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content which have kept him in the public eye since the debut of his hit single "My Name Is". Despite his impressive rhyming skills, he has also proved himself as a talented producer and successful owner of his own label, Shady Records signing artists Obie Trice, D12, Stat Quo, as well as 50 cent in a joint venture with Dr. Dre's label Aftermath.

The rapper was born in St Joseph, Missouri on October 17, 1972 and raised by his unfit mother Debbie Mathers. Living in poverty, the two relocated in Michigan finding shelter in public housing, mobile homes, as well as in relatives' homes. Debbie was prescribed to Vicodin and Valium which later resulted in drug abuse as described in many of Eminem's songs. He began performing rap at the age of 13 as M&M (taken from his initials) in his friend Manix's basement. He soon became a battle rapper performing in clubs against other MCs. Due to his Caucasian race, he was not immediately accepted yet eventually won over audiences with his notable rhyming improvisation.

In 1991, a devastated Eminem took a year off from performing when he learned of his uncle and good friend Ronnie's suicide. Performing in groups The New Jacks and Soul Intent, he returned to his rapping lifestyle motivated to sign a solo record deal in order to support his wife, Kim Scott, and baby on the way. In 1996, he released Infinite, his first independent album which received mixed reviews and criticism for its similarity to rappers Nas and AZ. Due to the failure of the album, his wife ended the relationship and prevented him to see his child. At this point his lyrics became much darker and personal, evident on the 1997 EP Slim Shady, as a result of his struggles and suicide attempts. "Slim Shady" was his fearless alter ego who allowed the rapper to express his sinister views and negative outlook on life. The EP was a success in the underground rap community and Slim was making a name for himself as the "great white American hope".

Eminem was noticed by Interscope President Jimmy Iovine when he participated in the 1997 Rap Olympics MC Battle in Los Angeles taking second place in the competition. Iovine later requested a demo which he eventually handed to legendary rapper Dr. Dre who was eager to produce his first album. The triple platinum Slim Shady LP was released in 1999 becoming one of the best albums of that year gaining much attention with its disturbingly realistic lyrical content. Fans and critics were intrigued as they could not decipher if the rapper was being serious or not, especially in the lyrics to "97 Bonnie and Clyde" where he imagines himself murdering his wife. On June 14, 1999, he married girlfriend Kim commencing the trend of their on and off again marriage. The first single "My Name Is" won a Grammy Award in 2000 for Best Rap Solo Performance.

In 2000, he released the follow up album The Marshall Mathers LP, the fastest selling rap album of all time (two million copies in the first week). Along with the stardom, came more controversy with accusations of homophobia and sexism in songs "Kill You" and "Kim". He also feuded with Christina Aguilera over his lyrics in the song "The Real Slim Shady" mentioning her fictitious sexual exploits with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst and ex MTV star Carson Daly. Despite the controversy from the album, he also confronted tribulations with his mother who filed a lawsuit demanding more than $10 million for slandering her in "My Name Is". In 2001, they reached a settlement of $25 000. Legal problems also arose when he caught his wife kissing another man and supposedly pointed a 9 mm semi automatic gun. He was indicted with misdemeanor charges of handling a firearm in public, assault with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of concealed weapon possession. Mathers pleaded guilty to the weapon possession, receiving two years probation and was charged $100 000 in damages. The assault charges were dropped.

Mathers, a longtime member of the rap group D12, joined the group appearing on the album Devil's Night in 2001. The album was credited 2x platinum and featured the hit song "Purple Pills". He returned in the summer of 2002 with the The Eminem Show which featured "Without Me". Eminem made his acting debut in November of 2002 appearing in the semi autobiographical film 8 mile. The soundtrack included smash hit "Lose Yourself" which achieved a Grammy Award in 2002 for Best Song.

Encore was released in 2004 gaining much attention due to the video for the single "Just Lose It" which parodies Michael Jackson's child molestation trials and plastic surgery as well as Pee Wee Herman, Mc Hammer and Madonna. The album also features "Mosh", a track which thrives on its anti-Bush message. Curtain Call was issued on December 6, 2005 and was rumoured to be Slim Shady's final album however it was confirmed that he was instead taking a break to focus on his producing endeavors.