Eminem
Encyclopedia
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego
Slim Shady, is an American rapper
, record producer
, songwriter
and actor
. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12
, to mainstream recognition. As well as being a member of D12, Eminem is also one half of the Detroit hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil
, with Royce da 5'9". Eminem is one of the best-selling artists in the world and is the best selling artist of the 2000s. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines including the Rolling Stone
magazine which has ranked him 82nd on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The same magazine has declared him The King of Hip Hop. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has achieved ten number one albums on the Billboard 200
. He has also sold more than 33 million track downloads and 40.9 million albums in the United States alone, and 86 million records worldwide to date.
Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP
. That first album, The Marshall Mathers LP
and his third major album, The Eminem Show
, all won Grammy Awards, making Eminem the first artist to win Best Rap Album for three consecutive LPs. The Marshall Mathers LP is also considered one of Eminem's best and most successful albums. Eminem then went on hiatus after touring in 2005. He released his first album since 2004's Encore, titled Relapse, on May 15, 2009. In 2010, Eminem released his seventh studio album Recovery, which was an international success. Recovery was also named the best selling album worldwide of 2010 joining The Eminem Show, which was the best seller of 2002. Eminem won Grammy Awards for both Relapse and Recovery, giving him a total of 13 Grammys in his career. Eminem has named Masta Ace
, Big Daddy Kane
, Newcleus
, the Beastie Boys
, Dr. Dre
, Tupac Shakur
, AZ
, Nas
, and Ice-T
amongst others as his influences.
Eminem has opened other ventures since the beginning of his success. He founded his own record label, Shady Records
with his manager Paul Rosenberg
. He also has his own radio channel, Shade 45
. Eminem began an acting career in 2002, when he starred in the hip hop
drama
film 8 Mile
in which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
, becoming the first rap artist ever to win the award. He is also set to star in the 2013 films Shady Talez and Have Gun, Will Travel. He has also made cameo appearances in The Wash
(2001), Funny People
(2009) and television series Entourage
.
, the only child of Deborah R. Nelson Mathers-Briggs and Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. He is of Scottish
, English
, German
, Swiss, Polish
, and Luxembourgian
ancestry. His father abandoned the family when he was 18 months old, and he was raised solely by his mother. By the age of 12, Mathers and his mother had moved between various cities and towns in Missouri (including Saint Joseph, Savannah
, and Kansas City
) before they settled in Warren, Michigan
, and in Mathers' teenage years, Detroit.
After procuring a copy of the Beastie Boys
album Licensed to Ill
as a teenager, Mathers became further interested in rap, performing amateur raps at age 14 under the pseudonym
"M&M" and joining the group called "Bassmint Productions" and released their second EP
, Steppin' Onto The Scene
. They later changed their name to "Soul Intent" and around 1995 they released their first single called "Fuckin' Backstabber" under the record label Mashin' Duck Records. Although he was enrolled at Lincoln High School
in Warren, he frequently participated in freestyle battles
at the now-defunct Osborn High School on Detroit's east side. Despite a well-documented struggle succeeding in a predominantly African-American industry, he gained the approval of underground hip hop
audiences. After repeating the ninth grade twice due to truancy
and near-failing grades, he dropped out of high school at age 17.
In 1991, Mathers' maternal uncle, Ronald "Ronnie" Nelson, committed suicide via shotgun wound to the head. Mathers was very close to his uncle, who first introduced him to hip hop music at age 11. He was devastated by his death; today, he sports a tattoo reading "Ronnie R.I.P." on his upper left arm. Ronnie was mentioned in the songs "Stan
", "Cleanin' Out My Closet
" and "My Dad's Gone Crazy".
, who got Mathers his first studio time; Mathers made his first music video
appearance in Champtown's 1992 video "Do-Da-Dipity". Mathers and Champtown later had a falling out. Mathers was initially signed to FBT Productions in 1992, run by brothers Jeff and Mark Bass. Mathers also held a minimum-wage job of cooking and dishwashing at the restaurant Gilbert's Lodge at St. Clair Shores
for some time. In 1996, his debut album Infinite, which was recorded at the Bassmint, a recording studio owned by the Bass Brothers
, was released under their independent label Web Entertainment
. Eminem recalled, "Obviously, I was young and influenced by other artists, and I got a lot of feedback saying that I sounded like Nas
and AZ
. 'Infinite' was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself. It was a growing stage. I felt like 'Infinite' was like a demo that just got pressed up." Subjects covered in Infinite included his struggles with raising his newborn daughter Hailie Jade Mathers while on limited funds and his strong desire to get rich. Early in his career, Eminem collaborated with fellow Detroit MC Royce da 5'9" under the stage name Bad Meets Evil
. After the release of Infinite, Eminem's personal struggles and abuse of drugs and alcohol culminated in an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
Jimmy Iovine
, CEO of Interscope Records
, requested a demo tape of Eminem's after Eminem placed second at the 1997 Rap Olympics. Eminem had also won Wake Up Show's "Freestyle Performer of the Year" award, helping him acquire a record deal. Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre
, founder of Aftermath Entertainment
. The two began recording tracks for Eminem's upcoming major-label debut The Slim Shady LP
, and Eminem made a guest performance on the album Devil Without a Cause
by Kid Rock
. Hip-hop magazine The Source
featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column in March 1998.
by Eminem, published by Web Entertainment
in 1997. The Slim Shady EP was released on cassette
, vinyl
, and CD. The vinyl and CD versions were released in 1998. Eminem first introduced his "Slim Shady" persona on this EP, and his lyrics are a marked departure from those found on Infinite, featuring constant references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability, and over-the-top violence. Another departure was his exploration of more serious themes of dealing with poverty, his direct and self-deprecating response to criticism, and of marital and family difficulties. His flow is also noticeably different than on Infinite; whereas critics claimed he sounded too much like Nas
and AZ
on that album. Eminem also began utilizing story telling on this EP. The production value of the music on the tracks — from previous collaborators DJ Head
, The Bass Brothers
, and Mr. Porter — was also noticeably higher than on prior album efforts. According to Billboard
, at this point in his life Eminem had "realized his musical ambitions were the only way to escape his unhappy life".
After being signed to Aftermath Entertainment
/Interscope Records
in 1998, Eminem released his first major studio album, The Slim Shady LP
, heavily based on the production by Dr. Dre
, one year later in 1999. Billboard praised the album as "light years ahead of the material he had been writing beforehand". It went on to be one of the most popular albums of 1999, going triple platinum
by the end of the year. 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
. 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.
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 Britney Spears
' ...Baby One More Time
as the fastest-selling solo album in United States history. 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
. 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 video "My Name Is", the artists are reportedly on good terms. They performed a remix of the song "The Way I Am" together in concert. 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. 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, and the song came tenth in a similar survey conducted by Top40-Charts.com. The song has since become highly acclaimed and was ranked 290th in Rolling Stone
magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. In July 2000, Eminem became the first white person to be featured on the cover of The Source magazine. This album has been certified 10× Platinum by the RIAA.
Eminem performed with Elton John
at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001; 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. 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." On February 21, the day of the ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center
, the venue where the Grammy ceremony was held. Music tours that he participated in for 2001 included the Up in Smoke Tour
with rappers Dr. Dre
, Snoop Dogg
, Xzibit
, and Ice Cube
and Family Values Tour
with the band Limp Bizkit
.
Eminem's third major album, The Eminem Show
, was released in summer 2002 and proved to be another hit for the rapper reaching number one on the charts and selling well over 1 million copies in its first week of release. It featured the single "Without Me
", in which he makes derogatory comments about boy band
s, 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. However, L. Brent Bozell III, who previously criticized The Marshall Mathers LP for perceived misogynistic
lyrics in the album, 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. The Eminem Show was the best-selling album of 2002.
admitted it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States. The lyrics in question:
"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 song in question, "We As Americans", wound up on a bonus CD accompanying the album.
In 2004, Eminem released his fourth major album, Encore. The album was another chart-topper, as it was driven by the single "Just Lose It
", notable for being disrespectful towards Michael Jackson
. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It
", Eminem's first single off Encore, 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, however he does state in his song "... and 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", and Steve Harvey
, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back." In the video, Eminem parodied Pee-wee Herman
, MC Hammer
, and "Blond Ambition
"-era Madonna
. 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." Black Entertainment Television
was the first channel to stop airing the video. MTV, however, announced it would continue airing the video. The Source
, through its CEO Raymond "Benzino" Scott
, wanted not only the video to be pulled, but the song off the album, and a public apology to Jackson from Eminem. 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.
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. The song featured a very strong anti-Bush
message, with lyrics such as "fuck Bush" and "this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president". 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.
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. 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 will 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." 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. 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." Goldberg cited Eminem's song "No One's Iller" from The Slim Shady EP as an example of misogyny
in his music. 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". Curtain Call: The Hits was released on December 6, 2005, under Aftermath Entertainment. 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. The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA.
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."
in September 2008 in 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." It was around this time that Interscope finally confirmed the existence of a new Eminem album, with Spring 2009 later being stated as the period span in which the album is due. 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."
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 "We Made You
", the first official single and its music video, were released on April 7. 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 towards 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. On October 30, Eminem performed at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans as a headliner in his first full performance in 2009. 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:
, "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. In the US, Recovery sold 741,000 in its first week to land atop the Billboard 200. 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. 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. Recovery is the best selling digital album in history. 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. "Not Afraid" was followed by a second single, "Love the Way You Lie
," which debuted at number 2 and then rose to the top. "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. Despite some criticism towards its consistency, Recovery received positive reviews from most music critics. , the album had sold three million copies in the US. 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. With Recovery, Eminem achieved the record for most successive US No.1 albums by a solo artist.
Eminem appeared at the 2010 BET Awards
, 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. BET
also named Eminem the number one rapper of the 21st century. Eminem opened the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
on September 12, 2010, by performing "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie", with Rihanna
performing the chorus. Due to the success of Recovery and the Home & Home Tour, he was named the 2010 Hottest MC in the Game by MTV and "Emcee of the Year" by hip hop news website HipHopDX. 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". Rihanna is the lead singer, as opposed to Eminem being the main singer in the original "Love the Way You Lie". The song is said to be from the female perspective. Nicki Minaj
collaborated with rapper Eminem on a song titled "Roman's Revenge
" that appears on her album Pink Friday
. The song references Minaj's alter-ego Roman Zolanski and features Eminem's alter-ego Slim Shady. Eminem is featured on the track "That's All She Wrote
" on T.I.
's album No Mercy. He also featured on I Need a Doctor
, the second single from Detox. In December 2010, in Billboards "The Top 25 Music Moments of 2010", The "Great Eminem Recovery" was named the number one music moment of 2010. Eminem appeared at the 2011 Grammy Awards
on February 13, 2011, by performing "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" with Rihanna
and Adam Levine
, and "I Need a Doctor
" with Dr. Dre
and Skylar Grey. In February 2011, it was announced that "Space Bound
" would be released as the fourth single off of Recovery along with a music video for the song which was shot with former porn star Sasha Grey
. The long-awaited video was released on June 24 on the iTunes Store
.
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. Eminem was featured on 'Writer's Block' with Royce Da 5'9", which was officially released on April 8, 2011. On May 3, 2011, they released the lead single "Fast Lane
" for the upcoming sequel, for which a music video was shot. 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. Also, Eminem climbed to the top of the Facebook charts by being the most followed person with more than 40 million "likes", outscoring Lady Gaga
, Justin Bieber
, Rihanna
and Michael Jackson
. 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. 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. Bad Meets Evil released their next single, "Lighters
", on July 6, 2011 and premiered a music video in late August. 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.
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
.
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. 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
. 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. 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 "Pills" 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.
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
". 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. D12 member Bizarre
said that Eminem is not featured on his new album Blue Cheese & Coney Island
because "he's busy doing his thing". D12 released a mixtape in 2011 titled Return of the Dozen Volume 2 only featuring Eminem on one song, "Fame" unlike the groups previous mixtape Return of the Dozen where Eminem is not on any tracks.
, Eminem made his official Hollywood acting debut with the semi-autobiographical 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. 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.
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. He will be involved in either the soundtrack or scoring. 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. 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. A four-issue comic book series based on the film was expected to be published sometime in 2010.
Eminem appeared alongside Christina Aguilera
on the Entourage
Season 7 finale titled 'Lose Yourself' as himself.
Eminem is set to play a boxer in the upcoming film Southpaw. David Schiff will executive produce the film, and Antoine Fuqua
was confirmed to direct the film. In January 2011, a report surfaced that Eminem will star in the upcoming thriller, Random Acts of Violence.
" and "The Real Slim Shady
."
. The first, for Lipton
's Brisk Iced Tea, was a one-minute spot that featured him as a claymation figure. The other was a two-minute ad, 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.
style, in-addition to his mentor, Dr. Dre
, who share the same type of music: thick, muscular loops that evoked the terror and paranoia that his music conjured, these influences included Esham
, Kool G Rap
, Masta Ace
, Big Daddy Kane
, Newcleus
, Ice-T
, Mantronix
, Melle Mel
(specifically the track "The Message"), LL Cool J
, Beastie Boys
, Run-DMC, Rakim
, and Boogie Down Productions
.
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". 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, connecting with his audience, carrying a concept over a series of albums, complex rhyme schemes, his ability to bend words so that they rhyme
, his use of multisyllabic rhymes
, fitting many rhymes in each bar, complex rhythms, clear enunciation
, use of melody
, and syncopation
. 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, being a "workaholic
", and "stacking
" vocals.
Ken was originally played by fellow Detroit rapper Aristotle in the Slim Shady LP, who appeared in a prank call skit towards 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 onwards (except for Recovery and Encore). 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 dissing Eminem.
and Shady Records
, such as Dr. Dre
, 50 Cent
, D12
, and Obie Trice
, Eminem has collaborated with many other artists, including Redman, Kid Rock
, DMX
, Missy Elliott
, Jay-Z
, Method Man
, Jadakiss
, Fat Joe
, Sticky Fingaz, T.I.
and 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
.
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
. 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". Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem himself, with co-production from longtime collaborator Jeff Bass
. 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
. He produced the UK No. 1 single "Ghetto Gospel
" which featured Elton John
. He has produced "The Cross" off Nas
's album God's Son
. 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". Eminem produced some tracks on the new Trick-Trick album, The Villain. He is also featured in "Who Want It".
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. A notable exception to this was the song "Stan", which came from an idea and scratch track produced by Mark the 45 King.
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."
In an interview with XXL Magazine, Eminem cosigned Asher Roth, saying when asked about the comparison:
Eminem and Christian hip hop
artist KJ-52
were often compared to each other, as many called KJ-52 the "Christian counterpart" of Eminem. One of the most notable mainstream reactions to Gospel rap was to KJ-52 and his single "Dear Slim", which was written to Eminem in an attempt reach him with the message of Christianity, though Eminem claims to be a Christian. The song 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 a "diss". This also led to the single being disparaged by VH1
as No. 26 on their "Top 40 Worst Moments in Hip Hop", an issue the artist addressed in a follow-up song titled "Dear Slim Pt. 2".
".
In early 2010, Mathers responded publicly to tabloid reports of his pending reunion with Kim with a firm denial.
Mathers adopted two other daughters: Alaina "Lainie" Mathers, the child of Kimberley Scott's sister, who has been referenced by name in some songs including "Mockingbird", "Airplanes Part II" and "Going Through Changes"; and Whitney, Scott's child from a previous relationship. Whitney is mentioned in the song "Deja Vu" as well as "Going Through Changes". Mathers is also the legal guardian of his younger half-brother, Nathan who has been mentioned in "Cleanin' Out My Closet
" and "My Mom".
Mathers was arrested on June 3, 2000 during an altercation at a car audio store in Royal Oak, Michigan
, with Douglas Dail, where he pulled out an unloaded gun and kept it pointed at the ground. The following day, in Warren, Michigan
, he allegedly saw his then wife, Kim, kiss bouncer John Guerrera in the parking lot of the Hot Rock Café, and he assaulted him and was then arrested. Eminem recreated the Guerrera assault in a skit on his junior album The Eminem Show
on a track called "The Kiss (Skit)." Mathers was charged with possession of a concealed weapon and assault. Mathers plead guilty to the charges and was given two years probation
for both episodes.
On July 7, 2000, Eminem's then-wife, Kimberly Scott attempted suicide by slashing her wrists. Scott sued Eminem for defamation after he depicted her violent death in his song "Kim
".
On October 26, 2000, Eminem was to perform at a concert in Toronto's Skydome
. However, Ontario
Attorney General Jim Flaherty argued that Canada should stop Eminem at the border. "I personally don't want anyone coming to Canada who will come here and advocate violence against women," he said. Flaherty claims to have been "disgusted" when reading transcriptions of Eminem's song "Kill You", which includes lines like "Slut, you think I won't choke no whore/till the vocal cords don't work in her throat no more?" The opinion of the general public to the requests made by the province were negative. Others said the issue was one of free speech. Liberal MPP Michael Bryant suggested that the government lay hate crime
charges against Eminem for the advocation of violence against women found in his lyrics. In a Globe and Mail editorial, author Robert Everett-Green wrote, "Being offensive is Eminem's job description." Eminem's Toronto concert went on as planned that night.
D'Angelo Bailey, a sanitation worker, sued Mathers in 2001 and accused him of invading his privacy by publicizing unreasonable information that put him in a false light. Bailey admitted that he picked on Mathers but said he merely "bumped" him at school and threw a "little shove." On October 20, 2003, the charges were dismissed in court.
On June 28, 2001, Mathers was sentenced to one year probation on weapons charges that stemmed from an argument with an employee of Psychopathic Records
, assessing him a fine around $2,000 as well as several hours of community service.
On March 31, 2002, French jazz
pianist Jacques Loussier
filed a $10 million lawsuit against Eminem and Dr. Dre
, claiming the beat for "Kill You" was stolen from his song. Loussier demanded that all sales of the album be halted and any remaining copies destroyed. A trial date was set to begin in June 2004. The case was later settled.
On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service admitted it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States, George W. Bush
, after the song "We as Americans", as an unreleased bootleg, circulated 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 later referenced in the video for his song "Mosh"
as one several news clips on a wall, along with other newspaper articles about other unfortunate incidents in Bush's career. The song eventually appeared on the album's bonus disc, where the lyrics were extensively censored.
In 2005, Eminem's aunt and uncle, Jack and Betty Schmitt, sued him, alleging that he has promised them a $350,000 house and the money to keep it up, and instead has kept it in his name and tried to evict them.
In 2007, his music publishing company, Eight Mile Style LLC, together with Martin Affiliated LLC, filed suit against Apple Inc. and Aftermath Entertainment
claiming Aftermath did not have the appropriate authority to negotiate a deal with Apple for digital downloads of 93 Eminem songs on Apple's iTunes
service. The case against Apple was settled shortly after trial began in late September 2009.
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% of the net revenue Aftermath obtained by licensing Eminem's recordings to companies like Apple Inc., Sprint
, Nextel, Cingular, and T-Mobile
. In March 2011 the Supreme Court of the United States
upheld this ruling.
, Ambien, Valium and Methadone
. His group-mate Proof
from D12 stated that Mathers "sobered up" in 2002 from drug and alcohol dependence. However, he did turn to zolpidem
(Ambien) sleeping pills for relief from sleeping troubles. This caused Mathers to cancel the European leg of the Anger Management Tour
in August 2005 and eventually go into rehab for treatment for a "dependency on sleep medication". In a 2009 interview with British talk-show host Jonathan Ross
, Mathers admitted that at the height of his addiction, he considered suicide, saying that, "I just wasn't taking care of myself, at times I wanted to just give it up." He also confirmed that he is now sober, commenting that, "[R]ap was my drug ... Then I had to resort to other things to make me feel that. Now rap's getting me high again."
was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest at the CCC Club by club bouncer
Mario Etheridge on 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan after fatally shooting Keith Bender, Jr. On April 19, 2006, Eminem, D12, 50 Cent, and thousands of others attended the funeral of Proof at The Fellowship Chapel, Detroit. Eminem made two songs about Proof's death on his album Recovery titled "Going Through Changes" and "You're Never Over", and mentions him in songs on Relapse and Recovery ("Deja Vu", "Beautiful
", and "Cinderella Man")
. He gave Violent J
a flyer which stated "Featuring appearances by Esham, Kid Rock, and ICP (maybe)." Bruce asked why Eminem was promoting a possible Insane Clown Posse appearance without first contacting the group. Eminem explained, "It says 'maybe.' Maybe you will be there; I don't know. That's why I'm asking you right now. You guys comin' to my release party, or what?" Bruce, upset over not being consulted, responded, "Fuck no, I ain't coming to your party. We might have, if you would've asked us first, before putting us on the fuckin' flyer like this." Eminem took Bruce's response as a personal offense, subsequently attacking the group in radio interviews. Bruce and Utsler responded later in 1999 by releasing a parody of Eminem's "My Name Is
" entitled "Slim Anus". Eminem continued to insult Insane Clown Posse on various tracks from his album The Marshall Mathers LP
(2000), including the songs "Marshall Mathers" and "Ken Kaniff". In 2002, Eminem also briefly dissed them on his single "Business
" from his album The Eminem Show
.
Insane Clown Posse talked about the feud being squashed in an interview with MTV, saying that Proof
squashed the conflict in 2005, which was followed by a bowling game between members of D12 and Psychopathic Records
. Violent J stated that, "He contacted us and we had a bowling game – it was really cool. We're something different. They could have skipped over us and said forget them, but they included us and said let's squash it."
In an interview with MTV, Violent J stated that they no longer had problems and used the example "If you had beef with someone in high school and you see him ten years later at the reunion, are you still going to have problems with the kid? It's just foolish."
that former House of Pain
member Everlast
had mocked him on a song. Everlast claimed that while passing by Mathers in a hotel lobby, Mathers gave him a "weird look." Everlast's verse from the Dilated Peoples
all star track "Ear Drums Pop (Remix)" contained a thinly veiled reference to Eminem ("Cock my hammer, spit a comet like Haley/I buck a .380 on ones that act shady"), and went on to warn "You might catch a beatdown out where I come from" in his recounting of the incident. Taking offense to this, Eminem and D12 quickly began work on a retaliatory song, "I Remember", which ripped Everlast several times in public and with the song.
Everlast responded with the track "Whitey's Revenge," released only on his official website. While the song contained references to Eminem's strained relationships with his wife and mother, it was "Better run and check your kid for your DNA", again referring to Eminem's daughter, Hailie Jade Mathers, that set Eminem off.
Eminem & D12 responded with "Quitter," the second half of which is a take off on 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up
" (a diss song aimed at The Notorious B.I.G.
). The track ends with the spoken words, "Fuck him, that’s it, I'm done, I promise, I'm done, that's it." It was reported that long-time friends of Eminem, Limp Bizkit
, were meant to be featured on the song, but Fred Durst
canceled at the last moment. In a TRL
interview, Limp Bizkit member DJ Lethal
made a statement that if Mathers and Everlast were to fight in real life, Everlast would win. This enraged Eminem, and an insulting track aimed at both Everlast and Limp Bizkit (namely Durst and Lethal) named "Girls" appeared on D12's mainstream debut, Devil's Night
. Recently, things seem to have settled, and Eminem has no longer been heard insulting Everlast or Limp Bizkit. It is currently unknown if the dispute is resolved.
and Eminem started when Canibus and Wyclef Jean
confronted Eminem and asked him if he ghost-wrote the track "The Ripper Strikes Back" by LL Cool J
. Eminem denied that he wrote the track, and later said Canibus was "rude" to him. Two years later, Canibus went to see Eminem on the Warped Tour
and apologized to him for his reactions and asked him if he still wanted the track. Eminem agreed, but when he heard the track "Phuck U" from Canibus' album 2000 B.C., he thought the track was directed at him and LL Cool J. Shortly afterwards, Eminem released his 2nd album The Marshall Mathers LP
(2000) and Canibus decided to continue the "story" of Eminem's single "Stan
". He titled the track "U Didn't Care", and it continued to take shots at Eminem. Eminem decided to take more shots at Canibus on his album The Eminem Show
(2002) on tracks such as "Say What You Say", "When The Music Stops" and "Square Dance". Even though Canibus did not immediately respond to the tracks, Eminem continued to take shots at him, including a track Eminem was featured on with Xzibit
, titled "My Name" from Xzibit's album Man vs. Machine
. On November 19, 2002 Canibus responded with the track titled" Dr.C PhD". Over a year later Eminem released the track "Can-I-Bitch". He attacked Canibus in a humorous matter. Since then the hostilities have cooled down, but Canibus tried to provoke a re-ignition of it when he leaked a track titled "Air Strike (Pop Killer)", that featured vocal parts of D12, where Canibus takes shots at Eminem and his deceased friend Proof
. D12 member Swift
responded to the record publicly, and had the following to say about DZK (another rapper featured on the track). "[He] asked us to do a track with him when he already was teamed up with Canibus without us knowing. They dissed Em, took our verses and added them to the song, so they can bring traffic and make it seem like we were turning on Em... as a desperate attempt to be heard after ducking and dodging Em for 7 years. It was a straight hoe move."
started after 50 Cent
signed to Shady Records
and Aftermath
. Ja Rule stated that he had a problem with Eminem and Dr. Dre
of signing someone he had conflict with. On November 19, Ja Rule and Irv Gotti were special guests on Star and Bucwild's morning show on Hot 97 NYC. Irv Gotti had some 'legal documents' stating the order of protection 50 'has on him'. Ja Rule threatened that if 50 Cent released any diss track, he would take action towards his two producers.
However, Dr. Dre was the one who produced 50 Cent's vicious track "Back Down" in 2003 from the album Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
, which not only called out Murder Inc., but 50 Cent was extremely disrespectful towards Ja Rule's mother, wife and kids. In the song 50 rhymes: "Your Mami, your Papi, that bitch you chasin' your lil dirty ass kids, I'll fuckin' erase them."
Busta Rhymes
decided to join the conflict when he was featured on the track "Hail Mary 2003", with Eminem and 50 Cent.
The feud intensified when Ja Rule released a diss called "Loose Change" in which he took shots at 50 Cent and as well Eminem calling him "Feminem" and Dr. Dre as "bisexual" and claimed that Suge Knight
knew of Dre "bringing transvestites home". It includes also the lyrics insulting Eminem's mother Debbie, his ex-wife Kim and went on to reference his then 8-year-old daughter Hailie: "Em you claim your mother's a crack head and Kim is a known slut, so what's Hailie gonna be when she grows up?" This angered Eminem greatly, causing him to immediately get his rap group D12 involved, as well as the major part of his label, Shady Records, including Obie Trice
, his close friend. They responded together on the track titled "Doe Rae Me" (aka "Hailie's Revenge"). Since then the rift has cooled down.
trial, plastic surgery and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi
commercial in 1984. It was banned on the BET
channel, after complaints from Benzino
and others (but was later reinstated, as critics of the ban argued that Nelly
's "Tip Drill
" video could be seen). Both were only seen on BET: Uncut
. However MTV did not drop it, and the video became one of the most requested on the channel. A week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson called into the radio show of Steve Harvey
to report his displeasure with the video. "I am very angry at Eminem's depiction of me in his video," Jackson said in the interview. "I feel that it is outrageous and disrespectful. It is one thing to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning and insensitive." The singer continued: "I've admired Eminem as an artist, and was shocked by this. The video was inappropriate and disrespectful to me, my children, my family and the community at large." 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", and Steve Harvey
, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back."
, although she denies the claim. She says that they hung out but nothing sexual or intimate occurred. Eminem has referenced her on many songs that include "Superman", "Jimmy Crack Corn
", "Bagpipes From Baghdad", and "The Warning
". While "Superman" was released in 2003, Carey released a song entitled "Clown" on her Charmbracelet
album, released in 2002, which makes similar references in line with her 2009 hit "Obsessed
".
Eminem's "Bagpipes From Baghdad" from his album Relapse may be his most well-known reference to Carey due to the controversy it caused. The song disparages Carey and husband Nick Cannon
's relationship. Cannon responded to Eminem by saying his career is based on "racist
bigotry", and that he would get revenge on Eminem, joking that he may return to rapping. Eminem later stated that the couple misinterpreted the track and it was wishing the two the best. Cannon also stated that there were no hard feelings, and that he just had to express his feelings about the song.
In 2009, Carey released "Obsessed" in which she sings about an obsessed man who claims to be having a relationship with her. Cannon claimed that the song was not an insult directed at Eminem. However, Eminem responded in late July 2009 by releasing a track titled "The Warning
". It contained samples of voice mail recordings which Eminem claimed were left by Mariah Carey when the two were together. Eminem also hinted that he had other evidence of their relationship in his possession. A little over a year later in September 2010 Nick Cannon responded with the song "I'm a Slick Rick" which in Slick Rick
's flow he takes shots at Eminem.
, popular electronic music
artist Moby
began speaking out against the album's lyrics, citing references to misogyny
and homophobia
as unacceptable. Eminem responded back with several disprespectful lines about Moby in "Without Me", the lead single off his next album The Eminem Show
. Moby kept quiet until 2004, when he praised Eminem for his courage in bashing then-U.S. President George W. Bush
in the song "Mosh
", a track from Encore. The feud has since died.
, and publicly supports gay rights.
, and has sold more than 86.5 million albums worldwide to date, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. He has totaled over 1 billion views on his music videos on his official Vevo
page on YouTube
. Eminem was ranked 82nd on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He was also named the Best Rapper Alive by Vibe magazine in 2008. In December 2009, Eminem was named the Artist of the Decade by Billboard magazine
. In 2010, MTV
Portugal ranked Eminem as the seventh biggest icon in pop music history. During 2010, Eminem's music generated 94 million streams, more than any other music artist. Also according to Billboard, Eminem has two of his albums among the top five highest selling albums of the 2000s. In the UK, Eminem has sold over 12.5 million records. Eminem has also sold more than 33 million track downloads and 40.9 million albums in the United States alone. Including his work with D12, Eminem has achieved ten No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, seven solo (six studio albums, one compilation), two with D12 and one with Bad Meets Evil
. Eminem has had 13 number one singles worldwide. His albums The Eminem Show
, The Marshall Mathers LP
, and Encore ranked as the 3rd, 7th, and 40th best-selling albums of the 2000–2009 decade respectively by Billboard magazine. In August 2011 Eminem was named "The King of Hip-Hop" by Rolling Stone. The magazine looked at solo rappers who released music between 2009 and the first half of 2011 by analizing their album sales, rankings on the R&B/hip-hop and rap charts, YouTube views, social media, concert grosses, industry awards and critics' ratings, and the data accumulated named Eminem the king of the time period.
Eminem's second major label studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP
, became the fastest-selling solo album in United States history. The album has been ranked as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time by such magazines as Rolling Stone
, Time
, and XXL
. Rolling Stone placed the album at number seven on its list of the best albums of the 2000s. The album's third single, "Stan
", is one of Eminem's most critically acclaimed songs, having been ranked by About.com
as Eminem's best song and referred to by Pitchfork Media
as "a cultural milestone". In 2005, Eminem was ranked 79th on the VH1
100 Greatest Artists of All-Time.
s "The Immortals". In 2008, the readers of Vibe Magazine voted him "The Best Rapper Alive". He was also named "Best Rapper Ever" in a poll conducted by music fans on the Vibe website.
Ironically, "The Real Slim Shady
", one of the songs from his second Grammy-winning album, The Marshall Mathers LP
, slammed the Grammy Awards in its second verse, and stated the opinion that negative feelings about his material would keep him from ever winning one.
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
Slim Shady, is an American rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
, to mainstream recognition. As well as being a member of D12, Eminem is also one half of the Detroit hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan that consists of rappers Royce da 5'9" and Eminem . They are best known for collaborating on a self-titled song that appeared on Eminem's major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP in 1999, their early association with Dr...
, with Royce da 5'9". Eminem is one of the best-selling artists in the world and is the best selling artist of the 2000s. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines including the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine which has ranked him 82nd on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The same magazine has declared him The King of Hip Hop. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has achieved ten number one albums on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. He has also sold more than 33 million track downloads and 40.9 million albums in the United States alone, and 86 million records worldwide to date.
Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP
The Slim Shady LP
The Slim Shady LP is the second studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on February 23, 1999. It is his major-label debut, and was released under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and Web Records....
. That first album, The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
and his third major album, The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
, all won Grammy Awards, making Eminem the first artist to win Best Rap Album for three consecutive LPs. The Marshall Mathers LP is also considered one of Eminem's best and most successful albums. Eminem then went on hiatus after touring in 2005. He released his first album since 2004's Encore, titled Relapse, on May 15, 2009. In 2010, Eminem released his seventh studio album Recovery, which was an international success. Recovery was also named the best selling album worldwide of 2010 joining The Eminem Show, which was the best seller of 2002. Eminem won Grammy Awards for both Relapse and Recovery, giving him a total of 13 Grammys in his career. Eminem has named Masta Ace
Masta Ace
Duval Clear , known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is a rapper from Brownsville, Brooklyn. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony"...
, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
, Newcleus
Newcleus
Newcleus is an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They are primarily known for their 12-inch singles "Jam-On's Revenge", re-released as "Jam on Revenge " , and "Jam on It" ....
, the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, AZ
AZ (rapper)
Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, and Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
amongst others as his influences.
Eminem has opened other ventures since the beginning of his success. He founded his own record label, Shady Records
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
with his manager Paul Rosenberg
Paul Rosenberg (music manager)
Paul Rosenberg is an American music manager known for his association with hip hop artists Eminem, The Knux and pop punk band Blink-182. As well as managing said artists, Rosenberg is also the co-founder of hip hop record label Shady Records, founded in 1999...
. He also has his own radio channel, Shade 45
Shade 45
Shade 45 is Eminem's uncensored Hip-Hop/Rap-heavy urban contemporary channel. Eminem Brings On-Air show hosts. It debuted with a hip hop format in 2004, changing to its current incarnation when it was added to XM channel 66...
. Eminem began an acting career in 2002, when he starred in the hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film 8 Mile
8 Mile (film)
8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop drama film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger....
in which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
, becoming the first rap artist ever to win the award. He is also set to star in the 2013 films Shady Talez and Have Gun, Will Travel. He has also made cameo appearances in The Wash
The Wash (film)
The Wash is a hip hop-styled film written and directed by DJ Pooh and starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and DJ Pooh, with appearances by Eminem and Ludacris. The film was released on November 16, 2001.-Plot:...
(2001), Funny People
Funny People
Funny People is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann. The film was released on 31 July 2009 in North America, and on 28 August 2009 in the United Kingdom. Funny People uses considerably more...
(2009) and television series Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
.
1972–91: Early life and beginnings
Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972, in Saint Joseph, MissouriSaint Joseph, Missouri
Saint Joseph is the second largest city in northwest Missouri, only second to Kansas City in size, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2010 census, Saint Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The St...
, the only child of Deborah R. Nelson Mathers-Briggs and Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. He is of Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
, English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, Swiss, Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, and Luxembourgian
Luxembourgers
Luxembourgers are an ethnic group native to Luxembourg sharing Luxembourgian culture and being of Luxembourgian descent.-Location:Most ethnic Luxembourgers live in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, a small country located in Europe between Germany, France and Belgium and are a mixture of Latin and...
ancestry. His father abandoned the family when he was 18 months old, and he was raised solely by his mother. By the age of 12, Mathers and his mother had moved between various cities and towns in Missouri (including Saint Joseph, Savannah
Savannah, Missouri
Savannah is a city in Andrew County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,762 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Andrew County.Savannah is part of the St...
, and Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
) before they settled in Warren, Michigan
Warren, Michigan
Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2010 census places the city's population at 134,056, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb....
, and in Mathers' teenage years, Detroit.
After procuring a copy of the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
album Licensed to Ill
Licensed to Ill
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Sources 100 Best Rap Albums.It is still the only album by a white hip-hop act to receive the coveted 5 mics from The Source....
as a teenager, Mathers became further interested in rap, performing amateur raps at age 14 under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"M&M" and joining the group called "Bassmint Productions" and released their second EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Steppin' Onto The Scene
Steppin' onto the Scene
Steppin' onto the Scene is the second EP by American hip hop group Bassmint Productions, which was renamed Soul Intent in 1992. This EP was produced by Manix and self-released on cassette in 1990. It had two sides, The M&M Side and The Chaos Side...
. They later changed their name to "Soul Intent" and around 1995 they released their first single called "Fuckin' Backstabber" under the record label Mashin' Duck Records. Although he was enrolled at Lincoln High School
Lincoln High School (Warren, Michigan)
Lincoln High School is a public high school located in Warren, Michigan. The school is run by the Van Dyke Public Schools, and is located at 9 Mile and Van Dyke. The school colors are black, white and red and team nickname is the Abes...
in Warren, he frequently participated in freestyle battles
Battle Rap
Battle rap is a type of rapping that includes a lot of braggadocio content "combined with put-downs, insults, and disses against real or imaginary opponents"...
at the now-defunct Osborn High School on Detroit's east side. Despite a well-documented struggle succeeding in a predominantly African-American industry, he gained the approval of underground hip hop
Underground hip hop
Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed toindependent labels or no label at all....
audiences. After repeating the ninth grade twice due to truancy
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
and near-failing grades, he dropped out of high school at age 17.
In 1991, Mathers' maternal uncle, Ronald "Ronnie" Nelson, committed suicide via shotgun wound to the head. Mathers was very close to his uncle, who first introduced him to hip hop music at age 11. He was devastated by his death; today, he sports a tattoo reading "Ronnie R.I.P." on his upper left arm. Ronnie was mentioned in the songs "Stan
Stan (song)
"Stan" is the third single from The Marshall Mathers LP, by rapper Eminem featuring Dido. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also included on Curtain Call: The Hits, performed with Eminem and Dido as well track 17 on Curtain Call: The Hits as a live Performance from...
", "Cleanin' Out My Closet
Cleanin' Out My Closet
"Cleanin' Out My Closet" is a song by American rapper Eminem released in 2002. It was from his worldwide hit album, The Eminem Show and was later re-released in 2005 for Eminem's greatest hits album Curtain Call: The Hits. "Cleanin' Out My Closet" was the second single released from the album...
" and "My Dad's Gone Crazy".
1992–96: Early career and Infinite
One of Mathers' early mentors as a rapper was local rapper ChamptownChamptown
Champtown is an American rapper, disc jockey, film director and teacher from Detroit, Michigan. Founder of the Straight Jacket independent record label, Champtown is known for helping establish the careers of a number of Detroit hip hop artists, including Kid Rock and Eminem. He has also worked...
, who got Mathers his first studio time; Mathers made his first music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
appearance in Champtown's 1992 video "Do-Da-Dipity". Mathers and Champtown later had a falling out. Mathers was initially signed to FBT Productions in 1992, run by brothers Jeff and Mark Bass. Mathers also held a minimum-wage job of cooking and dishwashing at the restaurant Gilbert's Lodge at St. Clair Shores
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake St. Clair in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located approximately northeast of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,715. The current mayor is...
for some time. In 1996, his debut album Infinite, which was recorded at the Bassmint, a recording studio owned by the Bass Brothers
Bass Brothers
Bass Brothers is the professional name for the team of Mark and Jeff Bass, the Detroit producers responsible for grooming megastar Eminem in his early days and collaborating on much of his subsequent music. Before that they worked with George Clinton...
, was released under their independent label Web Entertainment
Web Entertainment
Web Entertainment is a Detroit-based record label run by the Bass Brothers. It is best known for producing both of Eminem 's independent albums, Infinite and The Slim Shady EP demo, before he signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and also released The Slim Shady LP and currently Recovery...
. Eminem recalled, "Obviously, I was young and influenced by other artists, and I got a lot of feedback saying that I sounded like Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
and AZ
AZ (rapper)
Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
. 'Infinite' was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself. It was a growing stage. I felt like 'Infinite' was like a demo that just got pressed up." Subjects covered in Infinite included his struggles with raising his newborn daughter Hailie Jade Mathers while on limited funds and his strong desire to get rich. Early in his career, Eminem collaborated with fellow Detroit MC Royce da 5'9" under the stage name Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan that consists of rappers Royce da 5'9" and Eminem . They are best known for collaborating on a self-titled song that appeared on Eminem's major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP in 1999, their early association with Dr...
. After the release of Infinite, Eminem's personal struggles and abuse of drugs and alcohol culminated in an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
, CEO of Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
, requested a demo tape of Eminem's after Eminem placed second at the 1997 Rap Olympics. Eminem had also won Wake Up Show's "Freestyle Performer of the Year" award, helping him acquire a record deal. Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, founder of Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Slim da Mobster, with former acts including Busta Rhymes, Game, Raekwon,...
. The two began recording tracks for Eminem's upcoming major-label debut The Slim Shady LP
The Slim Shady LP
The Slim Shady LP is the second studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on February 23, 1999. It is his major-label debut, and was released under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and Web Records....
, and Eminem made a guest performance on the album Devil Without a Cause
Devil Without a Cause
-Tracklisting for clean version:-Demos:-Samples:*"Bawitdaba"**"Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang*"Cowboy"**"Midnight Rider" by The Allman Brothers Band**"L.A...
by Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
. Hip-hop magazine The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column in March 1998.
1997–99: The Slim Shady LP
The Slim Shady EP is a debut extended playExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by Eminem, published by Web Entertainment
Web Entertainment
Web Entertainment is a Detroit-based record label run by the Bass Brothers. It is best known for producing both of Eminem 's independent albums, Infinite and The Slim Shady EP demo, before he signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and also released The Slim Shady LP and currently Recovery...
in 1997. The Slim Shady EP was released on cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, and CD. The vinyl and CD versions were released in 1998. Eminem first introduced his "Slim Shady" persona on this EP, and his lyrics are a marked departure from those found on Infinite, featuring constant references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability, and over-the-top violence. Another departure was his exploration of more serious themes of dealing with poverty, his direct and self-deprecating response to criticism, and of marital and family difficulties. His flow is also noticeably different than on Infinite; whereas critics claimed he sounded too much like Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
and AZ
AZ (rapper)
Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
on that album. Eminem also began utilizing story telling on this EP. The production value of the music on the tracks — from previous collaborators DJ Head
DJ Head
DJ Head AKA DJ Manho is a Grammy Award Winning hip-hop producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan. He is known for producing and co-producing songs for Eminem. DJ Head was raised in Detroit. He is a graduate from Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak, Michigan , and Michigan State University Alumni...
, The Bass Brothers
Bass Brothers
Bass Brothers is the professional name for the team of Mark and Jeff Bass, the Detroit producers responsible for grooming megastar Eminem in his early days and collaborating on much of his subsequent music. Before that they worked with George Clinton...
, and Mr. Porter — was also noticeably higher than on prior album efforts. According to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, at this point in his life Eminem had "realized his musical ambitions were the only way to escape his unhappy life".
After being signed to Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Slim da Mobster, with former acts including Busta Rhymes, Game, Raekwon,...
/Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
in 1998, Eminem released his first major studio album, The Slim Shady LP
The Slim Shady LP
The Slim Shady LP is the second studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on February 23, 1999. It is his major-label debut, and was released under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and Web Records....
, heavily based on the production by Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, one year later in 1999. Billboard praised the album as "light years ahead of the material he had been writing beforehand". It went on to be one of the most popular albums of 1999, going triple platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the end of the year. 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
Guilty Conscience
"Guilty Conscience" is a song released in 1999 by rap artist Eminem featuring his mentor, Dr. Dre. It was the third single from his major label debut album, The Slim Shady LP, also released in 1999...
", 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
Forgot About Dre
-Peak positions:-End of year charts:-Awards:"Forgot About Dre" won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 2001 Grammy Awards....
" and "What's the Difference" from Dr. Dre's album 2001, "Bitch Please II" from The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
, "Say What You Say" from The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
, "Encore/Curtains Down" from Encore and "Old Time's Sake
Old Time's Sake
-Musical personnel:*Eric "Jesus" Coomes – guitar, bass*Mark Batson – keyboards*Dawaun Parker – keyboards*Trevor Lawrence, Jr. – keyboards-Charts:...
" and "Crack a Bottle
Crack a Bottle
"Crack a Bottle" is a hip hop song by American rappers Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent from Eminem's sixth studio album Relapse. On February 12, 2009, the song broke the first week digital sales record with 418,000 downloads, topping the previous record held by "Live Your Life" by T.I. featuring...
" 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
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Slim da Mobster, with former acts including Busta Rhymes, Game, Raekwon,...
. 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.
2000–02: The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show
The Marshall Mathers LPThe Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
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
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
's Doggystyle
Doggystyle
Doggystyle is the debut album from American rapper Snoop Dogg; released by Death Row Records on November 23, 1993. The album was recorded soon following the release of Dr. Dre's landmark debut album The Chronic , to which Snoop Dogg contributed significantly. His musical stylizations for the album...
as the fastest-selling hip hop album and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' ...Baby One More Time
...Baby One More Time
...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album of American recording artist Britney Spears, released on January 12, 1999, by Jive Records. In June 1997, while Spears was in a negotiation with manager Lou Pearlman to join female pop group Innosense, her mother asked family friend and entertainment...
as the fastest-selling solo album in United States history. The first single released from the album, "The Real Slim Shady
The Real Slim Shady
"The Real Slim Shady" is a hip hop song written by Eminem for his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP . It was released as the lead single a week before the album's release...
", was a success and created some controversy by insulting celebrities and making dubious claims about them; he states, among other things, that Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
performed oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
and Carson Daly
Carson Daly
Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...
. In his second single, "The Way I Am
The Way I Am (Eminem song)
- Charts :...
", he reveals to his fans the pressures from his record company to top "My Name Is
My Name Is
"My Name Is" is a song by Eminem released in 1999. It is the debut single overall from his major label debut album, The Slim Shady LP. The song was ranked at #26 on "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's". "My Name Is" also was ranked #6 on Q Magazine's "1001 Best Songs Ever"...
" and sell more records. Although Eminem had parodied shock rocker Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
in the video "My Name Is", the artists are reportedly on good terms. They performed a remix of the song "The Way I Am" together in concert. In the third single, "Stan
Stan (song)
"Stan" is the third single from The Marshall Mathers LP, by rapper Eminem featuring Dido. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also included on Curtain Call: The Hits, performed with Eminem and Dido as well track 17 on Curtain Call: The Hits as a live Performance from...
" (which samples Dido
Dido (singer)
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...
's "Thank You
Thank You (Dido song)
"Thank You" is a song by Dido. The song made its first appearance in 1998, on the soundtrack of Sliding Doors, although it was not released as a single until late 2000. It later featured on Dido's debut album, No Angel, becoming the album's biggest hit...
"), 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. 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, and the song came tenth in a similar survey conducted by Top40-Charts.com. The song has since become highly acclaimed and was ranked 290th in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. In July 2000, Eminem became the first white person to be featured on the cover of The Source magazine. This album has been certified 10× Platinum by the RIAA.
Eminem performed with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001; the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), an organization that perceived Eminem's lyrics to be homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
, condemned the openly gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
John's decision to perform with Eminem. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
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." On February 21, the day of the ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
, the venue where the Grammy ceremony was held. Music tours that he participated in for 2001 included the Up in Smoke Tour
Up in Smoke Tour
The Up in Smoke Tour was a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 featuring artists Ice Cube, Eminem, Proof, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, D12, MC Ren, Westside Connection, Mel-Man, Tha Eastsidaz, Doggy's Angels, Devin The Dude, Warren G, TQ, Truth Hurts and Xzibit.- Background :The tour was...
with rappers Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, Xzibit
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...
, and Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
and Family Values Tour
Family Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...
with the band Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
.
Eminem's third major album, The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
, was released in summer 2002 and proved to be another hit for the rapper reaching number one on the charts and selling well over 1 million copies in its first week of release. It featured the single "Without Me
Without Me
"Without Me" is a rap song by American rapper Eminem. It was released as the lead single from his fourth studio album titled The Eminem Show in 2002, and re-released on his greatest-hits compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits in 2005....
", in which he makes derogatory comments about boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
s, Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
, Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
and Lynne Cheney
Lynne Cheney
Lynne Ann Cheney is the wife of former United States Vice President Dick Cheney and served as the Second Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009...
, and Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, among others. The Eminem Show has been certified 10× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(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
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
he saw kissing his wife in 2000. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic felt that while there was clear anger present on several tracks, this album was considerably less inflammatory than The Marshall Mathers LP. However, L. Brent Bozell III, who previously criticized The Marshall Mathers LP for perceived misogynistic
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
lyrics in the album, noted The Eminem Show for its extensive use of obscene language, giving Eminem the nickname "Eminef" for the bowdlerization of
motherfucker
Motherfucker
Motherfucker is a vulgarism which, in its most literal sense, refers to one who participates in sexual intercourse with a mother, either someone else's mother, or his own.- Variants :...
, an obscenity prevalent in the album. The Eminem Show was the best-selling album of 2002.
2003–05: Encore
On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret ServiceUnited States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
admitted it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States. The lyrics in question:
"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 song in question, "We As Americans", wound up on a bonus CD accompanying the album.
In 2004, Eminem released his fourth major album, Encore. The album was another chart-topper, as it was driven by the single "Just Lose It
Just Lose It
"Just Lose It" is the first single from Eminem's fifth studio album Encore and was later included on his 2005 compilation album, Curtain Call: The Hits. The song caused controversy as its lyrics and music video parodies Michael Jackson, who was being accused of child molestation at the time. The...
", notable for being disrespectful towards Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It
Just Lose It
"Just Lose It" is the first single from Eminem's fifth studio album Encore and was later included on his 2005 compilation album, Curtain Call: The Hits. The song caused controversy as its lyrics and music video parodies Michael Jackson, who was being accused of child molestation at the time. The...
", Eminem's first single off Encore, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
called into the Los Angeles-based Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, television and radio personality and best-selling author. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...
radio show to report his displeasure with the video, which parodies Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
, and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
commercial in 1984. The lyrics to "Just Lose It" refer to Jackson's legal troubles, however he does state in his song "... and 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
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, who called the video "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit", and Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, television and radio personality and best-selling author. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...
, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back." In the video, Eminem parodied Pee-wee Herman
Pee-wee Herman
Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his two television series and film series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981...
, MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
, and "Blond Ambition
Blond Ambition World Tour
The Blond Ambition World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter, Madonna. The tour was launched in support of her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, and the soundtrack, I'm Breathless. The tour reached North America, Europe and Asia. It was a highly controversial tour,...
"-era Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
. Regarding Jackson's protest, "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
, who parodied the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" on a track titled "Couch Potato" on his 2003 album Poodle Hat
Poodle Hat
Poodle Hat is the Grammy Award-winning 11th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released on May 20, 2003 on Volcano Records. The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200. The album was released on an Enhanced CD...
, told the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, "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." Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
was the first channel to stop airing the video. MTV, however, announced it would continue airing the video. The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
, through its CEO Raymond "Benzino" Scott
Benzino
Raymond Scott from Boston Massachusetts, better known by hisstage name Benzino is an American hip hop media executive, and record producer....
, wanted not only the video to be pulled, but the song off the album, and a public apology to Jackson from Eminem. In 2007 Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music LLC
Famous Music
Famous Music was the worldwide music publishing division of Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom since 1994. Its copyright holdings span several decades and includes music from such Academy Award-winning motion pictures as The Godfather and Forrest Gump...
from Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem, Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
and Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, among others.
Despite the comedic theme of the lead single, Encore had its fair share of serious subject matter, including the anti-war track "Mosh
Mosh (song)
"Mosh" is a protest song by Eminem and Guerrilla News Network, released on October 26, 2004 as a digital single, just prior to the 2004 presidential election....
". On October 25, 2004, a week before the 2004 US Presidential election, Eminem released the video for "Mosh" on the Internet. The song featured a very strong anti-Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
message, with lyrics such as "fuck Bush" and "this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president". The video features Eminem gathering up an army of people, including rapper Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...
, presented as victims of the Bush administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
and leading them to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. 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.
2005–08: Musical hiatus
Curtain Call: The Hits
Curtain Call: The Hits is a 2005 greatest hits compilation album by American rapper Eminem. It collects Eminem's most popular songs, as well as four new tracks; a live version of "Stan" featuring Elton John from the 43rd Grammy Awards, plus new songs "Fack", "When I'm Gone" and "Shake That"...
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 will 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." He released The Re-Up
The Re-Up
Eminem Presents: The Re-Up is a rap compilation album performed by various artists, designed to help launch new Shady Records artists Stat Quo, Cashis and Bobby Creekwater...
with the members of his record label, Shady Records
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
. It was released in 2006.
In 2005, Eminem was a subject of Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Richard Goldberg , also known as Bernie Goldberg, is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning American writer, journalist, and political commentator...
's book, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America is a non-fiction book by Bernard Goldberg that was published in 2005. The book's central idea is to name and blame a long list of specific individuals for making the United States a "far more selfish, vulgar, and cynical place."Goldberg's book denounces many...
; he ranked No. 58. Goldberg cited a 2001 column by Bob Herbert
Bob Herbert
Robert “Bob” Herbert is an American journalist op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times. His column was syndicated to other newspapers around the country. Herbert frequently writes on poverty, the Iraq war, racism and American political apathy towards race issues...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
claiming, "In Eminem's world, all women are whores
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and he is eager to rape and murder them." Goldberg cited Eminem's song "No One's Iller" from The Slim Shady EP as an example of misogyny
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
in his music. In summer 2005, Eminem embarked on his first US concert run in three years, the Anger Management 3 Tour
Anger Management Tour
The inaugural Anger Management Tour was founded and started in the fall 2000 by Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and after the release of The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem. Originally targeted at both rap and rock fans, the first "Anger Management" outing took place in 2000. It had two separate legs.The...
, featuring 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, G-Unit
G-Unit
G-Unit is an American hip hop group originating from New York City formed by 50 Cents. G-Unit emerged on the New York scene by independently releasing several mix tapes...
, Lil Jon
Lil Jon
Jonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
, D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
, Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
, The Alchemist
The Alchemist (producer)
Alan Daniel Maman , better known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ and rapper. He hails from Beverly Hills, California...
, and others. In August 2005, Eminem canceled the European leg of the tour and subsequently announced that he had entered drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
for treatment for a "dependency on sleep medication". Curtain Call: The Hits was released on December 6, 2005, under Aftermath Entertainment. 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. The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA.
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."
2008–09: Relapse and Relapse: Refill
Eminem made an appearance on his Sirius channel Shade 45Shade 45
Shade 45 is Eminem's uncensored Hip-Hop/Rap-heavy urban contemporary channel. Eminem Brings On-Air show hosts. It debuted with a hip hop format in 2004, changing to its current incarnation when it was added to XM channel 66...
in September 2008 in 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." It was around this time that Interscope finally confirmed the existence of a new Eminem album, with Spring 2009 later being stated as the period span in which the album is due. 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."
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 "We Made You
We Made You
"We Made You" is a song by American hip hop musician Eminem. It was released as the first single from his sixth studio album Relapse on April 7, 2009. Produced by Dr. Dre and co-produced by Doc Ish and Eminem himself, the song samples "Hot Summer Nights" by Walter Egan. Eminem performed this song...
", the first official single and its music video, were released on April 7. 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
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
, Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...
descended upon the audience wearing an angel's costume and landed on top of Eminem with his buttocks facing towards 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. On October 30, Eminem performed at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans as a headliner in his first full performance in 2009. 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
Forever (Drake song)
"Forever" is a single by rapper Drake. The song features verses by rappers Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem. The song is released as a single from the soundtrack to LeBron James's More Than a Game documentary....
" 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.
2010–present: Recovery and Bad Meets Evil reunion
On April 14, 2010, Eminem tweetedTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, "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. In the US, Recovery sold 741,000 in its first week to land atop the Billboard 200. 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
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart for five consecutive weeks and a total of seven weeks. 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. Recovery is the best selling digital album in history. The first single, "Not Afraid
Not Afraid
Not to be confused with Eminem's Not AfraidNot Afraid is the debut studio album by Christian pop rock singer Stephanie Smith. It was released on May 27, 2008 through Gotee Records...
", was released on April 29, and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video was released on June 4. "Not Afraid" was followed by a second single, "Love the Way You Lie
Love the Way You Lie
"Love the Way You Lie" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album, Recovery . It was released as the album's second single on August 9, 2010, by Interscope-Geffen-A&M. The song features vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. According to her, its theme...
," which debuted at number 2 and then rose to the top. "Love the Way You Lie
Love the Way You Lie
"Love the Way You Lie" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album, Recovery . It was released as the album's second single on August 9, 2010, by Interscope-Geffen-A&M. The song features vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. According to her, its theme...
" 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. Despite some criticism towards its consistency, Recovery received positive reviews from most music critics. , the album had sold three million copies in the US. 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. With Recovery, Eminem achieved the record for most successive US No.1 albums by a solo artist.
Eminem appeared at the 2010 BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
, performing "Not Afraid" and "Airplanes, Part II", with B.o.B
B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. , better known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both...
. 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 Home & Home Tour
The Home & Home Tour is a tour by rappers Eminem & Jay-Z. The tour comprises two shows at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, and two shows in Yankee Stadium, New York City. A DVD of the tour is being made of the Detroit show. It may only be a DVD of Eminem's part of the show, but nothing has been...
. The first two concerts rapidly sold out, prompting the scheduling of an additional show at each venue. BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
also named Eminem the number one rapper of the 21st century. Eminem opened the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
on September 12, 2010, by performing "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie", with Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
performing the chorus. Due to the success of Recovery and the Home & Home Tour, he was named the 2010 Hottest MC in the Game by MTV and "Emcee of the Year" by hip hop news website HipHopDX. Eminem and Rihanna collaborated once again to make "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)
Love the Way You Lie (Part II)
"Love the Way You Lie " is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud. It features guest vocals from American rapper Eminem. The song was written by Eminem, Skylar Grey and Alex da Kid, the latter of whom produced the song...
", the sequel to their hit single "Love the Way You Lie". Rihanna is the lead singer, as opposed to Eminem being the main singer in the original "Love the Way You Lie". The song is said to be from the female perspective. Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
collaborated with rapper Eminem on a song titled "Roman's Revenge
Roman's Revenge
"Roman's Revenge" is a song performed by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj from her debut studio album Pink Friday. It was written by Minaj and rapper Eminem, who is also featured in the song, and was produced by Swizz Beatz. It was released exclusively on October 30, 2010 through the US iTunes store,...
" that appears on her album Pink Friday
Pink Friday
Pink Friday is the debut studio album by hip hop recording artist Nicki Minaj. It was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe editions through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown. The intended lead single from the album, "Massive Attack", flopped...
. The song references Minaj's alter-ego Roman Zolanski and features Eminem's alter-ego Slim Shady. Eminem is featured on the track "That's All She Wrote
That's All She Wrote
"That's All She Wrote" is a song by T.I. featuring Eminem from T.I.'s seventh studio album No Mercy, which was released on December 7, 2010. It was written by Eminem and T.I., and features two verses from each rapper. The track was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin. The last time T.I...
" on T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
's album No Mercy. He also featured on I Need a Doctor
I Need a Doctor
"I Need a Doctor" is a single by American hip-hop artist Dr. Dre. The song features guest appearances from American rapper Eminem and singer Skylar Grey. The song is produced by British record producer Alex da Kid, mixed by Dr...
, the second single from Detox. In December 2010, in Billboards "The Top 25 Music Moments of 2010", The "Great Eminem Recovery" was named the number one music moment of 2010. Eminem appeared at the 2011 Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
on February 13, 2011, by performing "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" with Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
and Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
, and "I Need a Doctor
I Need a Doctor
"I Need a Doctor" is a single by American hip-hop artist Dr. Dre. The song features guest appearances from American rapper Eminem and singer Skylar Grey. The song is produced by British record producer Alex da Kid, mixed by Dr...
" with Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
and Skylar Grey. In February 2011, it was announced that "Space Bound
Space Bound
"Space Bound" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album, Recovery. In February 2011, "Space Bound" was announced to be released as the fourth single from Recovery. The song is produced by American hip-hop producer Jim Jonsin. "Space Bound" features interpolations of "Drive"...
" would be released as the fourth single off of Recovery along with a music video for the song which was shot with former porn star Sasha Grey
Sasha Grey
Sasha Grey is an American former pornographic actress, who has since turned to mainstream acting, modeling and music....
. The long-awaited video was released on June 24 on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
.
In 2010, Eminem started collaborating with Royce da 5'9" on their first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
as Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan that consists of rappers Royce da 5'9" and Eminem . They are best known for collaborating on a self-titled song that appeared on Eminem's major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP in 1999, their early association with Dr...
. The duo was formed in 1999 and has reunited. The EP, entitled Hell: The Sequel
Hell: The Sequel
Hell: The Sequel is the debut extended play by Bad Meets Evil, an American hip hop duo composed of Royce da 5'9" and Eminem. It was released on June 13, 2011 in some countries by Shady Records and Interscope Records and on June 14, 2011 in the United States. The EP focuses on hardcore hip hop and...
, was released on June 14, 2011. Eminem was featured on 'Writer's Block' with Royce Da 5'9", which was officially released on April 8, 2011. On May 3, 2011, they released the lead single "Fast Lane
Fast Lane (song)
"Fast Lane" is the lead single by hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, a group composed of Royce da 5'9" and Eminem, from their first EP Hell: The Sequel. It's their first single as a group since the 1999 hit "Nuttin' to Do" and the duo's major label debut single, due to a break-up in late 2000...
" for the upcoming sequel, for which a music video was shot. In March 2011, within days of each other, both The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
and The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
were certified diamond by the RIAA. This makes Eminem the only rapper to have two diamond-certified albums. Also, Eminem climbed to the top of the Facebook charts by being the most followed person with more than 40 million "likes", outscoring Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. 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. Early in 2011, Eminem leaked "2.0 Boys", for which Yelawolf
Yelawolf
Michael Wayne Atha , better known by his stage name YelaWolf, is an American rapper. He is currently signed to Shady Records, Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment and Interscope Records...
and Slaughterhouse collaborated upon signing to Shady Records
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
in January 2011 and performing it in April 2011. Bad Meets Evil released their next single, "Lighters
Lighters (song)
"Lighters" is a song by American hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, a group composed of Royce da 5'9" and Eminem. As the second single from their first EP, Hell: The Sequel, Shady Records serviced the song for mainstream radio airplay in the United States on July 5, 2011. The song features...
", on July 6, 2011 and premiered a music video in late August. On August 6, 2011, Eminem took several of his songs throughout his music career to a live performance at the Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
2011, performing with various artists featured in their respective songs.
Shady Records and D12
Paul Rosenberg (music manager)
Paul Rosenberg is an American music manager known for his association with hip hop artists Eminem, The Knux and pop punk band Blink-182. As well as managing said artists, Rosenberg is also the co-founder of hip hop record label Shady Records, founded in 1999...
created Shady Records
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
in late 1999. He followed this by signing his own Detroit collective D12 and rapper Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
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
Stat Quo
Stanley Benton, better known as Stat Quo, is an American rapper. Benton worked his way to college and attended University of Florida, where he majored in economics and international business in 2000. Benton was contemplating law school, until veteran Southern rapper Scarface encouraged him to rap...
to the Shady/Aftermath roster. DJ Green Lantern
DJ Green Lantern
James D'Agostino , better known by his stage name DJ Green Lantern, is an American-Italian-Puerto Rican DJ and hip hop music producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by Eminem to become the official DJ for Shady Records after DJ Head stepped down for undisclosed reasons...
, 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
The Alchemist (producer)
Alan Daniel Maman , better known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ and rapper. He hails from Beverly Hills, California...
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
Cashis
Ramone Johnson, better known by his stage name Cashis , is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was featured on the Shady album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up and released the County Hound EP in 2007...
.
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. 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
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
. In 2001, Eminem brought his rap group, D12, to the popular music scene, and the group's debut album Devil's Night
Devil's Night (album)
*"Revelation"'s ending covers "Another Brick In The Wall Pt II" where there are kids screaming and Eminem saying both "Wrong! Do it again!" and "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding! You can't have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat!"...
came out that year. The first single released off of the album was "Shit on You
Shit on You
"Shit on You" is a hip hop song by D12. It was their commercial debut single, released in the year 2000, and it achieved some success by reaching the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart...
", followed by "Purple Pills
Purple Pills
"Purple Pills" is a hip hop single by D12 from their 2001 debut album Devil's Night...
", an ode to recreational drug use. For radio and television, the censored version "Pills" 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
Fight Music
"Fight Music" is a hip hop single by the rap group D12 from their debut album Devil's Night.The song features various lyrics about violence and dangerous street fighting except in two verses: Bizarre's and Eminem's "Fight Music" (known censored as "Flight Music") is a hip hop single by the rap...
", was not as successful.
After their debut, D12 took a three-year break from the studio, later regrouping to release their second album, D12 World
D12 World
Notes* The skit titled "Bugz" is from the song "Desperados" by Eminem Featuring Proof, Bugz & The Almighty Dreadknaughts.* The song "Just Like U" doesn't appear on the clean version of the album....
, in 2004, which featured the popular hit single release "My Band
My Band
"My Band" is a 2004 rap single by the rap group D12. It is the first single from their second album D12 World. The song is a parody of the false concept that Eminem is the lead singer of the "band" D12. The single became the group's most successful so far , reaching #2 in the United Kingdom, #6 in...
". In April 2006, D12 member (and Eminem's childhood friend) Deshaun "Proof" Holton
Proof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
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
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
artist Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
spoke at the funeral. D12 member Bizarre
Bizarre (rapper)
Rufus Arthur Johnson , better known as Bizarre is an American recording artist best known for his work with Detroit hip-hop group D12. His songs are often about subjects which create shock value such as rape and drugs.-Early life:Bizarre was born as Rufus Arthur Johnson on July 5, 1976 in Detroit,...
said that Eminem is not featured on his new album Blue Cheese & Coney Island
Blue Cheese & Coney Island
Blue Cheese & Coney Island is the second studio album by rapper Bizarre, distributed by Koch Records and Shady Records and released on October 23, 2007. The album has been received as average, primarily. The songs featured in the most positive light were "Livin' This Life" and "Money Don't Make Me"...
because "he's busy doing his thing". D12 released a mixtape in 2011 titled Return of the Dozen Volume 2 only featuring Eminem on one song, "Fame" unlike the groups previous mixtape Return of the Dozen where Eminem is not on any tracks.
Acting career
Although he had a cameo in the 2001 film, The WashThe Wash (film)
The Wash is a hip hop-styled film written and directed by DJ Pooh and starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and DJ Pooh, with appearances by Eminem and Ludacris. The film was released on November 16, 2001.-Plot:...
, Eminem made his official Hollywood acting debut with the semi-autobiographical 8 Mile
8 Mile (film)
8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop drama film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger....
, 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
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is an Academy Award winning song by American hip-hop artist Eminem, released as the first single from the original soundtrack to the movie 8 Mile on October 22, 2002. It was written and produced by Eminem himself, along with longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the...
," 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
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
single. 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.
Eminem has participated in various voice acting roles. Some of these include the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof
50 Cent: Bulletproof
50 Cent: Bulletproof is a video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms. It was developed in response to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas after 50 Cent was asked to voice the game's protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson with 50 Cent stating that he will only voice himself in video games...
, where he voices an aging corrupt police officer who speaks in Ebonics
African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular , or Black Vernacular English —is an African American variety of American English...
and guest spots on the Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
television show Crank Yankers
Crank Yankers
Crank Yankers is an American TV show produced by Adam Carolla, Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison that featured actual prank calls made by show regulars and celebrity guests, and re-enacted onscreen by puppets for a visual aid to show the viewer what is happening in the call...
, and a web cartoon called The Slim Shady Show
The Slim Shady Show
The Slim Shady Show was a series of animated cartoons that were first broadcast on the Internet and later released on DVD. Each episode was approximately 5 minutes in length. They focused on the fictional adventures of Marshall Mathers' alter-egos Slim Shady, Eminem, Ken Kaniff and himself...
, which has since been pulled off-line and is instead sold on DVD. He will be involved in either the soundtrack or scoring. He was also in the running for the part of David Rice in 2008's film Jumper
Jumper (film)
Jumper is a 2008 American science fiction film, loosely based on the 1992 science fiction novel of the same name by Steven Gould. The film is directed by Doug Liman and stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Max Thieriot, AnnaSophia Robb, and Diane Lane...
after Tom Sturridge
Tom Sturridge
Thomas Sidney Jerome "Tom" Sturridge is an English actor best known for his work in Being Julia, Like Minds, and The Boat That Rocked. As of September 2010, he was filming a role in Walter Salles's highly anticipated film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road.-Personal life:Sturridge was born...
was dropped just two weeks before filming. Concerns over not having a more prominent actor prompted the director, Doug Liman
Doug Liman
Douglas Eric "Doug" Liman is an American film director and producer best known for Swingers , The Bourne Identity , Mr. & Mrs. Smith , Jumper , and Fair Game .-Early life:...
, to consider other actors for the role. He eventually selected Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
over Eminem. He also had a cameo appearance in the 2009 movie Funny People
Funny People
Funny People is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann. The film was released on 31 July 2009 in North America, and on 28 August 2009 in the United Kingdom. Funny People uses considerably more...
, in which he is involved in an argument with Ray Romano
Ray Romano
Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He recently starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.-Early life:Romano was born in Queens, New York to Italian...
.
It was reported on November 8, 2009, that Eminem will star in the upcoming 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
horror anthology, Shady Talez, to be produced by John Davis. A four-issue comic book series based on the film was expected to be published sometime in 2010.
Eminem appeared alongside Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
on the Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
Season 7 finale titled 'Lose Yourself' as himself.
Eminem is set to play a boxer in the upcoming film Southpaw. David Schiff will executive produce the film, and Antoine Fuqua
Antoine Fuqua
Antoine Fuqua is an American film director. He directed the film Training Day as well as Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter and Brooklyn's Finest...
was confirmed to direct the film. In January 2011, a report surfaced that Eminem will star in the upcoming thriller, Random Acts of Violence.
Memoir
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 "StanStan (song)
"Stan" is the third single from The Marshall Mathers LP, by rapper Eminem featuring Dido. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also included on Curtain Call: The Hits, performed with Eminem and Dido as well track 17 on Curtain Call: The Hits as a live Performance from...
" and "The Real Slim Shady
The Real Slim Shady
"The Real Slim Shady" is a hip hop song written by Eminem for his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP . It was released as the lead single a week before the album's release...
."
Advertising
Eminem was featured in two commercials that aired during Super Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
. The first, for Lipton
Lipton
Lipton is a brand of tea currently owned by Unilever.-History of Lipton Tea:Lipton was created at the end of the 19th century by a grocer, Sir Thomas Lipton, in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1893, he established the Thomas J. Lipton Co., a tea packing company with its headquarters and factory in Hobo ken,...
's Brisk Iced Tea, was a one-minute spot that featured him as a claymation figure. The other was a two-minute ad, the longest in Super Bowl history, for the Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
200
Chrysler 200
The Chrysler 200 is a mid-size sedan and convertible produced by Chrysler, being introduced for the 2011 model year. The Chrysler 200 is an update and new nameplate for the outgoing 2010 Chrysler Sebring....
. It featured Eminem driving through Detroit and ended with him taking the stage at the Fox Theatre with "Lose Yourself" playing as the soundtrack.
Charity
Eminem has also founded his own charity named The Marshall Mathers Foundation, assisting disadvantaged youth.Influences and rapping technique
Eminem has named several MCs who influenced his rappingRapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
style, in-addition to his mentor, Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, who share the same type of music: thick, muscular loops that evoked the terror and paranoia that his music conjured, these influences included Esham
Esham
Rashaam Attica Smith, better known by his stage name Esham , is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for his hallucinogenic style of hip hop which he refers to as "acid rap", which fuses rock-based beats and lyrics involving subjects such as death, drug use, evil, paranoia and...
, Kool G Rap
Kool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson , better known by his stage names Kool G Rap , Kool G. Rap, and Giancana , is an American rapper, from the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew...
, Masta Ace
Masta Ace
Duval Clear , known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is a rapper from Brownsville, Brooklyn. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony"...
, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
, Newcleus
Newcleus
Newcleus is an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They are primarily known for their 12-inch singles "Jam-On's Revenge", re-released as "Jam on Revenge " , and "Jam on It" ....
, Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
, Mantronix
Mantronix
Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro funk music group founded by DJ Kurtis Mantronik , and rapper MC Tee...
, Melle Mel
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
(specifically the track "The Message"), LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
, Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, Run-DMC, Rakim
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr. , known by his stage names Rakim , Rakim Allah, R.A.K.I.M., and The Master, is an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled emcees of all time. Eric B...
, and Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
.
In the book How to Rap
How to Rap
How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC is a book on hip-hop music and rapping by Paul Edwards. It is compiled from interviews with 104 notable rappers who provide insights into how they write and perform their lyrics.- Publication :...
, Guerilla Black
Guerilla Black
Charles Williamson Guerilla Black is a better known by his stage name Guerilla Black aka Sheereen is a rapper from Compton, California. He was born in Chicago, Illinois . He came to fame after releasing his debut album Guerilla City which featured the singles "Compton" Featuring Beanie Man and...
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". 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, connecting with his audience, carrying a concept over a series of albums, complex rhyme schemes, his ability to bend words so that they rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
, his use of multisyllabic rhymes
Multisyllabic rhymes
In rapping and poetry, multisyllabic rhymes are rhymes that contain two or more syllables In rapping and poetry, multisyllabic rhymes (also known as compound rhymes, polysyllable rhymes, and sometimes colloquially in hip-hop as multies) are rhymes that contain two or more syllables In rapping...
, fitting many rhymes in each bar, complex rhythms, clear enunciation
Enunciation
In phonetics, enunciation is the act of speaking. Good enunciation is the act of speaking clearly and concisely. The opposite of good enunciation is mumbling or slurring. See also pronunciation which is a component of enunciation. Pronunciation is to pronounce sounds of words correctly....
, use of melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, and syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
. 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, being a "workaholic
Workaholic
A workaholic is a person who is addicted to work.The term generally implies that the person enjoys their work; it can also imply that they simply feel compelled to do it...
", and "stacking
Doubletracking
Double tracking is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or "bigger" sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. It is a form of overdubbing; the distinction comes from the...
" vocals.
Alter egos
Eminem uses alter egos in his song 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. 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. Eminem is considered to be an alter-ego itself, with his true self being Marshall Mathers. 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 towards 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 onwards (except for Recovery and Encore). 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
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
in which he raps in his Ken persona dissing Eminem.
Featurings and productions
Although he typically collaborates with various rappers under Aftermath EntertainmentAftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Slim da Mobster, with former acts including Busta Rhymes, Game, Raekwon,...
and Shady Records
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
, such as Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
, and Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
, Eminem has collaborated with many other artists, including Redman, Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
, DMX
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
, Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Method Man
Method Man
Clifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
, Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
, Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
, Sticky Fingaz, T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
and others. Eminem rapped a verse in a live performance of Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
' "Touch It
Touch It
"Touch It" is a rap/hip-hop song by Busta Rhymes which contains a sample from "Technologic" by the electronic band Daft Punk. Released as an official single on May 13, 2006, it was the first single from Rhymes' Aftermath/Interscope debut, The Big Bang...
" remix at the 2006 BET Music Awards on June 27, 2006. Eminem was featured on Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
's single "Smack That
Smack That
"Smack That" is the first single from Akon's second album Konvicted and features Eminem. The single debuted at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 28, 2006. The song set a record in its second week, jumping 88 positions to number 7. The single eventually peaked at #2 on the U.S....
" which appeared on his album Konvicted
Konvicted
-Samples:*"Mama Africa" samples Gentleman's "Dem Gone"*"Tired of Runnin'" samples Bobby Bland's " I Don't Want to Be Right"*"Once in a While" samples 3 Dog Night's "I'd Be So Happy"*"Don't Matter" interpolates the melody of R...
. He was featured on Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
's hit song Drop the World
Drop the World
"Drop the World" is a single by American rapper Lil Wayne, which features American rapper Eminem. It is the third single off Lil Wayne's seventh studio album, Rebirth. The song was released on iTunes on December 28, 2009. Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Travis Barker of Blink-182 performed the song together...
.
Eminem is also an active rap producer. Besides being the executive producer of D12's first two albums, Devil's Night
Devil's Night (album)
*"Revelation"'s ending covers "Another Brick In The Wall Pt II" where there are kids screaming and Eminem saying both "Wrong! Do it again!" and "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding! You can't have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat!"...
and D12 World
D12 World
Notes* The skit titled "Bugz" is from the song "Desperados" by Eminem Featuring Proof, Bugz & The Almighty Dreadknaughts.* The song "Just Like U" doesn't appear on the clean version of the album....
, he has executive produced Obie Trice's Cheers
Cheers (album)
Cheers is the debut studio album by rapper Obie Trice, released on September 23, 2003 after he was signed to Shady Records in 2000. The title track "Cheers" celebrates Obie's successful debut into the rap game after being in the Detroit underground for many years...
and Second Round's on Me
Second Round's on Me
Second Round's on Me is the second studio album by rapper Obie Trice and is his final album released under Shady Records. The track "Wanna Know" can be heard on the HBO series Entourage in the episode "The Sundance Kids" and also in the game Fight Night: Round 3 for the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3...
as well as 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (album)
Get Rich or Die Tryin is the debut studio album of American rapper 50 Cent, released February 4, 2003, on Aftermath Entertainment under a joint venture with Shady Records and distribution by Interscope Records. Its initially planned release was pushed seven days ahead due to heavy bootlegging and...
and The Massacre
The Massacre
The Massacre is the second studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released March 3, 2005 on Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records in the United States. Its initially planned release was pushed five days ahead to avoid Internet leakage. The album debuted at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard...
. In addition, Eminem has produced songs by other famous rappers, such as Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
' "Welcome To D-Block", Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's "Renegade
Renegade (Jay-Z song)
"Renegade" is a song by rapper Jay-Z, which appears as the 12th track on his sixth album The Blueprint. The song is produced by and features Eminem, who is the only guest appearance on the album with rap verses. It was originally a collaboration between Eminem and Royce da 5'9" as part of the Bad...
" and "Moment of Clarity" Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...
' "On Fire", "Warrior Part 2", and "Hands Up
Hands Up (Lloyd Banks song)
"Hands Up" is the second single from Lloyd Banks's second album, Rotten Apple. The chorus is sung by fellow G-Unit rapper 50 Cent. The song is produced by Eminem and was released as a digital download on July 25, 2006. It is also included on the soundtrack for the video game Saints Row 2.-Music...
", Tony Yayo
Tony Yayo
Marvin Bernard , better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is a Haitian American rapper and member of the hip hop group G-Unit...
's "Drama Setter", Trick-Trick
Trick-Trick
Christian Mathis, better known by his stage name Trick-Trick, is an American rap artist and member of hip-hop group Goon Sqwad.-Studio albums:-Singles:-External links:...
's "Welcome 2 Detroit
Welcome 2 Detroit (song)
"Welcome 2 Detroit" is the first single from rapper Trick-Trick's album The People vs.. The song features Eminem and Trick-Trick's hip hop group, Goon Sqwad. The single peaked at #100 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.-Music video:...
", and Xzibit's "My Name" and "Don't Approach Me". Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem himself, with co-production from longtime collaborator Jeff Bass
Bass Brothers
Bass Brothers is the professional name for the team of Mark and Jeff Bass, the Detroit producers responsible for grooming megastar Eminem in his early days and collaborating on much of his subsequent music. Before that they worked with George Clinton...
. He split the production with Dr. Dre on Encore. In 2004, Eminem was the Executive Producer of 2Pac
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
's posthumous album Loyal to the Game
Loyal to the Game
Sample credits* "Ghetto Gospel" contains a sample of "Indian Sunset" by Elton John* "Don't You Trust Me?" contains a sample of "Do You Have a Little Time" by Dido-Reception:...
with 2Pac's mother Afeni Shakur
Afeni Shakur
Afeni Shakur Davis is an African American music businesswoman, philanthropist, former political activist and ex-Black Panther. She is the mother of the late Tupac Shakur...
. He produced the UK No. 1 single "Ghetto Gospel
Ghetto Gospel
"Ghetto Gospel" is a song by rapper Tupac Shakur, which was originally released as the second single on his posthumous 2004 album Loyal to the Game...
" which featured Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. He has produced "The Cross" off Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
's album God's Son
God's Son
God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 13, 2002 on Columbia-imprint Ill Will Records. Production for the album took place during 2001 to 2002 and was handled by several hip hop producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, and The Alchemist...
. On August 15, 2006, Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
released Second Round's on Me
Second Round's on Me
Second Round's on Me is the second studio album by rapper Obie Trice and is his final album released under Shady Records. The track "Wanna Know" can be heard on the HBO series Entourage in the episode "The Sundance Kids" and also in the game Fight Night: Round 3 for the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3...
. Eminem produced 8 tracks on the album. He was featured in the song "There They Go". Eminem produced some tracks on the new Trick-Trick album, The Villain. He is also featured in "Who Want It".
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. A notable exception to this was the song "Stan", which came from an idea and scratch track produced by Mark the 45 King.
Comparisons to other artists
As Asher RothAsher Roth
Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper.-Early life:Asher Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth , is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm...
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."
In an interview with XXL Magazine, Eminem cosigned Asher Roth, saying when asked about the comparison:
"I haven't had a chance to, like, really get into everything, like, really get into what he's about, because I've only heard a couple songs. There was talk about people saying he sounded like me, and he was doing this and that and, you know, trying to take what I do and do it. You know, shit like that. I've heard things. But the stuff that I've heard from him honestly, which certainly isn't enough for me to make my own opinion and say, ‘Yeah, he does sound like me' or ‘No, he doesn't.' But the couple of songs I've heard, I don't really think he does. You know what I mean? He's doing his own thing. I can respect it, too, because at the end of the day, I think he's dope."
Eminem and Christian hip hop
Christian hip hop
Christian hip hop is hip hop music characterized by a Christian worldview, with the general purposes of evangelization , edifying members of the church and/or simply entertaining.-History:Since hip-hop started in the 1970s, various hip-hop artists have...
artist KJ-52
KJ-52
KJ-52 is a Christian rapper from Tampa, Florida. The "KJ" part of his name refers to his old rap alias, "King J...
were often compared to each other, as many called KJ-52 the "Christian counterpart" of Eminem. One of the most notable mainstream reactions to Gospel rap was to KJ-52 and his single "Dear Slim", which was written to Eminem in an attempt reach him with the message of Christianity, though Eminem claims to be a Christian. The song became famous and controversial among Eminem fans when it was featured on the hit show Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. kJ-52 began to receive hate mail
Hate mail
Hate mail is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient...
(including death threats) from Eminem's fans, though KJ-52 claimed that the song was not a "diss". This also led to the single being disparaged by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
as No. 26 on their "Top 40 Worst Moments in Hip Hop", an issue the artist addressed in a follow-up song titled "Dear Slim Pt. 2".
Family
Marshall Mathers has been the subject of much scrutiny, both as a rapper as well as in his personal life. He was married twice to Kimberley Anne Scott, whom he met in high school. Kimberly had run away from her home as a teenager, along with her sister Dawn. They moved in with Marshall and his mother when he was 15. Kim and Marshall began their on-and-off relationship in 1989, and were married on June 14, 1999. In 2000, they filed for divorce shortly after Kim's second drunk driving conviction. The couple first divorced in 2001 but remarried in January 2006. Their second divorce was finalized in December of the same year, with the couple agreeing to share custody of their daughter, Hailie Jade Mathers (born December 25, 1995). Hailie Mathers has often been referenced or featured on various songs by Mathers including "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", "Hailie's Song", "My Dad's Gone Crazy", "Mockingbird", "When I'm Gone" and "BeautifulBeautiful (Eminem song)
"Beautiful" is the third and final official single from American rapper Eminem. It was released on May 12, 2009 on iTunes as a digital download. "Beautiful" entered the UK Singles Chart on May 17, 2009 at #38 and re-entered at #31 due to massive airplay and was released as the third UK single after...
".
In early 2010, Mathers responded publicly to tabloid reports of his pending reunion with Kim with a firm denial.
Mathers adopted two other daughters: Alaina "Lainie" Mathers, the child of Kimberley Scott's sister, who has been referenced by name in some songs including "Mockingbird", "Airplanes Part II" and "Going Through Changes"; and Whitney, Scott's child from a previous relationship. Whitney is mentioned in the song "Deja Vu" as well as "Going Through Changes". Mathers is also the legal guardian of his younger half-brother, Nathan who has been mentioned in "Cleanin' Out My Closet
Cleanin' Out My Closet
"Cleanin' Out My Closet" is a song by American rapper Eminem released in 2002. It was from his worldwide hit album, The Eminem Show and was later re-released in 2005 for Eminem's greatest hits album Curtain Call: The Hits. "Cleanin' Out My Closet" was the second single released from the album...
" and "My Mom".
Legal troubles
In 1999, Mathers' mother sued him for around US$10 million over alleged slander about her in his lyrics regarding The Slim Shady LP; she won only about US$1,600 in damages in 2001.Mathers was arrested on June 3, 2000 during an altercation at a car audio store in Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
, with Douglas Dail, where he pulled out an unloaded gun and kept it pointed at the ground. The following day, in Warren, Michigan
Warren, Michigan
Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2010 census places the city's population at 134,056, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb....
, he allegedly saw his then wife, Kim, kiss bouncer John Guerrera in the parking lot of the Hot Rock Café, and he assaulted him and was then arrested. Eminem recreated the Guerrera assault in a skit on his junior album The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
on a track called "The Kiss (Skit)." Mathers was charged with possession of a concealed weapon and assault. Mathers plead guilty to the charges and was given two years probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
for both episodes.
On July 7, 2000, Eminem's then-wife, Kimberly Scott attempted suicide by slashing her wrists. Scott sued Eminem for defamation after he depicted her violent death in his song "Kim
Kim (song)
"Kim" is a song by American rapper Eminem which appears on his 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP. The song reflects intense anger and hatred toward Eminem's then-wife Kim Mathers...
".
On October 26, 2000, Eminem was to perform at a concert in Toronto's Skydome
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
. However, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Attorney General Jim Flaherty argued that Canada should stop Eminem at the border. "I personally don't want anyone coming to Canada who will come here and advocate violence against women," he said. Flaherty claims to have been "disgusted" when reading transcriptions of Eminem's song "Kill You", which includes lines like "Slut, you think I won't choke no whore/till the vocal cords don't work in her throat no more?" The opinion of the general public to the requests made by the province were negative. Others said the issue was one of free speech. Liberal MPP Michael Bryant suggested that the government lay hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
charges against Eminem for the advocation of violence against women found in his lyrics. In a Globe and Mail editorial, author Robert Everett-Green wrote, "Being offensive is Eminem's job description." Eminem's Toronto concert went on as planned that night.
D'Angelo Bailey, a sanitation worker, sued Mathers in 2001 and accused him of invading his privacy by publicizing unreasonable information that put him in a false light. Bailey admitted that he picked on Mathers but said he merely "bumped" him at school and threw a "little shove." On October 20, 2003, the charges were dismissed in court.
On June 28, 2001, Mathers was sentenced to one year probation on weapons charges that stemmed from an argument with an employee of Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
, assessing him a fine around $2,000 as well as several hours of community service.
On March 31, 2002, French jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist Jacques Loussier
Jacques Loussier
Jacques Loussier is a French pianist and composer. He is well-known for his jazz interpretations in trio formation of many of Johann Sebastian Bach's works, such as the Goldberg Variations.-Early life and education :...
filed a $10 million lawsuit against Eminem and Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, claiming the beat for "Kill You" was stolen from his song. Loussier demanded that all sales of the album be halted and any remaining copies destroyed. A trial date was set to begin in June 2004. The case was later settled.
On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service admitted it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, after the song "We as Americans", as an unreleased bootleg, circulated 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 later referenced in the video for his song "Mosh"
Mosh (song)
"Mosh" is a protest song by Eminem and Guerrilla News Network, released on October 26, 2004 as a digital single, just prior to the 2004 presidential election....
as one several news clips on a wall, along with other newspaper articles about other unfortunate incidents in Bush's career. The song eventually appeared on the album's bonus disc, where the lyrics were extensively censored.
In 2005, Eminem's aunt and uncle, Jack and Betty Schmitt, sued him, alleging that he has promised them a $350,000 house and the money to keep it up, and instead has kept it in his name and tried to evict them.
In 2007, his music publishing company, Eight Mile Style LLC, together with Martin Affiliated LLC, filed suit against Apple Inc. and Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Slim da Mobster, with former acts including Busta Rhymes, Game, Raekwon,...
claiming Aftermath did not have the appropriate authority to negotiate a deal with Apple for digital downloads of 93 Eminem songs on Apple's iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
service. The case against Apple was settled shortly after trial began in late September 2009.
In July 2010 the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
ruled in F.B.T. Productions, LLC v. Aftermath Records
F.B.T. Productions, LLC v. Aftermath Records
F.B.T. Productions, LLC, et al. v. Aftermath Records, et al. 621 F.3d 958 was a case in which the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dealt with how Federal Copyright Law applied to the sales and licensing contracts of music downloads and other downloadable copyrighted material...
that F.B.T. Productions and Eminem were owed a royalty of 50% of the net revenue Aftermath obtained by licensing Eminem's recordings to companies like Apple Inc., Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
, Nextel, Cingular, and T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
. In March 2011 the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
upheld this ruling.
Drug issues
Eminem has spoken openly about his addiction to prescription drugs, including VicodinVicodin
Hydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
, Ambien, Valium and Methadone
Methadone
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
. His group-mate Proof
Proof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
from D12 stated that Mathers "sobered up" in 2002 from drug and alcohol dependence. However, he did turn to zolpidem
Zolpidem
Zolpidem is a prescription medication used for the short-term treatment of insomnia, as well as some brain disorders. It is a short-acting nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic of the imidazopyridine class that potentiates gamma-aminobutyric acid , an inhibitory neurotransmitter, by binding to GABAA...
(Ambien) sleeping pills for relief from sleeping troubles. This caused Mathers to cancel the European leg of the Anger Management Tour
Anger Management Tour
The inaugural Anger Management Tour was founded and started in the fall 2000 by Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and after the release of The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem. Originally targeted at both rap and rock fans, the first "Anger Management" outing took place in 2000. It had two separate legs.The...
in August 2005 and eventually go into rehab for treatment for a "dependency on sleep medication". In a 2009 interview with British talk-show host Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
, Mathers admitted that at the height of his addiction, he considered suicide, saying that, "I just wasn't taking care of myself, at times I wanted to just give it up." He also confirmed that he is now sober, commenting that, "[R]ap was my drug ... Then I had to resort to other things to make me feel that. Now rap's getting me high again."
Proof's death
On April 11, 2006, Eminem’s best friend and fellow D12 member, ProofProof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest at the CCC Club by club bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
Mario Etheridge on 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan after fatally shooting Keith Bender, Jr. On April 19, 2006, Eminem, D12, 50 Cent, and thousands of others attended the funeral of Proof at The Fellowship Chapel, Detroit. Eminem made two songs about Proof's death on his album Recovery titled "Going Through Changes" and "You're Never Over", and mentions him in songs on Relapse and Recovery ("Deja Vu", "Beautiful
Beautiful (Eminem song)
"Beautiful" is the third and final official single from American rapper Eminem. It was released on May 12, 2009 on iTunes as a digital download. "Beautiful" entered the UK Singles Chart on May 17, 2009 at #38 and re-entered at #31 due to massive airplay and was released as the third UK single after...
", and "Cinderella Man")
Insane Clown Posse
The feud began in 1997, when Eminem was throwing a party to promote his debut EP, The Slim Shady EPThe Slim Shady EP
The Slim Shady EP is a debut EP by American rapper Eminem, released on the Detroit-based record label Web Entertainment in 1997. The Slim Shady EP was released on cassette, vinyl, and CD .Eminem first introduced his "Slim Shady" persona on this EP,...
. He gave Violent J
Joseph Bruce
Joseph Frank "Joe" Bruce is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler and actor. Bruce is most commonly known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse . He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler and their former manager,...
a flyer which stated "Featuring appearances by Esham, Kid Rock, and ICP (maybe)." Bruce asked why Eminem was promoting a possible Insane Clown Posse appearance without first contacting the group. Eminem explained, "It says 'maybe.' Maybe you will be there; I don't know. That's why I'm asking you right now. You guys comin' to my release party, or what?" Bruce, upset over not being consulted, responded, "Fuck no, I ain't coming to your party. We might have, if you would've asked us first, before putting us on the fuckin' flyer like this." Eminem took Bruce's response as a personal offense, subsequently attacking the group in radio interviews. Bruce and Utsler responded later in 1999 by releasing a parody of Eminem's "My Name Is
My Name Is
"My Name Is" is a song by Eminem released in 1999. It is the debut single overall from his major label debut album, The Slim Shady LP. The song was ranked at #26 on "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's". "My Name Is" also was ranked #6 on Q Magazine's "1001 Best Songs Ever"...
" entitled "Slim Anus". Eminem continued to insult Insane Clown Posse on various tracks from his album The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
(2000), including the songs "Marshall Mathers" and "Ken Kaniff". In 2002, Eminem also briefly dissed them on his single "Business
Business (song)
"Business" is a song by the rapper Eminem, released in 2003 as a single internationally, except in the U.S.. It was from his worldwide hit album, The Eminem Show, which was released in 2002. In the song, Eminem talks about him and Dr...
" from his album The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
.
Insane Clown Posse talked about the feud being squashed in an interview with MTV, saying that Proof
Proof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
squashed the conflict in 2005, which was followed by a bowling game between members of D12 and Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
. Violent J stated that, "He contacted us and we had a bowling game – it was really cool. We're something different. They could have skipped over us and said forget them, but they included us and said let's squash it."
In an interview with MTV, Violent J stated that they no longer had problems and used the example "If you had beef with someone in high school and you see him ten years later at the reunion, are you still going to have problems with the kid? It's just foolish."
Everlast & Limp Bizkit
In the early 2000s, Eminem was notified while on the Anger Management TourAnger Management Tour
The inaugural Anger Management Tour was founded and started in the fall 2000 by Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and after the release of The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem. Originally targeted at both rap and rock fans, the first "Anger Management" outing took place in 2000. It had two separate legs.The...
that former House of Pain
House of Pain
House of Pain is an American hip hop group who released three albums in the 1990s before lead rapper Everlast left to pursue his solo career again. The group's name is a reference to the H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr...
member Everlast
Everlast (musician)
Erik Francis Schrody , better known by his stage name Everlast, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper and songwriter, known for his solo hit "What It's Like" and as the front-man for rap group House of Pain. He is also part of the hip-hop supergroup La Coka Nostra, which consists of members of...
had mocked him on a song. Everlast claimed that while passing by Mathers in a hotel lobby, Mathers gave him a "weird look." Everlast's verse from the Dilated Peoples
Dilated Peoples
Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group achieved notability in the underground hip hop community, although they have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song "This Way," a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West and Xzibit...
all star track "Ear Drums Pop (Remix)" contained a thinly veiled reference to Eminem ("Cock my hammer, spit a comet like Haley/I buck a .380 on ones that act shady"), and went on to warn "You might catch a beatdown out where I come from" in his recounting of the incident. Taking offense to this, Eminem and D12 quickly began work on a retaliatory song, "I Remember", which ripped Everlast several times in public and with the song.
Everlast responded with the track "Whitey's Revenge," released only on his official website. While the song contained references to Eminem's strained relationships with his wife and mother, it was "Better run and check your kid for your DNA", again referring to Eminem's daughter, Hailie Jade Mathers, that set Eminem off.
Eminem & D12 responded with "Quitter," the second half of which is a take off on 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up
Hit 'Em Up
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss song by rap artist 2Pac , featuring his group the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996, from the album All Eyez on Me. The song’s lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, chiefly among them, Shakur's former...
" (a diss song aimed at The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
). The track ends with the spoken words, "Fuck him, that’s it, I'm done, I promise, I'm done, that's it." It was reported that long-time friends of Eminem, Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
, were meant to be featured on the song, but Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
canceled at the last moment. In a TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
interview, Limp Bizkit member DJ Lethal
DJ Lethal
Leor Dimant , better known as DJ Lethal, is a turntablist and producer and member of the bands Limp Bizkit, House of Pain and La Coka Nostra.-Early life:Leor Dimant was born in Riga, Latvia, when this country was still part of the Soviet Union...
made a statement that if Mathers and Everlast were to fight in real life, Everlast would win. This enraged Eminem, and an insulting track aimed at both Everlast and Limp Bizkit (namely Durst and Lethal) named "Girls" appeared on D12's mainstream debut, Devil's Night
Devil's Night (album)
*"Revelation"'s ending covers "Another Brick In The Wall Pt II" where there are kids screaming and Eminem saying both "Wrong! Do it again!" and "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding! You can't have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat!"...
. Recently, things seem to have settled, and Eminem has no longer been heard insulting Everlast or Limp Bizkit. It is currently unknown if the dispute is resolved.
Canibus
The animosity between CanibusCanibus
Germaine Williams , better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-born American rapper. He is a part of supergroup The HRSMN. Canibus rose to fame in the mid-nineties...
and Eminem started when Canibus and Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
confronted Eminem and asked him if he ghost-wrote the track "The Ripper Strikes Back" by LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
. Eminem denied that he wrote the track, and later said Canibus was "rude" to him. Two years later, Canibus went to see Eminem on the Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
and apologized to him for his reactions and asked him if he still wanted the track. Eminem agreed, but when he heard the track "Phuck U" from Canibus' album 2000 B.C., he thought the track was directed at him and LL Cool J. Shortly afterwards, Eminem released his 2nd album The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
(2000) and Canibus decided to continue the "story" of Eminem's single "Stan
Stan (song)
"Stan" is the third single from The Marshall Mathers LP, by rapper Eminem featuring Dido. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also included on Curtain Call: The Hits, performed with Eminem and Dido as well track 17 on Curtain Call: The Hits as a live Performance from...
". He titled the track "U Didn't Care", and it continued to take shots at Eminem. Eminem decided to take more shots at Canibus on his album The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
(2002) on tracks such as "Say What You Say", "When The Music Stops" and "Square Dance". Even though Canibus did not immediately respond to the tracks, Eminem continued to take shots at him, including a track Eminem was featured on with Xzibit
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...
, titled "My Name" from Xzibit's album Man vs. Machine
Man vs. Machine
Man vs. Machine is the 2002 album by rapper Xzibit. It was released on October 1, 2002 and is his fourth album to be released. Special guests include Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, M.O.P, and Nate Dogg. Producers on the album include Rick Rock, Bink, Rockwilder, Erick Sermon, DJ Premier, and Dr. Dre...
. On November 19, 2002 Canibus responded with the track titled" Dr.C PhD". Over a year later Eminem released the track "Can-I-Bitch". He attacked Canibus in a humorous matter. Since then the hostilities have cooled down, but Canibus tried to provoke a re-ignition of it when he leaked a track titled "Air Strike (Pop Killer)", that featured vocal parts of D12, where Canibus takes shots at Eminem and his deceased friend Proof
Proof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
. D12 member Swift
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
responded to the record publicly, and had the following to say about DZK (another rapper featured on the track). "[He] asked us to do a track with him when he already was teamed up with Canibus without us knowing. They dissed Em, took our verses and added them to the song, so they can bring traffic and make it seem like we were turning on Em... as a desperate attempt to be heard after ducking and dodging Em for 7 years. It was a straight hoe move."
Ja Rule
Eminem's conflict with Ja RuleJa Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
started after 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
signed to Shady Records
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
and Aftermath
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Slim da Mobster, with former acts including Busta Rhymes, Game, Raekwon,...
. Ja Rule stated that he had a problem with Eminem and Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
of signing someone he had conflict with. On November 19, Ja Rule and Irv Gotti were special guests on Star and Bucwild's morning show on Hot 97 NYC. Irv Gotti had some 'legal documents' stating the order of protection 50 'has on him'. Ja Rule threatened that if 50 Cent released any diss track, he would take action towards his two producers.
However, Dr. Dre was the one who produced 50 Cent's vicious track "Back Down" in 2003 from the album Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (album)
Get Rich or Die Tryin is the debut studio album of American rapper 50 Cent, released February 4, 2003, on Aftermath Entertainment under a joint venture with Shady Records and distribution by Interscope Records. Its initially planned release was pushed seven days ahead due to heavy bootlegging and...
, which not only called out Murder Inc., but 50 Cent was extremely disrespectful towards Ja Rule's mother, wife and kids. In the song 50 rhymes: "Your Mami, your Papi, that bitch you chasin' your lil dirty ass kids, I'll fuckin' erase them."
Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
decided to join the conflict when he was featured on the track "Hail Mary 2003", with Eminem and 50 Cent.
The feud intensified when Ja Rule released a diss called "Loose Change" in which he took shots at 50 Cent and as well Eminem calling him "Feminem" and Dr. Dre as "bisexual" and claimed that Suge Knight
Suge Knight
Marion "Suge" Knight, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Death Row Records rose to dominate the rap charts after Dr. Dre's breakthrough album The Chronic in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including...
knew of Dre "bringing transvestites home". It includes also the lyrics insulting Eminem's mother Debbie, his ex-wife Kim and went on to reference his then 8-year-old daughter Hailie: "Em you claim your mother's a crack head and Kim is a known slut, so what's Hailie gonna be when she grows up?" This angered Eminem greatly, causing him to immediately get his rap group D12 involved, as well as the major part of his label, Shady Records, including Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
, his close friend. They responded together on the track titled "Doe Rae Me" (aka "Hailie's Revenge"). Since then the rift has cooled down.
Michael Jackson
The music video for "Just Lose It" generated controversy by parodying singer Michael Jackson's child molestation1993 child sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson
In 1993, Evan Chandler accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing his thirteen-year-old son, Jordan. The relationship between Jackson and Jordan began in May 1992. Evan initially welcomed and encouraged the friendship, and bragged about his connection to a celebrity. The friendship became well...
trial, plastic surgery and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
commercial in 1984. It was banned on the BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
channel, after complaints from Benzino
Benzino
Raymond Scott from Boston Massachusetts, better known by hisstage name Benzino is an American hip hop media executive, and record producer....
and others (but was later reinstated, as critics of the ban argued that Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
's "Tip Drill
Tip Drill (song)
"Tip Drill" is the name of a 2003 song by Nelly. It was used as a remix of the song "E.I." featuring the St. Lunatics and produced by David Banner. The music video became controversial for its overt depiction of women as sexual objects...
" video could be seen). Both were only seen on BET: Uncut
BET: Uncut
BET: Uncut was a television program that aired on BET. The music video program contained highly sexualized imagery. Because of its content, the show was rated TV-MA and accompanied by an on-air message stating that it is not suitable for children under the age of 17. The show aired on Wednesdays...
. However MTV did not drop it, and the video became one of the most requested on the channel. A week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson called into the radio show of Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, television and radio personality and best-selling author. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...
to report his displeasure with the video. "I am very angry at Eminem's depiction of me in his video," Jackson said in the interview. "I feel that it is outrageous and disrespectful. It is one thing to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning and insensitive." The singer continued: "I've admired Eminem as an artist, and was shocked by this. The video was inappropriate and disrespectful to me, my children, my family and the community at large." Many of Jackson's supporters and friends spoke out about the video, including Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, who called the video "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit", and Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, television and radio personality and best-selling author. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...
, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back."
Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon
Eminem has written several songs referring to a relationship with singer Mariah CareyMariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, although she denies the claim. She says that they hung out but nothing sexual or intimate occurred. Eminem has referenced her on many songs that include "Superman", "Jimmy Crack Corn
Jimmy Crack Corn (song)
- Charts :- References :...
", "Bagpipes From Baghdad", and "The Warning
The Warning (Eminem song)
"The Warning" is a controversial hip-hop diss song written by Eminem as part of an ongoing conflict with Mariah Carey over claims that she once had a relationship with him...
". While "Superman" was released in 2003, Carey released a song entitled "Clown" on her Charmbracelet
Charmbracelet
Charmbracelet is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on December 3, 2002 through Island Records and MonarC Entertainment. The album was her first release since facing a breakdown following the release of her film Glitter and its accompanying...
album, released in 2002, which makes similar references in line with her 2009 hit "Obsessed
Obsessed (song)
"Obsessed" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel . It was written and produced by Carey, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, and was released as the album's lead single on June 16, 2009...
".
Eminem's "Bagpipes From Baghdad" from his album Relapse may be his most well-known reference to Carey due to the controversy it caused. The song disparages Carey and husband Nick Cannon
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon is an American actor, comedian, rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, radio, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent...
's relationship. Cannon responded to Eminem by saying his career is based on "racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
bigotry", and that he would get revenge on Eminem, joking that he may return to rapping. Eminem later stated that the couple misinterpreted the track and it was wishing the two the best. Cannon also stated that there were no hard feelings, and that he just had to express his feelings about the song.
In 2009, Carey released "Obsessed" in which she sings about an obsessed man who claims to be having a relationship with her. Cannon claimed that the song was not an insult directed at Eminem. However, Eminem responded in late July 2009 by releasing a track titled "The Warning
The Warning (Eminem song)
"The Warning" is a controversial hip-hop diss song written by Eminem as part of an ongoing conflict with Mariah Carey over claims that she once had a relationship with him...
". It contained samples of voice mail recordings which Eminem claimed were left by Mariah Carey when the two were together. Eminem also hinted that he had other evidence of their relationship in his possession. A little over a year later in September 2010 Nick Cannon responded with the song "I'm a Slick Rick" which in Slick Rick
Slick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
's flow he takes shots at Eminem.
Moby
After the release of The Marshall Mathers LPThe Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
, popular electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
artist Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
began speaking out against the album's lyrics, citing references to misogyny
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
and homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
as unacceptable. Eminem responded back with several disprespectful lines about Moby in "Without Me", the lead single off his next album The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
. Moby kept quiet until 2004, when he praised Eminem for his courage in bashing then-U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in the song "Mosh
Mosh (song)
"Mosh" is a protest song by Eminem and Guerrilla News Network, released on October 26, 2004 as a digital single, just prior to the 2004 presidential election....
", a track from Encore. The feud has since died.
Gay-rights activists
Eminem was involved in many controversies over lyrics which have been perceived as being homophobic; an Australian politician attempted to ban entry for Eminem because of these lyrics. However, Eminem is a friend of gay singer Elton JohnElton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, and publicly supports gay rights.
Legacy
Eminem is the best-selling artist of the decade on the US Nielsen SoundScanNielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
, and has sold more than 86.5 million albums worldwide to date, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. He has totaled over 1 billion views on his music videos on his official Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
page on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Eminem was ranked 82nd on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He was also named the Best Rapper Alive by Vibe magazine in 2008. In December 2009, Eminem was named the Artist of the Decade by Billboard magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
. In 2010, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Portugal ranked Eminem as the seventh biggest icon in pop music history. During 2010, Eminem's music generated 94 million streams, more than any other music artist. Also according to Billboard, Eminem has two of his albums among the top five highest selling albums of the 2000s. In the UK, Eminem has sold over 12.5 million records. Eminem has also sold more than 33 million track downloads and 40.9 million albums in the United States alone. Including his work with D12, Eminem has achieved ten No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, seven solo (six studio albums, one compilation), two with D12 and one with Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan that consists of rappers Royce da 5'9" and Eminem . They are best known for collaborating on a self-titled song that appeared on Eminem's major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP in 1999, their early association with Dr...
. Eminem has had 13 number one singles worldwide. His albums The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show
The Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
, The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
, and Encore ranked as the 3rd, 7th, and 40th best-selling albums of the 2000–2009 decade respectively by Billboard magazine. In August 2011 Eminem was named "The King of Hip-Hop" by Rolling Stone. The magazine looked at solo rappers who released music between 2009 and the first half of 2011 by analizing their album sales, rankings on the R&B/hip-hop and rap charts, YouTube views, social media, concert grosses, industry awards and critics' ratings, and the data accumulated named Eminem the king of the time period.
Eminem's second major label studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
, became the fastest-selling solo album in United States history. The album has been ranked as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time by such magazines as Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, and XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
. Rolling Stone placed the album at number seven on its list of the best albums of the 2000s. The album's third single, "Stan
Stan (song)
"Stan" is the third single from The Marshall Mathers LP, by rapper Eminem featuring Dido. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also included on Curtain Call: The Hits, performed with Eminem and Dido as well track 17 on Curtain Call: The Hits as a live Performance from...
", is one of Eminem's most critically acclaimed songs, having been ranked by About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
as Eminem's best song and referred to by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
as "a cultural milestone". In 2005, Eminem was ranked 79th on the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
100 Greatest Artists of All-Time.
Discography
- Infinite (1996)
- The Slim Shady LPThe Slim Shady LPThe Slim Shady LP is the second studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on February 23, 1999. It is his major-label debut, and was released under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and Web Records....
(1999) - The Marshall Mathers LPThe Marshall Mathers LPThe Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
(2000) - The Eminem ShowThe Eminem ShowThe Eminem Show is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released in 2002. It was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States, with sales of 7.6 million copies. At the Grammy Awards of 2003 it was nominated for Album of the Year and became Eminem's third LP in four years to...
(2002) - Encore (2004)
- Relapse (2009)
- Recovery (2010)
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Da Hip Hop Witch Da Hip Hop Witch Da Hip Hop Witch is a 2000 American horror/comedy film directed by Dale Resteghini. The film is a parody of The Blair Witch Project, and features appearances by Eminem, Ja Rule, Mobb Deep, Pras, Rah Digga, Vitamin C and Vanilla Ice.-Plot:... |
Himself | |
| Up in Smoke Tour Up in Smoke Tour The Up in Smoke Tour was a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 featuring artists Ice Cube, Eminem, Proof, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, D12, MC Ren, Westside Connection, Mel-Man, Tha Eastsidaz, Doggy's Angels, Devin The Dude, Warren G, TQ, Truth Hurts and Xzibit.- Background :The tour was... |
|||
| The Slim Shady Show The Slim Shady Show The Slim Shady Show was a series of animated cartoons that were first broadcast on the Internet and later released on DVD. Each episode was approximately 5 minutes in length. They focused on the fictional adventures of Marshall Mathers' alter-egos Slim Shady, Eminem, Ken Kaniff and himself... |
Various | ||
| 2001 | The Wash The Wash (film) The Wash is a hip hop-styled film written and directed by DJ Pooh and starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and DJ Pooh, with appearances by Eminem and Ludacris. The film was released on November 16, 2001.-Plot:... |
Chris | Uncredited |
| 2002 | 8 Mile 8 Mile (film) 8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop drama film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger.... |
Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr. | Academy Award for Best Original Song Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film... MTV Movie Award for Best Video from a Film MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film The MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film was first awarded in 1987, recognizing the best videos whose songs were a part of a movie soundtrack or featured in a film. As time went on, though, music videos taken from movie soundtracks became more rare, and so the last of this award was... – Lose Yourself MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Male Performance ASCAP Award for Most Performed Song from a Motion Picture – Lose Yourself Critics Choice Award for Best Song – Lose Yourself Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor – Drama/Action Adventure Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Star – Male BMI Film Award for Music BMI Film Award for Most Performed Song from a Film – Lose Yourself Nominated – Golden Globe for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:... – Lose Yourself Nominated – CFCA Award for Most Promising Performer Nominated – Golden Satellite for Best Original Song – Lose Yourself Nominated – OFCS for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated – PFCS for Best Original Song – Lose Yourself Nominated – Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media... – Lose Yourself |
| 2003 | 50 Cent: The New Breed 50 Cent: The New Breed 50 Cent: The New Breed is a 2003 documentary by rapper 50 Cent.-Background:It stars 50 Cent, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and others, distributed by Interscope Records... |
Himself | |
| 2004 | Crank Yankers Crank Yankers Crank Yankers is an American TV show produced by Adam Carolla, Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison that featured actual prank calls made by show regulars and celebrity guests, and re-enacted onscreen by puppets for a visual aid to show the viewer what is happening in the call... |
Billy Fletcher | TV guest role; voice |
| 2009 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony | Himself | Inducted Run-D.M.C. Run-D.M.C. Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C... |
| Funny People Funny People Funny People is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann. The film was released on 31 July 2009 in North America, and on 28 August 2009 in the United Kingdom. Funny People uses considerably more... |
Cameo | ||
| Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band... |
Interview. Also performed "We Made You We Made You "We Made You" is a song by American hip hop musician Eminem. It was released as the first single from his sixth studio album Relapse on April 7, 2009. Produced by Dr. Dre and co-produced by Doc Ish and Eminem himself, the song samples "Hot Summer Nights" by Walter Egan. Eminem performed this song... ". |
||
| 2010 | Entourage Entourage (TV series) Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons... |
TV guest spot | |
Awards and nominations
Eminem has thirteen Grammy Awards. He has been praised for having "verbal energy", high quality of lyricism and has been ranked number nine on MTV's list of The Greatest MCs of All Time. In 2003 he was listed as number thirteen on MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music and number 82 on Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s "The Immortals". In 2008, the readers of Vibe Magazine voted him "The Best Rapper Alive". He was also named "Best Rapper Ever" in a poll conducted by music fans on the Vibe website.
Ironically, "The Real Slim Shady
The Real Slim Shady
"The Real Slim Shady" is a hip hop song written by Eminem for his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP . It was released as the lead single a week before the album's release...
", one of the songs from his second Grammy-winning album, The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem. Released May 23, 2000, the album sold more than 1.76 million copies in its first week just in the US. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year...
, slammed the Grammy Awards in its second verse, and stated the opinion that negative feelings about his material would keep him from ever winning one.
Business ventures
- Shady RecordsShady RecordsShady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
- Shade 45 SiriusShade 45Shade 45 is Eminem's uncensored Hip-Hop/Rap-heavy urban contemporary channel. Eminem Brings On-Air show hosts. It debuted with a hip hop format in 2004, changing to its current incarnation when it was added to XM channel 66...
- Shady Ltd. Clothing
- Shady Games
- Eight Mile Style LLC
- The Marshall Mathers Foundation
See also
- Artists with the most number-one European singles
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling music artists in the United States
- List of best-selling singles worldwide