Biographic - Sunday June 27, 2010 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

When "Infinite," his 1996 debut solo album, sold fewer than 1,000 copies, he was thoroughly dispirited. Beset by personal problems, flat broke and miserable, he responded by creating a fearlessly outspoken character he called Slim Shady. His alter-ego became a vehicle for some of the most innovative and controversial rap music of the new Millenium... he made Eminem a global superstar! Marshall Bruce Mathers III, was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on October 17, 1972. Raised by his mother, he spent much of his childhood between his hometown and the city of Detroit, where he finally settled when he was 12 years old. Switching schools every few months made it difficult to make new friends and to concentrate on his studies. His passion was hip-hop music, and by his early teens he was performing raps in the basement of a high school friend's home. His friend went under the name of Manix, while Marshall began calling himself M&M, a name inspired by his initials. Soon that morphed into Eminem. By the time he was 17, Eminem was a "Battle Rapper" improvising raps in club contestants against other rappers. His performance at 1997's rap Olympics in Los Angeles led to a record deal and collaboration with rap legend Dr. Dre. The two hit it off immediately, recording four songs in their first six hours together in the studio. The best-selling "Slim Shady LP" was released in 1999, spawning a massive hit single and video in "My Name Is" within a year, the album had gone triple platinum, and Eminem was a worldwide sensation. "The Marshall Mathers LP" sold 2 million copies in its first week. After topping the charts once more with "The Eminem Show," he then conquered the box office with the 2002 semi-autobiographical movie "8 Mile." The film's "Lose Yourself" track became the first rap song to win an Academy Award. With stardom came tabloid scrutiny, and the feuds fights and follies of his private life became public fodder. 2004's "Encore" album was another multiplatinum chart-topper... but all was not well with Eminem, and he abandoned the european leg of his 2005 world tour, citing health problems. It would be four years before he resurfaced, topping the world's charts with "Relapse" the best-selling rap album of 2009. An II-time Grammy winner and the best-selling rap artist in history, Eminem returns to the spotlight with his summer's "Recovery" album.

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