Eminem

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminem

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (/ˌɛmɪˈnɛm/; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive and actor. He is one of the most successful musical artists of the 21st century. In addition to his solo career, Eminem was a member of the hip hop group D12. He is also known for collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil.

He is better known by his stage name Eminem (often styled "EMINƎM"); is an American rapper, record producer and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The following album, The Marshall Mathers LP, became the fastest-selling solo album in the United States history. It brought Eminem increased popularity, including his own record label, Shady Records, and brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition.

The Marshall Mathers LP and his third album, The Eminem Show, also won Grammy Awards, making Eminem the first artist to win Best Rap Album for three consecutive LPs. He then won the award again in 2010 for his album Relapse, giving him a total of 11 Grammys in his career. In 2002, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself" from the film, 8 Mile, in which he also played the lead. "Lose Yourself" would go on to become the longest running No. 1 hip-hop single. Eminem then went on hiatus after touring in 2005. He released his first album since 2004's Encore, titled Relapse, on May 15, 2009. Eminem is the best-selling artist of the decade on the US Nielsen SoundScan, and has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide to date, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world.

Eminem was ranked 82nd on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All-Time. He was also named the Best Rapper Ever by Vibe magazine. Including his work with D12, Eminem has achieved nine No. 1 albums on the Billboard Top 200, 7 solo and 2 with D12. Eminem has had 13 number one singles worldwide. In December 2009 Eminem was named the Artist of the Decade by Billboard magazine. His albums The Eminem Show, The Marshall Mathers LP, and Encore (in order) ranked as the 3rd, 7th, and 40th best album of the 2000-2009 decade by Billboard magazine. According to Billboard, Eminem has two of his albums among the top five highest selling albums of the 2000s. In the UK, Eminem has sold over 12.5 million records.

Early Life:

Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in Saint Joseph, Missouri, as the son of Deborah Nelson Mathers-Briggs and Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. He is of Scottish, English, German, Swiss, and Polish ancestry. He was raised as an only child by his poverty-stricken mother, as his father had left the family before his son's second birthday and never again came into contact with them. By the age of 12, Mathers and his mother had moved between various cities and towns in Missouri (including Saint Joseph, Savannah, and Kansas City) before they settled in Warren, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.

After procuring a copy of the Beastie Boys album Licensed to Ill as a teenager, Mathers became interested in hip hop, performing amateur raps at age 14 under the pseudonym "M&M" and joining the group called "Bassmint Productions" and released their first EP, Steppin' Onto The Scene. They later changed their name to "Soul Intent" and around 1995 they released their first single called "Fuckin' Backstabber" under the record label Mashin' Duck Records. Although he was enrolled at Lincoln High School in Warren, he frequently participated in freestyle battles at Osborn High School across town, gaining the approval of underground hip hop audiences. After repeating the ninth grade twice due to truancy and near-failing grades,he dropped out of high school at age 17.

In 1991, Mathers' uncle, Ronald "Ronnie" Polkinghorn, committed suicide. Mathers was very close to Polkinghorn, and was devastated at his death; today, he sports a tattoo reading "Ronnie R.I.P." on his upper left arm.

Family:

Mathers has often been subject of much scrutiny as a rapper as well in his personal life.He was married twice to Kimberley Anne Scott, whom he met in high school. They began their on-and-off relationship in 1989, getting married by 1999. Their first divorce was in 2001. In 2000, Scott attempted suicide and sued Eminem for defamation after he depicted her violent death in his song "Kim". They remarried in January 2006 but their second divorce was finalized in December of the same year, agreeing to share custody of their daughter, Hailie Jade Scott (born December 25, 1995).Hailie Scott has often been referenced or featured on various Eminem songs, such as "'97 Bonnie & Clyde", "Hailie's Song", "My Dad's Gone Crazy", "Mockingbird", "Forgot About Dre", "Cleanin' Out My Closet", "When I'm Gone", "Deja Vu", "Beautiful", "Sing For The Moment", "Airplanes Part II", and "Going Through Changes". In early 2010, Eminem responded publicly to tabloid reports of his pending reunion with Kim with a firm denial.

Eminem adopted two other daughters: Alaina "Lainey" Mathers, the child of Kimberley Scott's sister, who has been referenced by name in some Eminem songs including "Mockingbird" and "Airplanes Part II"; and Whitney, Scott's child from a previous relationship. He is also the legal guardian of his younger half-brother, Nathan.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminem

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004896/