Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America and is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time.[3] His global success is considered to have broken racial barriers to the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass and has been cited as an influence by and upon many artists working in various genres.
"Slim Shady" redirects here. For other uses, see Slim Shady (disambiguation).
Eminem
- Slim Shady
- Evil (as part of Bad Meets Evil)
- M&M
- MC Double M
- Rapper
- songwriter
- record producer
- record executive
- actor
1988–present[1]
3[a]
After the release of his debut album Infinite (1996) and the extended play Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP. His next two releases, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002), were worldwide successes and were both nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. After the release of his next album, Encore (2004), Eminem went on hiatus in 2005, largely due to a prescription drug addiction.[4] He returned to the music industry four years later with the release of Relapse (2009) and Recovery, which was released the following year. Recovery was the bestselling album worldwide of 2010, making it Eminem's second album, after The Eminem Show in 2002, to be the best-selling album of the year worldwide. In the following years, he released the US number one albums The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), Revival (2017), Kamikaze (2018), and Music to Be Murdered By (2020).
Eminem's best-known songs include "My Name Is", "The Real Slim Shady", "The Way I Am", "Stan", "Without Me", "Lose Yourself", "Mockingbird", "Not Afraid", "Love the Way You Lie", "Rap God", "The Monster", "River" and "Godzilla". In addition to his solo career, Eminem was a member of the hip hop group D12. He is also known for collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil.
Eminem starred in the 2002 musical drama film 8 Mile, playing a dramatized version of himself. "Lose Yourself", a track from its soundtrack, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks, the most for a solo rap song, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making Eminem the first hip hop artist ever to win the award.[5] He has made cameo appearances in the films The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), and The Interview (2014), and the television series Entourage (2010). Eminem has developed other ventures, including Shady Records, a joint venture with manager Paul Rosenberg, which helped launch the careers of artists such as 50 Cent, D12, and Obie Trice, among others. He has also established his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio.
Eminem is among the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of over 220 million records. He was the best-selling music artist in the United States of the 2000s and the bestselling male music artist in the United States of the 2010s, third overall. Billboard named him the "Artist of the Decade (2000–2009)". He has had ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200—which all consecutively debuted at number one on the chart, making him the first artist to achieve this[6]—and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.[7] The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, Curtain Call: The Hits (2005), "Lose Yourself", "Love the Way You Lie", and "Not Afraid" have all been certified Diamond or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[8] Rolling Stone has included him in its lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. He has won numerous awards, including 15 Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and an MTV Europe Music Global Icon Award. In November 2022, Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[9]
Music career
1988–1997: Early career, Infinite and family struggles
In 1988, he went by the stage name MC Double M and formed his first group, New Jacks, and made a self-titled demo tape with DJ Butter Fingers.[1][30][31] In 1989, they later joined Bassmint Productions who later changed their name to Soul Intent in 1992 with rapper Proof and other childhood friends.[32] They released a self-titled EP in 1995 featuring Proof.[23] Eminem also made his first music video appearance in 1992 in a song titled, "Do-Da-Dippity", by Champtown. Later in 1996, Eminem and Proof teamed up with four other rappers to form The Dirty Dozen (D12), who released The Underground E.P. in 1997 and their first album Devil's Night in 2001.[20] He was also affiliated with Newark's rap collective Outsidaz, collaborating with them on different projects.
Eminem was soon signed to Jeff and Mark Bass's F.B.T. Productions and recorded his debut album Infinite for their independent Web Entertainment label.[33] The album was a commercial failure upon its release in 1996.[34] One lyrical subject of Infinite was his struggle to raise his newborn daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers, on little money. During this period, Eminem's rhyming style, primarily inspired by rappers Nas, Esham and AZ, lacked the comically violent slant for which he later became known.[35] Detroit disc jockeys largely ignored Infinite and the feedback Eminem did receive ("Why don't you go into rock and roll?") led him to craft angrier, moodier tracks.[20]
At this time Eminem and Kim Scott lived in a crime-ridden neighborhood and their house was robbed several times.[20] Eminem cooked and washed dishes for minimum wage at Gilbert's Lodge, a family-style restaurant at St. Clair Shores.[36] His former boss described him as becoming a model employee, as he worked 60 hours a week for six months after Hailie's birth.[16] He was fired shortly before Christmas and later said, "It was, like, five days before Christmas, which is Hailie's birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something."[20] After the release of Infinite, his personal problems and substance abuse culminated in a suicide attempt.[23] By March 1997 he was fired from Gilbert's Lodge for the last time and lived in his mother's mobile home with Kim and Hailie.[16]
Artistry
Influences, style and rapping technique
Eminem has cited several MCs as influencing his rapping style, including Esham,[233] Kool G Rap,[234] Masta Ace, Big Daddy Kane,[234] Tupac Shakur,[235][236] Newcleus, Ice-T, Mantronix, Melle Mel (on "The Message"), LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C., Rakim and Boogie Down Productions.[237] In How to Rap, Guerilla Black notes that Eminem studied other MCs to hone his rapping technique: "Eminem listened to everything and that's what made him one of the greats".[238] In the book, other MCs also praise aspects of his rapping technique: varied, humorous subject matter,[239] connecting with his audience,[240] carrying a concept over a series of albums,[241] complex rhyme schemes,[242] bending words so they rhyme,[243] multisyllabic rhymes,[234] many rhymes to a bar,[244] complex rhythms,[245] clear enunciation,[246] and the use of melody[247] and syncopation.[248] Eminem is known to write most of his lyrics on paper (documented in The Way I Am), taking several days or a week to craft lyrics,[249] being a "workaholic"[250] and "stacking" vocals.[251] Examples of hip hop subgenres that Eminem's music has been described as include horrorcore,[252][253][254] comedy hip hop,[255] and hardcore hip hop.[256][257] Eminem also incorporates rap rock into his music and has cited rock acts during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, as influences in his music.[258][259][260][261]
Personal life
Family and relationships
He was twice married to Kimberly Anne Scott; he met Scott in high school while he stood on a table with his shirt off rapping LL Cool J's "I'm Bad".[316] Scott and her twin sister had run away from home; they moved in with Eminem and his mother when he was 15 and he began an on-and-off relationship with Scott in 1989.
Mathers and Scott were married in 1999 and divorced in 2001. Although Eminem told Rolling Stone in 2002, "I would rather have a baby through my penis than get married again", he and Scott briefly remarried in January 2006. He filed for divorce in early April,[317] agreeing to joint custody of Hailie.[318] Their daughter, Hailie Jade is a social media influencer, specifically for fashion and beauty.[319]
Eminem legally adopted and was given custody of his sister-in-law's daughter,[320] as well as Scott's child from an affair.[321][322] He also raised his younger half-brother Nathan.[323]
Eminem and actress Brittany Murphy dated in the 2000s.[324][325] He stated in 2002 that he had been dating singer Mariah Carey, though she later denied it. In 2005, he played alleged voicemails of her during the Anger Management Tour and stated in 2006 that he had dated her for six to seven months, but the two broke up due to the differences in their personalities.[326]
In early 2010, Eminem denied tabloid reports that he and Scott had renewed their romantic relationship; however, in the same statement, his representative also confirmed that they now maintain a friendly relationship.[327]
In his 2013 song "Headlights", Eminem reiterated his love for his mother and apologized to her for some of the lyrics from his songs, with "Cleanin' Out My Closet" being specifically named.[328]
Health problems
Eminem has spoken publicly about his addiction to prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Ambien and Valium.[329] According to friend and fellow D12 member Proof, Eminem first straightened out in 2002.[330] During the production of 8 Mile, Eminem, working 16 hours a day, developed insomnia. An associate gave him an Ambien tablet which "knocked [him] out", encouraging him to obtain a prescription. This was Eminem's first experience of drug addiction, which would affect him for several years. Near the end of production on Encore, he would "just go into the studio and goof off [with] a pocketful of pills". Eminem began taking the drugs to "feel normal", taking a "ridiculous amount ... I could consume anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium [in a day]. Vicodin, maybe 30." The drugs would put him to sleep for no more than two hours, after which he would take more. Eminem's weight increased to 230 pounds (100 kg) and he was regularly eating fast food: "The kids behind the counter knew me — it wouldn't even faze them. Or I'd sit up at Denny's or Big Boy and just eat by myself. It was sad." Eminem became less recognizable due to his weight gain and once overheard two teenagers arguing about whether or not it was him: "Eminem ain't fat".[27]
Controversies
Legal issues
Eminem had his first run-in with the law at age 20, when he was arrested for his involvement in a drive-by shooting with a paintball gun. The case was dismissed when the victim did not appear in court.[16]
On June 3, 2000, Eminem was arrested during an altercation with Douglas Dail at a car-audio store in Royal Oak, Michigan, when he pulled out an unloaded gun and pointed it at the ground. The next day, in Warren, Michigan, he was arrested again for assaulting John Guerra in the parking lot of the Hot Rock Café when he saw him kissing his wife.[404][405] Eminem recreated the Guerra assault in "The Kiss (Skit)" on The Eminem Show. He pleaded guilty to possession of a concealed weapon and assault, receiving two years' probation; however, Guerra's assault charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement.[406] On June 28, 2001, Eminem was sentenced to one year's probation and community service and was fined about $2,000 on weapon charges stemming from an argument with an employee of Psychopathic Records.[407]
In 1999, Eminem's mother sued him for $10 million, claiming he was slandering her on The Slim Shady LP. Litigation concluded in 2001, resulting in an award of $1,600 for her damages.[408]
On July 7, 2000, Kim Mathers attempted suicide by slitting her wrists,[409] later suing Eminem for defamation after describing her violent death in "Kim".[405]
Sanitation worker DeAngelo Bailey sued Eminem for $1 million in 2001, accusing him of invading his privacy by publicizing information placing him in a false light in "Brain Damage", a song that portrays him as a violent school bully. Although Bailey admitted picking on Eminem in school, he said he merely "bumped" him and gave him a "little shove".[410] The lawsuit was dismissed on October 20, 2003; Judge Deborah Servitto, who wrote a portion of her opinion in rap-like rhyming verse, ruled that it was clear to the public that the lyrics were exaggerated.[411]
On March 31, 2002, French jazz pianist Jacques Loussier filed a $10 million lawsuit against Eminem and Dr. Dre, claiming that the beat for "Kill You" was taken from his instrumental "Pulsion". Loussier demanded that sales of The Marshall Mathers LP be halted and any remaining copies destroyed.[412] The case was later settled out of court.[413]
In 2006, Eminem was accused of assaulting Miad Jarbou, a resident of Royal Oak, Michigan, in the bathroom of a Detroit strip club, but was never charged. Two years later, Jarbou sued Eminem for more than $25,000 in damages.[414]
In 2007, Eminem's music-publishing company (Eight Mile Style) and Martin Affiliated sued Apple Inc. and Aftermath Entertainment, claiming that Aftermath was not authorized to negotiate a deal with Apple for digital downloads of 93 Eminem songs on Apple's iTunes.[415][416] The case against Apple was settled shortly after the trial began, in late September 2009.[417]
In July 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in F.B.T. Productions, LLC v. Aftermath Records that F.B.T. Productions and Eminem were owed a royalty of 50 percent of Aftermath's net revenue from licensing his recordings to companies such as Apple, Sprint Corporation, Nextel Communications, Cingular and T-Mobile. In March 2011, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the case.[418]
In October 2013, Eminem sampled Chicago-based rap group Hotstylz's 2008 viral hit, "Lookin' Boy", for his 2013 hit single "Rap God". The group claims that Eminem did not receive permission to use the sample, nor did he credit or compensate them.[419] In November 2013, Hotstylz released a diss track towards Eminem titled "Rap Fraud", where they sample several of his songs and criticize him for not crediting them.[420][421] In January 2015, TMZ reported that Hotstylz was suing Eminem and his label, Shady Records, for $8 million, for using the 25-second sample of "Lookin' Boy" on his song "Rap God" without their permission.[422][423]
United States Secret Service
On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service reported that it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem threatened U.S. president George W. Bush[69] in "We As Americans" (an unreleased bootleg at the time), with the lyrics: "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." The incident was included in the video for "Mosh", as a newspaper clipping on a wall with articles about unfortunate incidents in Bush's career. "We As Americans" eventually appeared on Encore's deluxe-edition bonus disc with altered lyrics. The original lyrics can be heard at the end of Immortal Technique's "Bin Laden".
In 2018–2019, the Secret Service interviewed Eminem again regarding threatening lyrics towards president Donald Trump and daughter Ivanka.[179]
Allegations of homophobia
Some of Eminem's lyrics have been criticized for being homophobic, and an Australian politician attempted to ban him from the country.[424] Eminem denies the charge, saying that when he was growing up words such as "faggot" and "queer" were used generally in a derogatory manner and not specifically toward homosexuals. During a 2010 60 Minutes interview, journalist Anderson Cooper explored the issue:[425]
Studio albums
Collaborative albums
As a headliner
As a co-headliner
