Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing
hip hop in
middle America and is critically acclaimed as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Eminem's global success and acclaimed works are widely regarded as having broken racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his
transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him widely controversial, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American
underclass
The underclass is the segment of the population that occupies the lowest possible position in a class hierarchy, below the core body of the working class.
The general idea that a class system includes a population ''under'' the working class has ...
and has been cited as an influence for many artists of various genres.
After the release of his debut album ''
Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
* Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band
*''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...
'' (1996) and the
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. ''
Slim Shady EP
''Slim Shady EP'' is the first and to date only extended play by American rapper Eminem, released on December 10, 1997 through the Detroit-based record label Web Entertainment. Unlike ''Infinite'', ''Slim Shady EP'' helped Eminem gain the inter ...
'' (1997), Eminem signed with
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
's
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records.
Current acts include Dr. Dre himself, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, ...
and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with ''
The Slim Shady LP
''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitm ...
''. His next two releases, ''
The Marshall Mathers LP
''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass ...
'' (2000) and ''
The Eminem Show
''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...
'' (2002), were worldwide successes and were both nominated for the
Grammy Award for Album of the Year. After the release of his next album, ''
Encore
An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...
'' (2004), Eminem went on hiatus in 2005, largely due to a
prescription drug addiction.
He returned to the music industry four years later with the release of ''
Relapse
In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or ...
'' (2009) and ''
Recovery
Recovery or Recover may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Books
* ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book
* Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry
Film and television
* ''Recovery'' (fil ...
'' was released the following year. ''Recovery'' was the best-selling album worldwide of 2010, making it Eminem's second album, after ''The Eminem Show'' in 2002, to be the
best-selling album of the year worldwide. In the following years, he released the US number one albums ''
The Marshall Mathers LP 2
''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on November 5, 2013 by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The album is Eminem's last to have the involvement of inde ...
'' (2013), ''
Revival'' (2017), ''
Kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...
'' (2018) and ''
Music to Be Murdered By
''Music to Be Murdered By'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on January 17, 2020, by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. Just like Eminem’s previous studio album ''Kamikaze'' ( ...
'' (2020).
Eminem made his debut in the film industry with the
musical drama film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...
''
8 Mile'' (2002), playing a fictionalized version of himself, and his track "
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
" from its soundtrack won the
Academy Award for Best Original Song, making him the first hip hop artist ever to win the award.
Eminem has made
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
s in the films ''
The Wash
The Wash is a rectangular bay and multiple estuary at the north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire and both border the North Sea. One of Britain's broadest estuaries, it is fed by the riv ...
'' (2001), ''
Funny People
''Funny People'' is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow, co-produced by Apatow Productions and Madison 23 Productions, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann with Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jas ...
'' (2009) and ''
The Interview
''The Interview'' is a 2014 satirical alternate history action-comedy film co-produced and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in their second directorial work, following ''This Is the End'' (2013). The screenplay was written by Dan Ste ...
'' (2014) and the television series ''
Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
'' (2010). He has also developed other ventures, including
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999).
Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...
, a joint venture with manager
Paul Rosenberg, which helped launch the careers of artists such as
50 Cent,
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
and
Obie Trice, among others. He has also established his own channel,
Shade 45
Shade 45 is American rapper Eminem's hip-hop station on Sirius XM Radio channel 45 and Dish Network channel 6045.
History
Eminem established his own channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut hip hop. Eminem also established a new morning show, ''Sway ...
, on
Sirius XM Radio
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
.
In addition to his solo career, Eminem was a member of the hip hop group
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
. He is also known for collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper
Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as
Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop duo composed of Detroit-based rappers Royce da 5'9" (Bad) and Eminem (Evil). Bad Meets Evil was formed in 1998, thanks to the duo's mutual friend, Proof. The group's name comes from the song "Bad Meets Evi ...
.
Eminem is among the
best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of over 220 million records. He was the
best-selling music artist in the United States of the 2000s and the best-selling male music artist in the United States of the 2010s, third overall. ''
Billboard'' named him the "
Artist of the Decade (2000–2009)". He has had ten number-one albums on the
''Billboard'' 200—which all consecutively debuted at number one on the chart, making him the first artist to achieve this
—and five number-one singles on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
''The Marshall Mathers LP'', ''
The Eminem Show
''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...
'', ''
Curtain Call: The Hits'' (2005), "Lose Yourself", "
Love the Way You Lie" and "
Not Afraid
"Not Afraid" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album '' Recovery'' (2010). It was released as the album's lead single on April 27, 2010, by Interscope Records. "Not Afraid" was first revealed as a single b ...
" have all been certified
Diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...
or higher by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' has included him in its lists of the
100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the
100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. He has won numerous awards, including 15
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s, eight
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...
, 17
''Billboard'' Music Awards, an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, a
Primetime Emmy Award and an
MTV Europe Music Global Icon Award. In November 2022, Eminem was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Early life
Mathers was born on October 17, 1972,
in
St. Joseph, Missouri
St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...
, the only child of Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. and Deborah Rae "Debbie" (
née Nelson).
He is of English, Scottish, German,
German Swiss, Polish and
Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.
As a standard form of th ...
ancestry.
His mother nearly died during her 73-hour labor with him.
Eminem's parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing in
Ramada Inns along
the Dakotas
The Dakotas is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, econo ...
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
border before they separated. Eminem's father, Bruce Jr., left the family, moving to California
after having two other children: Michael and Sarah.
His mother, Debbie, later had a son named Nathan "Nate" Kane Samara.
During his childhood, Eminem and his mother shuttled between
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
and
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and living primarily with family members. In Missouri, they lived in several places, including St. Joseph,
Savannah and
Kansas City.
![Eight Mile Road](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Eight_Mile_Road.jpg)
As a teenager, Eminem wrote letters to his father. Debbie said that they all came back marked "return to sender".
When he was a child, a bully named D'Angelo Bailey severely injured Eminem's head in an assault,
an incident which Eminem later recounted (with comic exaggeration) on the song "Brain Damage". Debbie filed a lawsuit against the public school for this in 1982. The suit was dismissed the following year by a
Macomb County, Michigan
Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous c ...
judge, who said the schools were immune from lawsuits.
Eminem and his mother lived for much of his youth in a working-class, primarily black, Detroit neighborhood.
He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Eminem was beaten several times by black youths.
As a child, he was interested in storytelling, aspiring to be a comic book artist before discovering
hip hop.
Eminem heard his first rap song ("
Reckless", featuring
Ice-T) on the ''
Breakin'
''Breakin (also known as ''Breakdance'' in the United Kingdom and ''Break Street '84'' in other regions) is a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBevoise based on a ...
'' soundtrack, a gift from Debbie's half-brother Ronnie Polkingharn. His uncle was close to the boy and later became a musical mentor to him. When Polkingharn committed suicide in 1991, Eminem stopped speaking publicly for days and did not attend his funeral.
Eminem's home life was seldom stable; he frequently fought with his mother, whom a
social worker described as having a "very suspicious, almost
paranoid
Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy c ...
personality". When her son became famous, Debbie dismissed criticism, saying that she had sheltered him and was responsible for his success. In 1987, Debbie allowed runaway Kimberly Anne "Kim" Scott to stay at their home. Several years later, Eminem began an on-and-off relationship with Scott.
After spending three years in ninth grade due to
truancy
Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not refe ...
and poor grades,
he dropped out of
Lincoln High School at age 17. Although interested in English, Eminem never explored literature (preferring comic books) and he disliked math and social studies.
Eminem worked at several jobs to help his mother pay the bills. One of the jobs he had was with
Little Caesar's Pizza in
Warren, Michigan
Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 Census places the city's population at 139,387, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb.
T ...
. He later said she often threw him out of the house anyway, often after taking most of his paycheck. When she left to play bingo, he would blast the stereo and write songs.
At age 14, Eminem began rapping with high-school friend Mike Ruby; they adopted the names "Manix" and "M&M", the latter evolving into "Eminem".
Eminem sneaked into neighboring
Osborn High School
Osborn High School, also known as Osborn Academy of Mathematics is a public high school in the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), located in Northeast Detroit.
Currently, the school has over 20 course offerings some of which are ...
with friend and fellow rapper
Proof for lunchroom
freestyle rap
Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...
battles.
On Saturdays, they attended open mic contests at the Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile Road, considered "ground zero" for the Detroit rap scene.
Struggling to succeed in a predominantly black industry, Eminem was appreciated by
underground hip hop audiences.
When he wrote verses, he wanted most of the words to rhyme; he wrote long words or phrases on paper and, underneath, worked on rhymes for each syllable.
Although the words often made little sense, the drill helped Eminem practice sounds and rhymes.
Career
1988–1997: Early career, ''Infinite'' and family struggles
![Proof-eminem](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Proof-eminem.jpg)
In 1988, he went by the stage name MC Double M and formed his first group New Jacks and made a self-titled demo tape with DJ Butter Fingers.
In 1989, they later joined Bassmint Productions who later changed their name to Soul Intent in 1992 with rapper
Proof and other childhood friends.
They released a self-titled EP in 1995 featuring Proof.
Eminem also made his first music video appearance in 1992 in a song titled, "Do-Da-Dippity", by
Champtown. Later in 1996, Eminem and Proof teamed up with four other rappers to form The Dirty Dozen (
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
), who released their first album ''
Devil's Night
Devil's Night is a name associated with October 30, the night before Halloween. It is related to the "Mischief Night" practiced in parts of the United States such as Philadelphia but is chiefly associated with the serious vandalism and arson seen ...
'' in 2001.
Eminem was soon signed to
Jeff
Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey.
Music
* DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes
* ...
and Mark Bass's
F.B.T. Productions and recorded his debut album ''
Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
* Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band
*''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...
'' for their independent
Web Entertainment label.
The album was a commercial failure upon its release in 1996.
One lyrical subject of ''Infinite'' was his struggle to raise his newborn daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers, on little money. During this period, Eminem's rhyming style, primarily inspired by rappers
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
,
Esham
Esham is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Esham released his debut studio album, '' Boomin' Words from Hell'', in 1989. Since then, he has gone on to release 15 studio albums in total and is best known as a representative of the hip ...
and
AZ, lacked the comically violent slant for which he later became known.
Detroit disc jockeys largely ignored ''Infinite'' and the feedback Eminem did receive ("Why don't you go into rock and roll?") led him to craft angrier, moodier tracks.
At this time Eminem and Kim Scott lived in a crime-ridden neighborhood and their house was robbed several times.
Eminem cooked and washed dishes for minimum wage at Gilbert's Lodge, a family-style restaurant at
St. Clair Shores
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 about northeast of downtown Detroit. Its population was 59,715 at the 2010 ...
.
His former boss described him as becoming a model employee, as he worked 60 hours a week for six months after Hailie's birth.
He was fired shortly before Christmas and later said, "It was, like, five days before Christmas, which is Hailie's birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something."
After the release of ''Infinite'', his personal problems and substance abuse culminated in a suicide attempt.
By March 1997 he was fired from Gilbert's Lodge for the last time and lived in his mother's
mobile home with Kim and Hailie.
1997–1999: Introduction of Slim Shady, ''The Slim Shady LP'' and rise to success
![Eminem (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Eminem_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Eminem attracted more attention when he developed Slim Shady, a sadistic, violent
alter ego. The character allowed him to express his anger with lyrics about drugs, rape and murder.
In the spring of 1997 he recorded his debut EP, the ''
Slim Shady EP
''Slim Shady EP'' is the first and to date only extended play by American rapper Eminem, released on December 10, 1997 through the Detroit-based record label Web Entertainment. Unlike ''Infinite'', ''Slim Shady EP'' helped Eminem gain the inter ...
'', which was released that winter by
Web Entertainment.
The EP, with frequent references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability and violence, also explored the more-serious themes of dealing with poverty and marital and family difficulties and revealed his direct, self-deprecating response to criticism.
Hip hop magazine ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'' featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column in March 1998.
After he was fired from his job and evicted from his home, Eminem went to Los Angeles to compete in the 1997
Rap Olympics The Rap Olympics is a free-style rap event which was created and first begun in March 1993, in East Orange, New Jersey by Gregory Thomas of Nubian Recordings which consisted of a three state competition: PA, NJ and NY.
History
The original Rap ...
, an annual, nationwide
battle rap
Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...
competition. He placed second and an
Interscope Records intern in attendance called Dean Geistlinger asked Eminem for a copy of the ''Slim Shady EP'', which was then sent to company CEO
Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...
.
Iovine played the tape for record producer
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
, founder of
Aftermath Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records.
Current acts include Dr. Dre himself, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, ...
and founding member of hip hop group
N.W.A
N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...
. Dre recalled, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find him. Now. He would later state on the fourth and last episode of ''
The Defiant Ones
''The Defiant Ones'' is a 1958 American adventure drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier ...
'', "I was like: what the fuck!?, and who the fuck is that?" expressing his shock towards Mathers' rapping talent. Although his associates criticized him for hiring a white rapper, he was confident in his decision: "I don't give a fuck if you're purple; if you can kick it, I'm working with you."
Eminem had idolized Dre since listening to N.W.A. as a teenager and was nervous about working with him on an album: "I didn't want to be starstruck or kiss his ass too much ... I'm just a little white boy from Detroit. I had never seen stars let alone Dr. Dre." He became more comfortable working with Dre after a series of productive recording sessions.
Eminem released ''
The Slim Shady LP
''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitm ...
'' in February 1999. Although it was one of the year's most popular albums (
certified triple platinum by the end of the year),
he was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper
Cage
A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...
.
The album's popularity was accompanied by controversy over its lyrics; in "
'97 Bonnie & Clyde" Eminem describes a trip with his infant daughter when he disposes of his wife's body and in "
Guilty Conscience" which encourages a man to murder his wife and her lover. "Guilty Conscience" marked the beginning of a friendship and musical bond between Dr. Dre and Eminem. The label-mates later collaborated on a number of hit songs ("
Forgot About Dre
"Forgot About Dre" is a song by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre featuring vocals and sole songwriting from American rapper Eminem, released as second single from the former's album ''2001'' (1999).
Background
The song is considered a response ...
" and "
What's the Difference" while also providing uncredited vocals on "
The Watcher" from Dr. Dre's album ''
2001'', "
Bitch Please II
"Bitch Please II" is a song by American rapper Eminem, featuring guest vocals from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and Nate Dogg, and is the fifth and final single from '' The Marshall Mathers LP''.
"Bitch Please II" is one of the few collaborat ...
" from ''
The Marshall Mathers LP
''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass ...
'', "Say What You Say" from ''
The Eminem Show
''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...
'', "
Encore/Curtains Down" from ''
Encore
An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...
'' and "
Old Time's Sake" and "
Crack a Bottle" from ''
Relapse
In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or ...
'') and Dre made at least one guest appearance on each of Eminem's
Aftermath
Aftermath may refer to:
Companies
* Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing
* Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre
* Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company
* Aftermath Services, an America ...
albums.
''The Slim Shady LP'' has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.
1999–2003: ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' and ''The Eminem Show''
![Eminem Up in Smoke Tour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Eminem_Up_in_Smoke_Tour.png)
After Eminem released ''The Slim Shady LP'', he started his own record label,
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999).
Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...
, in late 1999. Eminem looked for an avenue to release
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
, and his manager
Paul Rosenberg was keen to start a label, which led to the two teaming up to form Shady. Its A&R Marc Labelle has defined the record label as "a boutique label but
ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
all the outlets of a major
ndInterscope backing up our every move."
Recorded from 1999 to 2000, ''
The Marshall Mathers LP
''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass ...
'' was released in May 2000. It sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking US records held by
Snoop Dogg's ''
Doggystyle
''Doggystyle'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg). It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's app ...
'' for fastest-selling hip hop album and
Britney Spears' ''
...Baby One More Time'' for fastest-selling solo album.
The first single from the album, "
The Real Slim Shady
"The Real Slim Shady" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his third album ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' (2000). It was released as the lead single a month before the album's release.
"The Real Slim Shady" was Eminem's first song to reach numb ...
", was a success despite controversies about Eminem's insults and dubious claims about celebrities (for example, that
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
had performed oral sex on
Carson Daly and
Fred Durst
William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums.
He ap ...
).
In his second single, "
The Way I Am", he reveals the pressure from his record company to top "
My Name Is
"My Name Is" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his second album '' The Slim Shady LP'' (1999). It is also the opening song and lead single of the album. The song samples British singer Labi Siffre's 1975 track "I Got The..." as a bass and ...
". Although Eminem parodied shock rocker
Marilyn Manson in the music video for "My Name Is", they are reportedly on good terms; Manson is mentioned in "The Way I Am", appeared in its music video and has performed a live remix of the song with Eminem.
In the third single, "
Stan" (which samples
Dido
Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC.
In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...
's "
Thank You
"''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...
"), Eminem tries to deal with his new fame, assuming the persona of a deranged fan who kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend (mirroring 97 Bonnie & Clyde" from ''The Slim Shady LP'').
''
Q'' called "Stan" the third-greatest rap song of all time,
and it was ranked tenth in a Top40-Charts.com survey.
The song has since been ranked 296th on ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
's'' "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.
In July 2000, Eminem was the first white artist to appear on the cover of ''The Source''.
''The Marshall Mathers LP'' was certified Diamond by the RIAA in March 2011 and sold 21 million copies worldwide.
In 2000 Eminem also appeared in the
Up in Smoke Tour
The Up in Smoke Tour was a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 which was headlined by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, also featuring artists and disc jockeys Ice Cube, Eminem, Proof, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, D12, MC Ren, Westside Connection, Chilldrin of d ...
with rappers
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
,
Snoop Dogg,
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality.
Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...
and
Ice Cube and the
Family Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was an annual rock and hip hop tour held by the American nu metal band Korn since 1998. The first tour took place in 1998 and the second tour in 1999, but the tour took a hiatus in 2000 due to heavy competition from the ...
with
Limp Bizkit,
headlining the
Anger Management Tour
The Anger Management Tour was a rap and rock music tour, founded and started in the fall of 2000 by Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach and, after the release of ''The Marshall Mathers LP'', Eminem.
The first "Anger Management" outing took place in 2000. I ...
with
Papa Roach,
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
and
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality.
Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...
.
Eminem performed with
Elton John at the
43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001,
with the
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...
(GLAAD, an organization which considered Eminem's lyrics
homophobic
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...
) condemning John's decision to perform with Eminem.
''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' placed the appearance on its end-of-decade "best-of" list: "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 awards ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the
Staples Center (the ceremony's venue).
Eminem was also the only guest artist to appear on fellow rapper
Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album ''
The Blueprint
''The Blueprint'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. ...
'', producing and rapping on the song "Renegade".
''The Eminem Show'' was released in May 2002. It was another success, reaching number one on the charts and selling over 1.332 million copies during its first full week.
The album's single, "
Without Me", denigrates
boy bands,
Limp Bizkit,
Dick
Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to:
Media
* ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia
* Dicks (band), a musical group
* ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film
* "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat
Names
...
and
Lynne Cheney
Lynne Ann Cheney ( ; ; born August 14, 1941) is an American author, scholar, and former talk show host. She is married to the 46th vice president of the United States, Dick Cheney, and served as the second lady of the United States from 2001 to ...
,
Moby and others. ''The Eminem Show'', certified Diamond by the RIAA, examines the effects of Eminem's rise to fame, his relationship with his wife and daughter and his status in the hip hop community, addressing an assault charge brought by a
bouncer
A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or ...
he saw kissing his wife in 2000. Although several tracks are clearly angry,
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
found ''The Eminem Show'' less inflammatory than ''The Marshall Mathers LP''.
L. Brent Bozell III
Leo Brent Bozell III (; born July 14, 1955) is an American conservative activist who founded an organization called the Media Research Center whose stated purpose is to identify alleged liberal media bias.
Bozell has been published in various lo ...
, who had criticized ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' for
misogynistic
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced f ...
lyrics, noted ''The Eminem Show''s extensive use of obscenity and called Eminem "Eminef" for the prevalence of the word "
motherfucker
''Motherfucker'' ( ), sometimes abbreviated as ''mofo'', ''mf'', or ''mf'er'', is an English-language vulgarism. It is a form of the profanity ''fuck''. While the word is usually considered highly offensive, it is rarely used in the literal ...
" on the album.
''The Eminem Show'' sold 27 million copies worldwide
and was the best-selling album of 2002.
2003–2007: Production work, ''Encore'' and musical hiatus
![EMINEM rapping Anger management tour 2003](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/EMINEM_rapping_Anger_management_tour_2003.jpg)
In 2003, Eminem, a lifelong fan of
Tupac
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
,
provided production work for three tracks on the ''
Tupac Resurrection'' soundtrack.
He would follow this up the next year by producing 12 of the 16 tracks on Tupac's ''
Loyal to the Game
''Loyal to the Game'' is the ninth studio album and fifth posthumous studio album by American rapper Tupac. The album was produced by Eminem and consists of remixes of previously unreleased music recorded by Tupac before his death in 1996. Release ...
'' album.
On December 8, 2003, the
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...
said that it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States.
The cause for concern was the lyrics of "We As Americans" ("Fuck money / I don't rap for
dead presidents
''Dead Presidents'' is a 1995 American crime film co-written, produced and directed by the Hughes Brothers. The film chronicles the life of Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate), focusing on his teenage years as a high school graduate and his experience ...
/ I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents"), which was later released on a bonus CD with the deluxe edition of ''
Encore
An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...
''.
''
Encore
An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...
'', released in 2004, was another success, but not as successful as his previous albums. Its sales were partially driven by the first single, "
Just Lose It
"Just Lose It" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fifth studio album, ''Encore'' (2004). It was released on September 28, 2004, as the lead single from ''Encore'', and was later included on his greatest hits compilation album, '' Cur ...
", which contained slurs directed toward
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson phoned
Steve Harvey
Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts '' The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', '' Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud,'' the Miss ...
's radio show to report his displeasure with its video (which parodies
Jackson's child molestation trial,
plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...
and the 1984 incident when Jackson's hair caught fire during the filming of a commercial). In the song, Eminem says, "That's not a stab at Michael / That's just a metaphor / I'm just psycho." Many of Jackson's friends and supporters spoke out against the video, including
Stevie Wonder, who described it as "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit",
and Steve Harvey (who said, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back").
The video also parodied
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 films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that q ...
,
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as " U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...
and
Madonna during her ''
Blond Ambition'' period.
"Weird Al" Yankovic, who parodied the Eminem song "
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
" on "Couch Potato" for his 2003 album ''
Poodle Hat
''Poodle Hat'' is the eleventh studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on May 20, 2003. It was the fifth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop of the early-2000 ...
'', told the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
'' about Jackson's protest: "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."
Although
Black Entertainment Television stopped playing the video, MTV announced that it would continue to air it. ''The Source'', through CEO
Raymond "Benzino" Scott, called for the video to be pulled, the song removed from the album and Eminem to apologize publicly to Jackson.
In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought
Famous Music from
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...
, giving him the rights to songs by Eminem,
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...
,
Beck and others.
Despite its lead single's humorous theme, ''Encore'' explored serious subject matter with the anti-war song "
Mosh
Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...
", which criticized President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
as "This
weapon of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natu ...
that we call our president", with lyrics including "Fuck Bush."
On October 25, 2004, a week before the
2004 US Presidential election, Eminem released the video for "Mosh" on the Internet.
In it, Eminem gathers an army (including rapper
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. After th ...
) of
Bush-administration victims and leads them to the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
. When they break in, it is learned that they are there to register to vote; the video ends with "VOTE Tuesday November 2." After Bush's reelection, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
during a speech by the president.
Also in 2004 Eminem launched a satellite music channel,
Shade 45
Shade 45 is American rapper Eminem's hip-hop station on Sirius XM Radio channel 45 and Dish Network channel 6045.
History
Eminem established his own channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut hip hop. Eminem also established a new morning show, ''Sway ...
, on Sirius radio,
which was described by his manager as "essentially a destination to get and hear things that other people aren't playing."
Eminem began his first US concert tour in three years in the summer of 2005 with the
Anger Management 3 Tour, featuring
50 Cent,
G-Unit
G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released t ...
,
Lil Jon
Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cr ...
,
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
,
Obie Trice and
the Alchemist
An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy.
Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to:
Books and stories
* ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho
* ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...
, but in August he canceled the European leg of the tour, later announcing that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment of a "dependency on sleep medication".
Meanwhile, industry insiders speculated that Eminem was considering retirement, while rumors circulated that a
double album titled ''The Funeral'' would be released.
In July, the ''
Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
'' reported a possible final bow for Eminem as a solo performer, quoting members of his inner circle as saying that he would embrace the roles of producer and label executive. A greatest hits album, ''
Curtain Call: The Hits'', was released on December 6, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment,
and sold nearly 441,000 copies in the US in its first week, marking Eminem's fourth consecutive number-one album on the ''Billboard'' Hot 200,
and was certified double platinum by the
RIAA.
However, Eminem suggested that month on
WKQI
WKQI (95.5 FM) is a radio station serving Detroit, Michigan. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a Top 40/CHR format branded as ''Channel 955'' (pronounced "nine-five-five"). WKQI transmits its signal with an effective radiated power of 10 ...
's "Mojo in the Morning" show that he would be taking a break as an artist: "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."
![Eminem at Voodoo 2000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Eminem_at_Voodoo_2000.jpg)
In April 2006,
Proof, who was Eminem's childhood friend, was murdered.
Eight months later, Eminem released a compilation album titled ''
Eminem Presents: The Re-Up'' that featured Proof and other
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999).
Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...
artists.
2007–2009: Comeback and ''Relapse''
In September 2007, Eminem called New York radio station
WQHT
WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared servi ...
during an interview with 50 Cent, saying that he was "in limbo" and "debating" about when (or if) he would release another album: "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
ndit feels good."
Eminem appeared on his Shade 45 Sirius channel in September 2008, saying: "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."
Interscope confirmed that a new album
would be released in spring 2009.
In December 2008, Eminem provided more details about the album, entitled ''
Relapse
In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or ...
'': "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."
According to a March 5, 2009, press release, Eminem would release two new albums that year. ''Relapse'', the first, was released on May 19; its first single and music video, "
We Made You
"We Made You" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his sixth studio album ''Relapse'' (2009). It was released as the second single from the album on April 7, 2009. "We Made You" was written by Eminem, Dr. Dre, Dawaun Parker, Mark Batson, T ...
", had been released on April 7.
Although ''Relapse'' did not sell as well as Eminem's previous albums and received mixed reviews, it was a commercial success and re-established his presence in the hip hop world. It sold more than five million copies worldwide.
During the 2009
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editio ...
,
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral ...
descended on the audience in an angel costume. He landed buttocks-first on Eminem, who stormed out of the ceremony; three days later, Eminem said that the stunt had been staged.
On October 30 he headlined at the
Voodoo Experience
The Voodoo Music + Arts Experience (formerly The Voodoo Music Experience), commonly referred to as Voodoo or Voodoo Fest, is a multi-day music and arts festival held in City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Voodoo Experience has hosted more ...
in New Orleans, his first full performance of the year.
Eminem's act included several songs from ''Relapse'', many of his older hits and an appearance by D12. On November 19, he announced on his website that ''
Relapse: Refill'' would be released on December 21. The album was a re-release of ''Relapse'' with seven bonus tracks, including "
Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama
* ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
" and "Taking My Ball". Eminem described the 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.
2009–2011: ''Recovery'' and Bad Meets Evil reunion
![Eminem at DJ hero party with d12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Eminem_at_DJ_hero_party_with_d12.jpg)
On April 14, 2010, Eminem
tweeted
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
: "There is no Relapse 2". Although his followers thought he was not releasing an album, he had changed its title to ''
Recovery
Recovery or Recover may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Books
* ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book
* Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry
Film and television
* ''Recovery'' (fil ...
'' and confirmed this by tweeting "Recovery" with a link to his website. He 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.
Recorded from 2009 to 2010, ''Recovery'' was released on June 18.
In the US, ''Recovery'' sold 741,000 copies during its first week, topping the
''Billboard'' 200 chart.
Eminem's sixth consecutive US number-one album also topped the charts in several other countries. ''Recovery'' remained atop the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for five consecutive weeks of a seven-week total.
''Billboard'' reported that it was the best-selling album of 2010, making Eminem the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history with two year-end best-selling albums.
''Recovery'' is the best-selling digital album in history.
Its first single, "
Not Afraid
"Not Afraid" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album '' Recovery'' (2010). It was released as the album's lead single on April 27, 2010, by Interscope Records. "Not Afraid" was first revealed as a single b ...
", was released on April 29 and debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; its music video was released on June 4.
"Not Afraid" was followed by "
Love the Way You Lie", which debuted at number two before rising to the top.
Although "Love the Way You Lie" was the best-selling 2010 single in the United Kingdom, it did not reach number one (the first time this has happened in the UK since 1969).
Despite criticism of its inconsistency, ''Recovery'' received positive reviews from most critics. , the album had US sales of three million copies.
''
Recovery
Recovery or Recover may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Books
* ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book
* Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry
Film and television
* ''Recovery'' (fil ...
'' was the best-selling album worldwide in 2010, joining 2002's best-seller ''The Eminem Show'' to give Eminem two worldwide year-end number-one albums.
With ''Recovery'', Eminem broke the record for the most successive US number-one albums by a solo artist.
He appeared at the
2010 BET Awards,
performing "Not Afraid" and "
Airplanes, Part II
"Airplanes" is a song by American rapper B.o.B, featuring vocals from Hayley Williams, lead singer of the American rock band Paramore. The song was released in April 2010, as the third single from his debut studio album, '' B.o.B Presents: The ...
" with
B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...
and
Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...
. Later that year, he performed at the Activison E3 concert. In June, Eminem and
Jay-Z announced they would perform together in Detroit and New York City, at concerts called
The Home & Home Tour
The Home & Home Tour was a tour by rappers Jay-Z and Eminem. The tour comprised two shows at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, and two shows in Yankee Stadium, New York City. The audio of Eminem's performance in Detroit has been released by th ...
. The first two concerts quickly sold out, prompting an additional show in each city.
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
called Eminem the number-one rapper of the 21st century.
He opened the
2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, performing "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie" with
Rihanna singing the choruses.
Due to the success of ''Recovery'' and the Home & Home Tour, Eminem was named the 2010
Hottest MC in the Game by MTV
and Emcee of the Year by the online magazine ''
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
''.
He and Rihanna again collaborated on "
Love the Way You Lie (Part II)
"Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth studio album '' Loud'' (2010). It features American rapper Eminem, who wrote the song alongside Skylar Grey and the producer Alex da Kid. It is the sequel t ...
", the sequel of their hit single. Unlike the original, Rihanna is the lead vocalist and it is sung from the female perspective.
In December 2010, the "Great Eminem Recovery" was number one on ''Billboard''s Top 25 Music Moments of 2010.
He appeared at the
2011 Grammy Awards on February 13, performing "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" with Rihanna and
Adam Levine and "
I Need a Doctor
"I Need a Doctor" is a single by American rapper Dr. Dre featuring fellow American rapper Eminem and American singer Skylar Grey. The song was produced by Alex da Kid and released for digital download through the American iTunes Store on Febru ...
" with Dr. Dre and
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music ...
.
That month it was announced that "
Space Bound
"Space Bound" is a song by American rapper Eminem. It was released on June 18, 2011, as the fourth and final single from his seventh album, '' Recovery''. The song is produced by American hip-hop producer Jim Jonsin and features samples of "Dri ...
" would be the fourth single from ''Recovery'', with a music video featuring former porn actress
Sasha Grey
Marina Ann Hantzis (born March 14, 1988), known professionally as Sasha Grey, is an American actress, model, writer, musician, and former pornographic actress. Grey began her acting career in the pornographic film industry, winning 15 awards for ...
;
the video was released June 24 on the
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
.
![Eminem 1 - Lollapalooza 2011 (6027569403) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Eminem_1_-_Lollapalooza_2011_%286027569403%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 2010, Eminem again began collaborating with
Royce da 5'9" on their first
EP as
Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop duo composed of Detroit-based rappers Royce da 5'9" (Bad) and Eminem (Evil). Bad Meets Evil was formed in 1998, thanks to the duo's mutual friend, Proof. The group's name comes from the song "Bad Meets Evi ...
; the duo formed in 1998. The EP, ''
Hell: The Sequel'', was released on June 14, 2011.
Eminem was featured on Royce da 5'9s "
Writer's Block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...
", released on April 8, 2011.
On May 3 they released the lead single "
Fast Lane" from their upcoming EP and a music video was filmed.
In March 2011, within days of each other, ''The Eminem Show'' and ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' were certified diamond by the RIAA; Eminem is the only rapper with two diamond-certified albums.
With more than 60 million "likes" he was the most-followed person on Facebook, outscoring
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
,
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
, Rihanna and Michael Jackson.
Eminem was the first artist in five years with two number-one albums (''Recovery'' and ''Hell: The Sequel'') in a 12-month period.
Early in 2011 he leaked "2.0 Boys", on which
Yelawolf
Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper. Born in Alabama and raised in Tennessee, he embarked on his career independently in 2005, releasing one extended play (EP) and four mixta ...
and
Slaughterhouse collaborated when they signed with
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999).
Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...
in January and performed it in April.
Bad Meets Evil released their next single, "
Lighters
A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...
", on July 6 and its music video in late August.
On August 6, Eminem performed several songs from throughout his career at
Lollapalooza with the artists who had been featured on each song.
2012–2014: ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2''
Eminem announced on May 24, 2012, that he was working on his next album,
scheduled for release the following year.
Without a title or release date, it was included on a number of "Most Anticipated Albums of 2013" lists (including
MTV); ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' ranked it sixth and ''
XXL'' fifth.
On August 14, "
Survival
Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
", featuring
Liz Rodrigues
Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza.
People
* Liz Balmaseda (born 1959), Pul ...
and produced by
DJ Khalil
Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard (born October 16, 1973), professionally known as DJ Khalil, is an American music producer and DJ from Los Angeles. He is the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Self Scientific (along with rapper Chace Infinite) an ...
, premiered in the multi-player trailer for the video game ''
Call of Duty: Ghosts''. According to a press release, the first single from Eminem's eighth album would be released soon.
During the
2013 MTV Video Music Awards, it was announced that the album would be entitled ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' (following ''The Marshall Mathers LP'') and was scheduled for release on November 5.
Its lead single, "
Berzerk", was released on August 25 and debuted at number three on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Three more singles followed: "
Survival
Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
" (appearing on the ''
Call of Duty: Ghosts'' trailer),
"
Rap God
"Rap God" is a song by American rapper Eminem. The song premiered via YouTube on October 14, 2013, and was released in the United States on October 15, 2013, as the third single from Eminem's eighth studio album, '' The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' ...
" and "
The Monster" (with Rihanna).
The album was released on November 5, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records and Interscope Records. Its standard version had 16 tracks and the deluxe version included a second disc with five additional tracks. ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' was Eminem's seventh album to debut atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and had the year's second-largest first-week sales.
He was the first artist since
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
to have four singles in the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
In the United Kingdom, ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. The first American artist with seven consecutive UK number-one albums, he is tied with The Beatles for second place for the most consecutive chart-topping UK albums.
The album secured Eminem's position as Canada's best-selling artist and was 2013's best-selling album.
On November 3, Eminem was named the first
YouTube Music Awards
The YouTube Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as YTMA) is an awards show presented by YouTube to honor the best in the music video medium.
History
The 2013 edition of the YTMAs were held at Pier 36 in New York City and were broadcast live at ' ...
Artist of the Year,
and a week later he received the Global Icon Award at the 2013 MTV EMA Music Awards.
On June 10, it was announced that Eminem was the first artist to receive two digital diamond certifications – sales and streams of 10 million and above – by the
RIAA (for "
Not Afraid
"Not Afraid" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album '' Recovery'' (2010). It was released as the album's lead single on April 27, 2010, by Interscope Records. "Not Afraid" was first revealed as a single b ...
" and "
Love the Way You Lie").
On July 11 and 12, Eminem played two concerts in
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
.
At the
57th Grammy Awards, he received
Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...
award for ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' and
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...
(with Rihanna) for "
The Monster".
2014–2016: ''Shady XV'' and ''Southpaw''
![Eminem live at D](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Eminem_live_at_D.C._2014_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In the summer of 2014, Eminem and Rosenberg began using the
hashtag #SHADYXV on social networking sites and Eminem wore a T-shirt with the hashtag onstage.
This was later revealed to be the name of an upcoming Shady Records compilation.
Shortly afterwards the first single from the album ("
Guts Over Fear
"Guts Over Fear" is a song by American rapper Eminem featuring Australian singer-songwriter Sia, from Eminem's compilation album '' SHADYXV'', released on August 25, 2014. This song is included in the closing credits of the film, '' The Equalizer ...
", featuring singer-songwriter
Sia
Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...
)
was released and the album's track list was released on October 29.
Shady Records released a
cypher to promote the album, in which Eminem did a seven-minute freestyle. "
Detroit vs. Everybody" (the album's second single), with Eminem, Dej Loaf, Royce da 5'9",
Danny Brown
Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known by his stage name Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He has been described by MTV as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory".
In 2010, after amassing ...
,
Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...
and
Trick-Trick
Christian Anthony Mathis (born June 28, 1973), better known by his stage name Trick Trick, is an American rapper and record producer from Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the large ...
, was released on November 11.
''
Shady XV
''Shady XV'' (stylized as ''SHADYXV'') is a hip hop compilation album performed by various artists of Shady Records. The double disc album was released on November 24, 2014, by Shady Records and Interscope Records. The album was released in honor ...
'', released on November 24 during
Black Friday week,
consists of one greatest-hits disc and one disc of new material by Shady Records artists such as
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
, Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil and
Yelawolf
Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper. Born in Alabama and raised in Tennessee, he embarked on his career independently in 2005, releasing one extended play (EP) and four mixta ...
. The album debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 138,000 copies in the United States.
''The Official Eminem Box Set'', a career-spanning, 10-disc vinyl box set, was released on March 12, 2015. The set includes seven of Eminem's eight studio albums (excluding ''Infinite''), the ''8 Mile'' soundtrack, the compilation ''
Eminem Presents: The Re-Up'' and the greatest hits collection ''Curtain Call: The Hits''.
Early in the year, it was announced that he would appear on
Tech N9ne
Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two ...
's "Speedom (Worldwide Choppers 2)".
The song, also featuring
Krizz Kaliko
Samuel William Christopher Watson IV (born March 7, 1974), better known by his stage name Krizz Kaliko, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and voice actor. He is a longtime collaborator with fellow hometown native Tech N9ne and was signe ...
, was released on April 20. Eminem also appeared on Yelawolf's "Best Friend", the single from ''
Love Story''.
Eminem is the
executive producer of the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
on the sports drama ''
Southpaw'', with
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999).
Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...
. The first single from the soundtrack called '
Phenomenal
A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried W ...
' was released on June 2, 2015.
Another single, "
Kings Never Die
"Kings Never Die" is a song by American rapper Eminem, from the soundtrack album '' Southpaw (Music from and Inspired By the Motion Picture)'', released on July 10, 2015. It features American singer Gwen Stefani, marking there first collaboration ...
" by Eminem featuring
Gwen Stefani, was released on July 10, 2015, on YouTube via Eminem's Vevo account.
Eminem was the first interview of
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
in Beats 1. The interview streamed online on the Beats 1 radio on
July 1, 2015.
Eminem appeared on the public access show ''Only in Monroe'', produced in
Monroe, Michigan
Monroe is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Monroe had a population of 20,462 in the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered auton ...
and was interviewed by guest host
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
for an episode that aired July 1, 2015. In the episode Eminem sang snippets of
Bob Seger songs at Colbert's prompting and briefly discussed ''Southpaw''.
In June 2015, it was revealed that he will serve as the executive producer and
music supervisor
A music supervisor is a person who combines music and visual media. According to The Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games ...
on the TV series ''Motor City'' whose premise will be based upon the 2002 film ''
Narc''.
In September 2016, Eminem was featured on
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music ...
's song, "Kill For You", which appears on her album, ''
Natural Causes''.
On October 19, 2016, Eminem released a new song called "
Campaign Speech
"Campaign Speech" is a freestyle rap song by American rapper Eminem, released on October 19, 2016, the same day of the third United States presidential debate, and 19 days before the 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 presidential ele ...
", a political hip hop song and announced he was working on a new album.
On November 17, 2016, Eminem released a remastered version of 'Infinite' on his YouTube VEVO channel.
On November 22, 2016, Eminem released a trailer for a 10-minute short documentary called ''Partners in Rhyme: The True Story of Infinite''.
2017–2019: ''Revival'' and ''Kamikaze''
![Eminem](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Eminem.png)
In February 2017, Eminem appeared on "
No Favors", a track from
Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...
's album ''
I Decided''. In the song, Eminem calls the newly elected President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
a "bitch" and also raps about raping conservative social and political commentator
Ann Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter (; born December 8, 1961) is an American conservative media pundit, author, syndicated columnist, and lawyer. She became known as a media pundit in the late 1990s, appearing in print and on cable news as an outspoken critic of ...
, who is a Trump supporter, with a variety of foreign objects. Coulter responded to the lyrics, stating, "I think it's unfortunate that the left, from Berkeley to Eminem with his rap songs, has normalized violence against women, as Eminem has done."
Eminem participated in the
2017 BET Hip Hop Awards' annual cypher, using his verse, a
freestyle rap
Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...
called "The Storm",
to further criticize Trump and the administration
for, among other things, Trump's focus on
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
players'
protests during "The Star Spangled Banner" over
Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affect ...
recovery efforts
and lack of gun control reform in the wake of the
2017 Las Vegas shooting.
Eminem ended the cypher by giving an ultimatum saying that Trump supporters cannot be his fans.
The verse received wide praise among other rappers following its release.
In October 2017, Eminem appeared on "
Revenge", a track from
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
's album ''
Beautiful Trauma''.
It was reported that the Secret Service interviewed Eminem in 2018–2019, regarding threatening lyrics towards President
Trump
Trump most commonly refers to:
* Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021)
* Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank
Trump may also refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Donald J. T ...
and daughter
Ivanka.
Starting in late October 2017, Eminem and Paul Rosenberg began teasing what fans speculated was the title of a new album titled ''
Revival'', in the form of advertisements for a fake medication of the same name.
Later in November, the first single "
Walk on Water" was released, which featured
Beyoncé.
The song was first performed, by Eminem, at the
2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 12, featuring
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music ...
.
He appeared on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' on November 18, performing "Walk on Water", "Stan" and "Love the Way You Lie" with Skylar Grey.
On November 28, Dr. Dre posted a video confirming the album's release date as December 15, 2017.
On December 8, Eminem released a promotional single titled "
Untouchable", which featured a sample from the duo
Cheech & Chong
Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and feature films, which were based on the hippie a ...
.
Despite an online leak of the album two days prior,
''Revival'' was released as planned on December 15. On January 5, 2018, the second single "
River
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
" was released, which featured
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
.
It became Eminem's eighth consecutive album to top the US
''Billboard'' 200 upon release with 197,000 copies sold in its first week. As a result, he became the first musical act to have eight entries in a row debut atop the chart.
The album was met with mixed reviews from music critics and is generally considered his worst album.
In 2018, an extended edition of "Nowhere Fast" with Kehlani and a remix of "Chloraseptic" featuring 2 Chainz and Phresher were released from ''Revival''.
On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his tenth studio album and first
surprise album
A surprise album or surprise release refers to the release of an album with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the f ...
''
Kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...
'', making it his second full-length studio album in 8 months.
The album topped the
''Billboard'' 200, making it his ninth album in a row to do so, after selling 434,000 units in the first week.
The album was released as a response to criticism of ''Revival'', his worst rated album.
The album was promoted with three singles: "
Fall
Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...
", "
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
", from the
2018 film of the same name and "
Lucky You".
During the October 15, 2018, episode of the late-night television show ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', Eminem performed the song "
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
" at the 103rd floor of the
Empire State Building in New York City as a promotion of the album.
On December 1, Eminem released an 11 minute freestyle to his YouTube channel titled 'Kick off'.
Eminem collaborated with several artists throughout early 2019, including
Boogie
Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...
,
Logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...
,
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
,
50 Cent and
Conway the Machine
Demond Price (born February 16, 1982), known professionally as Conway the Machine (or simply Conway), is an American rapper. Alongside his paternal half-brother Westside Gunn and cousin Benny the Butcher, Conway was a member of Griselda Record ...
.
On February 23, 2019, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Eminem released a re-issue of ''
The Slim Shady LP
''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitm ...
'', including acapellas, instrumentals and radio edited versions of tracks from the album.
Eminem was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the
2008 Universal Studios fire.
2020–present: ''Music to Be Murdered By'', Super Bowl LVI, ''Curtain Call 2'', and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction
On January 17, 2020, Eminem released another
surprise album
A surprise album or surprise release refers to the release of an album with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the f ...
''
Music to Be Murdered By
''Music to Be Murdered By'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on January 17, 2020, by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. Just like Eminem’s previous studio album ''Kamikaze'' ( ...
''. Recorded from 2019 to 2020, the album features guest appearances by
Young M.A.,
Royce da 5'9",
Q-Tip,
Denaun Porter
Denaun Porter (born December 7, 1974), also known by the stage names Mr. Porter, Kon Artis, and more recently simply Denaun, is an American rapper and music producer. He was a member of Detroit hip hop group D12 until its disbandment in 2018. ...
,
White Gold
Pure gold is slightly reddish yellow in color, but colored gold in various other colors can be produced by alloying gold with other elements.
Colored golds can be classified in three groups:
* Alloys with silver and copper in various proportions ...
,
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
,
Juice WRLD
Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was a leading figure in the emo rap and ...
,
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music ...
,
Anderson .Paak,
Don Toliver
Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his first major label mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', in August 2018. He is known for his singles " No Idea" and " After Party", from his de ...
,
Kxng Crooked
Dominick Antron Wickliffe (born September 23, 1976), better known by his stage names Crooked I and Kxng Crooked, (stylised as KXNG Crooked and pronounced "King Crooked") is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a for ...
,
Joell Ortiz and
Black Thought
Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded a ...
.
The album debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling 279,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditio ...
s in its first week. Subsequently, Eminem became the first artist to have ten consecutive albums debut at number one in the US and one of six artists to have released at least ten US number-one albums.
Music critics praised Eminem's lyrical abilities and the improved production after ''Kamikaze'', while criticism directed towards the album's formulaic song structure, lack of innovation and shock value.
The lyrics of "Unaccommodating", in which Eminem referenced the 2017
Manchester Arena bombing
On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande.
Twenty-three people were killed, including ...
, drew significant criticism, with many critics finding the lyrics objectionable. The mayor of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
denounced the song's lyrics, describing them as "unnecessarily hurtful and deeply disrespectful". The lyrics also drew widespread criticism from victims' relatives and others involved in the attack.
On February 9, 2020, Mathers performed "
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
" at the
92nd Academy Awards
The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 2019 and took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:00 p ...
.
On March 9, 2020, the music video for the song "
Godzilla
is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...
" was released on YouTube through
Lyrical Lemonade
Cole Michael Bennett (born May 14, 1996) is an American business executive, videographer, and music video director. His multimedia company, Lyrical Lemonade, started in 2013 as an internet blog while he was in high school.
Early life
Cole Be ...
's channel. The video features
Mike Tyson and
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
. As of October 8, 2022, the music video has over 520.9 million views.
On March 11, 2020, ''Music to Be Murdered By'' was certified
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
.
On July 9, 2020,
Kid Cudi's daughter Vada announced via social media that he was releasing a song with Eminem called "
The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady
"The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady" is a song by American rappers Kid Cudi and Eminem. It was released as a stand-alone single on July 10, 2020. The song was produced by frequent Kid Cudi collaborator Dot da Genius, along with J Gramm and ...
" the coming Friday.
A deluxe edition of the album, titled ''Music to Be Murdered By – Side B'', was released on December 18, 2020. Similar to Eminem's previous two albums, it was released without any prior announcement.
It contains a bonus disc with sixteen new tracks, with guest appearances by
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music ...
,
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du ...
,
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
,
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
, Sly Pyper, MAJ and
White Gold
Pure gold is slightly reddish yellow in color, but colored gold in various other colors can be produced by alloying gold with other elements.
Colored golds can be classified in three groups:
* Alloys with silver and copper in various proportions ...
.
The album's release was accompanied by a music video for "Gnat", directed by
Cole Bennett
Cole Michael Bennett (born May 14, 1996) is an American business executive, videographer, and music video director. His multimedia company, Lyrical Lemonade, started in 2013 as an internet blog while he was in high school.
Early life
Cole Be ...
.
''Music to Be Murdered By – Side B'' is projected to debut on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
at number 3, with 70,000–80,000 album-equivalent units, including 25,000–30,000 in pure album sales.
In the track "Zeus", he apologizes to Rihanna over a leaked song from his ''Relapse'' studio sessions in which he sided with
Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to felony assault involving her in 2009.
He announced on September 28, 2021, on his social media that he would be featured in a song with
Polo G
Taurus Tremani Bartlett (born January 6, 1999), known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles " Finer Things" and " Pop Out" (featuring Lil Tjay). His debut album ''Die a Legend'' (2019) peaked at ...
and
Mozzy called ''"Last One Standing"'' by
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music ...
for the soundtrack of the film, ''
Venom: Let There Be Carnage'', released on September 30, 2021.
Eminem performed alongside
LL Cool J at the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on October 30, 2021.
On February 13, 2022, Eminem performed at the
Super Bowl LVI halftime show
The Super Bowl LVI halftime show, officially known as the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, took place on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, as part of Super Bowl LVI. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by NBC, ...
alongside
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
,
Snoop Dogg,
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...
, and
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
, with surprise appearances from
50 Cent and
Anderson. Paak.
Eminem announced on May 23, 2022, on his
Instagram that he and CeeLo Green will collaborate on a new track titled "The King and I" which will be produced by
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
and will appear on the
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...
's ''
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
'' movie soundtrack. It was released on June 16, 2022, a week prior to its announced date.
On June 24, 2022, Eminem and Snoop Dogg released a song entitled "From the D to the LBC" to squash their beef which started with an interview of Snoop Dogg with
Breakfast Club and a subsequent diss by Eminem on the song "Zeus" from ''Music to be Murdered By – Side B''. Eminem had previously confirmed on "Killer (Remix)" that Dr. Dre had stepped in to squash the beef, but Snoop announced a collaboration to squash it once and for all. The two had previously collaborated on the track "Bitch Please II" from Eminem's sophomore album ''
The Marshall Mathers LP
''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass ...
''. The song's music video was also released the same day after the two unveiled it at Apefest.
Eminem announced his second greatest hits album on July 11, 2022, entitled ''
Curtain Call 2
''Curtain Call 2'' is the second greatest hits album by American rapper Eminem, released on August 5, 2022, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. A double album, it is a successor of his previous greatest hits album, '' ...
'', which is a sequel to his first compilation ''Curtain Call: The Hits''. The album will cover his albums from ''Relapse'' to ''Music to Murdered By'', as well as collaborations and songs from movie soundtracks. It was released on August 5, 2022, and also includes "The King and I", "
From the D 2 the LBC
"From the D 2 the LBC" is a song by American rappers Eminem and Snoop Dogg. It was released on June 24, 2022, as the second single from Eminem's second greatest hits album, ''Curtain Call 2'' (2022). The song was produced by Eminem and was writte ...
", and an additional new track named ''Is This Love ('09)'' featuring
50 Cent.
On August 26, 2022, Eminem was featured alongside
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
on the remix of the song "
Use This Gospel
"Use This Gospel" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his ninth studio album, ''Jesus Is King'' (2019). The song features guest appearances from hip hop duo Clipse and jazz saxophonist Kenny G. It was produced by West, Angel Lopez, ...
" on
DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper.
Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...
's new album
''God Did''. The remix was originally set to be released on West's shelved album
''Jesus Is King Part II''. The song features production from Dr. Dre and his production team called the ICU.
Eminem was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. He was presented by
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
and had special guest appearances by
Aerosmith lead vocalist
Steven Tyler and
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
during his performance.
Artistry
Influences, style and rapping technique
Eminem has cited several
MCs as influencing his rapping style, including
Esham
Esham is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Esham released his debut studio album, '' Boomin' Words from Hell'', in 1989. Since then, he has gone on to release 15 studio albums in total and is best known as a representative of the hip ...
,
Kool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and a ...
,
Masta Ace,
Big Daddy Kane,
Newcleus
Newcleus was an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. The group is primarily known for its 12-inch single "Jam-On's Revenge" (re-released as "Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)" (1983)) an ...
,
Ice-T,
Mantronix
Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro funk music group from New York City. The band was formed by DJ Kurtis Mantronik (Kurtis el Khaleel) and rapper MC Tee (Touré Embden). The group is primarily remembered for its pioneerin ...
,
Melle Mel
Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961 in The Bronx), better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel (or simply Melle Mel) () is an American hip hop recording artist who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furio ...
(on "
The Message"),
LL Cool J,
Beastie Boys,
Run-D.M.C.
Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...
,
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
and
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, '' Criminal Minde ...
.
In ''
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.Edwards, Paul, ...
'',
Guerilla Black
Charles Williamson (born 1977), better known by his stage name Guerilla Black, is an American rapper from Compton, California. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he came to fame after releasing his debut album '' Guerilla City'' (2004), which feature ...
notes that Eminem studied other MCs to hone his rapping technique: "Eminem listened to everything and that's what made him one of the greats". In the book, other MCs also praise aspects of his rapping technique: varied, humorous subject matter, connecting with his audience, carrying a concept over a series of albums, complex rhyme schemes, bending words so they
rhyme,
multisyllabic rhymes In rapping and poetry, multisyllabic rhymes (also known as compoundEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC'', Chicago Review Press, p. 87.Eminem, with Sacha Jenkins, 2008, ''The Way I Am'', Dutton Adult, p. 17.Eminem, ...
, many rhymes to a bar, complex rhythms, clear
enunciation
Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...
, and the use of
melody and
syncopation. Eminem is known to write most of his lyrics on paper (documented in ''
The Way I Am''), taking several days or a week to craft lyrics, being a "
workaholic
A workaholic is a person who works compulsively. A workaholic experiences an inability to limit the amount of time they spend on work despite negative consequences such as damage to their relationships or health.
There is no generally accepted ...
" and "
stacking" vocals. Examples of hip hop subgenres that Eminem's music has been described as include
horrorcore
Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, or death rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip h ...
,
comedy hip hop
Comedy hip hop or comedy rap, is a subgenre of lighter hip hop music designed to be amusing or funny, compared to artists who incorporate humor into their more serious, purist hip hop styles.
Satirical hip hop is a variant of comedy hip hop d ...
,
and
hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop (also hardcore rap) is a genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is generally ch ...
.
Eminem also incorporates
rap rock into his music and has cited
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
acts during the 1970s and 1980s, such as
Jimi Hendrix and
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, as influences in his music.
Alter egos
Eminem uses alter egos in his songs for different rapping styles and subject matter. His best-known alter ego, Slim Shady, first appeared on the ''
Slim Shady EP
''Slim Shady EP'' is the first and to date only extended play by American rapper Eminem, released on December 10, 1997 through the Detroit-based record label Web Entertainment. Unlike ''Infinite'', ''Slim Shady EP'' helped Eminem gain the inter ...
'' and was in ''
The Slim Shady LP
''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitm ...
'', ''
The Marshall Mathers LP
''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass ...
'', ''
The Eminem Show
''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...
'', ''
Encore
An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...
'', ''
Relapse
In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or ...
'', ''
The Marshall Mathers LP 2
''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on November 5, 2013 by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The album is Eminem's last to have the involvement of inde ...
'', ''
Kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...
'' and ''
Music to Be Murdered By
''Music to Be Murdered By'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on January 17, 2020, by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. Just like Eminem’s previous studio album ''Kamikaze'' ( ...
''. In this persona, his songs are violent and dark, with a comic twist.
Eminem downplayed Slim Shady on ''
Recovery
Recovery or Recover may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Books
* ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book
* Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry
Film and television
* ''Recovery'' (fil ...
'' because he felt it did not fit the album's theme.
Another character is Ken Kaniff, a homosexual who pokes fun at Eminem's songs. Ken was created and originally played by fellow Detroit rapper Aristotle on the ''Slim Shady LP'', where Kaniff makes a prank call to Eminem. An argument after the album's release prompted Eminem to use the Kaniff character on ''Marshall Mathers'' and later albums (except ''Encore'' and ''Recovery''). Aristotle, angry with Eminem's use of his character, released a mixtape in his Kaniff persona ridiculing him.
Collaborations and productions
Although Eminem usually collaborates with Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records rappers such as Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, D12, Obie Trice and Yelawolf, he has also worked with
Redman,
Kid Rock,
DMX,
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
,
Missy Elliott,
Jay Z,
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
, Rihanna,
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
,
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...
, Xzibit,
Method Man
Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...
,
Jadakiss
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...
,
Fat Joe,
Sticky Fingaz,
T.I. and
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
. Eminem rapped a verse in a live performance of
Busta Rhymes' "
Touch It" remix at the
2006 BET Music Awards. He appeared on
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...
's single "
Smack That
"Smack That" is a song by American singer and songwriter Akon featuring American rapper Eminem from the former's second studio album '' Konvicted'' (2006). Produced by the latter, it was written by the artists alongside Mike Strange and Luis Res ...
" from ''
Konvicted
''Konvicted'' is the second studio album by American singer Akon. It was released on November 14, 2006. The album features collaborations with rappers Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Styles P and T-Pain.
Background
''Konvicted'' is Akon's most successful ...
'', Lil Wayne's hit "
Drop the World
"Drop the World" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, featuring fellow American rapper Eminem. It was the third single released from Lil Wayne's seventh studio album, ''Rebirth'' (2010). The song was released on iTunes on December 28, 2009. Lil ...
" and "
My Life My Life may refer to:
Autobiographies
* ''Mein Leben'' (Wagner) (''My Life''), by Richard Wagner, 1870
* ''My Life'' (Clinton autobiography), by Bill Clinton, 2004
* ''My Life'' (Meir autobiography), by Golda Meir, 1973
* ''My Life'' (Mosley a ...
" (the lead single from 50 Cent's ''
Street King Immortal'').
Eminem was the executive producer of D12's first two albums (''
Devil's Night
Devil's Night is a name associated with October 30, the night before Halloween. It is related to the "Mischief Night" practiced in parts of the United States such as Philadelphia but is chiefly associated with the serious vandalism and arson seen ...
'' and ''
D12 World
''D12 World'' is the second and final studio album by Detroit hip hop group D12, released on April 27, 2004. The album sold 544,000 copies in its first week on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album is also the last D12 release to feature Proof befo ...
''), Obie Trice's ''
Cheers'' and ''
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 ga ...
'' and 50 Cent's ''
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing wi ...
'' and ''
The Massacre
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
''.
He has produced songs for other rappers such as
Jadakiss
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...
' "Welcome To D-Block", Jay-Z's "
Renegade
Renegade or The Renegade may refer to:
Aircraft
*Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design
*Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design
*Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design
Games
*'' Comman ...
" and "Moment of Clarity",
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. After th ...
' "
On Fire", "Warrior Part 2" and "
Hands Up",
Tony Yayo
Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his deb ...
's "Drama Setter", Trick-Trick's "
Welcome 2 Detroit
:''This is an article about the J Dilla album. For the Trick-Trick song of the same name, see Welcome 2 Detroit (song).''
''Welcome 2 Detroit'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist J Dilla, released on February 26, 2 ...
" and Xzibit's "My Name" and "Don't Approach Me".
Most of ''The Eminem Show'' was produced by Eminem and his longtime collaborator,
Jeff Bass
Jeffrey Bass ( ; born May 16, 1961) is an American music producer from Detroit, Michigan, best known as one half of the Bass Brothers and for his work with Eminem.
Career
At age 16, Bass, along with 4 of his childhood friends formed Detroit-b ...
,
and Eminem co-produced ''Encore'' with Dr. Dre. In 2004, Eminem was co-executive producer of
2Pac's posthumous album ''
Loyal to the Game
''Loyal to the Game'' is the ninth studio album and fifth posthumous studio album by American rapper Tupac. The album was produced by Eminem and consists of remixes of previously unreleased music recorded by Tupac before his death in 1996. Release ...
'' with Shakur's mother,
Afeni.
He produced the UK number-one single "
Ghetto Gospel
"Ghetto Gospel" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur, which was released as the lead single from his 2004 posthumous album '' Loyal to the Game''. The song was produced by American rapper Eminem and features a sample of Elton John's 1971 so ...
", featuring Elton John;
"The Cross", from the
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
album ''
God's Son'';
and eight tracks on Obie Trice's 2006 album ''
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 ga ...
'' (also appearing on "There They Go").
Eminem produced several tracks on Trick-Trick's ''
The Villain'' (appearing on "Who Want It")
and produced four tracks on Cashis' 2013 album ''
The County Hound 2
''The County Hound 2'' is the second studio album by American rapper Cashis, who also served as executive producer. It was released independently on October 15, 2013, by his label Bogish Brand Entertainment. It serves as the sequel to his debut Ex ...
''.
Eminem has only produced for and appeared on one track with former Aftermath/Interscope labelmate
The Game; "We Ain't" (a track from Game's January 2005 debut album, ''
The Documentary
''The Documentary'' is the second studio album by American rapper The Game (rapper), the Game. It was released on January 18, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, and Interscope Records. In 2001, while the Game was in a hospital recov ...
''). In 2022, Game would later release a ten-minute diss track towards Eminem titled "The Black Slim Shady".
Eminem is considered unusual in structuring his songs around the lyrics, rather than writing to beats.
One exception was "Stan", which came from an idea and
scratch track
{{Infobox musical artist
, name = Scratch Track (band)
, image =
, caption =
, image_size =
, background = group_or_band
, alias =
, origin = Jac ...
produced by
the 45 King
Mark Howard James (born October 16, 1961) professionally known as The 45 King (also known as DJ Mark the 45 King), is an American hip hop record producer and disc jockey (DJ) from The Bronx borough of New York City. James began DJing in The Bron ...
.
After doing little production on ''Relapse'' and ''Recovery'', Eminem produced a significant portion of ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2''. He said about producing his own music, "Sometimes, I may get something in my head, like an idea or the mood of something that I would want, and I'm not always gonna get that by going through different tracks that other people have made. They don't know what's in my head. I think maybe it helps, a little bit, with diversity, the sound of it, but also, I would get something in my head and want to be able to lay down that idea from scratch."
In 1998 when his beef with rapper Cage was still happening, New York rapper
Necro (who had previously produced three songs for Cage) met Eminem and gave him a CD with the beat to what eventually became the beat for the song "Black Helicopters" by rap group
Non-Phixion. Despite Eminem never using it, Necro still said positive things about Eminem and would appear on Shade45 years later.
Comparisons with other artists
As a white performer prominent in a genre influenced by black artists, Eminem has been compared, much to his chagrin,
to
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
and has lyrically been compared to
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
.
Rapper
Asher Roth
Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper. He is best known for his debut single "I Love College". Roth released his debut studio album ''Asleep in the Bread Aisle'', on April 20, 2009, by Universal Motown, SRC, and School Bo ...
has been compared to Eminem and Roth devoted a song on his album ("As I Em") to him, which he took offense to.
The accomplished trumpeter
Nicholas Payton
Nicholas Payton (born September 26, 1973) is an American trumpet player and multi-instrumentalist. A Grammy Award winner, he is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also a prolific and provocative writer who comments on a multitude of subjects, inc ...
has called Eminem "the
Bix Beiderbecke of hip hop".
Other ventures
Shady Records
Following Eminem's multiplatinum record sales, Interscope offered him his own label; he and
Paul Rosenberg founded Shady Records in late 1999. Eminem signed his Detroit collective, D12 and rapper
Obie Trice to the label and signed
50 Cent in a 2002 joint venture with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. In 2003, Eminem and Dr. Dre added
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
rapper
Stat Quo
Stanley Bernard Benton (born July 24, 1978), better known as Stat Quo, is an American rapper and record producer.Shaheem Reid (January 12, 2004).Mixtape Mondays: Stat Quo" ''MTV''. Accessed February 5, 2008. Benton worked his way to college a ...
to the Shady-Aftermath roster.
DJ Green Lantern
James Christopher D'Agostino (born July 7, 1975), professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for S ...
, Eminem's former DJ, was with Shady Records until a dispute related to the 50 Cent-
Jadakiss
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...
feud forced him to leave the label.
The Alchemist
An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy.
Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to:
Books and stories
* ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho
* ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...
is currently Eminem's tour DJ. In 2005 Eminem signed another Atlanta rapper,
Bobby Creekwater
Antoine Raimon Rogers, better known by his stage name Bobby Creekwater, is an American rapper from Atlanta who is a former member of Shady Records. and West Coast rapper
Cashis
Ramone Johnson (born October 10, 1982), better known by his stage name Cashis (stylized as Ca$his), is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was most notably featured on the Shady Records ...
to Shady Records.
On December 5, 2006, the compilation album ''
Eminem Presents: The Re-Up'' was released on Shady Records. The project began as a
mixtape, but when Eminem found the material better than expected he released it as an album. ''The Re-Up'' was intended to introduce Stat Quo, Cashis and Bobby Creekwater.
While he was recording ''Infinite'', Eminem, Proof and Kon Artis assembled a group of fellow rappers now known as D12, short for "Detroit Twelve" or "Dirty Dozen", who performed in a style similar to
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...
.
In 2001 D12's debut album, ''
Devil's Night
Devil's Night is a name associated with October 30, the night before Halloween. It is related to the "Mischief Night" practiced in parts of the United States such as Philadelphia but is chiefly associated with the serious vandalism and arson seen ...
'', was released.
The first single from the album was "
Shit on You
"Shit on You" also known by the clean versions as either "Sh*t on You" or "S*** on You", is a single by American rap group D12. It was their commercial debut single, released on December 5, 2000. It achieved moderate success by reaching the top 1 ...
", followed by "
Purple Pills
"Purple Pills", also known as "Purple Hills" in the radio edit, is a hip hop single by American rap group D12, taken as the second cut from their debut studio album, '' Devil's Night''. It achieved notable success, reaching number 19 on the ...
" (an ode to
recreational drug use) and "
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, which features various graphic subje ...
". "Purple Pills" was rewritten for radio and television, removing many of the song's references to drugs and sex and renamed "Purple Hills".
After their debut, D12 took a three-year break from the studio. They reunited in 2004 for their second album, ''
D12 World
''D12 World'' is the second and final studio album by Detroit hip hop group D12, released on April 27, 2004. The album sold 544,000 copies in its first week on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album is also the last D12 release to feature Proof befo ...
'', which included the hit singles "
My Band
"My Band" is a song by American hip hop group D12. It was released in March 2004 as 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 bec ...
" and "
How Come
"How Come" is a song by the American rap group D12. It was released in June 2004 as the second single from their second album '' D12 World''. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Content
The song is about the relationship between the memb ...
". "American Psycho 2" featuring
Cypress Hill member,
B-Real, was another popular hit.
According to D12 member
Bizarre, Eminem was not featured on his album ''
Blue Cheese & Coney Island
''Blue Cheese & Coney Island'' is the second solo studio album by American rapper Bizarre. It was released on October 9, 2007 via Koch Records. Production was handled by DubMuzik, Kidd, Rencen, Silent Riot, A Piece of Strange, Alphabet, Jake Bas ...
'' because "he's busy doing his thing".
In January 2014,
Bass Brothers announced that D12 had returned to record at F.B.T. Studio and they were working on an album with Eminem on at least three songs. Bizarre reported that he was still part of the group and that the album was scheduled for a 2014 release.
Shade 45
Eminem established his own channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut
hip hop. Eminem also established a new morning show, ''Sway in the Morning'' with Sway Calloway, a lively morning show that airs at 8:00 a.m., Monday–Friday.
Eminem promoted the station in a 2004 mock national convention (the "Shady National Convention") at the
Roseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom was a multipurpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theater district, on West 52nd Street in Manhattan.
The venue, according to its website, accommodat ...
in New York City, in which
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
endorsed him. On his album ''
Revival'' (2017), Eminem expressed his regret at having collaborated with Trump, rapping, "wish I would have spit on it before I went to shake his hand at the event".
Mom's Spaghetti Restaurant
On September 29, 2021, Eminem and Union Joints opened a spaghetti restaurant at 2131 Woodward Ave in Detroit. It is a reference to the lyrics "His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy / There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti" from the song "
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
" which became an internet meme. Mom's Spaghetti was previously a
pop-up in Detroit in 2017 and at
Coachella Coachella may refer to:
* Coachella, California
* Coachella Canal, in California
* Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California
* "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey
See also
* Coachell ...
in 2018.
Acting career
After small roles in the 2001 film ''
The Wash
The Wash is a rectangular bay and multiple estuary at the north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire and both border the North Sea. One of Britain's broadest estuaries, it is fed by the riv ...
'' and as an extra in the 1998
Korn music video for "
Got the Life
"Got the Life" is a song written and recorded by American band Korn for their third studio album, '' Follow the Leader'' which was released as the album's second single on November 23, 1998. It was recorded in April 1998 at NRG Recording Studios. ...
" (during which he gave the band a demo tape), Eminem made his Hollywood debut in the semi-autobiographical 2002 film ''
8 Mile''. He said it was a representation of growing up in Detroit rather than an account of his life. He recorded several new songs for the soundtrack, including "
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
" (which won an
Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003 and became the longest-running No. 1
hip hop single in history).
Eminem was absent from the ceremony and co-composer
Luis Resto accepted the award.
Eminem voiced an aging, corrupt,
Ebonics-speaking police officer in the video game ''
50 Cent: Bulletproof'' and guested on the
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
television show ''
Crank Yankers
''Crank Yankers'' is an American adult puppet television show produced by Adam Carolla, Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison. It features actual crank calls made by show regulars and celebrity guests, while re-enacted onscreen by puppets for a visu ...
'' and a Web cartoon, ''The Slim Shady Show''
He was signed to star in an unmade film version of ''
Have Gun – Will Travel
''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...
'',
and was considered for the role of David Rice in the 2008 film ''
Jumper
Jumper or Jumpers may refer to:
Clothing
*Jumper (sweater), a long-sleeve article of clothing; also called a top, pullover, or sweater
**A waist-length top garment of dense wool, part of the Royal Navy uniform and the uniform of the United State ...
''.
Eminem had a cameo appearance, arguing with
Ray Romano
Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Ray Barone on the CBS sitcom '' Everybody Loves Raymond'', for which he received an Emmy Award, and as t ...
, in the 2009 film ''
Funny People
''Funny People'' is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow, co-produced by Apatow Productions and Madison 23 Productions, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann with Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jas ...
''. In a 2010 interview with
Jonathan Ross, he stated "You know, I love music so much. This is my passion, this is what I want to do. Not saying that I won't do a movie ever again, but this is me."
He played himself in the ''
Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
'' season-seven finale "
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
" with
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
.
Although Eminem was offered the lead role in the 2013 science-fiction film ''
Elysium'', he turned it down because director
Neill Blomkamp
Neill Blomkamp (; born 17 September 1979) is a South African filmmaker. He employs a documentary-style, hand-held, cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photo-realistic computer-generated effects, and his films often deal wit ...
would not change its location from Los Angeles to Detroit.
Eminem had a cameo appearance as himself in the 2014 film ''
The Interview
''The Interview'' is a 2014 satirical alternate history action-comedy film co-produced and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in their second directorial work, following ''This Is the End'' (2013). The screenplay was written by Dan Ste ...
''. During an interview with the main character, Dave Skylark (
James Franco
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...
), Eminem satirically
comes out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
as gay.
Charity work
Eminem established the Marshall Mathers Foundation to aid disadvantaged youth. The foundation works in conjunction with a charity founded by Norman Yatooma, a Detroit attorney.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
in 2020, he donated a pair of
Air Jordan
Air Jordan is an American brand of basketball shoes produced by American corporation Nike. The first Air Jordan shoe was produced for Hall of Fame former basketball player Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in late 1984 an ...
4 Retro Eminem Carhartt shoes, which are rare, to be raffled off with proceeds going to COVID-19 relief.
That same year, he donated "mom's spaghetti", a reference to a line in his song "Lose Yourself", to healthcare workers at
Henry Ford Health System
Henry Ford Health (formerly the Henry Ford Health System) is an integrated, not-for-profit health care organization in Metro Detroit. The corporate office is at One Ford Place, in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, ...
in Detroit.
Advertising
Eminem appeared in two commercials which were shown during
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
. In the first, a one-minute spot for
Lipton's
Brisk iced tea, he is a
claymation
Clay animation or claymation, sometimes plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine clay.
Tra ...
figure.
In the second,
a two-minute ad – the longest in Super Bowl history at the time – for the
Chrysler 200
The Chrysler 200 is a mid-size sedan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from model years 2011 to 2017 across two generations in four-door sedan and two-door convertible (first generation only) body styles.
The 200 nameplate debuted o ...
, Eminem drives through Detroit (with "Lose Yourself" as the soundtrack) to his show at the
Fox Theatre.
Books and memoirs
On November 21, 2000, Eminem published ''
Angry Blonde'', a non-fiction book featuring a commentary of several of his own songs, along with several previously unpublished photographs.
On October 21, 2008, his autobiography ''The Way I Am'' was published. The book was first published on October 21, 2008, by
Dutton Adult
E. P. Dutton was an American Publishing, book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group.
Creator
Edward Payson Dutton ( ...
. It is a collection of Eminem's personal stories, reflections, photographs, original artwork, and original lyric sheets from "
Stan" and "
The Real Slim Shady
"The Real Slim Shady" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his third album ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' (2000). It was released as the lead single a month before the album's release.
"The Real Slim Shady" was Eminem's first song to reach numb ...
".
It details his struggles with poverty, drugs, fame, heartbreak, family and depression, along with stories about his rise to fame and commentary on past controversies. The book is illustrated with never before published photos of Eminem's life. It also contains original drawings, previously unpublished lyric sheets, and other rare memorabilia. The autobiography is named after the
song of the same name.
An autobiography of Eminem's mother (''
My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem'') was published the following month, in which Debbie Nelson describes her childhood and adolescence, meeting Eminem's father and her son's rise to (and struggles with) fame.
Personal life
Family
Eminem has been scrutinized, both as a rapper and personality-wise.
He was twice married to Kimberly Anne Scott; he met Scott in high school while he stood on a table with his shirt off rapping
LL Cool J's "
I'm Bad
"I'm Bad" (sometimes written as I'm BAD) is the first single from LL Cool J's second album, ''Bigger and Deffer''. It was released in 1987 for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by the production group, The L.A. Posse and LL Cool J, with Russel ...
".
Scott and her twin sister Dawn had run away from home; they moved in with Eminem and his mother when he was 15 and he began an on-and-off relationship with Scott in 1989.
Mathers and Scott were married in 1999 and divorced in 2001. Although Eminem told ''Rolling Stone'' in 2002, "I would rather have a baby through my penis than get married again", he and Scott briefly remarried in January 2006. He filed for divorce in early April,
agreeing to joint custody of Hailie.
Their daughter, Hailie Jade is a
social media influencer
An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...
, specifically for fashion and beauty.
Eminem was given custody of his ex-sister-in-law Dawn's daughter,
Scott's child from another relationship,
and his younger half-brother Nathan.
While filming ''
8 Mile'' (2002), Eminem was romantically linked to co-stars
Brittany Murphy
Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and pursued a career in acting. Her breakthrough role was as Tai Fras ...
and
Kim Basinger
Kimila Ann Basinger ( ; born December 8, 1953) is an American actress and former fashion model. She has garnered acclaim for her work in film and television, for which she has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Glo ...
. He denied having a relationship with Basinger, while Murphy confirmed reports that she dated him.
In early 2010, Eminem denied tabloid reports that he and Scott had renewed their romantic relationship; however, in the same statement, his representative also confirmed that they now maintain a friendly relationship.
In his 2013 song "
Headlights
A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...
", Eminem apologized to and reiterated his love for his mother.
Health problems
Eminem has spoken publicly about his addiction to prescription drugs, including
Vicodin
Hydrocodone/paracetamol (also known as hydrocodone/acetaminophen) is the combination of the pain medications hydrocodone and paracetamol (acetaminophen). It is used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is taken by mouth. Recreational use is co ...
,
Ambien
Zolpidem, sold under the brand name Ambien, among others, is a medication primarily used for the short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Guidelines recommend that it be used only after cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and behavioral ...
and
Valium
Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, a ...
.
According to friend and fellow D12 member
Proof, Eminem first straightened out in 2002.
During the production of ''
8 Mile'', Eminem, working 16 hours a day, developed insomnia. An associate gave him an Ambien tablet which "knocked
imout", encouraging him to obtain a prescription. This was Eminem's first experience of drug addiction, which would affect him for several years. Near the end of production on ''Encore'', he would "just go into the studio and goof off
ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
a pocketful of pills". Eminem began taking the drugs to "feel normal", taking a "ridiculous amount ... I could consume anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium
n a day Vicodin, maybe 30." The drugs would put him to sleep for no more than two hours, after which he would take more. Eminem's weight increased to and he was regularly eating fast food: "The kids behind the counter knew me – it wouldn't even faze them. Or I'd sit up at Denny's or Big Boy and just eat by myself. It was sad." Eminem became less recognizable due to his weight gain and once overheard two teenagers arguing about whether or not it was him: "Eminem ain't fat".
2007 overdose
In December 2007, Eminem was hospitalized after a
methadone
Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to heroi ...
overdose. He had first bought from a dealer who had told him it was "just like Vicodin, and easier on
our
Our or OUR may refer to:
* The possessive form of " we"
* Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany
* Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium
* Our, Jura, a commune in France
* Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...
liver". He continued to buy more until he collapsed in his bathroom one night and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors there told him he had ingested the equivalent of four bags of
heroin and was "about two hours from dying". After missing Christmas with his children, Eminem checked himself out of the facility, weak and not fully
detoxed. He tore the
meniscus
Meniscus may refer to:
*Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity
*Meniscus (liquid)
The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...
in his knee after falling asleep on his sofa, requiring surgery; after he returned home, he had a
seizure
An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with l ...
. His drug use "ramped right back to where it was before" within a month. Eminem began to attend church meetings to get clean, but after he was asked for autographs he sought help from a rehabilitation counselor. He began an exercise program that emphasized running.
Elton John was a mentor during this period, calling Eminem once a week to check on him.
Eminem has been sober since April 20, 2008.
2020 home invasion
On April 5, 2020, Matthew Hughes, a 26-year-old homeless man, broke into Eminem's house, breaking a kitchen window with a paving stone. Eminem woke up with Hughes standing behind him and he said that he was there to kill him. Hughes was on a $50,000 cash bond and was charged with first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of property.
Politics
Eminem has expressed his political views in multiple songs; however, he has refrained from direct endorsements of politicians, focusing more on criticisms instead. The first was "
Mosh
Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...
", which was released in 2004, a few weeks before the
2004 United States presidential election, and heavily criticized then-president
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
but did not directly endorse
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
either.
He would not express political views again until the
2016 United States presidential election
The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...
when he released "
Campaign Speech
"Campaign Speech" is a freestyle rap song by American rapper Eminem, released on October 19, 2016, the same day of the third United States presidential debate, and 19 days before the 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 presidential ele ...
", which criticized presidential candidate
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
.
The following year, he criticized Trump in a freestyle titled "The Storm". In the freestyle, he expressed support for former
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
quarterback
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt du ...
and the
U.S. national anthem protests
Protests during the playing of the United States national anthem have had many causes, including civil rights, anti-conscription, anti-war, anti-nationalism, and religious reservations. Such protests have occurred since at least the 1890s, wel ...
, and expressed his displeasure for any of his fans that support Trump.
In his song "
Darkness
Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low ...
", he heavily references the
2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, and at the end of the music video expresses his support for gun control.
The week before the
2020 United States presidential election, he approved his song "
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
" to be used in a campaign video for
Joe Biden.
After the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
overturned ''
Roe v. Wade
''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and s ...
'', Eminem posted a tweet to his Twitter expressing his displeasure for the decision saying "As a father it pisses me off that women have fewer rights 2day than just a few days ago… we r fuckin goin bckwards. Here's how 2 help in Michigan." and included a link to a pro-choice organization in Michigan.
Feuds
Eminem has had lyrical feuds during his career with many recording artists, including
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
,
Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thom ...
,
Everlast
Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka ...
,
Cage
A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...
,
Insane Clown Posse,
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...
,
Miilkbone,
Mariah Carey,
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's ...
,
Limp Bizkit,
Benzino
Raymond Leon Scott (born July 18, 1965), better known by his stage name Ray Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper, and record producer. He produced records (as part of the production team Hangmen 3) and ...
,
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with '' Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single " Holla Holla". Dur ...
,
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...
,
Canibus
Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is an American rapper and actor. He initially gained fame in the 1990s for his ability to freestyle, and eventually released his debut album Can-I-Bus in 1998 ...
,
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
,
Joe Budden
Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...
,
Lord Jamar
Lorenzo Dechalus (born September 17, 1968), known professionally as Lord Jamar is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, actor and podcaster. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Brand Nubian, which was formed in 1989. In 1996, he disco ...
, and
Charlamagne tha God.
Insane Clown Posse
The feud began in 1997 when Eminem was throwing a party to promote his debut EP, ''
Slim Shady EP
''Slim Shady EP'' is the first and to date only extended play by American rapper Eminem, released on December 10, 1997 through the Detroit-based record label Web Entertainment. Unlike ''Infinite'', ''Slim Shady EP'' helped Eminem gain the inter ...
''. He gave
Joseph Bruce (Violent J from Insane Clown Posse) 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 with a parody of Eminem's "
My Name Is
"My Name Is" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his second album '' The Slim Shady LP'' (1999). It is also the opening song and lead single of the album. The song samples British singer Labi Siffre's 1975 track "I Got The..." as a bass and ...
" entitled "
Slim Anus" and other tracks including "
Nuttin' But a Bitch Thang" and "
Please Don't Hate Me".
Eminem insulted Insane Clown Posse on various tracks from his album ''
The Marshall Mathers LP
''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass ...
'' (2000), including "Marshall Mathers" and "Ken Kaniff". In 2002, Eminem briefly dissed them on his single "
Business" from ''
The Eminem Show
''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...
''.
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
Psychopathic Records is an American independent record label headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The label is most associated with the hip hop music subgenres horrorcore and rap rock. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip ...
.
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."
Everlast and Limp Bizkit
In the early 2000s, Eminem was notified while on the
Anger Management Tour
The Anger Management Tour was a rap and rock music tour, founded and started in the fall of 2000 by Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach and, after the release of ''The Marshall Mathers LP'', Eminem.
The first "Anger Management" outing took place in 2000. I ...
that former
House Of Pain
House of Pain was an American hip-hop trio that released three albums in the 1990s. The group consisted of DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, and Everlast. The group's name is a reference to the H. G. Wells novel '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'', a refer ...
member
Everlast
Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka ...
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 is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. They have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song " This Way", a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West. Better known in the UK, they reached t ...
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.
Eminem & D12 responded with "Quitter", the second half of which is a take off on
2Pac's "
Hit 'Em Up
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by hip hop artist 2Pac, featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, chiefly Shakur's f ...
" (a diss song aimed at
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
).
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
William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums.
He ap ...
canceled at the last moment. The record continued its release without featuring Limp Bizkit, causing the Everlast-Mathers dispute to continue. In a
TRL TRL or trl may refer to:
Arts
* Temporary Residence Limited, a record label
* ''Total Request Live'', a former MTV show
* TRL Awards (''Total Request Live''), an Italian music award
Libraries
* Tampines Regional Library, a regional library in Ta ...
interview, Limp Bizkit member,
DJ Lethal
Leor Dimant ( lv, Leors Dimants, russian: Леор Григорьевич Димант, ; born December 18, 1972), better known as DJ Lethal, is a Latvian-American turntablist and producer and is best known as a member of the groups House of Pai ...
, made a statement that if Mathers and Everlast were to fight in real life, Everlast would win. This angered Eminem to the point of rage and an insulting track aimed at both Everlast and Limp Bizkit (namely Durst and Lethal) appeared on D12's mainstream debut, ''
Devil's Night
Devil's Night is a name associated with October 30, the night before Halloween. It is related to the "Mischief Night" practiced in parts of the United States such as Philadelphia but is chiefly associated with the serious vandalism and arson seen ...
'', as the track "Girls". 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 animus between
Canibus
Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is an American rapper and actor. He initially gained fame in the 1990s for his ability to freestyle, and eventually released his debut album Can-I-Bus in 1998 ...
and Eminem started when Canibus and
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
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. After he was confronted, he said Canibus was "rude" to him.
Two years later, Canibus went to see Eminem on the
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
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'' is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass ...
'' (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
''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...
'' (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
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality.
Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...
, 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
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
, where Canibus takes shots at Eminem and his deceased friend
Proof. D12 member
Swift
Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to:
* SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks
** SWIFT code
* Swift (programming language)
* Swift (bird), a family of birds
It may also refer to:
Organizations
* SWIFT, ...
responded to the record publicly and had the following to say about DZK (another rapper featured on the track). "
easked 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."
Michael Jackson
The music video for "Just Lose It" generated controversy by parodying singer
Michael Jackson's child molestation trial,
plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...
and an incident in which Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi wa ...
commercial in 1984.
It was banned on the
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
channel, after complaints from
Benzino
Raymond Leon Scott (born July 18, 1965), better known by his stage name Ray Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper, and record producer. He produced records (as part of the production team Hangmen 3) and ...
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 in to the radio show of
Steve Harvey
Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts '' The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', '' Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud,'' the Miss ...
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
Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts '' The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', '' Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud,'' the Miss ...
, who declared, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back."
Eminem later apologized in an interview with
Sway Calloway
Sway Calloway is an American journalist, radio personality, executive producer and former rapper. Known as Sway, he is known for hosting music, news, and culture programming. He was the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show ''The Wake U ...
and said "I never meant to intentionally diss or bash anybody" and "it was just pure jokes".
Ja Rule
Eminem's conflict with
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with '' Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single " Holla Holla". Dur ...
started after
50 Cent signed to
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999).
Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...
and
Aftermath
Aftermath may refer to:
Companies
* Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing
* Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre
* Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company
* Aftermath Services, an America ...
. Ja Rule stated that he had a problem with Eminem and
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
of signing someone he had conflict with.
On November 19, Ja Rule and
Irv Gotti
Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (born June 26, 1970), professionally known as Irv Gotti, is an American DJ, music producer, record executive, and the CEO and co-founder of Murder Inc. Records. He is best known for producing multiple number-one rec ...
were special guests on Star and Bucwild's morning show on
Hot 97 NYC. Gotti claimed to have "legal documents" referring to an order of protection 50 Cent "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 track "Back Down" in 2003 from the album ''
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing wi ...
'', which included lyrics insulting not only Murder Inc., but Ja Rule's mother, wife and children; in the song, he raps, "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 as well as Eminem, calling the latter "Feminem" and Dr. Dre "
bisexual" and rapping that
Suge Knight knew of Dre "bringing
transvestite
Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western ...
s home".
It includes also the lyrics insulting Eminem's famously estranged mother Debbie Mathers, his ex-wife Kim and his then eight-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?"
Eminem, along with
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
and
Obie Trice,
responded with the track "Doe Rae Me" (aka "Hailie's Revenge"). Since then, the rift has cooled down.
Benzino and ''The Source'' Magazine
In 2003, rapper
Benzino
Raymond Leon Scott (born July 18, 1965), better known by his stage name Ray Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper, and record producer. He produced records (as part of the production team Hangmen 3) and ...
, a silent co-owner of ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'', released a diss single titled "Pull Your Skirt Up" which took aim at Eminem. The track attacked Eminem's "street cred" and accused him of being a tool of the music industry. Eminem had been discovered by ''The Source'' after writer
Rigo Morales featured him in the magazine's famed monthly "Unsigned Hype" column.
In the same year, ''The Source'' released an article written by
Kimberly Osorio
Kim Osorio (born June 14, 1974 in The Bronx, New York City) is an American journalist, writer, author, TV producer and personality. She was also a cast member on the American reality TV series, "The Gossip Game" on VH1.
Life and career
Early lif ...
which identified and researched the history of an old demo tape that the magazine discovered where Eminem insulted Black women and used the word "nigger". The demo featured a song called "Foolish Pride", recorded in the late 1980s when Eminem claimed to have been "dumped" by his African-American then-girlfriend.
Eminem responded with two tracks titled "Nail in the Coffin" and "The Sauce". Benzino would later release more tracks.
As a result of the conflict, Shady/Aftermath ads were pulled from the magazine. ''
XXL'', which had featured negative coverage of Shady/Aftermath artists since Eminem mocked them in "Marshall Mathers" from ''the Marshall Mathers L.P.'', stepped in to fill the void, accepting Shady/Aftermath ads.
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
Eminem has written several songs referring to a relationship with
R&B singer
Mariah Carey, although she denies that they were ever intimate.
Eminem has referenced her on many songs, including "When the Music Stops", "
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
", "Jimmy Crack Corn", "Bagpipes from Baghdad" and "
The Warning". While "Superman" was released in 2003, Carey released a song entitled "Clown" on her album ''
Charmbracelet
''Charmbracelet'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Mariah Carey, released on December 3, 2002, through MonarC Entertainment and Island Records. The album was Carey's first release since her breakdown following the release of her fi ...
'', released in 2002, which makes similar references in line with her 2009 hit "
Obsessed".
Eminem's "Bagpipes from Baghdad" from his album ''
Relapse
In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or ...
'' disparages Carey and husband
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's ...
'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", about an obsessed man who claims to have 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 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, Cannon responded with the song "I'm a Slick Rick", making fun of Eminem.
Moby
After the release of ''
The Marshall Mathers LP
''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass ...
'', popular
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
artist
Moby began speaking out against the album's lyrics, citing references to
misogyny
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practice ...
and
homophobia as unacceptable.
Eminem responded back with insulting Moby in "Without Me", the lead single off his next album ''
The Eminem Show
''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...
''.
In 2004, Moby praised Eminem for criticizing then-U.S. president
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in the song "
Mosh
Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...
", a track from ''
Encore
An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...
''.
The feud has since ended.
From ''Kamikaze''
Throughout the album, lyrics criticize other musicians, primarily
mumble rappers,
and several have responded publicly.
Eminem and rapper
Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thom ...
have had an ongoing feud for several years,
and Kelly released a
diss track
A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...
in response to "Not Alike" titled "
Rap Devil" on September 3;
both songs were produced by
Ronny J
Ronald Oneil Spence, Jr. (born September 14, 1992), professionally known as Ronny J (formerly stylized as RONNYJLI$TENUP), is an American record producer, singer, rapper, and songwriter. He has worked with well-known artists such as Denzel Curr ...
.
Kelly continued the feud at a concert, calling it "a battle between the past and the fucking future".
The song's title refers to Eminem's "
Rap God
"Rap God" is a song by American rapper Eminem. The song premiered via YouTube on October 14, 2013, and was released in the United States on October 15, 2013, as the third single from Eminem's eighth studio album, '' The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' ...
" and Eminem went into the studio days later to record his own response,
as did former
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
associate
Bizarre.
Eminem responded with "
Killshot" on September 14
and Bizarre's "Love Tap" was released on September 20.
"Killshot" garnered 38.1 million streams on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
in its first 24 hours and over 80 million views in its first week, making it the most successful debut for a hip hop song and the third-biggest debut in the platform's history. The track also debuted at number 3 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it Eminem's 20th top 10 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Kelly has continued the feud publicly.
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with '' Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single " Holla Holla". Dur ...
responded on social media, re-igniting a feud the two had 15 years prior.
6ix9ine,
Iggy Azalea
Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...
,
Joe Budden
Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...
,
Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord (, Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a South African alternative hip hop group formed in Cape Town in 2008.
The group comprises rappers Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Anri "Yolandi Visser" du Toit, a male/female duo, and producers ...
,
Lupe Fiasco,
and
Lord Jamar
Lorenzo Dechalus (born September 17, 1968), known professionally as Lord Jamar is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, actor and podcaster. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Brand Nubian, which was formed in 1989. In 1996, he disco ...
have also responded publicly, with 6ix9ine releasing the skit "Legend" that raps over Eminem's "
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
".
Controversies
Legal issues
Eminem had his first run-in with the law at age 20, when he was arrested for his involvement in a drive-by shooting with a paintball gun. The case was dismissed when the victim did not appear in court.
On June 3, 2000, Eminem was arrested during an altercation with Douglas Dail at a car-audio store in
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236.
Royal Oak is located along t ...
, when he pulled out an unloaded gun and pointed it at the ground. The next day, in
Warren, Michigan
Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 Census places the city's population at 139,387, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb.
T ...
, he was arrested again for assaulting John Guerra in the parking lot of the Hot Rock Café when he saw him kissing his wife.
Eminem recreated the Guerra assault in "The Kiss (Skit)" on ''
The Eminem Show
''The Eminem Show'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem. After it had originally scheduled for release on June 4, 2002, the album was released nine days earlier on May 26, 2002, through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and ...
''. He pleaded guilty to possession of a concealed weapon and assault, receiving two years'
probation
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...
; however, Guerra's assault charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement.
On June 28, 2001, Eminem was sentenced to one year's probation and community service and was fined about $2,000 on weapon charges stemming from an argument with an employee of
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records is an American independent record label headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The label is most associated with the hip hop music subgenres horrorcore and rap rock. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip ...
.
In 1999, Eminem's mother sued him for $10 million, claiming he was slandering her on ''The Slim Shady LP''. Litigation concluded in 2001, resulting in an award of $1,600 for her damages.
On July 7, 2000, Kim attempted suicide by slitting her wrists,
later suing Eminem for defamation after describing her violent death in "
Kim
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
".
Sanitation worker DeAngelo Bailey sued Eminem for $1 million in 2001, accusing him of invading his privacy by publicizing information placing him in a false light in "Brain Damage", a song that portrays him as a violent school bully. Although Bailey admitted picking on Eminem in school, he said he merely "bumped" him and gave him a "little shove". The lawsuit was dismissed on October 20, 2003; Judge
Deborah Servitto
Deborah A. Servitto, born February 17, 1956, in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, is a Judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals, District II. She received national attention when, as a Macomb County Circuit Court judge, she delivered her ruling in the case ...
, who wrote a portion of her opinion in rap-like rhyming verse, ruled that it was clear to the public that the lyrics were exaggerated.
On March 31, 2002, French
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
pianist
Jacques Loussier
Jacques Loussier (26 October 1934 – 5 March 2019) was a French pianist and composer. He arranged jazz interpretations of many of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, such as the ''Goldberg Variations''. The Jacques Loussier Trio, founded in 195 ...
filed a $10 million lawsuit against Eminem and Dr. Dre, claiming that the beat for "Kill You" was taken from his instrumental "Pulsion". Loussier demanded that sales of ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' be halted and any remaining copies destroyed.
The case was later settled out of court.
In 2006, Eminem was accused of assaulting Miad Jarbou, a resident of
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236.
Royal Oak is located along t ...
, in the bathroom of a Detroit strip club, but was never charged. Two years later, Jarbou sued Eminem for more than $25,000 in damages.
In 2007, Eminem's music-publishing company (Eight Mile Style) and Martin Affiliated sued
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...
and Aftermath Entertainment, claiming that Aftermath was not authorized to negotiate a deal with Apple for digital downloads of 93 Eminem songs on Apple's
iTunes.
The case against Apple was settled shortly after the trial began, in late September 2009.
In July 2010, the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* District ...
ruled in ''
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 do ...
'' that F.B.T. Productions and Eminem were owed a royalty of 50 percent of Aftermath's net revenue from licensing his recordings to companies such as Apple,
Sprint Corporation
Sprint Corporation was an American telecommunications company. Before it merged with T-Mobile US on April 1, 2020, it was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, serving 54.3 million customers as of June 30, 2019. The ...
,
Nextel Communications
Nextel Communications, Inc. was an American wireless service operator that merged with and ceased to exist as a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, which would later be bought by T-Mobile US and folded into that company. Nextel in Brazil, and forme ...
,
Cingular
AT&T Mobility LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the th ...
and
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
. In March 2011, the
Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the case.
In October 2013, Eminem
sampled
Sample or samples may refer to:
Base meaning
* Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set
* Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal
* Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...
Chicago-based rap group
Hotstylz
Hotstylz is an American hip hop group from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2007. The trio, composed of Midwest rappers Krazee, Meatball and Raydio G, is signed to fellow American rapper Yung Joc's Swagg Team, distributed by Jive/RCA Records. In ...
's 2008 viral hit, "Lookin' Boy", for his 2013 hit single "
Rap God
"Rap God" is a song by American rapper Eminem. The song premiered via YouTube on October 14, 2013, and was released in the United States on October 15, 2013, as the third single from Eminem's eighth studio album, '' The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' ...
". The group claims that Eminem did not receive permission to use the sample, nor did he credit or compensate them.
In November 2013, Hotstylz released a
diss track
A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...
towards Eminem titled "Rap Fraud", where they sample several of his songs and criticize him for not crediting them.
In January 2015,
TMZ
TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...
reported that Hotstylz was suing Eminem and his label,
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999).
Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...
, for $8 million, for using the 25-second sample of "Lookin' Boy" on his song "Rap God" without their permission.
United States Secret Service
On December 8, 2003, the
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...
reported that it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem threatened U.S. president
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in "We As Americans" (an unreleased
bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
at the time), with the lyrics: "Fuck money, I don't rap for dead presidents. I'd rather see the president dead, it's never been said but I set precedents." The incident was included in the video for "
Mosh
Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...
", as a newspaper clipping on a wall with articles about unfortunate incidents in Bush's career. "We As Americans" eventually appeared on ''Encore''s deluxe-edition bonus disc, with altered lyrics.
In 2018–2019, the Secret Service interviewed Eminem again regarding threatening lyrics towards president
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
and daughter
Ivanka.
Allegations of homophobia
Some of Eminem's lyrics have been considered
homophobic
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...
and an Australian politician attempted to ban him from the country.
Eminem denies the charge, saying that when he was growing up words such as "faggot" and "queer" were used generally in a derogatory manner and not specifically toward homosexuals. During a 2010 ''
60 Minutes'' interview, journalist
Anderson Cooper explored the issue:
Eminem was accused yet again of using homophobic words in his lyrics in "
Rap God
"Rap God" is a song by American rapper Eminem. The song premiered via YouTube on October 14, 2013, and was released in the United States on October 15, 2013, as the third single from Eminem's eighth studio album, '' The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' ...
" (2013) and explained "I don't know how to say this without saying it how I've said it a million times. But that word, those kind of words, when I came up battle-rappin' or whatever, I never really equated those words ... (to actually mean homosexual)".
Eminem is a friend of gay singer
Elton John,
and publicly supports gay rights.
When asked in an interview with ''The New York Times'' about the subject of
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
being legalized in his home state of Michigan, Eminem responded, "I think if two people love each other, then what the hell? I think that everyone should have the chance to be equally miserable, if they want", explaining that his "overall look on things is a lot more mature than it used to be."
Legacy
Credited for popularizing hip hop to a Middle American audience, Eminem's unprecedented global commercial success and acclaimed works for a white rapper is widely recognized for breaking racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in
popular music
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...
.
Rising from
rags to riches
Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popul ...
, Eminem's anger-fueled music represented widespread angst and the reality of American
underclass
The underclass is the segment of the population that occupies the lowest possible position in a class hierarchy, below the core body of the working class.
The general idea that a class system includes a population ''under'' the working class has ...
.
He has been greatly influential for artists of various genres.
Stephen Hill, the then vice president of African American-themed television network
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
(Black Entertainment Television), said in 2002:
Eminem gets a pass in the same vein that back during segregation Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of humans ...
black folks had to be better than average, had to be the best, to be accepted ... he is better than the best. In his own way, he is the best lyricist, alliterator and enunciator out there in hip-hop music. In terms of rapping about the pain that other disenfranchised people feel, there is no one better at their game than Eminem.
In 2002, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
: "Not since Bob Dylan's heyday in the mid-1960s has an artist's output been subjected to such intense academic scrutiny as an exercise in contemporary soul-searching. US critics point to
vivid portraits of disenfranchised lives – using the stark, direct language of the street – as an accurate reflection of social injustice." In addition, the BBC highlighted that, "Where parents once recoiled in horror
there now seems a greater willingness to acknowledge a music that is striking such a chord among the American young, angry white underclass."
highlighted that Eminem during the early 2000s was "the one artist high school kids seemed to unanimously connect with.... he represented everything high school years are about: blind rage, misguided rebellion, adolescent frustration. He was like a human middle finger. An X-rated
Eminem made his entrance, I got goose bumps, the likes of which I have not felt since I first saw
. Eminem was that good. I just thought, 'Fuck, this man is amazing.' There are very few performers who can grab you like that the first time — only the greats."
John further praised Eminem, saying, "Eminem is a true poet of his time, someone we'll be talking about for decades to come. He tells stories in such a powerful and distinctive way. As a lyricist, he's one of the best ever. Eminem does for his audience what
Dylan did for his: He writes how he feels. His anger, vulnerability and humor come out."
had said, "I like the fact that Eminem is brash and angry and politically incorrect ... He's stirring things up, he's provoking a discussion, he's making people's blood boil. He's reflecting what's going on in society right now. That is what art is supposed to do."
a statement of how and where people are at ... I think art is a reflection of our society, and people don't like to confront the realities in society ... But until we really confront the truth, we are going to have a
to remind us about itand thank God. They force people to look at realities in society."
Eminem has been credited with boosting the careers of hip hop proteges such as
. A number of artists have cited Eminem as an influence, including
.
.
He has had thirteen number-one albums on the ''Billboard'' 200: nine solo, two with
.
.
He was also the best-selling male music artist in the United States of the 2010s.
and 107.5 million singles in the US.
(RIAA).
named him the most-streamed music artist of all time.
Among Eminem's awards is 15
".
ceremony.
, making him the first rapper to receive the award.
for "Lose Yourself".
Eminem has also been included and ranked in several publications' lists. ''
.
's Greatest MCs of All Time list.
100 Greatest Artists of All Time lists.
He was ranked 82nd on ''Rolling Stone''s "The Immortals" list.
ranked Eminem the 7th biggest icon in popular music history.
ranked him 7th on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987–2007).
.
'' readers named Eminem the Best Rapper Alive.
In 2011, Eminem was labelled the "King of Hip-Hop" by ''Rolling Stone'' based on an analysis of album sales, chart positions, YouTube views, social media following, concert grosses, industry awards and critical ratings of solo rappers who released music from 2009 to the first half of 2011.
.
* {{Cite book, last=Bozza, first=Anthony, author-link=Anthony Bozza, title=Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem , publisher=
, year=2003, location=New York, isbn=1-4000-5059-6
* {{cite book , last=Cohen , first=Sara , title=Decline, Renewal and the City in Popular Music Culture: Beyond The Beatles , year=2007 , publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., isbn=978-0-7546-3243-6
* {{Cite book, last=Edwards, first=Paul, title=How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, publisher=
, year=2009, location=Chicago, isbn=978-1-55652-816-3, url-access=registration, url=https://archive.org/details/howtorapartscien00edwa
* {{Cite book, last=Goldberg, first=Bernard, author-link=Bernard Goldberg, title=100 People Who Are Screwing Up America, publisher=
, year=2005, location=New York City, isbn=0-06-076128-8, title-link=100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
* {{cite book , title=Eminem and Rap, Poetry, Race: Essays , last=Parker , first=Scott F. , publisher=McFarland , year=2014 , isbn=978-1-4766-1864-7
{{Sisterlinks, s=no, v=no, b=no, wikt=no, d=Q5608
* {{Official website
* {{allMusic
* {{IMDb name
, list1 =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 2001–2010
{{American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist
{{American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
{{American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist
{{Brit International Male
{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song
{{Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
{{Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
{{Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance
{{IFPI Global Year-End
{{MTV Europe Music Award for Best Male
{{MTV Europe Music Award for Best Hip-Hop
{{MTV Europe Music Award for Global Icon
{{MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
{{MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
{{MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
{{MTV Video Music Award for Push Best New Artist
{{2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
{{YTMAs
{{Billboard Year-End number one albums 1990–2009
{{UK Christmas No. 1 albums in the 2000s
{{UK best-selling singles (by year) 2010–2029
{{D12
{{Bad Meets Evil
{{Shady Records
{{Aftermath Entertainment
{{Portal bar, Biography, Music, United States
{{Authority control
American male rappers
American male songwriters
American media executives
American music industry executives
American music publishers (people)
American people of English descent
American people of German descent
American people of Luxembourgian descent
American people of Polish descent
American people of Scottish descent
American people of Swiss descent
American philanthropists
American radio producers
American tenors
Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters
Brit Award winners
Culture of Detroit
D12 members
Echo (music award) winners
Grammy Award winners for rap music
Hardcore hip hop artists
Horrorcore artists
Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners
Midwest hip hop musicians
MTV Europe Music Award winners
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Obscenity controversies in music
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