Eminem burst onto the music scene with "The Slim Shady LP" in 1999,
and he's remained an A-list rapper ever since. But besides all his personas, what is really
known about the man himself and his journey in life? This is the untold truth of Eminem.
Eminem's birth name is Marshall Mathers III, after his father Marshall Mathers Jr. His dad and mom,
Debbie Mathers-Briggs, married when she was 15 years old, and the couple welcomed their
first child and future rapper nearly three years later. According to Salon,
Eminem's mom nearly died while giving birth to her son after a ridiculously long labor.
Eminem was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, but the family relocated to North Dakota.
His parents were also musicians, but things weren't working out well between the two of them.
His father's behavior was so erratic that Mathers-Briggs returned to Missouri with her
son when he was two years old. Salon described the scene as the two leaving in a hurry,
"leaving their clothes and car behind."
Reportedly, young Eminem tried to stay in touch with his dad by writing him letters.
But his mom admitted that every letter the boy wrote bounced back, unreceived, per Rolling Stone.
Eventually, Eminem and his mom moved to Detroit. As reported by Salon, as a young man, Eminem for a
time was, quote, "the only white teen in a Black neighborhood of otherwise white and middle-class
St. Clair Shores." And sadly, Eminem was the victim of brutal bullying when he was
in elementary school. Allegedly, a classmate named DeAngelo Bailey assaulted Eminem multiple times,
once beating him up so badly that it left him in a coma at the age of nine.
As a result, Eminem's mother filed a lawsuit against the school. According to the lawsuit -
"Bailey beat her boy so badly that he suffered headaches, post-concussion syndrome, intermittent
loss of vision and hearing, nightmares, nausea and a tendency toward anti-social behavior."
Sadly, the case was ultimately dropped.
In the song "Brain Damage" on his debut album "The Slim Shady LP," Eminem talks
about his former bully. While many of the artist's songs are fictional stories,
Eminem specifically calls out DeAngelo Bailey in the lyrics.
The first time young Marshall Mathers III heard hip-hop was thanks to his uncle Ronnie. The two
listened to the movie soundtrack for "Breakin'" — a 1984 film about breakdancing. This started
the young boy's infatuation, and Eminem was officially hooked on rap. He told Rolling Stone -
"As soon as my mom would leave to go play bingo, I would blast the stereo."
In an interview for "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson," he said -
"I just loved hip-hop growing up as a kid […] It
spoke to me more than any other music I had ever heard before."
Eminem remembered that in addition to listening to Ice-T,
some of his early favorites were The Fat Boys, Run DMC, and the Beastie Boys.
But his love of another artist sparked the idea to begin creating his own lyrics, with him saying -
"LL Cool J was the one who made me first start writing rhymes,
and I was like 12, 13 maybe. And it sucked. I wasn't good."
Discouraged, the teenager gave up writing raps. But when he was around 15 years old,
Eminem picked up writing again and fortunately stuck with it.
Sadly, Eminem's uncle Ronnie took his own life before seeing the rapper's career play out.
Eminem spoke to Rolling Stone about the impact this had on him, saying -
"I didn't talk for days."
As Eminem started to write more and more raps,
he began to put his battle skills to the test, first with kids at school.
"I used to rap really fast and I don't think I was really saying much, but I was just rapping really
fast, you know, but because I was rapping fast, everybody just - I used to win every battle."
Eminem's friend Proof felt it was time to take his lyrical skills further. While speaking with
Mike Tyson, Eminem said that Proof had been making connections in the hip-hop community,
while he himself was working in, quote, "factories and stuff like that." Proof
invited his friend to a place called the Hip-Hop Shop and promised a crowd of about
ten people to watch him try rapping. Eminem remembered his first performance, saying -
"I got some people jumping around."
The Hip-Hop Shop then started having regular rap battles and Eminem won the first competition
held at the venue. This started the rapper's impressive hustle in the underground rap scene.
In his early 20s, Eminem recalled performing at least three times a week at different venues.
After success throughout Detroit, Eminem started to compete outside the city he grew up in,
making it to the finals in the 1997 "Scribble Jam" held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Though he lost,
Eminem met a woman named Wendy Day who asked him to compete in the Los Angeles Rap Olympics.
Once again, Eminem made it all the way to the final battle. And once again, he lost.
Eminem returned home to Detroit, devastated from losing his second big rap battle.
To make matters worse, he didn't even have a home to return to: the day before flying
out to Los Angeles for the Rap Olympics, Eminem found out he had been evicted.
Luckily, soon after returning from California,
the rapper received the call that would change his life. On "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson," Eminem
explained that immediately after losing the rap Olympics, he was approached by Dean Geistlinger,
who worked with Los Angeles record executive Jimmy Iovine. Geistlinger asked Eminem for his CD,
then passed it along to Iovine, who in turn sent the demo to rapper and producer Dr. Dre.
As a collaborator and mentor, Dr. Dre invited Eminem over to his home studio to start working
on music together. Dr. Dre played Eminem a beat he was working on, and the new rapper immediately
dreamed up a signature hook. In an interview on "The Defiant Ones," Dr. Dre recalled -
"Maybe two or three seconds went by and he just went, 'Hi! My name is! My name is!'"
This of course referencing Eminem's future lead single "My Name Is."
In an interview he did prior to the release of The Slim Shady LP, Eminem described a similar take on
his first studio session and remembered, quote, "the beat started talking to me."
"I just wanted to make sure that every beat that he played for me I had a rhyme ready to go."
In the early days in Eminem's career, he rapped about substance abuse. His debut album "The
Slim Shady LP" is filled with lyrics about hallucinogens, alcohol, and sleeping pills.
And while it's difficult to determine what's based on reality versus fantasy in the rapper's lyrics,
Eminem later admitted to drug use in his personal life. He told The New York Times -
"I used to get pills wherever I could. I was just taking anything that anybody was giving to me."
The abuse continued, and as Eminem explained in another interview with The New York Times -
"I was the worst kind of addict, a functioning addict. I was so deep into my addiction at
one point that I couldn't picture myself being able to do anything without some kind of drug."
In 2007, Eminem reached rock bottom with his substance abuse and overdosed on methadone.
Reportedly, one month after the overdose, Eminem started taking pills once again. But to his
credit, Eminem checked himself into a hospital for rehab. As part of his journey towards recovery,
Eminem revisited concert videos and interviews during the peak of his drug use, explaining -
"I want to see what I looked like when I was on drugs, so I never go back to it."
According to Eminem, staying sober to care for his children
was also the main reason for self-improvement.
Eminem paved the way for many white rappers who came after him. But he publicly feuded
with rapper and punk musician Machine Gun Kelly. As detailed by Vulture, the issue started partly
from a 2012 tweet by MGK. He referred to Eminem's daughter Hailie as, quote, "hot as f---" when she
was only sixteen years old. On Eminem's song "Not Alike" from his album "Kamikaze," he mentions MGK
by name and the incident with Hailie. To counter, MGK wrote a song called "Rap Devil." In the song,
MGK said that Eminem, quote, "tried to sabotage his career early on." MGK claimed that Eminem,
his favorite rapper, banned him from "Shade 45," Eminem's hip-hop channel on SiriusXM radio.
In fact, Eminem later clarified in an interview with Sway that while the comments about his
daughter annoyed him, it was this alleged sabotage that prompted him to write the "Not Alike" verse.
Eminem denied the claim and specifically said that
he didn't care enough about MGK's music to allegedly, quote, "hinder his career."
"I think like if there's a reason for me to
burn a bridge then I obviously don't wanna speak to you ever in my life."
MGK said in a tweet that he was standing up for himself against Eminem to, quote,
"defend myself from someone I called an idol."
Eminem then released the song "Killshot," with artwork from the single featuring MGK's cartoon
face. According to Billboard, the video for the single was viewed 38.1 million times "in its first
24 hours, making it the biggest hip-hop debut and third biggest overall debut in YouTube history."
One of Eminem's earliest projects as a musician was as a member of the group New Jacks.
According to Genius, the rapper appeared on the album as MC Double M — likely referencing his
own initials. Around 1990, the young man began to record with one of his friends,
Jay Fields. According to Fields, the white rapper began to call himself M&M, via Salon.
Then this two-letter stage name elongated into Eminem.
While his artist name was Eminem, the rapper also referred to himself as Slim Shady. Bizarre,
one of Eminem's friends and fellow groupmate in the band D12, explained in an interview with "Vlad
TV" the origin of Slim Shady. The premise of the group was for each member to have an alter ego.
After Eminem's first recording project "Infinite," he reportedly received criticism of being too
soft on the album. As a result, Eminem chose the name "Slim Shady" to be his alter ego.
Talking with Rolling Stone about "Infinite," Eminem said -
"After that record, every rhyme I wrote got angrier and angrier."
According to the rapper, the name Slim Shady just came to him while using the toilet. He said-
"Boom, the name hit me, and right away I thought of all these words to rhyme with it."
In 2000, Eminem had just released his second album, "The Marshall Mathers LP."
After its first week in stores, the album sold over 1.76 million units,
which MTV reported made it one of the biggest one-week sales in SoundScan history for a
solo artist. On the album was "an extended oral sex skit" aimed at the musical group
Insane Clown Posse, who had previously insulted Eminem in one of their songs.
This bad blood between the two artists led to an altercation at an automotive store in Royal Oak,
Michigan. Eminem reportedly brandished a handgun after arguing with Douglas Dail,
an employee of Insane Clown Posse's record label.
That same day, Eminem was involved in another incident at a nightclub, which earned him felony
charges of assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon without a license.
Eminem pleaded guilty to the weapons charges from the two incidents and received probation.
When looking back at his behavior at the time,
Eminem told The New York Times that stardom had affected his decisions, saying -
"Fame hit me like a [expletive] ton of bricks. I was just being pulled in every direction,
doing everything under the sun, two shows a day, touring constantly, nonstop radio interviews,
and I just got caught up in the drinking and the drugs and fighting and just
wilding out and doing dumb things I shouldn't have been doing."
For the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards, Eminem recorded a freestyle video for the show. In the clip,
called "The Storm," Eminem emotionally criticizes then-president Donald Trump.
With no beat, only silence, the rapper condemns the politician for racism and other actions.
At the four-minute mark, Eminem says -
"Any fan of mine, who's a supporter of his,
I'm drawing in the sand a line. You're either for or against."
As a result of the freestyle, Billboard reported that "a number of die-hard fans began to turn
on the MC." Eminem addressed those fans on his album "Revival" with the song "Chloraseptic."
He claimed that, as a result of his stance, his fan base was cut in half.
Speaking with Billboard, Eminem defended his decision to speak out against Trump -
"It's my artistic license to express myself. At the end of the day,
if I did lose half my fan base, then so be it,
because I feel like I stood up for what was right and I'm on the right side of this."
Eminem was later put under the close watch of the government.
BuzzFeed reported that the Secret Service visited the rapper for, quote,
"exhibiting inappropriate behavior." According to documents obtained for the article, an employee at
TMZ had emailed the Secret Service in regard to Eminem's lyrics in his song "Framed." According
to the employee, the song contained, quote, "a threatening comment towards Ivanka Trump."
Eminem's oldest daughter is Hailie Mathers, who turned 25 in 2020. Eminem has referenced his
little girl in his music ever since his debut album, which featured the song "'97 Bonnie &
Clyde." In 2002, Eminem talked about what it was like to be a father, telling The New York Times -
"My daughter is growing up, and I'm trying to set an example for her."
At the time of the interview, Eminem claimed she lived a normal life and was like her dad,
quote, "to the 10th power," adding -
"She's got such a personality. She runs around the
house and she makes up little sayings and little phrases."
Eminem continues to brag about his first child as she grows older. In an interview on "Hotboxin'
with Mike Tyson," he boasted about Hailie graduating college with a 3.9 GPA and said -
"She's made me proud for sure."
In addition to Hailie, Eminem has also helped raise a niece. He told Tyson that the young woman,
who was 26 at the time of the interview, was, quote, "pretty much like a daughter
to me." The rapper also talked about his other daughter, who was 17. He said -
"When I think about my accomplishments,
that's probably the thing I'm the most proud of, is being able to raise kids."
He's also praised his children for their support throughout his career.
He told The New York Times —
"They've helped me through so many things."
The movie "8 Mile" featured Eminem in his first acting role, playing Jimmy,
and though there are definitely some similarities between him and his character, it's not based on
Eminem's real life. Eminem clarified that he spent his childhood in a melting pot of cultures on the,
quote, "borderline of what separates suburb from city," in Detroit. The rapper said -
"I had the friends who had racist redneck fathers and stepfathers.
I had Black friends. It's just American culture.'"
Eminem reportedly wanted to make the story believable while filming,
even going as far as to get real rappers in Detroit, no matter the cost. For example,
Gerald L. "Strike" Sanders, who played Lyckety-Splyt in the film,
was in trouble with the law at the time. Strike told Grantland that Eminem, quote,
"bailed me out on my attempted murder case." Allegedly, Eminem gave Proof money to aid Strike.
For the rap battle scenes,
the crew modeled the venue after the place Eminem used to rap growing up.
But Eminem admitted the situation was different with a bunch of cameras around. The rapper added -
"In a real battle tournament back then, I wouldn't know who my opponents were. I'd
just stack a few punch lines up and mostly freestyle about the guy in front of me."
In the film "8 Mile," the late actor Brittany Murphy played the
on-screen love interest for Eminem's character. But outside of shooting,
the media speculated that the actor and the rapper were actually involved romantically.
In an interview for MTV, Eminem said they became friends, but wouldn't admit to anything more.
In her own interview for MTV, Murphy described her side of the story, saying -
"Marshall is [...] one of the most funny, honest,
professional, hard-working actors I've ever worked with, if not the most."
After Murphy died in 2009, Eminem detailed how he felt losing his friend. He told Vibe -
"It's crazy because at one point we were very close and she was a really good person."
His public image may be centered on graphic lyrics and controversies,
but Eminem has helped others through philanthropic efforts. His most high-profile effort is The
Marshall Mathers Foundation. The rapper created the charity organization in 2002 to provide
"assistance to disadvantaged and at-risk youth primarily in Detroit, Michigan and its surrounding
communities." Almost 20 years later, Eminem enlisted his friend, collaborator, and rapper
Royce da 5'9 to help with the charitable efforts as a director at the foundation.
In addition, both men helped out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eminem donated meals, which he called "Mom's Spaghetti,"
in reference to a line from the song "Lose Yourself," to hospitals in Detroit. Also,
in 2020, Eminem pledged $250,000 to the city of Detroit via The Marshall Mathers Foundation.
Even early in his career, Eminem helped other organizations raise funds for charitable causes.
In 2005, he worked with the Eight Mile Boulevard Association to help children in the southeastern
part of Michigan. According to PR Web, the rapper autographed and personalized bricks that were then
"auctioned on eBay with a copy of the movie '8 Mile' and a Certificate of Authenticity."
In his long career on the charts, Eminem has been one of the most successful artists ever.
As of 2021, the Recording Industry Association of America placed Eminem in the top 30 musical
acts in terms of certified units with 46.5 million units. This included two albums,
"The Marshall Mathers LP" and "The Eminem Show" that were diamond certified — at least
ten times platinum. And in addition to his music, Eminem's acting appearance
in "8 Mile" and its smash hit "Lose Yourself" also add to his impressive bank
account. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Eminem was worth $230 million as of 2021.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts,
please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.