Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known by his stage name Eminem or the ‘Real Slimshady’ turns 50 years old today. Born on October 17, 1972, the iconic lyricist and rapper from Detroit inspired hip-hop and the way that it’s perceived all over the world. With 11 studio albums, several feuds and spectacular live sets around the world, Eminem has been considered by many as the greatest of all time to ever do it… and rightly so.
Marshall emerged at one of the most critical times in global hip-hop. After the shocking death of hip-hop icons such as Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G and the dismantling of the legendary N.W.A Followed by the unfortunate death of Eazy-E, the young Detroit emcee redefined hip-hop music for years to come. From notorious rhymes and groovy beats to deep introspective hip-hop next to a more mature production, nobody could ever tell what would the next Eminem track on an album will sound like.
While Eminem’s debut album ‘Infinite’, released in 1996 was a commercial failure selling over a few hundred copies in the U.S.A. However, Eminem’s second major label debut ‘The Slimshady LP’ released through Interscope Records in 1999 established his position as a profound lyricist and emcee. It was a major commercial success and the record reached the second position on the Billboard Top 200 and received four RIAA nominations. From there on, Slim Shady has been unstoppable. From iconic complex sounds from the 2000s that started with a solid full-length LP ‘Marshall Mathers’ to top-notch bars on modern sounds such as ‘Revival’, ‘Kamikaze’ and ‘Music to Be Murdered By’, Eminem has been unstoppable.
At one point it seemed that whatever Eminem spits on turns into gold. In fact Platinum and that too multiple times. To put it in perspective, Eminem’s seventh studio album ‘Recovery’ is 8x RIAA Platinum, ‘Encore’ is 5x RIAA Platinum and ‘The Eminem Show’ is a Certified Diamond Record. It’s rare for an artist to deliver some of the finest hip-hop records of all time with such ease. However, it’s not a difficult thing for Em at all. That his diverse discography is loved by millions of people around the world was established when his Compilation Greatest Hits Album ‘Curtain Call: The Hits’ was certified Diamond by RIAA too.
This year, Eminem has returned with much hype. Dropping the successor to his first Greatest Hits Album, he released ‘Curtain Call 2: The Hits’ with a futuristic perspective. From the Bored Ape NFTs, and the Metaverse to vintage music videos and clothing lines, Eminem is back and doesn’t plan on stopping at all.
Revisit some of Eminem’s Most Iconic Tracks and Music Videos below.
‘Sing for the Moment’
‘The Real Slim Shady’
‘Lose Yourself’
‘Stan’ featuring Dido
‘Not Afraid’
‘Berserk’ featuring Rick Rubin
‘Rap God’
‘Fall’
‘Godzilla’
‘From the D to the LBC’
