 A protégé of Dr. Dre, rapper Eminem emerged in 1999 as one of the most controversial
rappers to ever grace the genre. Using his biting wit and incredible skills to vent on everything from his
unhappy childhood to his contempt for the mainstream media, his success became the biggest crossover
success the genre had seen since Dre's solo debut seven years earlier. The controversy over his lyrics
was the best publicity any musician could afford, and being the first Caucasian rapper to make a
significant impact in years may have given him a platform not afforded to equally talented
African-American rappers. A gifted producer as well, his talents always seemed overshadowed by his
media presence, which was a mix between misunderstood genius and misogynistic homophobe. Both may be
true, but his message spoke to legions of disaffected youth who had few role models in the rap world
who could relate to the white lower-class experience.
He was born Marshall Mathers in St. Joseph, MO (near Kansas City), spending the better
part of his impoverished childhood shuttling back and forth between his hometown and the city of Detroit.
Initially attracted to rap as a teen, Eminem began performing at age 14, performing raps in the basement
of his high school friend's home. The two went under the names Manix and M&M (soon changed to Eminem),
which Mathers took from his own initials. Due to the unavoidable racial boundaries that came with being a
white rapper, he decided the easiest way to win over underground hip-hop audiences was to become a battle
rapper and improv against other MCs in clubs. Although he wasn't immediately accepted, through time he
became such a popular attraction that people would challenge him just to make a name for themselves.
According to legend, Dr. Dre discovered his demo tape on the floor of Interscope label
chief Jimmy Iovine's garage, but the reality was that Eminem took second place in the freestyle category
at 1997's Rap Olympics MC Battle in Los Angeles and Iovine approached the rapper for a tape afterward.
It wasn't until a month or two later that he played the tape for an enthusiastic Dre, who eagerly
contacted Eminem. Upon meeting, Dre was taken back by his skin color more than his skill, but within
the first hour they had already started recording "My Name Is." Dre agreed to produce his first album
and the two released "Just Don't Give a F***" as a single to preview the new album. A reconciliation with
his girlfriend led to the two getting married in the fall of 1998, and Interscope signed the rapper and
prepared to give him a massive push on Dre's advice. An appearance on Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause
only helped the buzz that was slowly surrounding him.
The best-selling Slim Shady LP followed in early 1999, scoring a massive hit with the
single and video "My Name Is," plus a popular follow-up in "Guilty Conscience"; over the next year, the
album went triple platinum. With such wide exposure, controversy ensued over the album's content, with
some harshly criticizing its cartoon-ish, graphic violence; others praised its edginess and surreal humor,
as well as Eminem's own undeniable lyrical skills and Dre's inventive production. In between albums,
Eminem appeared on Dre's Dr. Dre 2001, with his contributions providing some of the record's liveliest
moments.
The Marshall Mathers LP appeared in the summer of 2000, moving close to
two-million copies in its first week of release on its way to becoming the fastest-selling rap album of
all time. Unfortunately, this success also bred more controversy, and no other musician was better suited
for it than Eminem. Among the incidents that occurred included a scuffle with the Insane Clown Posse's
employees in a car stereo shop, a bitter battle with pop star Christina Aguilera over a lyric about her
fictional sexual exploits, a lawsuit from his mother over defamation of character, and an attack on a
Detroit club goer after Eminem allegedly witnessed the man kissing his wife. Fans ate it up as his album
stood strong at the top of the charts. But the mainstream media was not so enamored, as accusations of
homophobia and sexism sprung from the inflammatory lyrics in the songs "Kill You" and "Kim." It was
this last song that ended his marriage, as the song's chosen topic (violently murdering his real life
wife Kim Mathers) drove his spouse to a suicide attempt before they divorced. Eminem toured throughout
most of this, settling several of his court cases and engaging a mini-feud with rapper Everlast.
The annual Grammy Awards nominated the album for several awards, and to silence his
critics the rapper called on Elton John to duet with him at the ceremony. In 2001, he teamed with several
of his old Detroit running buddies and re-formed D-12. Releasing an album with the group, Eminem hit the
road with them that summer and tried to ignore the efforts of his mother, who released an album in
retaliation to his comments. After getting off of the road, he stepped in front of the camera and
filmed 8 Mile, a film loosely based on his life directed by the unlikely fan Curtis Hanson (Wonder Boys).
His constant media exposure died out as well, leaving him time to work on new music.
When he re-emerged in 2002, he splashed onto the scene with "Without Me," a single
that attacked Moby and Limp Bizkit and celebrated his return to music. Surprisingly, the following album,
The Eminem Show, inspired little controversy. Instead, the popular second single "Cleanin' Out My Closet"
told of his dysfunctional childhood and explained his hatred toward his mother in a mannered, poignant
fashion. And being Eminem, he followed this up with an appearance at MTV's Video Music Awards that
inspired boos when he verbally assaulted Moby for no apparent reason. Targets on his third straight
chart-topper, 2004's Encore, ranged from Michael Jackson ("Just Lose It") to
war-hungry politicians ("Mosh"). The album was another smash hit for Eminem, but
the resulting touring was fraught with setbacks and controversy. First there was
a bus crash in Missouri that injured protégé Stat Quo. Then there were reports
of the tour being under-attended. There were also rumors of Eminem retiring,
which he quickly quelled. However, the tour's European leg was eventually
canceled due to "exhaustion," and Em entered rehab for a dependency on sleeping
pills. However, by the end of 2005 he was back with a new video. In typical
Eminem fashion, the clip for "When I'm Gone" riffed on his recent rehab stay. He
also issued the greatest-hits set Curtain Call that December. ~ Jason Ankeny &
Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
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