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The average
rapper wouldn't be able to grace the pages of Rap Pages, VIBE, Rolling Stone,
Spin, The Source, URB and Stress and go on a national tour months before their
major-label debut album is released. Then again, Eminem isn't an average rapper.
He's phenomenal. The impending release of the The
Slim Shady LP, his first set on Aftermath/Interscope Records, already has
underground hip-hop heads fiending for Eminem. Chock full of dazzling lyrical
escapades that delve into the mind of a violently warped and vulgar yet
extremely talented wordsmith, the 14-cut collection contains some of the most
memorable and demented lyrics ever recorded. For Eminem, his potentially
controversial and undoubtedly offensive songs will strike a chord with a
multitude of hip-hop loyalists who believe they have little to lose and
everything to gain. "I'm not alone in feeling
the way I feel," he says. "I believe that a lot of people can relate
to my shit--whether white, black, it doesn't matter. Everybody has been through
some shit, whether it's drastic or not so drastic. Everybody gets to the point
of 'I don't give a fuck.'" Those words are more than just a
slogan for the Detroit resident. "I Just Don't Give A Fuck" and
"Brain Damage" are the two songs comprising Eminem's initial single
from The Slim Shady LP. Each tune is sure to paralyze meek listeners with their
relentless lyrical assault. Produced primarily by long-time collaborators FBT
Productions, the Slim Shady LP also features beatwork from Aftermath CEO Dr.
Dre. The N.W.A. alum handled beats for "My Name Is" (the second
single), "Guilty Conscience" and "Role Model." Dr. Dre was so impressed after
hearing Eminem free styling on a Los Angeles radio station that he put out a
manhunt for the Michigan rhymer. Shortly thereafter, Dre signed Eminem to his
Aftermath imprint and the two began working together. Thoroughly impressed with
Eminem's previously released independent Slim Shady EP, Dre said they would
include many of the EP's tracks on the album. "It was an honor to hear
the words out of Dre's mouth that he liked my shit," Eminem says.
"Growing up, I was one of the biggest fans of N.W.A, from putting on the
sunglasses and looking in the mirror and lip sinking to wanting to be Dr. Dre,
to be Ice Cube. This is the biggest hip-hop producer ever." But like many other rappers,
Eminem's rise to stardom was far from easy. After being born in Kansas City and
traveling back and forth between KC and the Detroit metropolitan area, Eminem
and his mother moved into the Eastside of Detroit when he was 12. Switching
schools every two to three months made it difficult to make friends, graduate
and to stay out of trouble. Rap, however, became Eminem's
solace. Battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise
a painful existence. Although he would later drop out of school and land several
minimum-wage-paying, full-time jobs, his musical focus remained constant. Eminem released his debut album,
Infinite, in 1996. Desperate to be embraced by the Motor City's hip-hop scene,
Eminem rapped in such a manner that he was accused of sounding like Nas and AZ. "Infinite was me trying to
figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and
present myself," he recalls. "It was a growing stage. I felt like
Infinite was like a demo that just got pressed up." After being thoroughly
disappointed and hurt by the response Infinite received, Eminem began working on
what would later become the Slim Shady EP -- a project he made for himself.
Featuring several scathing lines about local music industry personalities as
well as devious rants about life in general, the set quickly caught the ear of
hip-hop's difficult-to-please underground. "I had nothing to lose, but
something to gain," Eminem says of that point in his life. "If I made
an album for me and it was to my satisfaction, then I succeeded. If I didn't,
then my producers were going to give up on the whole rap thing we were doing. I
made some shit that I wanted to hear. The Slim Shady EP, I lashed out on
everybody who talked shit about me." By presenting himself as
himself, Eminem and his career took off. Soon after giving the Rap Coalition's
Wendy Day a copy of the Infinite album at a chance meeting, she helped the
aspiring lyrical gymnast secure a spot at the Coalition’s 1997 Rap Olympics in
Los Angeles, where he won second place in the freestyle competition. During the
trip, Eminem and his manager, Paul Rosenberg, gave a few people from Interscope
Records his demo and he made his major radio debut on the world famous Wake Up
Show with Sway and Tech. Realizing that this was the opportunity of his
lifetime, Eminem delivered a furious medley of lyrics that wowed his hosts and
radio audience alike. "I felt like it's my time
to shine," Eminem says of that performance. "I have to rip this. At
that time, I felt that it was a life or death situation." Eminem would soon record the
underground classic "5 Star Generals." This record helped establish
him in Japan, New York and Los Angeles. It also helped him earn a spot on the
inaugural Lyricist Lounge tour, which took him to stages from Philadelphia to
Los Angeles. Set to take the hip-hop world by
storm with his unique lyrical approach and punishing production, Eminem and his
The Slim Shady LP are sure to have listeners captivated. "I do say things that I think will shock people," he says. "But I don't do things to shock people. I'm not trying to be the next Tupac, but I don't know how long I'm going to be on this planet. So while I'm here, I might as well make the most of it.
Summary of life ·
Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on Oct. 17, 1972, in Kansas City, MO. ·
Spends childhood moving back and forth between Kansas City and Metro
Detroit. ·
Attends Lincoln High School in Warren 1986-89. ·
Hustles self-made cassettes of his work to places like Record Time in
Roseville. ·
Girlfriend (now wife) Kimberly gives birth to daughter Haile Jade on Dec.
25, 1995. ·
Works at Gilbert's Lodge (a family restaurant) in St. Clair Shores from
1996-1998. ·
Full-length debut, Infinite, comes out in 1996. ·
The Slim Shady EP is released in 1998. ·
Later that year, Dr. Dre signs Eminem to his Aftermath label after
hearing the rapper free styling on a Los Angeles radio station. ·
The Slim Shady LP is released on Feb. 23, 1999 and hits No. 2 on the
Billboard charts within weeks. ·
The Slim Shady LP was 3 times platinum. · Eminem has now put out his second full length cd, entitle The Marshall Mathers Lp.
A Few Facts ·
Eminem's zodiac sign is Libra ·
Eminem listens to almost all hip hop, and some of his favorite artists
are Tupac, Redman, the Beastie Boys, and many other rappers. He doesn't listen
to many other genres besides hip hop, but he does also like No Doubt and Alanis
Morrissette ·
He is said to be a perfectionist and very sarcastic. He's also really
funny · Eminem would someday like to pursue an acting career, and will supposedly be in a hip hop horror movie called Friendz sometime in 2000 heeft iemand een nederlandstalige biografie mail ze mij dan !!!!!!! |
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