Eminem
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Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (/ˌɛmɪˈnɛm/; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, and actor.
Eminem is the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the United States. Throughout his career, he has had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. With more than 47.4 million albums and 107.5 million singles sold in the U.S. and 220 million records globally, he is among the world's best-selling artists of all time and is consistently cited as one of the greatest and most influential artists in any genre. He is the only artist to have nine albums consecutively debut at number one on the Billboard 200.[1] Rolling Stone ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, calling him the "King of Hip Hop".
After his debut album Infinite (1996) and then Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP, which earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. His next two releases, 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP and 2002's The Eminem Show, were worldwide successes, with each being certified diamond in U.S. sales and both winning Best Rap Album Grammy Awards—making Eminem the first artist to win the award for three consecutive LPs. They were followed by Encore in 2004, another critical and commercial success. Eminem went on hiatus after touring in 2005, releasing Relapse in 2009 and Recovery in 2010. Both won Grammy Awards and Recovery was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, the second time he had the international best-selling album of the year (after The Eminem Show). Eminem's eighth album, 2013's The Marshall Mathers LP 2, won two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album; it expanded his record for the most wins in that category and his Grammy total to 15.[2] In 2017, he released his ninth studio album, Revival. On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his tenth studio album, Kamikaze.[3]
In addition to his solo career, Eminem is an original member of the Midwest hip hop groups Soul Intent and D12. He is also known for his collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil. Eminem has developed other ventures, including Shady Records, with manager Paul Rosenberg, which helped launch the careers of artists such as 50 Cent. Eminem has also established his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio. In November 2002, he starred in the hip hop film 8 Mile, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself", becoming the first rap artist to ever win the award.[4] Eminem has made cameo appearances in the films The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), and The Interview (2014), and the television series Entourage (2010).
As a teenager, Eminem wrote letters to his father, which Debbie stated all came back marked "return to sender".[10] Friends and family remember Eminem as a happy child, but "a bit of a loner" who was often bullied. One bully, De'Angelo Bailey, severely injured Eminem's head (mentioned in his song "Brain Damage"); Debbie filed a lawsuit against the school in 1982, which was dismissed the following year because the Macomb County (Mich.) judge said the schools were immune from lawsuits.[9] Eminem spent much of his youth in a working-class, primarily black, Detroit neighborhood.[10] He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Eminem was beaten by black youths several times.[10] As a child he was interested in storytelling, aspiring to be a comic-book artist before discovering hip hop.[14] Eminem heard his first rap song ("Reckless", featuring Ice-T) on the Breakin' soundtrack, a gift from Debbie's half-brother Ronnie Polkinghorn, who was close to him and later became a musical mentor to him. When Polkinghorn committed suicide in 1991, Eminem stopped speaking for days and did not attend his funeral.[10][15]
Eminem's home life was seldom stable; he frequently fought with his mother, whom a social worker described as having a "very suspicious, almost paranoid personality". When her son became famous, Debbie was unimpressed by suggestions that she was a less-than-ideal mother, contending that she sheltered him and was responsible for his success. In 1987, Debbie allowed runaway Kimberly Ann "Kim" Scott to stay at their home; several years later, Eminem began an on-and-off relationship with Scott.[9] After spending three years in ninth grade due to truancy and poor grades,[16] he dropped out of Lincoln High School at age 17. Although he was interested in English, he never explored literature (preferring comic books) and disliked math and social studies.[17] Eminem worked at several jobs to help his mother pay the bills, later maintaining that she often threw him out of the house anyway. When she left to play bingo, he would blast the stereo and write songs.[10]
At age 14, Eminem began rapping with high-school friend Mike Ruby; they adopted the names "Manix" and "M&M", the latter of which evolved into "Eminem".[5][9] Eminem snuck into neighboring Osborn High School with friend and fellow rapper Proof for lunchroom freestyle rap battles.[18] On Saturdays, they attended open mic contests at the Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile, considered "ground zero" for the Detroit rap scene.[10] Struggling to succeed in a predominantly black industry, Eminem was appreciated by underground hip hop audiences.[5][19][20] When he wrote verses, he wanted most of the words to rhyme; he wrote long words or phrases on paper and, underneath, worked on rhymes for each syllable.[17] Although the words often made little sense, the drill helped Eminem practice sounds and rhymes.[17]
As Eminem's reputation grew, he was recruited by several rap groups; the first was the New Jacks. After they disbanded he joined Soul Intent, who released a single on their 1995 self-titled EP featuring Proof.[5] Eminem and Proof then teamed up with four other rappers to form The Dirty Dozen (D12), who released their first album Devil's Night in 2001.[10] Eminem had his first run-in with the law at age 20, when he was arrested for his involvement in a drive-by shooting with a paintball gun. The case was dismissed when the victim did not appear in court.[9]
Eminem was soon signed to Jeff and Mark Bass's FBT Productions, and recorded his debut album Infinite for their independent Web Entertainment label.[21] The album was a commercial failure upon its release in 1996.[22] One lyrical subject of Infinite was his struggle to raise his newborn daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers, on little money. During this period, Eminem's rhyming style, primarily inspired by rappers Nas, Esham and AZ, lacked the comically violent slant for which he later became known.[23] Detroit disc jockeys largely ignored Infinite, and the feedback Eminem did receive ("Why don't you go into rock and roll?") led him to craft angrier, moodier tracks.[10] At this time Eminem and Kim Scott lived in a crime-ridden neighborhood, and their house was robbed several times.[10] Eminem cooked and washed dishes for minimum wage at Gilbert's Lodge, a family-style restaurant at St. Clair Shores.[24] His former boss described him as becoming a model employee, as he worked 60 hours a week for six months after Hailie's birth.[9] He was fired shortly before Christmas, and later said, "It was, like, five days before Christmas, which is Hailie's birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something."[10] After the release of Infinite, his personal problems and substance abuse culminated in a suicide attempt.[5] By March 1997 he was fired from Gilbert's Lodge for the last time, and lived in his mother's mobile home with Kim and Hailie.[9]
After he was evicted from his home, Eminem went to Los Angeles to compete in the 1997 Rap Olympics, an annual, nationwide battle rap competition. He placed second, and Interscope Records staff in attendance sent a copy of the Slim Shady EP to company CEO Jimmy Iovine. Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath Entertainment and founding member of hip-hop group N.W.A. Dre recalled, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find him. Now.'" He would later state on the fourth & last episode of The Defiant Ones, "I was like: what the fuck!?, and who the fuck is that?" expressing his shock towards Mathers' rapping talent, Although his associates criticized him for hiring a white rapper, he was confident in his decision: "I don't give a fuck if you're purple; if you can kick it, I'm working with you."[10] Eminem had idolized Dre since listening to N.W.A. as a teenager, and was nervous about working with him on an album: "I didn't want to be starstruck or kiss his ass too much ... I'm just a little white boy from Detroit. I had never seen stars, let alone Dr. Dre."[26] He became more comfortable working with Dre after a series of productive recording sessions.[27]
Eminem released The Slim Shady LP in February 1999. Although it was one of the year's most popular albums (certified triple platinum by the end of the year),[28] he was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper Cage.[29][30] The album's popularity was accompanied by controversy over its lyrics; in "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" Eminem describes a trip with his infant daughter when he disposes of his wife's body, and in "Guilty Conscience" which encourages a man to murder his wife and her lover. "Guilty Conscience" marked the beginning of a friendship and musical bond between Dr. Dre and Eminem. The label-mates later collaborated on a number of hit songs ("Forgot About Dre" and "What's the Difference" while also providing uncredited vocals on "The Watcher"" from Dr. Dre's album 2001, "Bitch Please II" from The Marshall Mathers LP, "Say What You Say" from The Eminem Show, "Encore/Curtains Down" from Encore, and "Old Time's Sake" and "Crack a Bottle" from Relapse), and Dre made at least one guest appearance on each of Eminem's Aftermath albums.[31] The Slim Shady LP has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.[32]
The Marshall Mathers LP was released in May 2000. It sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking US records held by Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle for fastest-selling hip hop album and Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time for fastest-selling solo album.[33][34] The first single from the album, "The Real Slim Shady", was a success despite controversies about Eminem's insults and dubious claims about celebrities (for example, that Christina Aguilera had performed oral sex on Fred Durst and Carson Daly).[35] In his second single, "The Way I Am", he reveals the pressure from his record company to top "My Name Is". Although Eminem parodied shock rocker Marilyn Manson in the music video for "My Name Is", they are reportedly on good terms; Manson is mentioned in "The Way I Am", appeared in its music video and has performed a live remix of the song with Eminem.[36] In the third single, "Stan" (which samples Dido's "Thank You"), Eminem tries to deal with his new fame, assuming the persona of a deranged fan who kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend (mirroring "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" from The Slim Shady LP).[19] Q called "Stan" the third-greatest rap song of all time,[37] and it was ranked tenth in a Top40-Charts.com survey.[38] The song has since been ranked 296th on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.[39] In July 2000, Eminem was the first white artist to appear on the cover of The Source.[25] The Marshall Mathers LP was certified Diamond by the RIAA in March 2011 and sold 32 million copies worldwide.[40]
Eminem performed with Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001,[41] with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD, an organization which considered Eminem's lyrics homophobic) condemning John's decision to perform with Eminem.[42] Entertainment Weekly placed the appearance on its end-of-decade "best-of" list: "It was the hug heard 'round the world. Eminem, under fire for homophobic lyrics, shared the stage with a gay icon for a performance of "Stan" that would have been memorable in any context."[43] On February 21, the day of the awards ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center (the ceremony's venue).[44] In 2001 Eminem appeared in the Up in Smoke Tour with rappers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Ice Cube[45] and the Family Values Tour with Limp Bizkit,[46] headlining the Anger Management Tour with Papa Roach, Ludacris and Xzibit.
The Eminem Show was released in May 2002. It was another success, reaching number one on the charts and selling over 1.332 million copies during its first full week.[28] The album's single, "Without Me", denigrates boy bands, Limp Bizkit, Dick and Lynne Cheney, Moby and others. The Eminem Show certified Diamond by the RIAA examines the effects of Eminem's rise to fame, his relationship with his wife and daughter and his status in the hip-hop community, addressing an assault charge brought by a bouncer he saw kissing his wife in 2000. Although several tracks are clearly angry, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found The Eminem Show less inflammatory than The Marshall Mathers LP.[47] L. Brent Bozell III, who had criticized The Marshall Mathers LP for misogynistic lyrics, noted The Eminem Show's extensive use of obscenity and called Eminem "Eminef" for the prevalence of the word "motherfucker" on the album.[48] The Eminem Show sold 30 million copies worldwide[40] and was the best-selling album of 2002.
On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service said that it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States.[49] The cause for concern was the lyrics of "We As Americans" ("Fuck money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents"), which was later released on a bonus CD with the deluxe edition of Encore.[50]
Also in 2003 Eminem, a lifelong fan of Tupac,[51] provided production work for three tracks on the Tupac Resurrection soundtrack [52] He would follow this up the next year by producing 12 of the 16 tracks on Tupac's Loyal to the Game album.[52]
Encore, released in 2004, was another success. Its sales were partially driven by the first single, "Just Lose It", which contained slurs about Michael Jackson. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson phoned the Los Angeles-based Steve Harvey radio show to report his displeasure with its video (which parodies Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery and the 1984 incident when Jackson's hair caught fire during the filming of a commercial). In the song Eminem says, "That's not a stab at Michael / That's just a metaphor / I'm just psycho". Many of Jackson's friends and supporters spoke out against the video, including Stevie Wonder (who described it as "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit")[53] and Steve Harvey (who said, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back").[53] The video also parodied Pee-wee Herman, MC Hammer and Madonna during her Blond Ambition period.[54] "Weird Al" Yankovic, who parodied the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" on "Couch Potato" for his 2003 album Poodle Hat, told the Chicago Sun-Times about Jackson's protest: "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my 'Lose Yourself' parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career. So the irony of this situation with Michael is not lost on me."[55] Although Black Entertainment Television stopped playing the video, MTV announced that it would continue to air it. The Source, through CEO Raymond "Benzino" Scott, called for the video to be pulled, the song removed from the album and Eminem to apologize publicly to Jackson.[56] In 2007 Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music from Viacom, giving him the rights to songs by Eminem, Shakira, Beck and others.[57]
Despite its lead single's humorous theme, Encore explored serious subject matter with the anti-war song "Mosh". The song criticized President George W. Bush as "This weapon of mass destruction that we call our president", with lyrics including "Fuck Bush".[58] On October 25, 2004, a week before the 2004 US Presidential election, Eminem released the video for "Mosh" on the Internet.[59] In it, Eminem gathers an army (including rapper Lloyd Banks) of Bush-administration victims and leads them to the White House. When they break in, it is learned that they are there to register to vote; the video ends with "VOTE Tuesday November 2". After Bush's reelection, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading the White House during a speech by the president.[60] Also in 2004 Eminem launched a satellite music channel, Shade 45, on Sirius radio,[61] which was described by his manager as "essentially a destination to get and hear things that other people aren't playing," [62]
In 2005, industry insiders speculated that Eminem was considering ending his rapping career after six years and several Multi-Platinum albums. Rumors began early in the year about a double album to be released late that year, entitled The Funeral;[63] the greatest hits album, entitled Curtain Call: The Hits, was released in December. In July the Detroit Free Press reported a possible final bow for Eminem as a solo performer, quoting members of his inner circle as saying that he would embrace the roles of producer and label executive. The day of Curtain Call: The Hits's release, Eminem appeared on WKQI's "Mojo in the Morning" show. Denying that he was retiring, he suggested he would take a break as an artist: "I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going ... This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call', because this could be the final thing. We don't know."[64] The following year, Eminem released Eminem Presents: The Re-Up on Shady Records.
In 2005, Eminem was ranked 58th in Bernard Goldberg's book, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America.[65] Goldberg cited a 2001 column by Bob Herbert of The New York Times, in which Herbert wrote "In Eminem's world, all women are whores and he is eager to rape and murder them",[66] and the song "No One's Iller" from the Slim Shady EP as examples of Eminem's misogyny.[67] That summer Eminem began his first US concert tour in three years, with the Anger Management 3 Tour featuring 50 Cent, G-Unit, Lil Jon, D12, Obie Trice and The Alchemist. In August he canceled the European leg of the tour, later announcing that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment of a "dependency on sleep medication".[68] Curtain Call: The Hits was released December 6, 2005 by Aftermath Entertainment.[69] During its first week it sold nearly 441,000 copies in the US, and was Eminem's fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Hot 200.[70] The album has been certified double platinum by the RIAA.[71]
In September 2007, Eminem called New York radio station WQHT during an interview with 50 Cent, saying that he was "in limbo" and "debating" about when (or if) he would release another album: "I'm always working – I'm always in the studio. It feels good right now, the energy of the label. For a while, I didn't want to go back to the studio ... I went through some personal things. I'm coming out of those personal things [and] it feels good."[72]
Eminem appeared on his Shade 45 Sirius channel in September 2008, saying: "Right now I'm kinda just concentrating on my own stuff, for right now and just banging out tracks and producing a lot of stuff. You know, the more I keep producing the better it seems like I get 'cause I just start knowing stuff."[73] Interscope confirmed that a new album[74] would be released in spring 2009.[75] In December 2008, Eminem provided more details about the album, entitled Relapse: "Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man. Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on 'Relapse'. We are up to our old mischievous ways ... let's just leave it at that."[76]
According to a March 5, 2009 press release, Eminem would release two new albums that year. Relapse, the first, was released on May 19; its first single and music video, "We Made You", had been released on April 7.[77] Although Relapse did not sell as well as Eminem's previous albums and received mixed reviews, it was a commercial success and re-established his presence in the hip-hop world. It sold more than five million copies worldwide. During the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Sacha Baron Cohen descended on the audience in an angel costume. He landed buttocks-first on Eminem, who stormed out of the ceremony; three days later, Eminem said that the stunt had been staged.[78] On October 30 he headlined at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans, his first full performance of the year.[79] Eminem's act included several songs from Relapse, many of his older hits and an appearance by D12. On November 19, he announced on his website that Relapse: Refill would be released on December 21. The album was a re-release of Relapse with seven bonus tracks, including "Forever" and "Taking My Ball". Eminem described the CD:
Billboard reported that it was the bestselling album of 2010, making Eminem the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history with two year-end bestselling albums.[85] Recovery is the bestselling digital album in history.[86] Its first single, "Not Afraid", was released on April 29 and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100; its music video was released on June 4.[87] "Not Afraid" was followed by "Love the Way You Lie", which debuted at number two before rising to the top.[88] Although "Love the Way You Lie" was the bestselling 2010 single in the United Kingdom, it did not reach number one (the first time this has happened in the UK since 1969).[89] Despite criticism of its inconsistency, Recovery received positive reviews from most critics. As of November 21, 2010[update], the album had US sales of three million copies.[90] Recovery was the bestselling album worldwide in 2010, joining 2002's bestseller The Eminem Show to give Eminem two worldwide year-end number-one albums.[91] With Recovery, Eminem broke the record for the most successive US number-one albums by a solo artist.[92]
He appeared at the 2010 BET Awards,[93] performing "Not Afraid" and "Airplanes, Part II" with B.o.B and Keyshia Cole. Later that year, he performed at the Activison E3 concert. In June Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in Detroit and New York, at concerts called The Home & Home Tour. The first two concerts quickly sold out, prompting an additional show in each city.[94] BET called Eminem the number-one rapper of the 21st century.[95] He opened the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, performing "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie" with Rihanna singing the choruses.[96] Due to the success of Recovery and the Home & Home Tour, Eminem was named the 2010 Hottest MC in the Game by MTV[97] and Emcee of the Year by the online magazine HipHopDX.[98] He and Rihanna again collaborated on "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", the sequel of their hit single. Unlike the original, Rihanna is the lead vocalist and it is sung from the female perspective.[99] In December 2010, the "Great Eminem Recovery" was number one on Billboard's Top 25 Music Moments of 2010.[100] He appeared at the 2011 Grammy Awards on February 13, performing "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" with Rihanna and Adam Levine and "I Need a Doctor" with Dr. Dre and Skylar Grey.[101] That month it was announced that "Space Bound" would be the fourth single from Recovery, with a music video featuring former porn star Sasha Grey;[102][103] the video was released June 24 on the iTunes Store.[104]
In 2010, Eminem again began collaborating with Royce da 5'9" on their first EP as Bad Meets Evil; the duo formed in 1999. The EP, Hell: The Sequel, was released on June 14, 2011.[105] Eminem was featured on Royce da 5'9"'s "Writer's Block", released on April 8, 2011.[106] On May 3 they released the lead single "Fast Lane" from their upcoming EP, and a music video was filmed.[107] In March 2011, within days of each other, The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP were certified diamond by the RIAA; Eminem is the only rapper with two diamond-certified albums.[108] With more than 60 million "likes" he was the most-followed person on Facebook, outscoring Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Michael Jackson.[109] Eminem was the first artist in five years with two number-one albums (Recovery and Hell: The Sequel) in a 12-month period.[110] Early in 2011 he leaked "2.0 Boys", on which Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse collaborated when they signed with Shady Records in January, and performed it in April.[111] Bad Meets Evil released their next single, "Lighters", on July 6 and its music video in late August.[112] On August 6, Eminem performed several songs from throughout his career at Lollapalooza with the artists who had been featured on each song.[113]
On August 14 "Survival", featuring Liz Rodrigues and produced by DJ Khalil, premiered in the multi-player trailer for the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts. According to a press release, the first single from Eminem's eighth album would be released soon.[117][118] During the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, it was announced that the album would be entitled The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (following The Marshall Mathers LP) and was scheduled for release on November 5.[119]
Its lead single, "Berzerk", was released on August 25 and debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Three more singles followed: "Survival" (appearing on the Call of Duty: Ghosts trailer),[120] "Rap God" and "The Monster" (with Rihanna).
The album was released on November 5, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records and Interscope Records. Its standard version had 16 tracks, and the deluxe version included a second disc with five additional tracks. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was Eminem's seventh album to debut atop the Billboard 200, and had the year's second-largest first-week sales.[121][122] He was the first artist since the Beatles to have four singles in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.[123][124][125]
In the United Kingdom The Marshall Mathers LP 2 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The first American artist with seven consecutive UK number-one albums, he is tied with The Beatles for second place for the most consecutive chart-topping UK albums.[126][127][128] The album secured Eminem's position as Canada's best-selling artist, and was 2013's best-selling album.[129]
On November 3, Eminem was named the first YouTube Music Awards Artist of the Year,[130] and a week later he received the Global Icon Award at the 2013 MTV EMA Music Awards.[131] On June 10, it was announced that Eminem was the first artist to receive two digital diamond certifications – sales and streams of 10 million and above – by the RIAA (for "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie").[132] On July 11 and 12, Eminem played two concerts in Wembley Stadium.[133] At the 57th Grammy Awards, he received Best Rap Album award for The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (with Rihanna) for "The Monster".[134][135]
In the summer of 2014, Eminem and Rosenberg began using the hashtag #SHADYXV on social networking sites, and Eminem wore a T-shirt with the hashtag onstage.[136] This was later revealed to be the name of an upcoming Shady Records compilation.[137] Shortly afterwards the first single from the album ("Guts Over Fear", featuring singer-songwriter Sia Furler)[138] was released and the album's track list was released on October 29.[139] Shady Records released a cypher to promote the album, in which Eminem did a seven-minute freestyle. "Detroit vs. Everybody" (the album's second single), with Eminem, Dej Loaf, Royce da 5'9", Danny Brown, Big Sean and Trick-Trick, was released on November 11.[140] Shady XV, released on November 24 during Black Friday week,[141] consists of one greatest-hits disc and one disc of new material by Shady Records artists such as D12, Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil and Yelawolf. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 138,000 copies in the United States.[142]
The Official Eminem Box Set, a career-spanning, 10-disc vinyl box set, was released on March 12, 2015. The set includes seven of Eminem's eight studio albums (excluding Infinite), the 8 Mile soundtrack, the compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, and the greatest hits collection Curtain Call: The Hits.[143] Early in the year, it was announced that he would appear on Tech N9ne's "Speedom (Worldwide Choppers 2)".[144] The song, also featuring Krizz Kaliko, was released on April 20. Eminem also appeared on Yelawolf's "Best Friend", the single from Love Story.
Eminem is the executive producer of the soundtrack on the sports drama Southpaw, with Shady Records. The first single from the soundtrack called 'Phenomenal' was released on June 2, 2015.[145] Another single, "Kings Never Die" by Eminem featuring Gwen Stefani, was released on July 10, 2015 on YouTube via Eminem's Vevo account.[146] Eminem was the first interview of Zane Lowe in Beats 1. The interview streamed online on the Beats 1 radio on [147] July 1, 2015. Eminem appeared on the public access show Only in Monroe, produced in Monroe, Michigan, and was interviewed by guest host Stephen Colbert for an episode that aired July 1, 2015. In the episode Eminem sang snippets of Bob Seger songs at Colbert's prompting and briefly discussed Southpaw.[148] In June 2015, it was revealed that he will serve as the executive producer and music supervisor on the TV series Motor City whose premise will be based upon the 2002 film Narc.[149]
In September 2016, Eminem was featured on Skylar Grey's song, "Kill For You", which appears on her album, Natural Causes.[150] On October 19, 2016, Eminem released a new song called "Campaign Speech", a political hip hop song, and announced he was working on a new album.[151] On November 17, 2016, Eminem released a remastered version of 'Infinite' on his YouTube VEVO channel.[152] On November 22, 2016, Eminem released a trailer for a 10-minute short documentary called Partners in Rhyme: The True Story of Infinite.[153]
Starting in late October, Eminem and Paul Rosenberg began teasing what fans speculated was the title of a new album titled Revival, in the form of advertisements for a fake medication of the same name.[160] Later in November, the first single "Walk on Water" was released, which featured Beyoncé.[161] The song was first performed, by Eminem, at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 12, featuring Skylar Grey.[162] He appeared on Saturday Night Live on November 18, performing "Walk on Water", "Stan" and "Love the Way You Lie" with Skylar Grey.[163] On November 28, Dr. Dre posted a video confirming the album's release date as December 15, 2017.[164] On December 8, Eminem released a promotional single titled "Untouchable" which featured a sample from the duo Cheech & Chong.[165] Despite an online leak of the album two days prior,[166] Revival was released as planned on December 15. On January 5, 2018, the second single "River" was released, which featured Ed Sheeran.[167] It became Eminem's eighth consecutive album to top the US Billboard 200 upon release with 197,000 copies sold in its first week. As a result, he became the first musical act to have eight entries in a row debut atop the chart.[168] The album was met with mixed reviews from music critics.[169][170]
In 2018, an extended edition of "Nowhere Fast" with Kehlani and a remix of "Chloraseptic" featuring 2 Chainz and Phresher were released from Revival.[171][172]
On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his previously unannounced tenth studio album Kamikaze, making it his second full-length studio album in 8 months.[173] The album would top the Billboard 200, making it his ninth album in a row to do so, after selling 434,000 units in the first week.[174]
Eminem was the executive producer of D12's first two albums (Devil's Night and D12 World), Obie Trice's Cheers and Second Round's on Me and 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre.[200] He has produced songs for other rappers, such as Jadakiss' "Welcome To D-Block", Jay-Z's "Renegade" and "Moment of Clarity", Lloyd Banks' "On Fire", "Warrior Part 2" and "Hands Up", Tony Yayo's "Drama Setter", Trick-Trick's "Welcome 2 Detroit", and Xzibit's "My Name" and "Don't Approach Me".[201] Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem and his longtime collaborator, Jeff Bass,[202] and Eminem co-produced Encore with Dr. Dre. In 2004 Eminem was co-executive producer of 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Game with Shakur's mother, Afeni.[203] He produced the UK number-one single "Ghetto Gospel", featuring Elton John,[204] "The Cross" from the Nas album God's Son[205] and eight tracks on Obie Trice's 2006 Second Round's on Me (also appearing on "There They Go").[206] Eminem produced several tracks on Trick-Trick's The Villain (appearing on "Who Want It"),[207] and produced four tracks on Cashis' 2013 album The County Hound 2.
Eminem is considered unusual in structuring his songs around the lyrics, rather than writing to beats.[208] One exception was "Stan", which came from an idea and scratch track produced by the 45 King.[208] After doing little production on Relapse and Recovery, Eminem produced a significant portion of The Marshall Mathers LP 2. He said about producing his own music, "Sometimes, I may get something in my head, like an idea or the mood of something that I would want, and I'm not always gonna get that by going through different tracks that other people have made. They don't know what's in my head. I think maybe it helps, a little bit, with diversity, the sound of it, but also, I would get something in my head and want to be able to lay down that idea from scratch."[209]
Eminem and Christian hip hop artist KJ-52 have been compared to each other, with KJ-52 called his "Christian counterpart".[216] KJ-52's single, "Dear Slim", was controversial with Eminem fans when it appeared on Total Request Live. Although he said the song was not intended to be disrespectful,[217] KJ-52 received hate mail and the song was number 26 on VH1's Top 40 Worst Moments in Hip Hop list.[218]
| Eminem | |
|---|---|
Eminem in 2017
| |
| Born | Marshall Bruce Mathers III October 17, 1972 St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S. |
| Residence | Clinton Township, Macomb County, Michigan, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Kimberly Anne Scott
(m. 1999; div. 2001) (m. 2006; div. 2006) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | List of awards and nominations |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Instruments |
|
| Labels |
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| Associated acts |
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| Website | |
Eminem is the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the United States. Throughout his career, he has had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. With more than 47.4 million albums and 107.5 million singles sold in the U.S. and 220 million records globally, he is among the world's best-selling artists of all time and is consistently cited as one of the greatest and most influential artists in any genre. He is the only artist to have nine albums consecutively debut at number one on the Billboard 200.[1] Rolling Stone ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, calling him the "King of Hip Hop".
After his debut album Infinite (1996) and then Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP, which earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. His next two releases, 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP and 2002's The Eminem Show, were worldwide successes, with each being certified diamond in U.S. sales and both winning Best Rap Album Grammy Awards—making Eminem the first artist to win the award for three consecutive LPs. They were followed by Encore in 2004, another critical and commercial success. Eminem went on hiatus after touring in 2005, releasing Relapse in 2009 and Recovery in 2010. Both won Grammy Awards and Recovery was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, the second time he had the international best-selling album of the year (after The Eminem Show). Eminem's eighth album, 2013's The Marshall Mathers LP 2, won two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album; it expanded his record for the most wins in that category and his Grammy total to 15.[2] In 2017, he released his ninth studio album, Revival. On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his tenth studio album, Kamikaze.[3]
In addition to his solo career, Eminem is an original member of the Midwest hip hop groups Soul Intent and D12. He is also known for his collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil. Eminem has developed other ventures, including Shady Records, with manager Paul Rosenberg, which helped launch the careers of artists such as 50 Cent. Eminem has also established his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio. In November 2002, he starred in the hip hop film 8 Mile, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself", becoming the first rap artist to ever win the award.[4] Eminem has made cameo appearances in the films The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), and The Interview (2014), and the television series Entourage (2010).
Contents
- 1 Life and career
- 1.1 1972–1991: Early life
- 1.2 1992–1997: Early career, Infinite and family struggles
- 1.3 1998–1999: Introduction to Slim Shady, The Slim Shady LP and rise to success
- 1.4 2000–2002: The Marshall Mathers LP, lyrical conflicts and The Eminem Show
- 1.5 2003–2007: Encore, more lyrical conflicts and musical hiatus
- 1.6 2008–2009: Comeback, Relapse and Refill
- 1.7 2010–2011: Recovery and Bad Meets Evil reunion
- 1.8 2012–2013: The Marshall Mathers LP 2
- 1.9 2014–2016: Shady XV, vinyl box set, and Southpaw
- 1.10 2017–present: Revival and Kamikaze
- 2 Artistry
- 3 Personal life
- 4 Legacy
- 5 Honors and awards
- 6 Other ventures
- 7 Discography
- 8 Tours
- 9 Books
- 10 See also
- 11 References
- 12 External links
Life and career
1972–1991: Early life
Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1972,[5] in St. Joseph, Missouri, the only child of Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. and Deborah Rae "Debbie" (Nelson).[6][7][8] His mother nearly died during her 73-hour labor with him.[9] Eminem's parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing in Ramada Inns along the Dakotas–Montana border before their separation. Bruce left the family, moving to California[10] and having two other children: Michael and Sarah.[11] Debbie later had son Nathan "Nate" Kane Samara.[8] During his childhood, Eminem and Debbie shuttled between Michigan and Missouri, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and living primarily with family members. In Missouri, they lived in several places, including St. Joseph, Savannah, and Kansas City.[12][13]As a teenager, Eminem wrote letters to his father, which Debbie stated all came back marked "return to sender".[10] Friends and family remember Eminem as a happy child, but "a bit of a loner" who was often bullied. One bully, De'Angelo Bailey, severely injured Eminem's head (mentioned in his song "Brain Damage"); Debbie filed a lawsuit against the school in 1982, which was dismissed the following year because the Macomb County (Mich.) judge said the schools were immune from lawsuits.[9] Eminem spent much of his youth in a working-class, primarily black, Detroit neighborhood.[10] He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Eminem was beaten by black youths several times.[10] As a child he was interested in storytelling, aspiring to be a comic-book artist before discovering hip hop.[14] Eminem heard his first rap song ("Reckless", featuring Ice-T) on the Breakin' soundtrack, a gift from Debbie's half-brother Ronnie Polkinghorn, who was close to him and later became a musical mentor to him. When Polkinghorn committed suicide in 1991, Eminem stopped speaking for days and did not attend his funeral.[10][15]
Eminem's home life was seldom stable; he frequently fought with his mother, whom a social worker described as having a "very suspicious, almost paranoid personality". When her son became famous, Debbie was unimpressed by suggestions that she was a less-than-ideal mother, contending that she sheltered him and was responsible for his success. In 1987, Debbie allowed runaway Kimberly Ann "Kim" Scott to stay at their home; several years later, Eminem began an on-and-off relationship with Scott.[9] After spending three years in ninth grade due to truancy and poor grades,[16] he dropped out of Lincoln High School at age 17. Although he was interested in English, he never explored literature (preferring comic books) and disliked math and social studies.[17] Eminem worked at several jobs to help his mother pay the bills, later maintaining that she often threw him out of the house anyway. When she left to play bingo, he would blast the stereo and write songs.[10]
At age 14, Eminem began rapping with high-school friend Mike Ruby; they adopted the names "Manix" and "M&M", the latter of which evolved into "Eminem".[5][9] Eminem snuck into neighboring Osborn High School with friend and fellow rapper Proof for lunchroom freestyle rap battles.[18] On Saturdays, they attended open mic contests at the Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile, considered "ground zero" for the Detroit rap scene.[10] Struggling to succeed in a predominantly black industry, Eminem was appreciated by underground hip hop audiences.[5][19][20] When he wrote verses, he wanted most of the words to rhyme; he wrote long words or phrases on paper and, underneath, worked on rhymes for each syllable.[17] Although the words often made little sense, the drill helped Eminem practice sounds and rhymes.[17]
1992–1997: Early career, Infinite and family struggles
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Eminem in Germany, 1999
Eminem was soon signed to Jeff and Mark Bass's FBT Productions, and recorded his debut album Infinite for their independent Web Entertainment label.[21] The album was a commercial failure upon its release in 1996.[22] One lyrical subject of Infinite was his struggle to raise his newborn daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers, on little money. During this period, Eminem's rhyming style, primarily inspired by rappers Nas, Esham and AZ, lacked the comically violent slant for which he later became known.[23] Detroit disc jockeys largely ignored Infinite, and the feedback Eminem did receive ("Why don't you go into rock and roll?") led him to craft angrier, moodier tracks.[10] At this time Eminem and Kim Scott lived in a crime-ridden neighborhood, and their house was robbed several times.[10] Eminem cooked and washed dishes for minimum wage at Gilbert's Lodge, a family-style restaurant at St. Clair Shores.[24] His former boss described him as becoming a model employee, as he worked 60 hours a week for six months after Hailie's birth.[9] He was fired shortly before Christmas, and later said, "It was, like, five days before Christmas, which is Hailie's birthday. I had, like, forty dollars to get her something."[10] After the release of Infinite, his personal problems and substance abuse culminated in a suicide attempt.[5] By March 1997 he was fired from Gilbert's Lodge for the last time, and lived in his mother's mobile home with Kim and Hailie.[9]
1998–1999: Introduction to Slim Shady, The Slim Shady LP and rise to success
Eminem attracted more attention when he developed Slim Shady, a sadistic, violent alter ego. The character allowed him to express his anger with lyrics about drugs, rape, and murder.[9] In the spring of 1997 he recorded his debut EP, the Slim Shady EP, which was released that winter by Web Entertainment.[10] The EP, with frequent references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability and violence, also explored the more-serious themes of dealing with poverty and marital and family difficulties and revealed his direct, self-deprecating response to criticism.[5] Hip-hop magazine The Source featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column in March 1998.[25]
Eminem (left) at the ARCO Arena for the Up in Smoke Tour, June 2000
Eminem released The Slim Shady LP in February 1999. Although it was one of the year's most popular albums (certified triple platinum by the end of the year),[28] he was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper Cage.[29][30] The album's popularity was accompanied by controversy over its lyrics; in "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" Eminem describes a trip with his infant daughter when he disposes of his wife's body, and in "Guilty Conscience" which encourages a man to murder his wife and her lover. "Guilty Conscience" marked the beginning of a friendship and musical bond between Dr. Dre and Eminem. The label-mates later collaborated on a number of hit songs ("Forgot About Dre" and "What's the Difference" while also providing uncredited vocals on "The Watcher"" from Dr. Dre's album 2001, "Bitch Please II" from The Marshall Mathers LP, "Say What You Say" from The Eminem Show, "Encore/Curtains Down" from Encore, and "Old Time's Sake" and "Crack a Bottle" from Relapse), and Dre made at least one guest appearance on each of Eminem's Aftermath albums.[31] The Slim Shady LP has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.[32]
2000–2002: The Marshall Mathers LP, lyrical conflicts and The Eminem Show
Eminem and Proof at Voodoo Experience in October 2000
Eminem performed with Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001,[41] with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD, an organization which considered Eminem's lyrics homophobic) condemning John's decision to perform with Eminem.[42] Entertainment Weekly placed the appearance on its end-of-decade "best-of" list: "It was the hug heard 'round the world. Eminem, under fire for homophobic lyrics, shared the stage with a gay icon for a performance of "Stan" that would have been memorable in any context."[43] On February 21, the day of the awards ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center (the ceremony's venue).[44] In 2001 Eminem appeared in the Up in Smoke Tour with rappers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Ice Cube[45] and the Family Values Tour with Limp Bizkit,[46] headlining the Anger Management Tour with Papa Roach, Ludacris and Xzibit.
The Eminem Show was released in May 2002. It was another success, reaching number one on the charts and selling over 1.332 million copies during its first full week.[28] The album's single, "Without Me", denigrates boy bands, Limp Bizkit, Dick and Lynne Cheney, Moby and others. The Eminem Show certified Diamond by the RIAA examines the effects of Eminem's rise to fame, his relationship with his wife and daughter and his status in the hip-hop community, addressing an assault charge brought by a bouncer he saw kissing his wife in 2000. Although several tracks are clearly angry, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found The Eminem Show less inflammatory than The Marshall Mathers LP.[47] L. Brent Bozell III, who had criticized The Marshall Mathers LP for misogynistic lyrics, noted The Eminem Show's extensive use of obscenity and called Eminem "Eminef" for the prevalence of the word "motherfucker" on the album.[48] The Eminem Show sold 30 million copies worldwide[40] and was the best-selling album of 2002.
2003–2007: Encore, more lyrical conflicts and musical hiatus
On the Anger Management Tour promoting Encore
Also in 2003 Eminem, a lifelong fan of Tupac,[51] provided production work for three tracks on the Tupac Resurrection soundtrack [52] He would follow this up the next year by producing 12 of the 16 tracks on Tupac's Loyal to the Game album.[52]
Encore, released in 2004, was another success. Its sales were partially driven by the first single, "Just Lose It", which contained slurs about Michael Jackson. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson phoned the Los Angeles-based Steve Harvey radio show to report his displeasure with its video (which parodies Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery and the 1984 incident when Jackson's hair caught fire during the filming of a commercial). In the song Eminem says, "That's not a stab at Michael / That's just a metaphor / I'm just psycho". Many of Jackson's friends and supporters spoke out against the video, including Stevie Wonder (who described it as "kicking a man while he's down" and "bullshit")[53] and Steve Harvey (who said, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back").[53] The video also parodied Pee-wee Herman, MC Hammer and Madonna during her Blond Ambition period.[54] "Weird Al" Yankovic, who parodied the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" on "Couch Potato" for his 2003 album Poodle Hat, told the Chicago Sun-Times about Jackson's protest: "Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my 'Lose Yourself' parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career. So the irony of this situation with Michael is not lost on me."[55] Although Black Entertainment Television stopped playing the video, MTV announced that it would continue to air it. The Source, through CEO Raymond "Benzino" Scott, called for the video to be pulled, the song removed from the album and Eminem to apologize publicly to Jackson.[56] In 2007 Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music from Viacom, giving him the rights to songs by Eminem, Shakira, Beck and others.[57]
Despite its lead single's humorous theme, Encore explored serious subject matter with the anti-war song "Mosh". The song criticized President George W. Bush as "This weapon of mass destruction that we call our president", with lyrics including "Fuck Bush".[58] On October 25, 2004, a week before the 2004 US Presidential election, Eminem released the video for "Mosh" on the Internet.[59] In it, Eminem gathers an army (including rapper Lloyd Banks) of Bush-administration victims and leads them to the White House. When they break in, it is learned that they are there to register to vote; the video ends with "VOTE Tuesday November 2". After Bush's reelection, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading the White House during a speech by the president.[60] Also in 2004 Eminem launched a satellite music channel, Shade 45, on Sirius radio,[61] which was described by his manager as "essentially a destination to get and hear things that other people aren't playing," [62]
In 2005, industry insiders speculated that Eminem was considering ending his rapping career after six years and several Multi-Platinum albums. Rumors began early in the year about a double album to be released late that year, entitled The Funeral;[63] the greatest hits album, entitled Curtain Call: The Hits, was released in December. In July the Detroit Free Press reported a possible final bow for Eminem as a solo performer, quoting members of his inner circle as saying that he would embrace the roles of producer and label executive. The day of Curtain Call: The Hits's release, Eminem appeared on WKQI's "Mojo in the Morning" show. Denying that he was retiring, he suggested he would take a break as an artist: "I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going ... This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call', because this could be the final thing. We don't know."[64] The following year, Eminem released Eminem Presents: The Re-Up on Shady Records.
In 2005, Eminem was ranked 58th in Bernard Goldberg's book, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America.[65] Goldberg cited a 2001 column by Bob Herbert of The New York Times, in which Herbert wrote "In Eminem's world, all women are whores and he is eager to rape and murder them",[66] and the song "No One's Iller" from the Slim Shady EP as examples of Eminem's misogyny.[67] That summer Eminem began his first US concert tour in three years, with the Anger Management 3 Tour featuring 50 Cent, G-Unit, Lil Jon, D12, Obie Trice and The Alchemist. In August he canceled the European leg of the tour, later announcing that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment of a "dependency on sleep medication".[68] Curtain Call: The Hits was released December 6, 2005 by Aftermath Entertainment.[69] During its first week it sold nearly 441,000 copies in the US, and was Eminem's fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Hot 200.[70] The album has been certified double platinum by the RIAA.[71]
In September 2007, Eminem called New York radio station WQHT during an interview with 50 Cent, saying that he was "in limbo" and "debating" about when (or if) he would release another album: "I'm always working – I'm always in the studio. It feels good right now, the energy of the label. For a while, I didn't want to go back to the studio ... I went through some personal things. I'm coming out of those personal things [and] it feels good."[72]
2008–2009: Comeback, Relapse and Refill
With D12 in May 2009
According to a March 5, 2009 press release, Eminem would release two new albums that year. Relapse, the first, was released on May 19; its first single and music video, "We Made You", had been released on April 7.[77] Although Relapse did not sell as well as Eminem's previous albums and received mixed reviews, it was a commercial success and re-established his presence in the hip-hop world. It sold more than five million copies worldwide. During the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Sacha Baron Cohen descended on the audience in an angel costume. He landed buttocks-first on Eminem, who stormed out of the ceremony; three days later, Eminem said that the stunt had been staged.[78] On October 30 he headlined at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans, his first full performance of the year.[79] Eminem's act included several songs from Relapse, many of his older hits and an appearance by D12. On November 19, he announced on his website that Relapse: Refill would be released on December 21. The album was a re-release of Relapse with seven bonus tracks, including "Forever" and "Taking My Ball". Eminem described the CD:
I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned ... Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year ... I got back in with Dre and then a few more producers, including Just Blaze, and went in a completely different direction which made me start from scratch. The new tracks started to sound very different than the tracks I originally intended to be on Relapse 2, but I still want the other stuff to be heard.[80]
2010–2011: Recovery and Bad Meets Evil reunion
On April 14, 2010, Eminem tweeted: "There is no Relapse 2". Although his followers thought he was not releasing an album, he had changed its title to Recovery and confirmed this by tweeting "RECOVERY" with a link to his website. He said:I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year. But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title.[81]His seventh album was released on June 18.[81] In the US Recovery sold 741,000 copies during its first week, topping the Billboard 200 chart.[82][83] Eminem's sixth consecutive US number-one album also topped the charts in several other countries. Recovery remained atop the Billboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks of a seven-week total.[84]
Billboard reported that it was the bestselling album of 2010, making Eminem the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history with two year-end bestselling albums.[85] Recovery is the bestselling digital album in history.[86] Its first single, "Not Afraid", was released on April 29 and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100; its music video was released on June 4.[87] "Not Afraid" was followed by "Love the Way You Lie", which debuted at number two before rising to the top.[88] Although "Love the Way You Lie" was the bestselling 2010 single in the United Kingdom, it did not reach number one (the first time this has happened in the UK since 1969).[89] Despite criticism of its inconsistency, Recovery received positive reviews from most critics. As of November 21, 2010[update], the album had US sales of three million copies.[90] Recovery was the bestselling album worldwide in 2010, joining 2002's bestseller The Eminem Show to give Eminem two worldwide year-end number-one albums.[91] With Recovery, Eminem broke the record for the most successive US number-one albums by a solo artist.[92]
Singing "Love the Way You Lie" with Rihanna at the 2010 E3 Expo Party
In 2010, Eminem again began collaborating with Royce da 5'9" on their first EP as Bad Meets Evil; the duo formed in 1999. The EP, Hell: The Sequel, was released on June 14, 2011.[105] Eminem was featured on Royce da 5'9"'s "Writer's Block", released on April 8, 2011.[106] On May 3 they released the lead single "Fast Lane" from their upcoming EP, and a music video was filmed.[107] In March 2011, within days of each other, The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP were certified diamond by the RIAA; Eminem is the only rapper with two diamond-certified albums.[108] With more than 60 million "likes" he was the most-followed person on Facebook, outscoring Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Michael Jackson.[109] Eminem was the first artist in five years with two number-one albums (Recovery and Hell: The Sequel) in a 12-month period.[110] Early in 2011 he leaked "2.0 Boys", on which Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse collaborated when they signed with Shady Records in January, and performed it in April.[111] Bad Meets Evil released their next single, "Lighters", on July 6 and its music video in late August.[112] On August 6, Eminem performed several songs from throughout his career at Lollapalooza with the artists who had been featured on each song.[113]
2012–2013: The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Eminem announced on May 24, 2012, that he was working on his next album,[114] scheduled for release the following year.[115] Without a title or release date, it was included on a number of "Most Anticipated Albums of 2013" lists (including MTV); Complex ranked it sixth, and XXL fifth.[116]On August 14 "Survival", featuring Liz Rodrigues and produced by DJ Khalil, premiered in the multi-player trailer for the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts. According to a press release, the first single from Eminem's eighth album would be released soon.[117][118] During the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, it was announced that the album would be entitled The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (following The Marshall Mathers LP) and was scheduled for release on November 5.[119]
At the 2014 Lollapalooza in Chicago
The album was released on November 5, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records and Interscope Records. Its standard version had 16 tracks, and the deluxe version included a second disc with five additional tracks. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was Eminem's seventh album to debut atop the Billboard 200, and had the year's second-largest first-week sales.[121][122] He was the first artist since the Beatles to have four singles in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.[123][124][125]
In the United Kingdom The Marshall Mathers LP 2 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The first American artist with seven consecutive UK number-one albums, he is tied with The Beatles for second place for the most consecutive chart-topping UK albums.[126][127][128] The album secured Eminem's position as Canada's best-selling artist, and was 2013's best-selling album.[129]
On November 3, Eminem was named the first YouTube Music Awards Artist of the Year,[130] and a week later he received the Global Icon Award at the 2013 MTV EMA Music Awards.[131] On June 10, it was announced that Eminem was the first artist to receive two digital diamond certifications – sales and streams of 10 million and above – by the RIAA (for "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie").[132] On July 11 and 12, Eminem played two concerts in Wembley Stadium.[133] At the 57th Grammy Awards, he received Best Rap Album award for The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (with Rihanna) for "The Monster".[134][135]
2014–2016: Shady XV, vinyl box set, and Southpaw
Eminem performs at the Concert for Valor in Washington, D.C. in 2014.
The Official Eminem Box Set, a career-spanning, 10-disc vinyl box set, was released on March 12, 2015. The set includes seven of Eminem's eight studio albums (excluding Infinite), the 8 Mile soundtrack, the compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, and the greatest hits collection Curtain Call: The Hits.[143] Early in the year, it was announced that he would appear on Tech N9ne's "Speedom (Worldwide Choppers 2)".[144] The song, also featuring Krizz Kaliko, was released on April 20. Eminem also appeared on Yelawolf's "Best Friend", the single from Love Story.
Eminem is the executive producer of the soundtrack on the sports drama Southpaw, with Shady Records. The first single from the soundtrack called 'Phenomenal' was released on June 2, 2015.[145] Another single, "Kings Never Die" by Eminem featuring Gwen Stefani, was released on July 10, 2015 on YouTube via Eminem's Vevo account.[146] Eminem was the first interview of Zane Lowe in Beats 1. The interview streamed online on the Beats 1 radio on [147] July 1, 2015. Eminem appeared on the public access show Only in Monroe, produced in Monroe, Michigan, and was interviewed by guest host Stephen Colbert for an episode that aired July 1, 2015. In the episode Eminem sang snippets of Bob Seger songs at Colbert's prompting and briefly discussed Southpaw.[148] In June 2015, it was revealed that he will serve as the executive producer and music supervisor on the TV series Motor City whose premise will be based upon the 2002 film Narc.[149]
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Eminem performing in 2016
2017–present: Revival and Kamikaze
In February 2017, Eminem appeared on "No Favors", a track from Big Sean's album I Decided. In the song, Eminem calls the newly elected President Donald Trump a "bitch", and also raps about raping conservative social and political commentator Ann Coulter, who is a Trump supporter, with a variety of foreign objects. Coulter responded to the lyrics, stating, "I think it's unfortunate that the left, from Berkeley to Eminem with his rap songs, has normalized violence against women, as Eminem has done."[154] Eminem participated in the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards' annual cypher, using his verse, a freestyle rap called "The Storm",[155] to further criticize Trump and the administration[156] for, among other things, Trump's focus on National Football League players' protests during "The Star Spangled Banner" over Hurricane Maria recovery efforts[157] and lack of gun control reform in the wake of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.[156] Eminem ended the cypher by giving an ultimatum saying that Trump supporters cannot be his fans.[157] The verse received wide praise among other rappers following its release.[158] In October 2017, Eminem appeared on "Revenge", a track from Pink's album Beautiful Trauma.[159]Starting in late October, Eminem and Paul Rosenberg began teasing what fans speculated was the title of a new album titled Revival, in the form of advertisements for a fake medication of the same name.[160] Later in November, the first single "Walk on Water" was released, which featured Beyoncé.[161] The song was first performed, by Eminem, at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 12, featuring Skylar Grey.[162] He appeared on Saturday Night Live on November 18, performing "Walk on Water", "Stan" and "Love the Way You Lie" with Skylar Grey.[163] On November 28, Dr. Dre posted a video confirming the album's release date as December 15, 2017.[164] On December 8, Eminem released a promotional single titled "Untouchable" which featured a sample from the duo Cheech & Chong.[165] Despite an online leak of the album two days prior,[166] Revival was released as planned on December 15. On January 5, 2018, the second single "River" was released, which featured Ed Sheeran.[167] It became Eminem's eighth consecutive album to top the US Billboard 200 upon release with 197,000 copies sold in its first week. As a result, he became the first musical act to have eight entries in a row debut atop the chart.[168] The album was met with mixed reviews from music critics.[169][170]
In 2018, an extended edition of "Nowhere Fast" with Kehlani and a remix of "Chloraseptic" featuring 2 Chainz and Phresher were released from Revival.[171][172]
On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his previously unannounced tenth studio album Kamikaze, making it his second full-length studio album in 8 months.[173] The album would top the Billboard 200, making it his ninth album in a row to do so, after selling 434,000 units in the first week.[174]
Artistry
Influences, style, and rapping technique
Eminem has cited several MCs as influencing his rapping style, including Esham,[175] Kool G Rap,[176] Masta Ace, Big Daddy Kane,[176] Newcleus, Ice-T, Mantronix, Melle Mel (on "The Message"), LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Run–D.M.C., Rakim and Boogie Down Productions.[177] In How to Rap, Guerilla Black notes that Eminem studied other MCs to hone his rapping technique: "Eminem listened to everything and that's what made him one of the greats".[178] In the book, other MCs also praise aspects of his rapping technique; varied, humorous subject matter,[179] connecting with his audience,[180] carrying a concept over a series of albums,[181] complex rhyme schemes,[182] bending words so they rhyme,[183] multisyllabic rhymes,[176] many rhymes to a bar,[184] complex rhythms,[185] clear enunciation[186] and the use of melody[187] and syncopation.[188] Eminem is known to write most of his lyrics on paper (documented in The Way I Am), taking several days or a week to craft lyrics,[189] being a "workaholic"[190] and "stacking" vocals.[191] Examples of hip hop subgenres that Eminem's music has been described as include horrorcore,[192][193][194] comedy hip hop,[195] and hardcore hip hop.[196][197]Alter egos
Eminem uses alter egos in his songs for different rapping styles and subject matter. His best-known alter ego, Slim Shady, first appeared on the Slim Shady EP. In this persona his songs are violent and dark, with a comic twist.[198] Eminem downplayed Slim Shady on Recovery because he felt it did not fit the album's theme.[199]Collaborations and productions
Although Eminem usually collaborates with Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records rappers such as Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, D12, Obie Trice and Yelawolf, he has also worked with Redman, Kid Rock, DMX, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott, Jay Z, Drake, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Xzibit, Method Man, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Sticky Fingaz, T.I. and Young Jeezy. Eminem rapped a verse in a live performance of Busta Rhymes' "Touch It" remix at the June 27, 2006 BET Music Awards. He appeared on Akon's single "Smack That" from Konvicted, Lil Wayne's hit "Drop the World", and "My Life" (the lead single from 50 Cent's Street King Immortal).Eminem was the executive producer of D12's first two albums (Devil's Night and D12 World), Obie Trice's Cheers and Second Round's on Me and 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre.[200] He has produced songs for other rappers, such as Jadakiss' "Welcome To D-Block", Jay-Z's "Renegade" and "Moment of Clarity", Lloyd Banks' "On Fire", "Warrior Part 2" and "Hands Up", Tony Yayo's "Drama Setter", Trick-Trick's "Welcome 2 Detroit", and Xzibit's "My Name" and "Don't Approach Me".[201] Most of The Eminem Show was produced by Eminem and his longtime collaborator, Jeff Bass,[202] and Eminem co-produced Encore with Dr. Dre. In 2004 Eminem was co-executive producer of 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Game with Shakur's mother, Afeni.[203] He produced the UK number-one single "Ghetto Gospel", featuring Elton John,[204] "The Cross" from the Nas album God's Son[205] and eight tracks on Obie Trice's 2006 Second Round's on Me (also appearing on "There They Go").[206] Eminem produced several tracks on Trick-Trick's The Villain (appearing on "Who Want It"),[207] and produced four tracks on Cashis' 2013 album The County Hound 2.
Eminem is considered unusual in structuring his songs around the lyrics, rather than writing to beats.[208] One exception was "Stan", which came from an idea and scratch track produced by the 45 King.[208] After doing little production on Relapse and Recovery, Eminem produced a significant portion of The Marshall Mathers LP 2. He said about producing his own music, "Sometimes, I may get something in my head, like an idea or the mood of something that I would want, and I'm not always gonna get that by going through different tracks that other people have made. They don't know what's in my head. I think maybe it helps, a little bit, with diversity, the sound of it, but also, I would get something in my head and want to be able to lay down that idea from scratch."[209]
Comparisons with other artists
As a white performer prominent in a genre influenced by black artists, Eminem has been compared, much to his chagrin,[210] to Elvis Presley,[211] and as a lyricist and as aforementioned to Bob Dylan.[212] Rapper Asher Roth has been compared to Eminem, and Roth devoted a song on his album ("As I Em") to him, which he took offense to.[213][214][215] The accomplished trumpeter Nicholas Payton has called Eminem "the Bix Beiderbecke of hip hop".Eminem and Christian hip hop artist KJ-52 have been compared to each other, with KJ-52 called his "Christian counterpart".[216] KJ-52's single, "Dear Slim", was controversial with Eminem fans when it appeared on Total Request Live. Although he said the song was not intended to be disrespectful,[217] KJ-52 received hate mail and the song was number 26 on VH1's Top 40 Worst Moments in Hip Hop list.[218]
