EMINEM: How a normal guy became “The Living Rap Legend”?

Any discussion about the hip-hop or rap music industry is incomplete without the mention of EMINEM in it. Many great hip-hop artists consider him the greatest rapper and they are not wrong in saying so. Eminem’s legendary career accolades speak volumes for being the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). But do you know what he was like in his early days?

Eminem was originally born as “Marshall Bruce Mathers III” in St. Joseph, Missouri on October 17, 1972. He had a rough childhood, as his mother kept moving from one place to another in search of work, and they finally settled down in Detroit, Michigan. It was an Afro-American-dominated place, and so he often got bullied for being a white kid in the neighborhood.

Despite all the hardships in his early days as a kid and then as a teenager, he kept pushing forward, thanks to his love for writing and music. He started rapping at an early age of 4 years, but began to pursue rap more seriously after listening to “The Beastie Boys”. At the age of 14 years, he started rapping in clubs in Detroit, Michigan. He remained absent from school most of the time because he was always busy writing verses, rhyming words, and making lyrics. Finally, at the age of 17 years, he quit his studies and became a full-fledged rapper in the hope of making it big in the hip-hop music industry.

In his initial days as a rap artist, he rapped with a group called the “New Jacks” before moving to the band “Soul Content” to work with his friend, rapper Proof, in 1995. Then, the two friends later separated from the band and formed their group called “D12” or “The Dirty Dozen” along with a few other famous rappers like Kon Artis and Bizarre, in 1996. The group produced some record-breaking singles like 'Fight Music,' 'Shit on You,' and 'How Come.'

It was during the Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, in 1997, when Eminem caught the attention of Dr. Dre, the owner of “Aftermath Entertainment”, by securing second place in the competition. Dr. Dre listened to his song “Slim Shady EP (Extended Play)” and was immensely impressed by the way he writes and was keen on working with the talented rapper.

In February 1999, with the help of Dr. Dre, Eminem released an album titled “The Slim Shady LP” which instantaneously shot him to fame with hits like 'My Name Is,' '97 Bonnie and Clyde,' and 'Guilty Conscience,' and became one of the most successful albums of the year. He also founded the record label “Shady Records” along with his friend Paul Rosenberg later in the same year.

In May 2000, Eminem released an album “The Marshall Mathers LP” and sold almost 2 million copies within the first week of its release. The Real Slim Shady topped the charts despite brutally targeting other artists in the song. Later on, he also featured in “8 Mile”, a film loosely based on his life, though the artist denies it.

The following year, Eminem won the Academy Award for the “Best Original Song” category for “Lose Yourself”, a song from his film”8 Mile”. Also, it was the first instance in the history of the Academy Awards where a rap artist was presented with the award in this category.

Eminem has won Grammys for almost all of his albums and received the honors a total of 15 times in his career now. His album “The Marshall Mathers LP” is also credited as the fastest-selling album in the history of rap. He also holds Guinness World Records for fastest rap verse in his song “Godzilla” where he spits bars at 10.65 syllables per second on the track's third verse, ten consecutive no.1 albums. Also, he is one of the only seven artists ever in any genre or era to receive three or more Diamond Album Awards alongside the likes of Garth Brooks (9), The Beatles (6), Led Zeppelin (5), the Eagles (3), Shania Twain (3) and Whitney Houston (3).

Eminem legitimately is “The Living Rap Legend”.