Marshall Bruce Mathers III, professionally known as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Eminem is widely recognized as one of the greatest rappers of all time and is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America. His global success and acclaimed works have been instrumental in breaking racial barriers for Caucasian rappers in popular music. Despite the controversy surrounding his transgressive work in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Eminem became an influential figure representing the popular angst of the American underclass and has inspired artists across various genres.
Following the release of his debut album Infinite in 1996 and the Slim Shady EP in 1997, Eminem signed with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment, which propelled him to mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP. The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002) were subsequent releases that achieved worldwide success and Grammy Award nominations for Album of the Year. After a hiatus in 2005 due to a prescription drug addiction, Eminem made a comeback in 2009 with the albums Relapse and Recovery, the latter becoming the bestselling album worldwide in 2010. He continued to release successful albums such as The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), Revival (2017), Kamikaze (2018), and Music to Be Murdered By (2020), all of which reached number one on the US charts.
Eminem’s well-known hits include “My Name Is,” “The Real Slim Shady,” “The Way I Am,” “Stan,” “Without Me,” “Mockingbird,” “Not Afraid,” “Love the Way You Lie,” “The Monster,” “River,” and “Rap God.” Notably, “Rap God” holds the Guinness World Record for the most words in a hit single, with 1,560 words. Besides his solo career, Eminem was a member of the hip hop group D12 and collaborated with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5’9″ as Bad Meets Evil.
In 2002, Eminem made his debut in the film industry with the musical drama film 8 Mile, where he played a fictionalized version of himself. The track “Lose Yourself” from its soundtrack topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and made Eminem the first hip hop artist to receive this prestigious award. He has also made cameo appearances in films like The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), The Interview (2014), and the television series Entourage (2010). Eminem has ventured into other areas, including Shady Records, a joint venture with manager Paul Rosenberg that has supported the careers of artists like 50 Cent, D12, and Obie Trice. He has also established his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio.
With estimated worldwide sales of over 220 million records, Eminem is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He was the bestselling music artist in the United States in the 2000s and the bestselling male music artist in the United States in the 2010s. Billboard named him the “Artist of the Decade (2000–2009).” Eminem holds the record for having ten consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200, and he has achieved five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Several of his albums and songs, including The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, Curtain Call: The Hits (2005), “Lose Yourself,” “Love the Way You Lie,” and “Not Afraid,” have been certified Diamond or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Rolling Stone has recognized Eminem as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. He has received numerous awards, including 15 Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and an MTV Europe Music Global Icon Award. In November 2022, Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.