Eminem biography
How Marshall Mathers became a hip-hop legend

The Eminem biography starts in Saint Joseph, Missouri on October 17, 1972 where he was born as Marshall Bruce Mathers III. The rapper had a poverty stricken childhood that was rife with abuse, and many of his singles have fleeting references to his supposedly troubled past.

Deserted by his father in infancy, Eminem was brought up by his mother. Both lived nomadic lives for the most part, living in several cities before eventually settling down in Detroit when Eminem was 12. As per Eminem's biography, the rapper's interest in hip hop peaked at the age of fourteen, and it was then that signs of Eminem's emerging talent became apparent, especially when he signed up for freestyle battles while he was still in school, thus gradually earning a name for himself in the Detroit underground rap scene.

Eminem released his debut album Infinite in 1996 under the Web Entertainment label owned by Mark and Jeff Bass, founders of Bassmint. His sophomore album, The Slim Shady EP, saw Eminem gaining a few, but loyal fans. However, his big break came in 1997, when he stood second in the Rap Olympics and was signed on by Dr Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records to release his hugely successful album, The Slim Shady LP in 1999.

The Slim Shady LP caused a major outcry due to some of the disturbing lyrics in the singles, but it is this very style that has made Eminem such a huge name in the rap industry today, with his albums having sold over 50 million copies. Eminem is also part of the Detroit collective, D12, and his subsequent albums have been in the news for many reasons. The rapper has been accused of being a racist bigot, a misogynist, a homophobe, a wife beater, and an attention seeker- but perhaps the one aspect that stands out most is his on-off relationship with his wife Kim Mathers, née Kimberley Anne Scott.

Eminem and Kim were high school sweethearts who married in 1999 and divorced barely two years after. They remarried in January 2006 and separated again in December the same year, agreeing to share joint custody of their daughter Hailie Jade, born in 1995. Eminem has also adopted Hailey, daughter of Kim's sister, and has refused to confirm rumors that state a reunion between him and Kim may be possible in the near future.

The Eminem biography asserts that he took a hiatus from 2005-2008, and during the course of his 'Anger Management' tour in 2008, Eminem checked himself into rehab to get over his sleeping pills dependency. The single Bagpipes from Baghdad from his most recent album Relapse has built upon his past digs at singer Mariah Carey, with whom he claimed to have had an intimate relationship. The rapper penned his autobiography 'The Way I am' in 2008, and is now looking to fortify his stand further in the rap industry.

Eminem biography links

• Eminem biography from a fan site.
• Eminem Lose Yourself lyrics
• Why I respect Eminem.