| History In a few short months, Eminem has gone from being one of the most heralded emcee's in underground hip-hop to one of the most provocative, controversial rappers in contemporary pop music. The overnight success of his debut album 'The Slim Shady LP', literally rocked the rap world, making him one of the biggest music successes of 1999. But Eminem is more than the latest rap artist to blow up. He's spent the past several years paying his dues, and his lyrics, which cover topics such as poverty and single parenthood, reflect a rough upbringing. His unlikely acceptance by the pop mainstream has made some wonder how his popularity will affect the future of hip-hop music. Before he had the world singing along to 'My Name Is....' he was Marshall Mathers, a poor kid growing up in Warren, MI. "it's like the stereotypical trailer park, we were white trash," Eminem told rap pages earlier this year. As a child, he and his mother moved constantly, staying in relatives homes' in places as desperate as Warren and Kansas City. As a result Marshall found it difficult to make friends, and he retreated into his comic books and television. When Mathers was 12, his mother finally settled down on the east side of Detroit. There he attended Lincoln Junior High School, and spent his time hanging out with friends and listening to artists such as LL Cool J and the 2 live crew. He battled against other rappers at his high school, and quickly gained a reputation as a nimble rhymer. But his pechant for skipping school made him fail 9th grade three times. After dropping out of high school, he held down several odd jobs, while continuing to work on his craft. Mathers rapped in several different groups such a Bassment Productions, The New Jacks, and Sole Intent before deciding to go solo. In 1997 he released an album, Infinite, through a local company called FBT Productions; it was met with decision from the local hip-hop community. Eminem continued to promote himself through radio and freestyle competitions across the nation. His perseverance earned him a place in 'The Source's UnSigned Hype' column. Later that year, he won the 1997 Wake Up Freestyle performer of the year from L.A. In 1998 Eminem put out the 'Slim Shady EP', which contained the original version of 'I Just Dont Give A Fuck'. The EP made him an underground star, and he was invited to appear on underground MC Shabaam Sahdeeq's 'Five Star Generals' single, Kid Rock's, 'Devil Without A Cause' , and dueted with Royce da 5'9 on: 'Scary Movies'. These were just a few of the records he appeared on this year. 1999 saw the release of his own single, 'My Name Is'. It sold out, hitting the top of the charts, beating off competition such as Britney Spears. He also released his own album this year, which went to number one in the billboard chart. From here, Eminem couldn't fail. He continued to duet with numerous stars, and carried on releasing songs that couldn't be anything other than a hit. After releasing a promo tape for his second album, 'The Marshall Mathers LP' he said, ''This album shows a darker side to me. Something that wasn't seen on the Slim Shady LP.'' Eminem put out 'The Real Slim Shady' as a single. This caused riots, as did the video, which showed Slim as: a mental patient, superman and included an 'eminem making factory.' Following the release of The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem received numerous awards. These included BRITS and Grammy's, the most prestigious awards going. Eminem's success heightened when he went on the Anger Management Tour UK 2001. However, it was not all easy. Hate groups, womans rights groups, and Gay Rights Groups relentlessly protested against Eminem, and everything he stood for. This did not stop Eminem, as at the end of 2002, he released his third successful solo album, entitled 'The Eminem Show'. This only sparked off more hate from political groups, and by now Eminem had reached a new level. Those who thought Eminem would tone down his levels of criticism and hatred after the problems this caused him the previous year, were very wrong. He released 'Without Me', his first single off the album. This video was just as controversial as 'The Real Slim Shady', and featured Eminem posing as Elvis, and eating a giant sub from a toilet. In late 2002, Eminem released his debut film, 8 Mile, a story of how you can come from nothing and make it. The film is loosely based on his life and features Kim Basigner who plays 'Jimmy Smith Junior's mother' and Brittany Murphy as Jimmy's love interest, Alex. Can Eminem do any wrong? In the eyes of his fans, no. This is proven when the tickets for the Anger Management Tour 2003 sold out in well under an hour, and extra dates had to be added, not only in the UK, but all across Europe. The tour proved to be a huge success, and Eminem has revealed he will be releasing another album after he has completed work with his protégés 50 Cent and Obie Trice. D12 will also be releasing another album sometime in the next year. Eminem has commented that he wants to retire from rap within the next year, but as his success continues, will this be the case? Biography The average rapper wouldnt be able to grace the pages of 'Rap Pages', 'VIBE', 'Spin', 'The Source', 'URB' and 'Stress' and go on a national tour months before their major-label debut album is released. Then again, Eminem isn't an average rapper. He's phenomenal. Then impending the release of the Slim Shady LP. his first set on Aftermath/Interscope Records, already has underground hip-hop heads fiending for Eminem. Chock full of dazzling lyrical escapades that delve into the mind of a violently warped and vulgar yet extremely talented wordsmith, the 14-cut collection contains some of the most memorable and demented lyrics ever recorded. For Eminem his potentially controversial and undoubtedly offensive songs will strike a chord with a multitude of hip-hop loyalists who believe they have little to lose, and everything to gain. ''Im not alone in feeling the way I feel,'' he says. ''I believe that a lot of people can relate to my shit whether white, black, it doesnt matter. Everybody gets to the point of 'I dont give a fuck.'' Those words are more than just a slogan for the Detroit resident.'' I just dont give a fuck and Brain Damage are the two songs compromising Eminem's initial single from the 'Slim Shady LP'. Each tune is sure to paralyse meek listeners with their relentless lyrical assault. Produced primarily by long time collaborators FBT Productions, The Slim Shady LP also features beat work from AFTERMATH CEO Dr.Dre. The NWA alum handled beats for 'My Name Is' 'Guilty Conscience' and 'Role Model'. Dr Dre was so impressed after hearing Eminem freestyling on a LA radio station he decided to put out a manhunt for the Michigan rhymer. Shortly thereafter, Dre signed Eminem to his AFTERMATH imprint, and the two began working together. Thoroughly impressed with Eminem's previously released independent Slim Shady EP, Dre said they would include many of the EP's tracks on the album. ''It was an honour to hear the words out of Dre's mouth, that he liked my shit,'' Eminem says. ''Growing up I was one of the biggest fans of N.W.A, from putting on the sunglasses and looking in the mirror and lip sinking to wanting to be Dr.Dre, to be Ice Cube. This is the biggest hip-hop producer ever.'' But like many other rappers, Eminem's rise to stardom was far from easy. After being born in Kansas City and travelling back and forth between KC and the Detroit metropolitan area, Eminem and his mother moved to the Eastside of Detroit when he was 12. Switching schools every two - three months made it difficult to make friends, graduate, and to stay out of trouble. Rap, however, became Eminem's solace. Battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise a painful existence. Although he would later drop out of school and land several minimum wage paying, full time jobs, his musical focus remained constant. Eminem released his debut album, 'Infinite', in 1996. Desperate to be embraced by the Motor City's hip-hop scene, Eminem rapped in such a manner that he was accused of sounding like Nas and AZ. ''Infinite was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself,'' he recalls. ''It was a growing stage. I felt like Infinite was like a demo that got pressed up.'' After being thoroughly disappointed and hurt by the response Infinite received, Eminem began working on what would later become the Slim Shady EP - a project he made for himself. Featuring scathing lines about local music industry personalities as well as devious rants about life in general, the set quickly caught the ear of hip-hops difficult-to-please underground. ''I had nothing to lose, but something to gain,'' Eminem says of that point of his life. ''If I made an album for me and it was to my satisfaction, then I succeeded. If I didn't, then my producers were going to give up on the whole rap thing we were doing. I made some shit that I wanted to hear. The Slim Shady EP, I lashed out on everybody who talked shit about me.'' By presenting himself as himself, Eminem and his career soon took off. Soon after giving the Rap Coalition's Wendy Day a copy of the Infinite album at a chance meeting, she helped the aspiring lyrical gymnast secure a spot at the Coalition's 1997 Rap Olympics in LA, where he won second place in the freestyle competition. During the trip, Eminem and his manager, Paul Rosenberg, gave a few people from Interscope Records his demo, and made his major radio debut on the world famous wake up show, with Sway and Tech. Realizing that this was the opportunity of his lifetime, Eminem delivered a furious medley of lyrics that wowed his hosts and radio audience alike. ''I felt like it's my time to shine,'' Eminem says of that performance. ''I have to rip this. At that time, I felt that it was life or death situation.'' Eminem would soon record underground classics like '5 Star Generals'. This record helped establish him in Japan, New York and LA. It also helped him earn a spot on the inaugural Lyricist Lounge Tour, which took him to stages from Philadelphia to LA. Set to take the hip-hop world by storm with his unique lyrical approach and punishing production, Eminem and his Slim Shady LP are sure to have listeners captivated. ''I do say things that I thin will shock people,'' he says. ''But I don't do things to shock people. Im not trying to be the next Tupac, but I don't know how long I'm going to be on this planet. So while I'm here, I might as well make the most of it.'' |
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