Eminem

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popularizing hip-hop in Middle America and breaking down racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass. 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 subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP. His next two releases, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002), became worldwide successes. The latter was the best-selling album worldwide of that year, and the best selling hip-hop album of all time. Following 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 becoming the best-selling album worldwide of 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)—have debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Eminem was also a member of the hip-hop groups New Jacks, Soul Intent, Outsidaz, and D12, and has collaborated with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9" to form the duo Bad Meets Evil. He starred in the 2002 musical drama film 8 Mile, in which he played a dramatized version of himself. "Lose Yourself", a song from its soundtrack, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks—the most for a solo rap song—and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, making him the first hip-hop artist ever to win the award. Eminem also co-founded Shady Records, which helped launch the careers of artists such as D12, 50 Cent, and Obie Trice. He established his own Sirius XM Radio channel, Shade 45, and opened a restaurant, Mom's Spaghetti. Eminem is among the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of over 220 million records. He was the first musical act to have ten albums consecutively debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and has had five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. He is one of the highest-certified music artists in the United States, with three of his albums and four of his singles being certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Eminem's accolades include 15 Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Billboard named him the Artist of the Decade (2000s) and Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists and greatest songwriters of all time.