Eminem celebrates his birthday on October 17. The motor-mouthed icon has a spot on “Rolling Stone’s” list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He’s a rapper, producer, record executive, songwriter, and actor. His most recent studio album, “Kamikaze,” came out in August 2018.
Fast Facts
Birth date:
October 17, 1972
Age:
51 years, 6 months
Background
Marshal Bruce Mathers III, professionally known as Eminem, was born October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Before they separated, his parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks. His father later left them and moved to California with his new family, subsequently cutting ties with his first born. Marshal, his mother, and his younger brother struggled to find a stable place to live, bouncing from place to place and primarily living with family members. In his teens, Eminem would write letters to his dad, but they would all come back marked “return to sender”. He was bullied in school and suffered severe injuries from the targeted attacks. He loved storytelling and wanted to become a comic book artist, but soon discovered a love for hip hop. The first rap song he heard was Ice-T’s “Reckless” from a soundtrack CD given to him by his uncle. At 14, Eminem began rapping with his high school friend and started going by “M&M”, which were his initials. He would sneak into neighboring high schools to participate in rap battles and on Saturdays attend hip hop open mic contests at The Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile. He was appreciated by underground audiences and gained respect within the genre. Eminem received more attention when he developed his alter ego Slim Shady in the late 1990s. In 1997 he released the Slim Shady Ep, which was featured in hip hop magazine The Source’s “Unsigned Hype” column. He moved to Los Angeles to compete in the Rap Olympics where he placed second. However, Interscope Records staff who were in attendance of the event got ahold of his EP and sent it to CEO Jimmy Iovine, who then played it for Dr. Dre. The N.W.A. founder was so shocked and impressed when he heard the EP that he ordered his assistant to find Eminem immediately, beginning their iconic partnership.
Career timeline
Video of Eminem's performance in a rap battle wound up in the hands of N.W.A. founding member Dr. Dre, who simply told his assistant:"Find him. Now." Dre would go on to produce Eminem's major-label debut, "The Slim Shady LP.
Eminem's major-label debut, "The Slim Shady LP," generated rave reviews and huge sales. It would go on to win Best Rap Album and be the first of three consecutive diamond-selling albums for Eminem (a new world-record for a male artist).
Eminem's hit movie premiered in theaters. Its plot draws heavily from Eminem's upbringing and early career — telling the story of a white working-class boy from the Detroit trailer parks trying to make it big in the rap game.
At the BET Hip Hop Awards, Eminem performed this freestyle rap during which he vocally criticized President Trump. Video of the rap went viral and proved the enduring relevance of Eminem's confrontational style.
Eminem FAQs
Why is Eminem called Eminem?
Marshal Bruce Mathers III goes by Eminem because it’s the phonetic equivalent of his initials “M&M”. He also goes by his famous alter ego, Slim Shady.
Who is Eminem's father?
Eminem’s father is Marshal Bruce Mather’s Jr., but prefers to be addressed as Bruce. He left Eminem and his mother in order to live with his new family in California.
How did Eminem get discovered?
Eminem was discovered when a representative from Interscope Records sent his Slim Shady EP to the CEO. The CEO then played the EP for Dr. Dre, who was so impressed that he wanted to meet “the real Slim Shady” immediately.
Eminem's 4 Weirdest Feuds
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Moby
Soft-spoken electronic musician Moby spoke up about Eminem's perceived misogynistic and homophobic lyrics. In response, Eminem offered to fight Moby at the 2002 Video Music Awards.
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Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
The notoriously sarcastic puppet ribbed Eminem over his feud with Moby at the 2004 Video Music Awards in a segment that MTV ultimately chose not to broadcast. Eminem later insulted the dog back on his track "A** Like That.
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Weird Al" Yankovic
The parody songster obtained Eminem's permission to record a parody of Eminem's hit "Lose Yourself," which he planned to accompany with a video and promote as his new album's lead single. However, Eminem refused to let Weird Al record a video, citing concerns about harm to his image. Yankovic later trashed the rapper in an "Al TV" segment for MTV.
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President George W. Bush
In 2003, the Secret Service grappled with allegations that Eminem had threatened President Bush in the song "We As Americans," which contained the lyrics "I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead." Bush never responded directly, but Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, scolded Eminem for encouraging violence against political figures.
Why We Love Eminem
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He's a trailblazer
Eminem came into the hip hop genre in a lane of his own, using his own unique rhyming and flow to attract new listeners to the genre.
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He overcame odds
From an unstable childhood to bullying, to drug abuse and suicide attempts, Eminem still became the icon he is today despite all of the obstacles that worked to prevent his success.
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He doesn't take the easy way out
Eminem has always had a strong work ethic. When he was starting out in rap, he would write a list of big words then try to find a rhyme for each syllable. Though not all of the words made sense, it developed his unmatched rhyming ability within the rap scene.
Eminem’s birthday dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | October 17 | Monday |
| 2023 | October 17 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | October 17 | Thursday |
| 2025 | October 17 | Friday |
| 2026 | October 17 | Saturday |
