How many of these facts did you know about Eminem?
What feels like an endless amount of material has been written about the Detroit rapper Eminem, but over the years, so many of the details of his biggest profiles and interviews have fallen to the wayside in favor of the most definitive moments and highlights of his career.
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known as Eminem, was born on October 17, 1972, and is one of the most successful musical artists of his generation. Eminem has had success as a movie star and a record producer in addition to his legendary rapping career.
Eminem gained prominence in the late 1990s after signing with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment, following the release of his debut album “Infinite” in 1996 and the extended play “Slim Shady EP” in 1997. His third album, “The Slim Shady LP,” was a commercial success in 1999, paving the way for his subsequent global hits, “The Marshall Mathers LP” (2000) and “The Eminem Show” (2002), both of which earned nominations for the Album of the Year Grammy Award.
Eminem Net Worth: What Is Rap God’s Worth In 2023
Eminem is back with a brand new surprise album called “Music To Be Murdered By,” following up on his previous surprise album “Kamikaze” from 2018. Black Thought, Royce 5’9′′, Ed Sheeran, Juice WRLD, Anderson.Paak, Skylar Grey, KXNG Crooked, Young M.A., Don Oliver, and others appear on the album’s 20 tracks.
In late 2022, the Detroit rapper was inducted into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Eminem’s longtime mentor and collaborator Dr. Dre praised the rapper in a speech for becoming one the best-selling hip-hop artist of all time from an “unassuming white guy from Detroit”. “Eminem wasn’t just an underdog who broke through the glass ceiling of hip-hop — he shattered that sh*t,” he said.
In an interview with the New York Times, Eminem stated that Battle rap is the best thing that happened to him. “Tuesday night I would go to the Ebony Showcase on Seven Mile. Wednesday night would be Alvin’s. Friday night would be Saint Andrew’s. And then Saturday would be the Hip Hop Shop,” he said. “Proof was hosting open mics at the Hip Hop Shop, and they started having battles.
“The first one that I got in — it was actually the first battle there — I won. And then the second battle, I won it again. I realized maybe I should try to go out of state. So I would hop in the car with friends and drive down to Cincinnati for the Scribble Jam.”
He continued: “Coming up in the battle scene was the greatest thing to happen to me because I knew what lines were going to get a reaction from the crowd. That’s what I would focus on. So when I got signed with Dre, I was trying to translate that to record, to get that reaction. I would picture the listener sitting there and what lines they might react to. I just used that as a formula. Like, ‘How you gonna br–stfeed, Mom?/ You ain’t got no t–s.’”
We went on a reading spree and dug up a ton of old information about Marshall Mathers, from the first hip-hop song he heard, to the only book he’s read, when he met Royce, read up about how he used to get beat up, and a lot more than that. So check out many things you probably didn’t know about Eminem below.
1. He thought of the “Slim Shady” character on the toilet, then got up and “called everyone [he] knew.”
2. The first rap song he heard was Ice-T’s “Reckless,” at the age of nine.
3. He says that he decided to pursue rapping after hearing the Beastie Boys.
4. He was still making payments on his trailer home when The Slim Shady LP dropped.
5. Over a year later, after selling millions of records, he was still living modestly: “I could safely say that I’m well off, but I’m not a millionaire.”
6. In order to record Hailie’s part for the song “’97 Bonnie & Clyde,” he lied to Kim and said they were going to Chuck E. Cheese.
7. He got fired from Gilbert’s Lodge five days before Hailie’s birthday, which falls on Christmas, and with only $40, wrote “Rock Bottom” the same night.
8. The Marshall Mathers LP was originally titled Amsterdam because he wrote a good chunk of the album there, and Dutch journalists inspired some of the content on the album.
9. The only book he’s read in full is LL Cool J’s I Make My Own Rules.
10. He met Kim when he was 15 and she was 13. He was standing on a table with his shirt off rapping LL Cool J’s “I’m Bad.”
11. He got shot at while walking to Kim’s house as a teenager.
12. He once claimed to have pulled a gun on fans who showed up at his home unannounced.
13. The director of Training Day was initially interested in casting Eminem for the role that eventually went to Ethan Hawke.
14. He got evicted the night before the 1997 Rap Olympics and had to break into his own place and sleep on the floor before leaving for L.A.
15. He failed ninth grade three times before dropping out.
16. His mother sued his school in 1982 over the bullying Eminem received from D’Angelo Bailey, the bully Em rapped about on “Brain Damage.”
17. Years later, D’Angelo Bailey sued Eminem for $1 million, claiming that “Brain Damage” hurt his reputation, despite previously admitting to the bullying.
18. He toned down the shock value on The Eminem Show to prove he could sell records without it.
19. He wrote the hook for “Just Lose It” in 30 seconds. It was the last song recorded for Encore because the album needed a single.
20. He doesn’t enjoy listening to the “dumb shit” on Encore because it reminds him of when he was “starting to get really high in the studio.”
21. He got into a habit of constantly watching the Rocky movies, Shooter, and Boogie Nights at the height of his addiction and has seen all of them around 150 times.
22. Overzealous fans would steal his possessions when he was at rehab in 2005.
23. One time a crackhead broke into his and Kim’s house, made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and didn’t steal anything.
24. Before blowing up, he quit rapping for six months after his house was broken into for the fifth time.
25. The Dallas Cowboys have been his go-to NFL team since childhood.
26. “My Name Is” was pulled from NFL promo spots in 1999 when the league found out about his explicit lyrical content.
27. He’s said that after listening to “My Name Is” and “The Real Slim Shady” a few times, they became “cheesy” to him.
28. Dr. Dre knew “The Real Slim Shady” would be a hit once he heard his kids singing the hook.
29. His first big purchase was a house, but he had to sell it almost immediately because fans would jump in his pool and pull in his driveway all the time.
30. His mother claims he used to carry around a tiny, custom replica of his childhood home.
31. His mother nearly died during his 73-hour birth; she was 15 at the time.
32. His grandmother threatened to sue him if he used a freestyle by his deceased Uncle Ronnie on The Marshall Mathers LP. His grandmother later sent him a tape and a note that read, “Marshall, I found Ronnie’s last tape. Maybe you can use it.” It was a recording of Ronnie’s funeral.
33. At the beginning of his career, he and Royce Da 5’9″ hid new Avirex leather jackets under his hotel bed and from his manager, Paul Rosenberg, for fear of seeming fiscally irresponsible.
34. He met Royce Da 5’9 in 1997 when Royce was opening for Usher at the Palladium.
35. He cracked multiple ribs after a 10-foot fall from the stage on his first tour.
36. He no longer does extensive touring because it’s a trigger for his addiction.
37. During his recovery from addiction, he was quoted as saying, “Elton John calls me once a week.”
38. When Elton John and his partner got their civil union, Eminem sent them two diamond cock rings.
39. He doesn’t know how to use a computer.
40. Eminem apologized to Alchemist for giving him an “accent joint”—a track where he was still rapping in an accent, from before he was all the way clean—for Alchemist’s album.
41. The U.S. Secret Service considered taking action when he rapped, “I’d rather see the president dead” on “We As Americans.”
42. Weird Al Yankovic wanted to shoot a video for the song “Couch Potato”—a parody of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”—but Eminem refused to give him permission.
43. He wrote “Lose Yourself” in one take while on the set of 8 Mile.
Eminem Performs “Lose Yourself” & “Godzilla” In Short Fortnite Virtual Concert
44. It took him “a few weeks” to get his confidence back after recording the down-and-out anthems of the 8 Mile soundtrack.
45. He’s rumored to have been paid $3 million for his role in 8 Mile.
46. Eminem said that his favorite movie is Superbad.
47. At 20, he was the driver in a drive-by shooting…with paintballs. The balls didn’t even break, but he was arrested. The case was dismissed when the victim didn’t show up to court.
48. When Vanilla Ice blew up in the early ’90s, it “crushed” Eminem and made him feel like he “didn’t want to rap anymore.”
49. In 2002, with three multiplatinum albums to his name, he was still driving a leased Mercedes-Benz.
50. Eminem said that he doesn’t plan to marry or have children ever again.
51. Eminem and Dr. Dre made “My Name Is” the first day they ever met.
52. Eminem is addicted to eating Taco Bell.
53. Eminem produced 13 tracks on Tupac’s Loyal to the Game.
54. The 2014 Shady XV cypher was only supposed to be 15 minutes long to match the anniversary, but Eminem went over the limit.
55. Dr. Dre said that he knew Eminem’s “My Name Is” would be a hit because it was the most annoying song he’d ever heard.
56. Paul Rosenberg Buy Eminem First “Infinite” CD For $6.
57. Eminem’s eyes Twitch faster than Normal because of Taking Drugs In the Past. “Remember his Lines: Drug sickness has got me doing some bug twitches”.
58. In 2015, Eminem Release his Lost Version Of ‘Lose Yourself’ which he Doesn’t Remember Recording.
59. Eminem’s ‘Love The Way You Lie’ is Rihanna’s Best Selling Song. After selling 338,000 digital downloads in its first week, the track debuted at number one on the US Digital Songs chart. From July 31 to September 11, 2010, it topped the Hot 100 for seven weeks.
60. Eminem is the most Subscriber Hip-Hop Artist on Youtube (Over 40m).
61. Eminem has more than 63 million RIAA Certified Albums & Singles.
Update: Eminem has shattered the RIAA’s record for the most gold and platinum singles certified in its history. After receiving 73.5 million additional units, Eminem currently has 166 million single certifications and 61.5 million album certifications. The new certificates propel the Detroit rapper ahead of Drake, who previously held the record with 163.5 million certifications, and Rihanna, who has 151.5 million certifications.
Via : Complex
