Shit on You", followed by "Purple Pills", an ode to recreational drug use. For radio and television, the censored version was heavily rewritten to remove many of the song's references to drugs and sex and was renamed "Purple Hills". While that single was a hit, the album's second single, "Fight Music", was not as successful.[138]
After their debut, D12 took a three-year break from the studio, later regrouping to release their second album, D12 World, in 2004, which featured the popular hit single release "My Band".[137] In April 2006, D12 member (and Eminem's childhood friend) Deshaun "Proof" Holton was killed in a club brawl on 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan, with US military veteran Keith Bender, Jr., who also died in the fray. The eruption is suspected to have been due to an argument over a game of pool. Proof was then allegedly shot by the bouncer Mario Etheridge, Bender's cousin. He was taken by private vehicle to St. John Health's Conner Creek Campus, an outpatient emergency treatment site, but pronounced dead on arrival. Eminem and former Detroit Shady Records artist Obie Trice spoke at the funeral.[139] D12 member Bizarre said that Eminem is not featured on his new album Blue Cheese & Coney Island because "he's busy doing his thing".[140] D12 released a mixtape in 2011 titled Return of the Dozen Volume 2 only featuring Eminem on one song, "Fame" unlike the group's previous mixtape Return of the Dozen where Eminem is not on any tracks.
Acting career
Although he had a small part in the 2001 film, The Wash, Eminem made his official Hollywood acting debut with the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile, released in November 2002. He has said the movie is not an account of his life, but a representation of growing up in Detroit. He recorded several new songs for the soundtrack, including "Lose Yourself," which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003. "Lose Yourself" would go on to become the longest running No. 1 hip hop single.[141] However, the song was not performed at the ceremony, due to Eminem's absence at the ceremony. His collaborator, Luis Resto, who co-wrote the song, accepted the award.[142]
Eminem has participated in various voice acting roles. Some of these include the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof, where he voices an aging corrupt police officer who speaks in Ebonics and guest spots on the Comedy Central television show Crank Yankers, and a web cartoon called The Slim Shady Show, which has since been pulled off-line and is instead sold on DVD.[143] He will be involved in either the soundtrack or scoring.[144] He was also in the running for the part of David Rice in 2008's film Jumper after Tom Sturridge was dropped just two weeks before filming. Concerns over not having a more prominent actor prompted the director, Doug Liman, to consider other actors for the role. He eventually selected Hayden Christensen over Eminem.[145] He also had a cameo appearance in the 2009 movie Funny People, in which he is involved in an argument with Ray Romano.
It was reported on November 8, 2009, that Eminem will star in the upcoming 3D horror anthology, Shady Talez, to be produced by John Davis.[146][147] A four-issue comic book series based on the film was expected to be published sometime in 2010.[148]
Eminem appeared alongside Christina Aguilera on the Entourage Season 7 finale titled 'Lose Yourself' as himself.[149]
Eminem is set to play a boxer in the upcoming film Southpaw. Peter Schiff will produce the film,[150] and Antoine Fuqua is reportedly the leading candidate to direct.[151] In January 2011, a report surfaced that Eminem will star in the upcoming thriller, Random Acts of Violence. His co-star Paul Walker died in a car accident on November 30, 2013.[152]
Eminem was offered the lead role in the 2013 sci-fi film Elysium but reportedly turned it down, leading director Neill Blomkamp to instead cast Matt Damon.[153]
Memoirs
On October 21, 2008, Eminem released a tell-all autobiography entitled The Way I Am, which details his struggles with poverty, drugs, fame, heartbreak and depression, along with stories about his rise to fame and commentary on past controversies. This book also contains some of the original lyric sheets from songs such as "Stan" and "The Real Slim Shady."[154]
Eminem's mother, Debbie Nelson, also released an autobiography entitled My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem in November 2008, which explains Nelson's life growing up, meeting Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. (Eminem's father) and Eminem's rise to, and struggle with, fame.
Advertising
Eminem was featured in two commercials that aired during Super Bowl XLV. The first, for Lipton's Brisk Iced Tea, was a one-minute spot that featured him as a claymation figure.[155] The other was a two-minute ad, at that time the longest in Super Bowl history, for the Chrysler 200. It featured Eminem driving through Detroit and ended with him taking the stage at the Fox Theatre with "Lose Yourself" playing as the soundtrack.[156][157]
Charity
Eminem has also founded his own charity named The Marshall Mathers Foundation, assisting disadvantaged youth. The foundation frequently works in conjunction with a charity founded by Norman Yatooma, a high profile Detroit attorney.[158]
Artistry
Influences and rapping technique
Eminem has named several MCs who influenced his rapping style, including Esham,[159] Kool G Rap,[160] Masta Ace,[161] Big Daddy Kane,[160] Newcleus,[161] Ice-T,[161] Mantronix,[161] Melle Mel (specifically the track "The Message"),[161] LL Cool J,[161] Beastie Boys,[161] Run–D.M.C.,[161] Rakim,[161] and Boogie Down Productions.[161]
In the book How to Rap, Guerilla Black notes that Eminem studied other MCs to create his rapping technique: "Eminem listened to everything and that's what made him one of the greats".[162] In the same book, Eminem is praised for various aspects of his rapping technique by numerous other MCs; these techniques include his varied and humorous subject matter,[163] connecting with his audience,[164] carrying a concept over a series of albums,[165] complex rhyme schemes,[166] his ability to bend words so that they rhyme,[167] his use of multisyllabic rhymes,[160] fitting many rhymes in each bar,[168] complex rhythms,[169] clear enunciation,[170] use of melody,[171] and syncopation.[172] He is also known to write the majority of his lyrics down on paper, as documented in his book The Way I Am, as well as taking a few days or a week to craft lyrics,[173] being a "workaholic",[174] and "stacking" vocals.[175]
Alter egos
Eminem uses alter egos in his songs to use different styles of rapping and subject matters. His most famous and popular alter ego, "Slim Shady", originated from the Slim Shady EP. While under this personality, Eminem makes violent and dark songs with a comical twist.[176] Though his Slim Shady persona has remained, Eminem did not include it in Recovery as much because he did not feel it fit the theme.[177]
Another character Eminem has portrayed is Ken Kaniff. Ken was originally played by fellow Detroit rapper Aristotle in the Slim Shady LP, who appeared in a prank call skit toward Eminem. After the Slim Shady LP, an argument led to Eminem taking the character of Ken Kaniff and playing him in several skits starting in the Marshall Mathers LP and onward (except for Encore and Recovery). In his Ken Kaniff personality, Ken is a homosexual who pokes fun at Eminem's songs. Aristotle, the original creator of Ken Kaniff, became angry over Eminem taking his character and created a mixtape in which he raps in his Ken persona denigrating Eminem.[178]
Featurings and productions
See also: Eminem production discography and Eminem guest appearances
Although he typically collaborates with various rappers under Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records, such as Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, D12, Obie Trice and also, Yelawolf, Eminem has collaborated with many other artists, including Redman, Kid Rock, DMX, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Drake, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Xzibit, Method Man, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Sticky Fingaz, T.I., and Young Jeezy among others. Eminem rapped a verse in a live performance of Busta Rhymes' "Touch It" remix at the 2006 BET Music Awards on June 27, 2006. Eminem was featured on Akon's single "Smack That" which appeared on his album Konvicted. He was featured on Lil Wayne's hit song "Drop the World". He is featured on the lead single off 50 Cent's fifth studio album Street King Immortal titled "My Life".
Eminem is also an active rap producer. Besides being the executive producer of D12's first two albums, Devil's Night and D12 World, he has executive produced Obie Trice's Cheers and Second Round's on Me as well as 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre.[179] In addition, Eminem has produced songs by other famous rappers, such as Jadakiss' "Welcome To D-Block", Jay-Z's "Renegade" and "Moment of Clarity" Lloyd Banks' "On Fire", "Warrior Part 2", and "Hands Up", Tony Yayo's "Drama Setter", Trick-Trick's "Welcome 2 Detroit", and Xzibit's "My Name" and "Don't Approach Me".[180] Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem himself, with co-production from longtime collaborator Jeff Bass.[181] He split the production with Dr. Dre on Encore. In 2004, Eminem was the Executive Producer of 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Game with 2Pac's mother Afeni Shakur.[182] He produced the UK No. 1 single "Ghetto Gospel" which featured Elton John.[183] He has produced "The Cross" off Nas's album God's Son.[184] On August 15, 2006, Obie Trice released Second Round's on Me. Eminem produced 8 tracks on the album. He was featured in the song "There They Go".[185] Eminem produced some tracks on Trick-Trick's album, The Villain. He is also featured in "Who Want It".[186] Eminem also produced four songs on Cashis's 2013 album The County Hound 2.
With regard to the productions on his own records, Eminem is seen as having an unusual style in that rather than write to beats he typically starts with an idea of how he wants his song to be structured based on the lyrics and then creates music according to that.[187] A notable exception to this was the song "Stan", which came from an idea and scratch track produced by Mark the 45 King.[187] After not significantly contributing production for his own records on Relapse and Recovery, on 2013's The Marshall Mathers LP 2 Eminem produced a significant amount of the album. He spoke on producing his own songs saying, "Sometimes, I may get something in my head, like an idea or the mood of something that I would want, and I'm not always gonna get that by going through different tracks that other people have made. They don't know what's in my head. I think maybe it helps, a little bit, with diversity, the sound of it, but also, I would get something in my head and want to be able to lay down that idea from scratch."[188]
Comparisons to other artists
As Asher Roth gained prominence being a white performer in a predominantly black musical genre, Roth has earned many comparisons to Eminem, so much so that he devoted a track on his album to the famed rapper, entitled "As I Em."[189]
Eminem and Christian hip hop artist KJ-52 were often compared to each other, as many called KJ-52 the "Christian counterpart" of Eminem.[190] KJ-52's single, "Dear Slim," became famous and controversial among Eminem fans when it was featured on the hit show Total Request Live. KJ-52 began to receive hate mail (including death threats) from Eminem's fans, though KJ-52 claimed that the song was not intended to be disrespectful.[191] This also led to the single being disparaged by VH1 as No. 26 on their "Top 40 Worst Moments in Hip Hop".[192]
Personal life
Family
Eminem has been the subject of much scrutiny, both as a rapper and in his personal life.[32] He was married twice to Kimberly Anne "Kim" Scott, whom he met in high school. He first met Kim when he was 15 and she was 13 while he was standing on a table with his shirt off rapping LL Cool J's "I'm Bad."[193] Kim had run away from her home as a teenager, along with her twin sister Dawn. They moved in with Marshall and his mother when he was 15. They began their on-and-off relationship in 1989. Their daughter Hailie was born on Christmas Day 1995. The couple married in 1999. In 2000, they filed for divorce shortly after Kim's second drunk driving conviction.[194] They first divorced in 2001.[195] They remarried in January 2006 but he soon ended their second marriage by filing for divorce in April 2006. The couple agreed to share custody of Hailie.[196]
In early 2010, Eminem responded publicly to tabloid reports of his pending reunion with Kim with a firm denial.[197] Eminem also has custody of Kim's niece Alaina (Dawn Scott's daughter),[195] who has been referenced by name in some songs, including "Mockingbird", "Airplanes Part II", and "Going Through Changes". Additionally, Eminem has custody of Whitney, a child Kimberley Scott had with another man. Whitney is mentioned in the songs "Deja Vu" and "Going Through Changes". Eminem had legal custody of his younger half-brother, Nate Kane, during his adolescence. Nate is mentioned in "Cleanin' Out My Closet", "My Mom", and "Headlights".
Regarding his religious views, Eminem said in 2009 "I definitely pray a lot more than I used to. I don’t feel like I’m crazy wacky religious. But I do believe in God, and I do pray."[198]
On November 5, 2013, Eminem released the track "Headlights" on his eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2[199] as an apology to his mother Debbie.[200]
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