Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known by his stage name Eminem (stylized as EMIN EM) and by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem along with his solo career is a member of his group D12, and also one half of the hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, with Royce da 5’9. Eminem is one of the best-selling artists in the world and is the best selling artist of the 2000s. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone magazine which ranked him 82nd on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The same magazine declared him The King of Hip Hop. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has achieved ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200. He has sold more than 42 million tracks and 49.1 million albums in the United States, and 100 million albums worldwide. As an underground rapper Eminem released his debut solo album, Infinite in 1996. He gained mainstream popularity in 1999 after the release of his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP. The LP also earned Eminem his first Grammy Award
for Best Rap Album. His next two records The Marshall Mathers LP, and The Eminem Show, also won Best Rap Album Grammy Awards, making Eminem the first artist to win Best Rap Album for three consecutive LPs. This was followed by another studio release in 2004 titled Encore. Eminem then went on hiatus after touring in 2005. He released his first album in five years titled Relapse, on May 15, 2009. In 2010, Eminem released his seventh studio album Recovery. Recovery was an international success and was named the best selling album of 2010 worldwide, joining The Eminem Show, which was the best seller of 2002. Eminem won Grammy Awards for both Relapse and Recovery, giving him a total of 13 Grammys in his career. Eminem has opened other ventures, including his own record label Shady Records with his manager Paul Rosenberg. He also has his own radio channel, Shade 45 on Sirius XM Radio. Eminem began an acting career in 2002, when he starred in the hip hop drama film 8 Mile. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, becoming the first rap artist ever to win the award.
when yo
ou weren’t raised? Criminal
MY MOTHER DID DRUGS— hard-liquor, cigarettes, and speed.
19946 Dresden Street, Detroit, Michigan. Marshall Mathers’ childhood home.
The baby came out—disfigured, ligaments indeed. It was a seed who would grow up just as crazy as she. Don’t dare make fun of that baby ‘cause that baby was me. Criminal
All you did, all you said, you did your best to raise us both. Foster care, that cross you bear, few may be as heavy as yours.
But I love you, Debbie Mathers, oh, what a tangled web we have, ‘Cause one thing I never asked was Where the fuck my deadbeat dad was. Headlights
Kill You
HOW THE FUCK DID THIS METAMORPHOSIS HAPPEN? From standin’ on corners and porches just rappin’ To havin’ a fortune, no more kissin’ ass.
Sing for the Moment
These people think it’s a crime To tell ‘em what’s on my mind
Criminal
It’s all political, If my music is literal, And I’m a criminal,
HOW THE FUCK CAN I RAISE A LITTLE GIRL?
I couldn’t. I wouldn’t be fit to.
Sing for the Moment
My baby girl keeps gettin’ older. I watch her grow up with pride. People make jokes ‘cause they don’t understand me. They just don’t see my real side. I act like shit don’t phase me, Inside it drives me crazy. My insecurities could eat me alive. But when I see my baby Suddenly I’m not crazy.
IT ALL MAKES SENSE WHEN
Hailie’s Song
I LOOK INTO HER EYES.
This ain’t what I’m in hip-hop for, it’s not why I got in it. That was never my object for someone to get killed.
I’M SUPPOSED TO BE THE SOLDIER THAT NEVER BLOWS HIS COMPOSURE. Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders. I ain’t never supposed to show it, my crew ain’t supposed to know it. Even if it means goin’ toe to toe with a Benzino it don’t matter. I’d never drag them in battles that I can handle unless I absolutely have to.
I’m supposed to set an example. Like Toy Soldiers
Maybe that’s why I feel so strange. Got it all, but I still won’t change.
MAYBE THAT’S WHY I CAN’T LEAVE DETROIT!
It’s the motivation that keeps me going. This is the inspiration I need. I can never turn my back on a city that made me. Life’s been good to me so far...
So Far...
This book was designed by Alyssa Celentano, of Washington University in St. Louis’ Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts in December 2013. It uses the typeface Frutiger. It uses photographs of Marshall Mathers and various scenes from the city of Detroit, Michigan. Biographical information is taken from ShadyRecords.com (Eminem’s record label) and from Eminem’s lyrics.