Eminem is one of the most prolific and controversial figures in hip-hop history. He is a hugely successful and best-selling rapper and producer who has influenced multiple generations of fans and artists; however, he has also been the subject of much public scrutiny for his violent lyrics.
On October 17th, 1972, Eminem was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, to Marshall Bruce Mathers II and Deborah Rae Nelson. Growing up with an alcoholic father, Eminem had a turbulent childhood, which was made worse because he developed a rare form of meningitis at age six, which left him with permanent scarring on his vocal cords. As such, Eminem developed a stutter which plagued him until high school.
Eminem attended Lincoln High School, where he developed an interest in comic books, which later emerged as an inspiration for several songs. He also became involved in various forms of criminal activity, including theft, assault, and weapons offenses (which landed him in jail halfway through senior year).
After graduating high school, Eminem worked a series of odd jobs in low-wage positions, including a brief stint as a cook in a family-owned restaurant. He also held down a job at a car factory and worked as a freelance proofreader for the Detroit Free Press newspaper. At this point, Eminem began making amateur rap recordings with friends who formed their rap group, “Soul Intent,” with rappers Proof and Zsar (both of whom later featured on Eminem’s debut solo album).
In 1995, Eminem brought his homemade demo tape to hip-hop magazine The Source, which led to him being hailed the new face of hip-hop by prominent industry figures – including rapper/producer Dr. Dre. In 1998, after several years spent battling personal issues and addiction, Eminem signed a record deal with Dr. Dre and had since released nine studio albums.
Eminem’s musical style is rooted in multiple genres, including hip-hop, underground, pop, and rap-rock. His lyrics often center around lyrical battles, social issues, poverty, politics, and his struggles with addiction. There is a lot to know about this legendary rapper. Keep reading to find the 10 Things You Didn’t know about Eminem:
# 1 – He says that he decided to pursue rapping after hearing the Beastie Boys:
Eminem said that he decided to pursue rapping after hearing the Beastie Boys, an American hip hop band formed in 1981 by its three original members, Michael “Mike D” Diamond, Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, and the late Adam “MCA” Yauch.
# 2- He’s A Huge Comic Book Fan
While some people might think that rappers spend their days flitting from strip club to strip club, letting loose and living the high life, but Slim Shady is somewhat different. As well as being a massive fan of comic books himself (he’s got an entire room filled with stacks upon stacks of graphic novels), he also owns one of the biggest collections of Marvel memorabilia in the world.
# 3 – The Dallas Cowboys have been his go-to NFL team since childhood
When it comes to sports teams that young kids can obsess over, it’s pretty hard to beat the Dallas Cowboys. Eminem is a big fan. He keeps his loyalty well under wraps, though. After all, he knows how much flak he’d get for supporting such an “uncool” team (he gets enough hate as it is).
# 4 – Eminem’s album ‘Recovery’ was the best selling album of 2010 worldwide:
After 2009’s ‘Relapse,’ many fans feared they would never hear new music from Slim Shady again after he admitted that he had a drug problem for a long time. Thankfully, though, that fear was short-lived. In the early hours of June 22nd, 2010, Eminem dropped ‘Recovery’ on an unsuspecting public, and it went on to become one of the best-selling albums in history. The album also garnered critical acclaim from critics worldwide, with many claiming that his music had come full circle after going through such a rough patch in life.
# 5 – Eminem has supported and started up a lot of foundations and charities:
Slim Shady isn’t just one of the biggest names in hip-hop; he’s also one of the most charitable. Over the years, Eminem has used his name to pick up a few awards for being an “Outstanding” role model to children and donated money to various charities, including Habitat For Humanity.
# 6 – Eminem used to study the dictionary so he could expand on his lyrics
The rapper famously rapped throughout high school, which earned him a reputation for being an amateur rapper. As a result, he used more complicated vocabulary and wordplay schemes that would help develop his skills even further into what it is today.
# 7 – Eminem said that his favorite movie is Superbad
When Eminem decided to quit drugs in 2006, you’d have thought one of the first things he would’ve done was snag himself a shiny new TV that had all the latest channels or something, right? Well, actually, no. His first purchase after getting clean was a DVD copy of Judd Apatow’s ‘Superbad.’ Apparently, Em likes to pop the disc in now and again to give himself a good laugh remembering all those crazy times when he was hooked on drugs.
# 8 – He no longer does extensive touring because it’s a trigger for his addiction
Eminem said that he is sober now but still suffers from an addiction. He chooses not to tour extensively anymore as he fears the pressure of preparing for a show will lead him back to drug abuse. Overall, Eminem has been sober for over ten years
# 9 – The first rap song to win an Academy Award was “Lose Yourself”
Eminem became the first rapper ever to win an Academy Award with “Lose Yourself,” which earned him the award in 2003. “Lose Yourself,” written by Eminem and Jeff Bass, won Best Original Song at Oscar Awards. He was also highly criticized after winning this most prestigious award by many people.
# 10 – Eminem has won 13 Grammys in total
Eminem has won 13 Grammy Awards, making him one of the world’s best-selling music artists and the best-selling hip-hop artist of all time. He is also listed in Guinness World Records as the best-selling rap artist of all time.
Conclusion:
Eminem is one of the most controversial yet talented rappers out there today. He has managed to stay relevant by producing hits time after time but hasn’t broken into any controversy for nearly ten years now (a milestone that many other artists fail to reach). On top of that, he also gives back to society by supporting charities and foundations at every possible turn, which proves how nice a guy is.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Eminem article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2021
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