Eminem's Weight Gain Led to Fan Recognition Struggles

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem,[a] is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is often credited with popularizing hip-hop in Middle America and the acceptance of white rappers. While much of his transgressive art during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, Eminem has become a representation of popular angst in lower-income America and is noted for his conscious rap—including political criticism and social commentary—and rap flow. After the release of his debut album, Infinite (1996), and the extended play Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and achieved mainstream popularity with The Slim Shady LP (1999). Each of his next two releases, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002) sold over one million copies in a single week; the latter became the best-selling album worldwide in 2002 and the best-selling hip-hop album of all time. After the release of Encore (2004), Eminem took a hiatus due in part to struggles with prescription drug addiction. He returned to the music industry with the releases of Relapse (2009) and Recovery (2010); the latter was the best-selling album worldwide in 2010. Each of his subsequent releases—The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), Revival (2017), Kamikaze (2018), Music to Be Murdered By (2020), and The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024)—has debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart. Eminem was also a member of the hip-hop groups New Jacks, Soul Intent, Outsidaz, and D12, as well as the duo Bad Meets Evil with Royce da 5'9". In 2002, he starred in the drama film 8 Mile, receiving critical acclaim for playing a dramatized version of himself. "Lose Yourself", a song from the 8 Mile soundtrack, topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 weeks—the most for a solo rap song—and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making him the first hip-hop act to ever win the award. His other ventures include co-founding the record label Shady Records, establishing the Sirius XM Radio channel Shade 45 and opening the restaurant Mom's Spaghetti. Eminem is the best-selling rapper and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 220 million records. He is the first musical act to have ten albums consecutively debut at number one on the Billboard 200, and also has five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Eminem is on the list of highest-certified music artists in the United States, with three of his albums and four of his singles certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In addition to an Academy Award, his accolades include 15 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, 17 Billboard Music Awards, 15 MTV Video Music Awards, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Billboard named him the Artist of the 2000s and Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists and greatest songwriters of all time. Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri, the only child of Deborah "Debbie" Nelson (1955–2024) and Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. (1951–2019). His mother nearly died during her 73-hour labor with him. Eminem's parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing in Ramada Inns along the Dakotas–Montana border before they separated. His father abandoned his family when Eminem was a year and a half old, and his mother raised him herself in poverty.[3] He wrote letters to his father, but Nelson said that they all came back marked "return to sender".[4][b] Eminem and his mother shuttled among states, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and mostly living with family members. Locations included St. Joseph; Savannah, Missouri; Kansas City; Warren, Michigan; and Roseville, Michigan,[6] before settling in Detroit when Eminem was 12.[7] For much of his youth, Eminem and his mother lived in a bungalow-style house in a working-class, primarily Black neighborhood in Detroit. He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Eminem was beaten several times by Black youths.[4] His mother had a son named Nathan "Nate" Kane Samara in 1986 with then-boyfriend Fred Samara.[8][9] In 2013, the State of Michigan demolished his childhood home after it was damaged by arson.[10][11] Eminem frequently fought with his mother, whom a social worker described as having a "very suspicious, almost paranoid personality".[12]: 3  When he was a child, a bully named D'Angelo Bailey severely injured his head in an assault,[13] an incident that Eminem later recounted on the song "Brain Damage". Debbie filed a lawsuit against the public school for this in 1982. A Macomb County, Michigan, judge dismissed the suit the following year, ruling that the schools were immune from lawsuits.[12]: 2 Eminem was interested in storytelling, aspiring to be a comic-book artist before discovering hip-hop.[14] He heard his first rap song, "Reckless", on the Breakin' soundtrack, a gift from Ronnie Polkingharn, Nelson's half-brother and Eminem's uncle. His uncle was close to the boy and later became a musical mentor to him. Following Polkingharn's suicide in 1991, Eminem stopped speaking publicly for days and did not attend his funeral.[4][15] At age 14, Eminem began rapping with high-school friend Mike Ruby; they adopted the names "Manix" and "M&M", the latter evolving into "Eminem".[15][12]: 4  Eminem snuck into neighboring Osborn High School with friend and fellow rapper Proof for lunchroom freestyle rap battles.[16]: 119  On Saturdays, they attended open mic contests at the Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile Road, considered "ground zero" for the Detroit rap scene.[4] Struggling to succeed in a predominantly black industry, Eminem was appreciated by underground hip-hop audiences.[15][17][18] 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. Although the words often made little sense, the drill helped Eminem practice sounds and rhymes.[19] In 1987, Nelson allowed runaway Kimberly Anne "Kim" Scott to stay at their home. Several years later, Eminem began an on-and-off relationship with Scott.[12]: 4  After spending three years in ninth grade because of truancy and poor grades,[20] 17-year-old Eminem dropped out of Lincoln High School. Although interested in English, Eminem never explored literature, preferring comic books, and he disliked math and social studies. He states that he later received a GED.[19] Eminem worked at several jobs to help his mother pay the bills, one of which was at Little Caesar's Pizza in Warren.[21] He later said she often threw him out of the house anyway, often after taking most of his paycheck. When she left to play bingo, he would blast the stereo and write songs.[4] 1988–1997: Early career, Infinite and family struggles In 1988, he went by the stage name MC Double M and formed his first group, New Jacks, and made demo tape recordings with DJ Butter Fingers.[22][23][24] In 1989, they joined Bassmint Productions who later changed their name to Soul Intent in 1992 with rapper Proof and other Detroit artists.[25] They released a two track single on cassette in 1995 featuring Proof.[15] Eminem also made his first music video appearance in 1992 in a song titled, "Do-Da-Dippity", by Champtown. Later in 1996, Eminem and Proof teamed up with four other rappers to form The Dirty Dozen (D12), who released The Underground E.P. in 1997 and their first album Devil's Night in 2001.[4] He was also affiliated with Newark's rap collective Outsidaz, collaborating with them on different projects.[26] In 1995, Eminem was signed to Jeff and Mark Bass' F.B.T. Productions and in 1995–1996 recorded his debut album Infinite for their independent Web Entertainment label.[16]: 15  The album was a commercial failure upon its release in 1996.[27] During this period, Eminem's rhyming style, primarily inspired by rappers Nas and AZ, lacked the comically violent slant for which he later became known.[16]: 16  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.[4] At this time, Eminem and Kim Scott lived in a crime-ridden neighborhood where their house was robbed several times.[4] Eminem cooked and washed dishes for minimum wage at Gilbert's Lodge, a family-style restaurant in St. Clair Shores.[16]: 14  His former boss described him as becoming a model employee, as he worked 60 hours a week for six months after the birth of his daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers.[12]: 4  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."[4] After the release of Infinite, his personal problems and substance abuse culminated in a suicide attempt.[15] 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.[12]: 4 1997–1999: Introduction of 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.[12]: 4  In the spring of 1997, he recorded his debut EP, the Slim Shady EP, which was released that winter by Web Entertainment.[4] 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.[15] Hip-hop magazine The Source featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column in March 1998.[16]: 81 In 1997, Eminem participated in the Scribble Jam MC battle held in Cincinnati, where he ended up losing to MC Juice in the finals.[28] After he was fired from his job and evicted from his home, Eminem went to Los Angeles to compete in the 1997 Rap Olympics, a nationwide battle rap competition. He placed second, losing to Project Blowed MC Otherwize.[29] An Interscope Records intern named Dean Geistlinger was in attendance and asked Eminem for a copy of the Slim Shady EP, which was then sent to company CEO Jimmy Iovine.[30] 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.'", expressing his shock towards Mathers's rapping talent. Although his associates criticized him for hiring a white rapper, Dre 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."[4] Eminem had idolized Dre since listening to N.W.A as a teenager and was nervous about working with him on an album.[16]: 24  He became more comfortable working with Dre after a series of productive recording sessions.[31] On March 9, 1998, Eminem got signed to Aftermath and Interscope.[32] 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),[33] he was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper Cage (who he refers to in the album's song "Role Model").[34][35] The album's popularity was accompanied by controversy over its lyrics; in "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", Eminem describes a trip with his infant daughter when he disposes of his wife's body and in "Guilty Conscience", he 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 and Dre made at least one guest appearance on each of Eminem's Aftermath albums.[36] The Slim Shady LP has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.[37] 1999–2003: The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show After Eminem released The Slim Shady LP, he started his own record label, Shady Records, in late 1999. Eminem looked for an avenue to release D12, and his manager Paul Rosenberg was keen to start a label, which led to the two teaming up to form Shady.[38] Its A&R Marc Labelle has defined the record label as "a boutique label but [with] all the outlets of a major [and] Interscope backing up our every move."[39] Recorded from 1999 to 2000,[40] The Marshall Mathers LP was released in May 2000. It sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking U.S. 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.[41][42] The first single from the album, "The Real Slim Shady", was a success despite controversies about Eminem's insults and dubious claims about celebrities.[16]: 60  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.[43] The third single, "Stan", was ranked by Q as the third-greatest rap song ever,[44] and it was ranked tenth in a Top40-Charts.com survey.[45] The song has since been ranked 296th on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.[46] In July 2000, Eminem was the first white artist to appear on the cover of The Source.[16]: 81  The Marshall Mathers LP was certified Diamond by the RIAA in March 2011 and sold 21 million copies worldwide.[47] In 2000, Eminem appeared in the Up in Smoke Tour[48] and the Family Values Tour,[16]: 70  headlining the Anger Management Tour with Papa Roach, Ludacris, and Xzibit. Eminem performed with Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001.[49] GLAAD, an organization, which considered Eminem's lyrics homophobic, condemned John's decision to perform with Eminem.[50] 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."[51] On February 21, the day of the awards ceremony, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center (the ceremony's venue).[52] Eminem was also the only guest artist to appear on fellow rapper Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, producing and rapping on the song "Renegade".[53] 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.[33] 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. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found The Eminem Show less inflammatory than The Marshall Mathers LP.[54] 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.[55] The Eminem Show sold 27 million copies worldwide[47] and was the bestselling album of 2002.[56] 2003–2007: Production work, Encore and musical hiatus In 2003, Eminem, a lifelong fan of Tupac,[57] provided production work for three tracks on the Tupac Resurrection soundtrack.[58] He would follow this up the next year by producing 12 of the 16 tracks on Tupac's Loyal to the Game album.[58] 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.[59] 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.[60] Encore, released in 2004, was another success, but not as successful as his previous albums. Its sales were partially driven by the first single, "Just Lose It", which contained slurs directed toward Michael Jackson. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of "Just Lose It", Jackson phoned Steve Harvey's radio show, The Steve Harvey Morning 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). 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",[61] and Steve Harvey (who said, "Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back").[61] "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."[62] 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.[63] In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music from Viacom, giving him the rights to songs by Eminem, among other artists.[64] Despite its lead single's humorous theme, Encore explored serious subject matter with the anti-war song "Mosh", which criticized President George W. Bush.[65] On October 25, 2004, a week before the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, Eminem released the video for "Mosh" on the Internet.[66] In it, Eminem gathers an army 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.[67] Also in 2004, Eminem launched a satellite music channel, Shade 45, on Sirius radio,[68] which was described by his manager as "essentially a destination to get and hear things that other people aren't playing."[69] Eminem began his first U.S. concert tour in three years in the summer of 2005 with the Anger Management 3 Tour, but 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".[70] Meanwhile, industry insiders speculated that Eminem was considering retirement, while rumors circulated that a double album titled The Funeral would be released.[71] 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.[72] A greatest hits album, Curtain Call: The Hits, was released on December 6, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment,[73] and sold nearly 441,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week, marking Eminem's fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Hot 200,[74] and was certified double platinum by the RIAA.[75] However