This artist is probably the one of some Caucasian artists who had made my childhood legendary. There are songs that I have grown up listening to that made my teenage years fun: 'Till I Collapse, The Real Slim Shady, Lose Yourself, Forgot About Dre, Not Afraid, Cleanin' Out My Closet, My Name Is, Like Toy Soldiers, and We Made You. He is also known for his witty lyrics, and funny music videos. If you have not watched the movie 8 Mile, did you have a spontaneous childhood? If you said Eminem, you are right!
Click on the image to listen to Cleanin' Out My Closet!
Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Growing up, his parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, so I can assume that being a musician is in his blood. After his parents separated, Mathers lived with his mother, and she then had another son named Nathan. As a child, story-telling was Mathers go to along with being a comic book artist. He listened to his first rap song Reckless featuring Law and Order's own Ice-T, which was a gift from his uncle Ronnie Polkingharn. When Mathers' uncle committed suicide in 1991, Eminem disappeared from the public eye for days. In 1988, Mathers went by MC Double M, and he formed his first group New Jacks, and made a self-titled demo with DJ Butter Fingers. Mathers joined Bassmint Productions (which is now called Soul Intent) with fellow rapper Proof and other close friends. In 1996, Eminem and his close friends formed a group called The Dirty Dozen. Then in 2001, they released their first album Devil's Night. Since then, Mathers became a solo artist. He released his debut album Infinite which discussed his struggle to raise his daughter Hailie Jade with little money. Eminem's rhythm style was inspired by Nas, Esham, and AZ. However, the comedic persona he has, he came up with on his own. He also came up with an alter ego, which was Slim Shady. Slim Shady was a violent alter ego. This persona allowed Mathers to express his anger with lyrics about drugs, rape, and murder. During this time as well, Eminem suffered from an addiction to pills and heroin. There was even a situation where he ingested 4 bags of heroin and he was 2 hours away from dying. Due to his battle with addiction during his time his career was taking off, that did not stop him from from releasing numerous projects: Slim Shady EP, The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, Encore, Relapse, Recovery, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Shady XV, Revival, Kamikaze, Music to Be Murdered By, Curtain Call 2.
Click here to listen to Eminem's new album Curtain Call 2!
On August 5, 2022, Eminen released Curtain Call 2. The purpose of this album was to share his greatest all-time hits! My favorite songs on this album is definitely Crack A Bottle which features Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. My other favorite song is Love The Way You Lie because he shows his softer side and then of course Rihanna is featured on it! I wish he added 'Till I Collapse, We Made You, and Cleanin' Out My Closet because those are the songs I grew up with. However, anyone who has grown up listening to Eminem knows to play Eminem in front of the old heads, or what the northerners would call the older generation, "The OGs".
Eminemn is a legend in the music and he is known for his comedic videos and witty lyrics. Growing up in New York City, Eminem was one of the rappers I listened to along with Notorious B.I.G, Heavy D, Tupac, Run DMC, and more! Eminem has definitely influenced the rap game, making it possible for anyone from any background to succeed. I hope to see Eminem in concert one day because he made music great!
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