Born:
October 17, 1972 - St. Joseph, Missouri.
Growing Up and Early Career:
Born Marshall Mathers, Eminem, raised by his mother as a single parent, spent much of his childhood shuttling between St. Joseph, Missouri and Detroit, Michigan. He became attracted to rap as a young teen and began performing in a friend's basement. He took the name 'M&M' from his initials but soon changed it to Eminem. After performing with a number of rap groups, Eminem released his first album Infinite in 1996.
Quote From Eminem:
Referring to his philosophy on life - "I do say things that I think will shock people. But I don't do things to shock people. I'm not trying to be the next Tupac, but I don't know how long I'm going to be on this planet. So while I'm here, I might as well make the most of it."
Family Issues:
Difficult family issues have been a powerful influence on the music of Eminem. He grew up having never seen his father. In December, 1995, Eminem's girlfriend, and later wife, Kim, gave birth to their daughter Hailie Jade. He began working outside of music to try to support the family. As a result of discord between himself and Kim, Eminem attempted to commit suicide. They have married and divorced twice.
Slim Shady:
In the late 1990's, Eminem created the character, often seen as an angry, potentially evil, alter-ego, Slim Shady. This character was the subject of the Slim Shady EP released in 1997. According to legend, Dr. Dre discovered an Eminem demo tape on the floor of a garage belonging to record producer Jimmy Iovine. Eventually, Dre made contact with Eminem and they began to put together the Slim Shady LP, released in 1999.
Top Eminem Albums:
Marshall Mathers:
"My Name Is," (Listen) from the Slim Shady LP, became Eminem's first pop top 40 hit. The album was filled with wicked humor and violence that disturbed and offended huge numbers of people but struck a chord with disaffected young men. It was followed closely by 2000's Marshall Mathers LP which included the top 10 pop hit "The Real Slim Shady." (Listen) Both albums are filled with Eminem's trademark balance of wit and horror.
The Eminem Show:
After controversy finally died down, Eminem reappeared in May 2002 with the album The Eminem Show. The album included "Without Me," (Listen) a #2 pop hit single and the poignant pop top 10 hit "Cleanin' Out My Closet." (Listen) In the fall Eminem appeared in the loosely autobiographical and critically acclaimed film 8 Mile. Compared with the previous 3 years, 2002 was a year of relatively little controversy.
Trivia Fact About Eminem:
Prior to his devotion to rap music, Eminem dreamed of becoming a cartoonist.
An Encore and the Future for Eminem:
Eminem took time off to develop his production skills helping launch 50 Cent into the pop mainstream. His next solo album Encore finally appeared in late 2004. It featured the top 10 hit single "Just Lose It," (Listen) which takes sarcastic aim at Michael Jackson, and another top 10 hit single "Mockingbird" (Listen) that details his concerns as a father.
Eminem spent much of the next year in a lengthy concert tour which came to an abrupt end when he announced he was leaving the tour due to exhaustion. A few days later news appeared that Eminem was in drug rehab.
As 2005 wound down, Eminem released his latest single "When I'm Gone" (Listen), a complex song about family responsibilities and hinting at the killing of the character Slim Shady. It is included on Curtain Call: The Hits, a collection of hit singles that topped the album chart in December 2005.
