We all love celebrities. As fans, we can’t get enough of their personal lives – their activities, likes, and everything else. Some people are actually crazy about their favourite celebrities and follow them everywhere. The stardom attached to being a celebrity is something fans become dazzled by.
But there’s much more to a celebrity’s life than getting all dressed up and flaunting their expensive accessories or giving some nice interview and hitting the stage in one of their massive concerts (I’m talking about rap). A celebrity is essentially a normal human being first and then a star. So, it must be kind of ridiculous for them when merely a look at them makes crowds of people go wild and scream their lungs out.
Celebrities hail from all different classes and backgrounds. Some are already rich, while others come from humble backgrounds and make massive money with ever-escalating stardom and fame. Some artists and celebrities have truly inspirational journeys, one example is Michael Jackson, ‘the king of pop’. In this post, we will be talking about the inspirational and moving journey of Eminem, also known as ‘the god of rap’ or ‘the king of Hip Hop’. Now aged 45, this American artist is a music producer, actor but primarily a rapper and best known for it.
Early Years And Teenage
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1972, Eminem’s birth name was Marshall Bruce Mathers III. His mother, Deborah Mathers almost died while giving birth to him. His father Marshall Mathers Jr abandoned his family while he was still a baby, and he was raised only by his mother. Eminem’s father further snubbed him whenever he attempted to contact him while he was just a child. He had to move back and forth between Michigan and Missouri, as his mother was unable to retain a job for a long time, and for Eminem, the roughest and toughest part was changing schools every year, twice or thrice. Also, Eminem is contemptuously critical about how his mom raised him, and his lyrics show that. He even accused her of her addictions to drugs and abusing him physically and emotionally.
The itinerant lifestyle, however, had a huge impact on his personality, as he wasn’t able to make any close friends and he was considered an outcast in every new school. He remembered being bullied and beaten pretty often in school. He even remained in a coma for a week after he was terribly beaten by a bully in school. He failed three times in the ninth grade and dropped out eventually while he was 17. Although he was a poor at studies, he had a profound affinity for lexicon and language. His favourite activates were reading comic books and the dictionary. No wonder, he writes absolutely creative and catchy lyrics for his songs.
As a teenager, he had a passion for language and hip-hop. He totally related to the existential rage of rap music in the 1990s. Rap music was predominantly black music, so someone with pale white skin and blue eyes seemed a total misfit in the said industry. But nothing could discourage him and he ventured into the Detroit rap music scene and frequently competed in rap battles, where two competitors would rap with improvised lyrics to basically insult each other. It was exactly here his interest in language and lexicon worked wonders for him, and he soon gained recognition, despite his colour, in the underground rap community of Detroit.
The Little Story Behind The Name ‘Eminem’
With the respect coming, Marshall soon thought of stage name for himself. Initially, it was M&M, after the initials of his name. He later started writing it phonetically as ‘Eminem’ and now styled as EMINƎM. He was also often called ‘Slim Shady’.
During this time, Eminem had to do all sorts of odd jobs such as dishwashing, whilst participating in those rap battles. At one point, he was working 60 hours a week to support his family. “8 Mile” was a semi-autobiographical movie that depicted his life and he performed as an actor in it too.
As we know, nowadays anyone can get better jobs through online job portals. That was not a case with him in those days. He had to survive and grow through the resources that were available out there.
Family And His Crisis
He dated Kimberly Ann Scott and they had a daughter in 1995, Hailie Jade Scott, who is now all grown-up. Inspired by his daughter, he released his first ever album, “Infinite” in 1996. The album manifested his improvisation with lyrics, verbal prowess, and his art of storytelling but it failed to make profit and couldn’t attract much local attention. After a year, he battled in Los Angeles and was the runner-up in the Rap Olympics Battle in 1997 that introduced him to Dr. Dre, the famous, legendary rapper. He was so influenced and impressed with his work that he had to sign Eminem for his Records Label, Interscope. So, in 1999, “The Slim Shady LP” was released by Eminem and was a massive success with a whopping 3 million copies sold worldwide. He was stopping nowhere then.
Eminem and Kim got married the same year. However, in 2006, the marriage ended and he was depressed, dejected and miserable to such an extent that he attempted to commit suicide, overdosing himself with Tylenol. It was then that he realised that there was no one to take care of his baby daughter and so, he continued with his rap music and attempted to patch up with Kimberly.
Controversial Lyrics And Fame
Today, he is recognized as one of the greatest rappers of all time and has released a number of albums already. The most successful ones being “The Marshall Mathers LP” (2000) and “The Eminem Show” (2002).
He remains controversial for the kind of lyrics he produces, known to be explicit and guilty of sending aggressive vibes. Also, he is sometimes criticised for glorifying drugs, excessive profanity, violence, misogyny, and homophobia in his lyrics. Yet the rap artist has managed to win audience and critics and has 15 Grammys for his songs.
From a troubled childhood and an aggressive teenage battling drug addiction, he has managed to inspire many with his success and determination. He has never been afraid of voicing his ideas and criticise what he thinks is wrong. He has already reached the status of a legend with his talent and unwavering resolve. His net worth at present is $190 million. His success story needs to be shared and he will always be hailed and celebrated as the king of Hip Hop.
Recently, he voiced his opinion on Donald Trump and you shouldn’t miss out on it.
