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The Beginning of Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, widely recognized as Eminem, was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He grew up poor and without a father figure. To fuel his frustrations, at age 14, he started performing rap in clubs throughout Detroit, Michigan, and was resolute in pursuing a career in hip-hop music. He dedicated much of his time to these venues, competing with other aspiring artists, which ultimately led him to neglect his schooling and drop out at age 17. (The) -
Little Eminem is trying to make it big!
Having already dropped out of high school at age 17, Eminem continued his journey as an upcoming rapper. To make a name for himself in the hip-hop underground as a solo performer, he decided to become a member of the Detroit rap group D12 (known as the Dirty Dozen). During this time, he released his first debut album, Infinite (1996), but it did not sell well. However, he persisted in working low-paying jobs and continued to get his name out there. (The) He was determined to be a great rapper. -
Gaining Traction
After finishing as the runner-up in the freestyle category at the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, Eminem attracted the attention of Dr. Dre, a co-founder of the group N.W.A. and the top dog of Aftermath Entertainment. At that time, Eminem had crafted the persona of the bold Slim Shady, who conveyed Eminem’s innermost thoughts through often explicit and aggressive lyrics. (The)
With his new persona as Slim Shady, Eminem was slowly becoming a new star in the rap community, gaining fame fast. -
Slim Shady's Stardom
Under the guidance of his mentor and producer, Dr. Dre, Eminem launched The Slim Shady LP at the beginning of 1999. The innovative channel-surfing music video for the hit track “My Name Is,” coupled with the credibility that came from Dr. Dre’s involvement, resulted in the album selling millions of copies, earning Eminem two Grammy Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards. (The) His new found fame projected Eminem's name in the rap industry and demonstrated he had major talent that had to be seen.