Eminem

Eminem is one of the best selling artists of the early 21^st century. He's an actor, rapper, and record producer. His work has been seen as controversial for the material he has produced overtime. Eminem's real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, and his nickname is Slim Shady. His story is one of struggle, commitment, and trying to rise above his surroundings to reach the top.

In the Beginning

Eminem was born on October 17, 1972 at St. Joseph, Missouri. His father, Marshall Mathers Jr., had abandoned the family soon after Eminem was born. Rebuffing any attempts Eminem made in the future to contact him throughout his childhood. His mother, Deborah Mathers, was apparently abusive. During his childhood, Eminem moved with his mother from Missouri to Detroit, Michigan, where he spent much of his time in public housing projects. Eminem changed schools roughly 2-3 times each year. This lifestyle led to him being treated as an outcast at each school he attended. He was beat up all the time, and even accused his mother of being addicted to prescription drugs. Along with subjecting him to physical and emotional abuse. This led to a lawsuit that was settled later on. He attended Lincoln High School in Warren, Michigan. He failed ninth grade three times, and dropped out when he was 17 years old. Even though he was a poor student, Eminem studied the dictionary and read a lot comic books. He described his affinity for the English language like this: “I found that no matter how bad I was at school, like, and no matter how low my grades might have been at some times, I always was good at English... I just felt like I wanna be able to have all of these words at my disposal, in my vocabulary at all times whenever I need to pull 'em out. You know, somewhere, they'll be stored, like, locked away.” Eminem found a way to express his passion for language, and a way to channel the rage he felt. Hip-hop had recently entered the scene, and through it, he started rapping in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Eminem soon became known in the Detroit rap scene. Often entering into rap battles with improvised rap lyrics. Eminem proved he could hold his own, and soon became a respected figure in the Detroit underground rap scene.

Most Known For

Eminem is usually recognized as Slim Shady, his nickname. His album, Recovery, is autobiographical in nature. In the album, his shares his experience with rehab and struggle with drug addiction. He released his eight album, MMLP2 in 2013. He reached the top charts with the single “The Monster” featuring Rihanna, earning him a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Where Are They Now

Eminem went on a long hiatus from recording, but returned in 2009 with the release of his album called Relapse. He released another album called Relapse 2 in August later that same year, but neither of these albums sold like his earlier releases at the beginning of his career. Each album did gain platinum status though, helping to re-establish Eminem in the pop universe.

Career Accomplishments

Eminem released the album The Slim Shady LP in 1999. The went on to go multi-platinum. His album won him four MTV Video Music Awards and two Grammy Awards. The following year, he released The Marshall Mathers LP album. It soon became one of the fastest selling albums ever sold in rap history. He released Recovery in 2010, and it won him another Grammy.