Eminem is a name that's associated with acts of depravity, highly offensive language, and
enough gruesome descriptions of felony-worthy behavior to warrant a couple life sentences.
It's also the name of one of the most famous and contentious rappers of a generation, consistently
breaking boundaries with his volatile rhymes that often reflect his personal and professional
life.
His real name is Marshall Mathers, and here's his insane real-life story.
Humble roots
After his 15-year-old mother was left to raise him alone, Marshall's childhood involved moving
between multiple public housing systems in Detroit and Kansas City.
Frequently "the new kid" and often one of the only white ones, Marshall started inhabiting
an outsider's stance at an early age.
He flunked out of the ninth grade three times before calling it quits.
But he always loved English — specifically words.
"Like people say that, uh... the word orange doesn't rhyme with anything.
And that kinda pisses me off…
I put my orange four-inch door hinge in storage and ate porridge with George."
With this keen interest in the English language, he moved into writing lyrics for rap battles
in the underground music scene.
Trailer star
After dropping out of school, Marshall began to regularly alternate between writing, working,
and performing.
Being white in a predominantly black arena caused people to initially reject him, only
to be won over once he started rapping.
Eminem's career grew, but it wasn't enough to pay the bills.
He was living in a trailer when his EP "Slim Shady" landed in the lap of Dr. Dre and Jimmy
Iovine of Interscope Records, who immediately tracked Eminem down and helped catapult him
to fame.
Secret Service trouble?
Eminem's lyrics frequently push boundaries.
But his most infamous example of crossing the line came in 2003, when a bootleg version
of his song "We As Americans" surfaced with the following lyrics:
"I don't rap for presidents / I'd rather see the president."
"Past presidents" is slang for dollar bills, so that line pans out.
But if you're Eminem and have one innocuous lyric, it's basically your artistic duty to
follow up with something outrageous.
Saying that he'd "rather see the president " set off reports reports that the Secret Service
was looking into the song, as a standard response to investigate any possible threats against
the president.
Perhaps because the song didn't specify the president of the United States or mention
Then President George Bush by name, the FBI never took any real action against Eminem.
BFFs
Homophobia makes its way into many of Eminem's songs.
So it may surprise you to learn that Elton John is a huge fan of Eminem's work and a
close friend.
During a discussion recorded in Interview Magazine in 2017, John told Eminem:
"When that s--- was thrown at you — about you being homophobic — I just thought, 'I'm
not standing for this.
It's nonsense.'
I had to stand up and defend you.
That Grammy performance was the start of a lovely friendship and I'm grateful for that."
The performance he's referencing is the duo's 2001 collaboration on the song "Stan."
It appears that Elton John and Eminem's friendship demonstrates the separation between Marshall
Mathers and the personas he takes on in his songs.
"You know, he's just writing about the way things are, not how he thinks, but the way
things ARE."
Sobriety
At his worst, Eminem was staying in bed all day and popping pills just to function.
He hit rock bottom when trying to get out of bed one day and he fell to the ground unconscious.
According to Rolling Stone, doctors told him he'd consumed the equivalent of four bags
of heroin.
It took that hospital trip, a relapse, and a stint in rehab to set him sober, with help
from Elton John, who became his sponsor.
Ever the artist, Eminem channeled his struggles into the album "Recovery," and has been sober
for nine years.
"I'm able to see things clear, I'm able to remember things, I mean, this is how I've
decided that I wanna live my life and I don't ever wanna go back."
Courtroom battles
Eminem's no stranger to the courtroom.
In the first 13 years of his fame, he encountered at least one major lawsuit per year, possibly
spending several million dollars in legal costs.
Several lawsuits came from immediate friends and family members, not to mention a bully
from his high school and the mother of his daughter — many for defamation of character.
None of these lawsuits panned out the way the prosecutors intended.
Other issues included a concealed weapon charge and an assault charge.
Eminem pleaded guilty to both and was given two years' probation.
Finally, he took out the big guns when going against Apple twice, for different copyright
incidents; they reached quiet settlements out of court.
Basically, he'll have material for years!
Topical material
Expressing anger at authority is Eminem's forte, so it was no surprise when he dropped
"Storm," a 4 and a half minute bash on President Trump.
The video premiered at the BET Hip Hop awards and got a lot of support from other celebrities,
including Ellen DeGeneres and Snoop Dogg.
Eminem might go years without releasing an album, but when he does release one, it rides
a line between the topical and the personal, connecting with people worldwide.
Shady is back, and it looks like he's here to stay.
"The rage might not still be there, but the passion is the exact same as it's always been."
Thanks for watching!
Click the Grunge icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!