Eminem

Eminem is a famous American rap musician and actor, and his music continues to top charts in the United States and Europe. He is praised for his versatile rhythms and his use of literary techniques in his lyrics to make for songs that flow exceptionally well. Though praised for his talent, he is also the subject for criticism and controversy for the content of his lyrics. In spite of the criticism, he has been enormously successful in his performance career, and has already won a Grammy award and has had several multi-platinum albums.

Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, in St. Joseph, Missouri, on October 17th, 1972. He grew up in both Kansas City and a suburb of Detroit. From age thirteen, Eminem showed an interest in the rap genre of music, and early on achieved some regional fame with a group, Soul Intent. In 1995, his wife Kim Mathers gave birth to a daughter, Hailie Jade. Shortly after he released his first album of his own music, called Infinite. Reportedly, he sold several hundred copies of his album out of his car.

In the year following, he and his wife Kim went through a volatile period, and Eminem attempted suicide after a particular heated argument. Drawing on these emotional experiences, Eminem released his second album, Slim Shady LP in 1997. The considerably darker album sold over three million copies and was one of the most successful albums of 1999. He and his wife Kim were eventually divorced. In 2000, he released his third album, The Marshall Mathers LP which sold over two million copies.

Though his successful career alone would gather a lot of attention, much of his fame is centered on the controversy his lyrics stir up. Critics cite that his lyrics are abusive and disrespectful of women, and that they encourage violence and drug use. Regardless of the criticism, he is still considered one of the most talented rappers alive today, and is something of a phenomenon for being white in a genre that has traditionally been virtually all black. For this reason, he is sometimes referred to as the ‘great white hope’ of the rap world.

Eminem went on to release several more albums, which have all been highly successful on the charts but have had mixed degrees of success in sales. He is also a member of the band D12, which has produced its own album with some degree of success as well. In 2002, he began his career as an actor in the movie ‘8-Mile’, which won him his Oscar.

More recently in 2005, Eminem announced that he had entered into drug rehabilitation for an addiction to sedatives. He has alluded to ending his career as a rapper, but still performs to sell out crowds today.