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Eminem biography |
Eminem,
born Marshall Bruce Mathers III,
17 October 1973, Kansas City, Missouri,
USA. This white rapper burst onto
the US charts in 1999 with a controversial
take on the horrorcore genre. Mathers
endured an itinerant childhood,
living with his mother in various
states before eventually ending
up in Detroit at the age of 12.
He took up rapping in high school
before dropping out in ninth grade,
joining ad hoc groups Basement Productions,
the New Jacks, and D12. The newly
named Eminem released a raw debut
album in 1997 through independent
label FBT. Infinite was poorly received,
however, with Eminem earning unfavourable
comparisons to leading rappers such
as Nas and AZ. His determination
to succeed was given a boost by
a prominent feature in Source's
Unsigned Hype column, and he gained
revenge on his former critics when
he won the Wake Up Show's Freestyle
Performer Of The Year award, and
finished runner-up in Los Angeles'
annual Rap Olympics. The following
year's The Slim Shady EP, named
after his sinister alter-ego, featured
some vitriolic attacks on his detractors.
The stand-out track, "Just
Don't Give A fuck", became
a highly popular underground hit,
and led to guest appearances on
MC Shabaam Sahddeq's "Five
Star Generals" single and Kid
Rock's Devil Without A Cause set.
As a result, Eminem was signed to
Aftermath Records by label boss
Dr. Dre, who adopted the young rapper
as his protege and acted as co-producer
on Eminem's full-length debut. Dre's
beats featured prominently on The
Slim Shady LP, a provocative feast
of violent, twisted lyrics, with
a moral outlook partially redeemed
by Eminem's claim to be only "voicing"
the thoughts of the Slim Shady character.
Parody or no parody, lyrics to tracks
such as "97 Bonnie & Clyde"
(which contained lines about killing
the mother of his child) and frequent
verbal outbursts about his mother
were held by many, outside even
the usual Christian moral majority,
to be deeply irresponsible. The
album was buoyed by the commercial
success of the singles "My
Name Is" and "Guilty Conscience"
(the former helped by a striking,
MTV-friendly video), and climbed
to number 2 on the US album chart
in March 1999.
Eminem subsequently made high profile
appearances on Rawkus Records' Soundbombing
Volume 2 compilation and Missy "Misdemeanor"
Elliott's Da Real World. He was
also in the news when his mother
filed a lawsuit claiming that comments
made by the rapper during interviews
and on The Slim Shady LP had caused,
amongst other things, emotional
distress, damage to her reputation
and loss of self-esteem. None of
which harmed the sales of Eminem's
follow-up album, The Marshall Mathers
LP, which debuted at number 1 on
the US album chart in May 2000 and
established him as the most successful
rapper since the mid-90s heyday
of 2Pac and Snoop Doggy Dogg. By
the end of the year, however, his
troubled personal life and a serious
assault charge had removed the gloss
from his phenomenal commercial success.
Despite criticism from gay rights
groups, the rapper swept up three
Grammy Awards the following February.
He also reunited with his D12 colleagues
to record the transatlantic chart-topping
Devil's Night.
Eminem's new studio album, The Eminem
Show, was premiered by single "Without
Me". The track, which debuted
at UK number 1 in May 2002, featured
a sample from Malcolm McLaren's
"Buffalo Girls" and was
supported by a controversial video
which saw the rapper dressing up
as Osama Bin Laden. The album debuted
at number 1 on both sides of the
Atlantic. Later in the year, Eminem
made his mainstream acting debut
in 8 Mile. The lead single from
the soundtrack, "Lose Yourself",
gave the rapper his first US number
1 single in November.
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Eminem biography 2 |
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Although
he's only been in the public eye
since 1999, Marshall Mathers (aka
Eminem) has crammed at least a decade's
worth of career highs and lows into
those few short, high-profile years.
The Detroit-based Dr. Dre protégé has invoked the wrath of women and
homosexuals with his offensive lyrics;
become enemies with Moby, Everlast,
Fred Durst, and Christina Aguilera;
provided tabloids with plenty of
gossip fodder regarding his personal
life...and in the process become
just about the biggest rock star
on the planet. This is because Eminem
isn't just about controversy and
shock value: This often misunderstood
major talent has actually given
white rappers genuine credibility
in this post-Vanilla Ice age with
his string of dynamic hits (both
solo and with his side group, D12),
his plethora of Grammy nominations,
his critically acclaimed film 8
Mile, and his three multiplatinum
studio albums, which--once one gets
past the hype and hullabaloo that
surround them--are some of the most
creative, original, and exciting
releases of the rap genre (or any
musical genre) in the past decade.
Mathers was born into a poor, working-class
family on October 17, 1972 in St.
Joseph, Missouri, though he spent
much of his youth in Detroit, the
city he would eventually put on
the rap map. Originally taking on
the stage name M&M (later changed
to its current spelling), at age
14 he became a battle rapper, competing
against other Detroit MCs in local
clubs. After a short stint with
a rap act called New Jacks, in 1995
he made his recording debut with
a group called Soul Intent, which
introduced him to a rapper named
Proof, who appeared on that single's
B-side. Eminem and Proof soon started
a new group called D12 with four
other MCs (Bizarre, Kon Artis, Swift,
and Kuniva), while Eminem simultaneously
launched his solo career with two
independent releases, 1996's Infinite
and 1997's The Slim Shady EP, which
featured his trademark dark, disturbing,
angry lyrics. Eminem drew from his
troubled personal life when penning
such bleak words: He had just had
a daughter with his on/off girlfriend,
Kim, with whom he had a very tumultuous
relationship; he was estranged from
his mother, with whom he also frequently
butted heads; he was abusing alcohol
and drugs with alarming frequency;
and he had attempted suicide on
at least one occasion. Though these
harrowing experiences provided inspiration
for some brilliant if nasty and
offensive lyrics, Mathers was at
such a low point in his life that
it seemed there was nowhere to go
but up.
Enter Interscope Records honcho
Jimmy Iovine, who--impressed by
Eminem's fresh and bold style--approached
the struggling rapper after seeing
him take second place in the freestyle
category at 1997's Rap Olympics.
Iovine later played Eminem's demo
tape for super-producer and former
Death Row Records chief/NWA member
Dr. Dre, who immediately liked what
he heard, contacted Eminem, and
started a fruitful creative partnership
with Eminem that exists to this
day. (Legend has it that the two
recorded Eminem's first big hit
single, "My Name Is,"
within an hour after first meeting
each other.) Interscope quickly
signed Mathers, and Dre produced
his major-label debut album, The
Slim Shady LP, which was released
in February 1999 to both massive
acclaim and derision, eventually
going triple-platinum.
Eminem's follow-up, 2000's Marshall
Mathers LP, was an even bigger phenomenon,
selling almost 2 million copies
in its first week of release alone,
thus becoming the fastest-selling
hip-hop album of all time. However,
the album stirred up even more of
an uproar than its predecessor,
making Mathers the target of much
public hatred. Among other conflicts
and controversies, the album created
a feud with pop princess Christina
Aguilera (the single "The Real
Slim Shady" alleged that she
had performed oral sex on both Limp
Bizkit's Fred Durst and MTV's Carson
Daly); led his mother to file a
defamation lawsuit against him (a
judge later dismissed the case);
and generated accusations of homophobia
and sexism mostly centering around
the songs "Kill You" and
"Kim" (the latter a rant
about the mother of his child, whom
he had recently married but would
soon divorce, and later reconcile
with yet again). But Eminem thrived
on the controversy, becoming an
even bigger superstar and racking
up a surprising number of Grammy
nominations in 2001, much to the
chagrin of his many outspoken detractors.
And he kept people guessing about
how much of the Slim Shady "character"
was really the real deal, when he
performed a duet version of his
single "Stan" with the
openly gay Elton John at the Grammys
ceremony, even warmly hugging Elton
onstage. Mathers won three Grammys
that night--Best Rap Solo Performance
(for "The Real Slim Shady"),
Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or
Group (for his work on the Dr. Dre
duet "Forgot About Dre"),
and Best Rap Album (for The Marshall
Mathers LP)--adding to the two statuettes
he'd won the previous year for "My
Name Is" (Best Rap Solo Performance)
and The Slim Shady LP (Best Rap
Album).
There seemed no stopping Eminem--not
even convictions on weapons and
assault charges (stemming from separate
incidents involving his estranged
wife with another man and rival
Detroit rap act Insane Clown Posse).
Eminem was sentenced to community
service and kept on recording, releasing
Devil's Night with old group D12
in 2001 and then The Eminem Show,
one of the most critically heralded
albums of 2002 and his most personal
work yet. He also revealed more
of his real-life persona in 8 Mile,
a Rocky-style feelgood flick lensed
by L.A. Confidential/Wonder Boys
director Curtis Hanson that presented
a sort of cleaned-up version of
Eminem's rags-to-riches life story.
Eminem put on such an impressive
performance in the film that there
was actually speculation that he
would receive a Best Actor nomination
at the Oscars in 2003.
While Eminem may have seemed like
a novelty act at first--with his
shocking, four-letter lyrics, cartoonish
bad-boy image, and, of course, pale
skin color (a real anomaly in hip-hop)--he
has since established himself as
one of the most important artists
of his time and a true force to
be reckoned with, continuing to
cross both color boundaries and
genre boundaries with his edgy,
rock-tinged raps. With his turbulent
personal life, powder-keg temper,
and tendency to tangle with the
law, it is still uncertain how long
his career will last before he burns
out, but it's already obvious that
his music had made history and will
long outlast any controversy that
dogs him.
- Lyndsey Parker
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Eminem biography 3 |
In
a few short months, Eminem has gone
from being one of the most heralded
emcees in independent hip-hop to
one of the most provocative, controversial
rappers in contemporary pop music.
The overnight success of his debut
album, The Slim Shady LP, literally
rocked the rap world, making him
one of the biggest music success
stories of 1999. But Eminem is more
than the latest rap artist to blow
up. He's spent the last several
years paying his dues, and his lyrics,
which cover topics such as poverty
and single parenthood, reflect a
rough upbringing. His unlikely acceptance
by the pop mainstream has made some
wonder how his popularity will affect
the future of hip-hop music.
Before he had the world singing
along to "My Name Is ...,"
he was Marshall Mathers, a poor
kid growing up in Warren, Mich.
"It's like the real, stereotypical,
trailer park, white trash,"
Eminem told Rap Pages earlier this
year. As a child, he and his mother
moved constantly, staying at relatives'
homes in places as disparate as
Warren and Kansas City, Mo. As a
result, Marshall found it difficult
to make friends, and he retreated
into his comic books and television.
"I didn't really start opening
up until eighth grade, going into
ninth," he said.
When Mathers was 12, his mother
finally settled down on the east
side of Detroit. There, he attended
Lincoln Junior High School and Osbourne
High School, hanging out with friends
and listening to artists like LL
Cool J and the 2 Live Crew. He battled
against other rappers at his high
school, and quickly gained a reputation
as a nimble rhymer. But his penchant
for skipping school led him to fail
the ninth grade. After dropping
out of high school, he held down
several odd jobs, while continuing
to work on his craft. "I tried
to go back to school five years
ago," he said, "but I
couldn't do it. I just wanted to
rap and be a star one day."
Mathers rapped in several groups
such as Basement Productions, the
New Jacks, and Sole Intent, before
deciding to go solo. In 1997, he
released an album, Infinite, through
a local company called FBT Productions;
it was met with derision from the
local hip-hop community. "I
was getting a lot of feedback saying
I sounded like Nas or Jay-Z,"
he admitted. Despite the criticism,
Eminem continued to promote himself
through shows and appearances at
radio stations and freestyle competitions
across the nation. His perseverance
garnered him a notice in the Source's
influential "Unsigned Hype"
column. Later that year, he won
the 1997 Wake Up Show Freestyle
Performer of the Year from L.A.
DJs Sway and Tech, and earned second
place in Rap Sheet magazine's "Rap
Olympics," an annual freestyle
rap competition.
In 1998, Eminem put out The Slim
Shady EP, which contained the original
version of "Just Don't Give
A Fuck" "Slim Shady is the
evil side of me, the sarcastic,
foul-mouthed side of me," he
said during an interview with the
Source. The EP made him an underground
star, and Eminem was invited to
appear on underground MC Shabaam
Sahdeeq's "Five Star Generals"
single, Kid Rock's Devil Without
a Cause, and other rap releases.
At the end of the year, Eminem put
out a popular 12-inch, "Nuttin'
to Do/ Scary Movies," with
fellow Detroit rapper Royce the
5'9".
Meanwhile, a copy of The Slim Shady
EP made its way into the hands of
Dr. Dre, the legendary creator of
The Chronic and N.W.A., and current
president of Aftermath Entertainment.
Dr. Dre quickly signed Eminem to
his label, and the two began preparing
The Slim Shady EP for a full-fledged
release, adding songs like "My
Name Is ..." and "Guity
Conscience." Early in 1999,
Eminem made the world take notice
with his charismatic video for "My
Name Is ..." parodying everyone
from Marilyn Manson to the President
of the United States. Shortly afterward,
The Slim Shady LP debuted at No.
3 on the Billboard Album Chart.
Its sensationalistic depiction of
rampant drug use, rape, sex, and
violence horrified some; equally
disturbing was Eminem's various
four-letter-word insults directed
at his mother and songs like "'97
Bonnie and Clyde," where Eminem
fantasized about killing the mother
of his child.
In defense, Eminem claimed that
he was just speaking his mind. "I
do feel like I'm coming from a standpoint
where people don't realize there
are a lot of poor white people,"
he explained in the Source. "Rap
music kept my mind off all the bulls--t
I had to go through." His cynical
take on life struck a chord with
millions of rap fans, and drove
The Slim Shady LP to double-platinum-plus
sales. He began to tour, including
a solo jaunt with the Beatnuts and
Mixmaster Mike.
While most in the hip-hop community
greeted Eminem with open arms, others
took a more cautious approach, wondering
why rock stations across the country
who never played rap music added
"My Name Is ..." to their
playlists. Was it because Eminem
was the first "legitimate"
white rapper to gain widespread
popularity? "I'm white in a
music started by black people. I'm
not ignorant to the culture and
I'm not trying to take anything
away from the culture," he
said in his defense. "But no
one has a choice where they grew
up or what color they are. If you're
a rich kid or a ghetto kid you have
no control over your circumstance.
The only control you have is to
get out of your situation or stay
in it."
Throughout the year, Eminem has
continued to record for other artists,
making appearances on Sway and Tech's
This or That compilation, DJ Spinna's
Heavy Beats Vol. 1, Missy Elliott's
Da Real World, the Soundbombing
2 compilation, and Dr. Dre's highly
anticipated sequel to The Chronic,
Chronic 2001: No Seeds. And in June
and July of 1999, the rapper took
to the road with the Warped tour,
filling in for Cypress Hill, who
decided to forgo the tour in favor
of recording its next album.
After wrapping up his touring commitments,
Eminem plans to take a short break
before returning to the studio to
record the follow up to The Slim
Shady LP. In the meantime, he can
bask in the glow of his many awards.
Not only is he up for Best New Artist
in the Source's Hip-Hop Music Awards,
he also garnered four MTV Video
Music Awards -- "My Name Is
..." nabbed nods for Best Male
Video, Best New Artist, and Best
Director, and "Guilty Conscience"
earned him a Breakthrough Video
nomination.
- Mosi Reeves, Wall Of Sound
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Eminem biography 4 |
The
average rapper wouldn't be able
to grace the pages of Rap Pages,
VIBE, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Source,
URB and Stress and go on a national
tour months before their major-label
debut album is released. Then again,
Eminem isn't an average rapper.
He's phenomenal.
The impending release of the The
Slim Shady LP, his first set on
Aftermath/Interscope Records, already
has underground hip-hop heads fiending
for Eminem. Chock full of dazzling
lyrical escapades that delve into
the mind of a violently warped and
vulgar yet extremely talented wordsmith,
the 14-cut collection contains some
of the most memorable and demented
lyrics ever recorded.
For Eminem, his potentially controversial
and undoubtedly offensive songs
will strike a chord with a multitude
of hip-hop loyalists who believe
they have little to lose and everything
to gain.
"I'm not alone in feeling the
way I feel," he says. "I
believe that a lot of people can
relate to my shit--whether white,
black, it doesn't matter. Everybody
has been through some shit, whether
it's drastic or not so drastic.
Everybody gets to the point of 'I
don't give a fuck.'"
Those words are more than just a
slogan for the Detroit resident.
"I Just Don't Give A Fuck"
and "Brain Damage" are
the two songs comprising Eminem's
initial single from The Slim Shady
LP. Each tune is sure to paralyze
meek listeners with their relentless
lyrical assault. Produced primarily
by long-time collaborators FBT Productions,
the Slim Shady LP also features
beatwork from Aftermath CEO Dr.
Dre. The N.W.A. alum handled beats
for "My Name Is" (the
second single), "Guilty Conscience"
and "Role Model."
Dr. Dre was so impressed after hearing
Eminem freestyling on a Los Angeles
radio station that he put out a
manhunt for the Michigan rhymer.
Shortly thereafter, Dre signed Eminem
to his Aftermath imprint and the
two began working together. Thoroughly
impressed with Eminem's previously
released independent Slim Shady
EP, Dre said they would include
many of the EP's tracks on the album.
"It was an honor to hear the
words out of Dre's mouth that he
liked my shit," Eminem says.
"Growing up, I was one of the
biggest fans of N.W.A, from putting
on the sunglasses and looking in
the mirror and lipsinking to wanting
to be Dr. Dre, to be Ice Cube. This
is the biggest hip-hop producer
ever."
But like many other rappers, Eminem's
rise to stardom was far from easy.
After being born in Kansas City
and traveling back and forth between
KC and the Detroit metropolitan
area, Eminem and his mother moved
into the Eastside of Detroit when
he was 12. Switching schools every
two to three months made it difficult
to make friends, graduate and to
stay out of trouble.
Rap, however, became Eminem's solace.
Battling schoolmates in the lunchroom
brought joy to what was otherwise
a painful existence. Although he
would later drop out of school and
land several minimum-wage-paying,
full-time jobs, his musical focus
remained constant.
Eminem released his debut album,
Infinite, in 1996. Desperate to
be embraced by the Motor City's
hip-hop scene, Eminem rapped in
such a manner that he was accused
of sounding 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,"
he recalls. "It was a growing
stage. I felt like Infinite was
like a demo that just got pressed
up."
After being thoroughly disappointed
and hurt by the response Infinite
received, Eminem began working on
what would later become the Slim
Shady EP -- a project he made for
himself. Featuring several scathing
lines about local music industry
personalities as well as devious
rants about life in general, the
set quickly caught the ear of hip-hop's
difficult-to-please underground.
"I had nothing to lose, but
something to gain," Eminem
says of that point in his life.
"If I made an album for me
and it was to my satisfaction, then
I succeeded. If I didn't, then my
producers were going to give up
on the whole rap thing we were doing.
I made some shit that I wanted to
hear. The Slim Shady EP, I lashed
out on everybody who talked shit
about me."
By presenting himself as himself,
Eminem and his career took off.
Soon after giving the Rap Coalition's
Wendy Day a copy of the Infinite
album at a chance meeting, she helped
the aspiring lyrical gymnast secure
a spot at the Coalition's 1997 Rap
Olympics in Los Angeles, where he
won second place in the freestyle
competition. During the trip, Eminem
and his manager, Paul Rosenberg,
gave a few people from Interscope
Records his demo and he made his
major radio debut on the world famous
Wake Up Show with Sway and Tech.
Realizing that this was the opportunity
of his lifetime, Eminem delivered
a furious medley of lyrics that
wowed his hosts and radio audience
alike.
"I felt like it's my time to
shine," Eminem says of that
performance. "I have to rip
this. At that time, I felt that
it was a life or death situation."
Eminem would soon record the underground
classic "5 Star Generals."
This record helped establish him
in Japan, New York and Los Angeles.
It also helped him earn a spot on
the inaugural Lyricist Lounge tour,
which took him to stages from Philadelphia
to Los Angeles.
Set to take the hip-hop world by
storm with his unique lyrical approach
and punishing production, Eminem
and his The Slim Shady LP are sure
to have listeners captivated.
"I do say things that I think
will shock people," he says.
"But I don't do things to shock
people. I'm not trying to be the
next Tupac, but I don't know how
long I'm going to be on this planet.
So while I'm here, I might as well
make the most of it."
- Official Site, Eminem.com
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Eminem biography 5 |
Who would have guessed
that a white boy from Michigan would
be the one to move today's jaded
hip-hop world? Without any warning,
Eminem burst onto the rap scene
spouting more vulgarity than ever
with his first 14-cut collection,
The Slim Shady LP, distributed by
Aftermath/Interscope Records. "I
Just Don't Give a F--k," the
signature piece on his demented
album, and "Brain Damage,"
which literally did just that to
listeners, are the two most notable
songs exhibiting for his dirty mouth.
So good, in fact, that legendary
rap artist/producer Dr. Dre scouted
the angry chirpster after hearing
him freestyle on the radio to collaborate
on Dre's own label, Aftermath. The
impressed Dre did not hesitate to
include many of Slim's independently
released EP tracks as Eminem jumped
at the offer to work with "the
biggest hip-hop producer ever."
As randomly offensive as his lyrics
may seem, Eminem has mastered his
talent into a form of reclaiming
his pride. He spent his childhood
roaming from his birthplace, Kansas
City, to Detroit with his mother,
never being able to find a stable
hometown and school. Hence he pursued
a life and identity in the hip-hop
culture by releasing a debut album,
Infinite, in 1996. Ironically, the
response to his debut stifled his
self-expression as he was labelled
as a Nas and AZ sound-alike. Ripe
for revenge, Eminem bombarded his
critics with The Slim Shady EP,
which not only gave the rapper a
chance at originality but also at
stirring controversy with his remorseless
tunes of fury.
Yet it would do him no justice to
dismiss him as a spiteful cursing
machine. His fascinating freestyle
ability is easy to underestimate
or even recognize with the scorching
flames blowing out of his mouth.
At the start of his rap career,
Eminem personally sent a copy of
his overlooked debut album to Wendy
Day from the Rap Coalition. Her
nod of approval got him into the
Coalition's 1997 Rap Olympics in
Los Angeles, where he was honoured
with second place in the freestyle
competition. With the help of his
manager, Paul Rosenberg, Interscope
Records got a hold of his demo.
Finally Eminem decided that it was
his "time to shine" on
his radio debut on the world-famous
Wake Up Show with Sway and Tech
by spewing a most ferocious lyrical
mix that literally slapped the faces
of the hosts and listeners wide
awake. His underground classic "5
Star General" stretched out
to Japan, New York, and Los Angeles,
which also won him a spot on the
inaugural Lyricist Lounge tour.
Before long, Eminem was a superstar
and one of music's most controversial
figures. His shocking lyrics (both
solo and with side posse D12), his
duet with Elton John, his public
trials with his on/off wife and
estranged mother...all of these
things and more kept him in the
public eye so often, he made Tommy
Lee look like a social recluse.
But Eminem's music kept his profile
high too, as his Slim Shady and
Marshall Mathers LPs sold by the
millions; the latter was even nominated
for several Grammys, including album
of the year.
In the age of bored and hungry hip-hopsters,
Eminem, with his fiery eyes and
blazing lyrics, has broken into
the rap and hip-hop dome by melting
the image of the sold-out Vanilla
Ice. You may hate his anger, but
it's his only ammunition, and as
long he is who he is, Eminem is
going to take nothing back.
- Interscope
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