Eminem

Eminem
Birth name	Marshall Bruce Mathers III
Also known as	Slim Shady, Evil, M&M, Double M
Born	October 17, 1972 (1972-10-17) St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, record producer, actor
Years active	1988-present
Labels	Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, Polydor Records, Interscope Records, Web Entertainment
Groups	Bad Meets Evil, D12, Outsidaz, Soul Intent
Education	Dort Elementary School Robouix Middle School Lincoln High School

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (n October 17, 1972), better known by his stage name Eminem (stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor. In addition to his solo career, Eminem is a member of the group D12, as well as one half of the hip-hop duo Bad Meets Evil, alongside Royce da 5'9".

Eminem is the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the United States. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has achieved ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200. With more than 47.4 million records and 107.5 million singles sold in the US and 220 million records globally, he is among the world's best-selling artists of all time. He is the only artist to have nine albums consecutively debut at number-one on the Billboard 200.

After the release of his unsuccessful debut album Infinite in 1996, Eminem achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with his second album The Slim Shady LP, which earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. His next two releases, 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP, and 2002's The Eminem Show, were worldwide successes, with each being certified Diamond in U.S. sales, and both winning Grammy awards for Best Rap Album, making Eminem the first artist to win the award for three consecutive albums. This was followed by Encore in 2004, another critical and commercially successful album. Eminem then went on hiatus after touring in 2005. He released Relapse in 2009 and Recovery in 2010, the latter being named the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, becoming the rapper's second album, after The Eminem Show, to become the internationally best-selling album of its year of release. Eminem won Grammy Awards for both Relapse and Recovery, giving him a total of 13 Grammy Awards in his career. His eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, was released on November 2013, which earned him two further Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album, increasing his total wins to 15. In 2017, he released his ninth studio album, Revival, followed by the surprise albums Kamikaze in 2018 and Music to be Murdered By in 2020.

Eminem has developed other ventures, including his own record label Shady Records in 1999 with his manager Paul Rosenberg. He has his own radio channel, Shade 45 on Sirius XM Radio. In November 2002, he starred in the hip hop biographical film 8 Mile, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself" in 2003; being the first rap artist to win the award. Eminem has also made cameo appearances in the films: The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), The Interview (2014) and the television series Entourage.

Life and career

Early life

Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on 17 October 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. He is the only child of Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. (born 30 June 1951, and known as Bruce) and Deborah Rae "Debbie" Nelson (born 6 January 1955). Eminem is of English, German, Scottish, Swiss and Welsh descent. Debbie was fourteen when she met eighteen-year-old Bruce; at age 17, she nearly died during her 73-hour labor. Eminem's parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks and played in Ramada Inns along the Dakota-Montana before their separation. Bruce left the family, moving to California and having two other children: Michael and Sarah (born c. 1982). Debbie later had another son, Nathan Kane "Nate" Samara (born 1986).

During his childhood, Mathers and his mother shuttled between Missouri and Michigan, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two and primarily with family members. In Missouri, they lived in several places, including St. Joseph, Savannah, and Kansas City, before settling in Warren, Michigan when Eminem was eleven. As a teenager, Mathers wrote letters to his father; according to Debbie, all of them came back marked "return to sender". Friends and family remember a young Marshall as a happy child, but "a bit of a loner" who was often bullied. One bully, D'Angelo Bailey, severely injured Mathers in the head; Debbie filed a lawsuit against the school in 1982, which was dismissed the following year.

Mathers spent much of his youth in a lower-middle-class, primarily African-American neighborhood in Detroit. He and Debbie were one of three white households on their block, and Marshall was beaten by African-American youths several times. As a child, he was interested in storytelling, aspiring to be a comic book artist before discovering hip hop music. Marshall heard his first hip hop song, "Reckless" by Ice-T, at age nine on the Breakin' soundtrack, a gift from Debbie's half-brother Ronald Polkingharn; whom he referred to as "Uncle Ronnie". When Polkingharn committed suicide in 1991, Eminem stopped speaking for days and did not attend his funeral.

His home life was unstable; Mathers frequently fought with his mother, who was described by a social worker as having a "very suspicious, almost paranoid personality". When her son became famous, Debbie bristled at suggestions that she was a less-than-ideal mother, contending that she sheltered him and was responsible for his success. In 1987, Debbie allowed teenage runaway Kimberly Ann "Kim" Scott to stay at their home; several years later, Mathers began an on-and-off relationship with Kim. After spending three years repeating the ninth grade due to truancy and poor grades, he dropped out of Lincoln High School aged seventeen. Although he was interested in English, he never disliked literature as he preferred comic books, and disliked math and social studies. Mathers worked at several menial jobs to help his mother pay the bills, later maintaining that she often threw him out of the house anyway. When she left to play bingo, he would blast the stereo and write lyrics to hip hop beats.

At the age of fourteen, he adopted the stage name "Double M", which eventually evolved into Eminem. He skipped school and got the bus to neighboring Osborn High School with friend and fellow rapper Proof to participate in rap battles. On Saturdays, they attended open mic contests at the Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile, considered the focal point for the Detroit hip hop scene. Struggling to succeed in a predominantly African-American industry, Eminem was appreciated by underground hip hop audiences. When he wrote verses, he wanted most of the words to rhyme; he wrote long words or phrases on paper and, underneath, worked on rhymes for each syllable. Although the lines often made little sense, the drill helped Eminem practice sounds and rhymes.

1988-1999: Early career, Infinite, The Slim Shady EP and The Slim Shady LP

As Eminem's reputation grew, he was recruited by several hip hop groups; the first of these was a group called New Jacks. After they disbanded, he joined Soul Intent, who released a single in 1995 featuring Proof. Eminem also made his first music video appearance in 1993 in a song called, "Do-Da-Dippity", by Champtown. Eminem and Proof formed D12, a six-member ensemble resembling a Wu-Tang-style collective more than a regularly performing group. Eminem had his first run-in with the law at the age of twenty, when he was arrested for involvement in a drive-by shooting with a paintball gun. The case was dismissed when the victim did not appear in court.

Eminem was signed to Jeff and Mark Bass' F.B.T. Productions, recording his debut album Infinite for their independent Web Entertainment label. One lyrical subject of Infinite was his struggle to raise his newborn daughter, Hailie Jade Scott-Mathers (born. 25 December 1995), on the little money he had. During this period, Eminem's rhyming style, primarily inspired by Nas and AZ, lacked the comically violent slant for which he would later be known for. Infinite was largely ignored by Detroit disc jockeys, and the mediocre feedback he did receive led him to craft angrier and moodier tracks. At this time, Eminem and Kim Scott lived in a crime-ridden neighborhood, and their house was broken into and robbed several times. He cooked and washed dishes for minimum wage at Gilbert's Lodge, a family-style restaurant at St. Clair Shores. Described by his former boss as a model employee, he worked sixty hours a week for six months after Hailie's birth. After the release of Infinite, his personal problems and substance abuse culminated in an unsuccessful suicide attempt. By March 1997, he was fired from Gilbert's Lodge for the last time and lived in his mother's mobile home with Kim and Hailie.

Eminem attracted more attention when he developed Slim Shady, a sadistic, violent alter ego that allowed him to express his anger. In the spring of 1997, he recorded the Slim Shady EP, which was released that winter by Web Entertainment. The EP, with frequent references to drug use, sexual acts, mental instability, and violence, also explored the more-serious themes of dealing with poverty and marital and family difficulties and revealed his direct, self-deprecating response to criticism. Hip hop magazine The Source featured Eminem in its Unsigned Hype column on March 1998.

After he was evicted from his home, Eminem went to Los Angeles to compete in the 1997 Rap Olympics, an annual, nationwide battle rap competition. He finished in second place, and Interscope Records staff in attendance sent a copy of the Slim Shady EP to company CEO Jimmy Iovine. Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre, founder of Aftermath Entertainment. Dr. Dre recalled, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said 'Find him. Now.'" Eminem, who had idolized Dr. Dre since listening to N.W.A as a teenager was nervous about working with him on an album: "I didn't want to be starstruck or kiss his ass too much ... I'm just a little white boy from Detroit. I had never seen stars, let alone Dr. Dre." He became more comfortable working with Dre after a series of productive recording sessions.

Eminem released The Slim Shady LP in February 1999. Although it was one of the year's most popular albums, he was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper Cage. Its popularity was accompanied by controversy over the lyrics; in "'97 Bonnie and Clyde", Eminem describes a trip with his infant daughter when he disposes of his murdered wife's body. Although "Guilty Conscience" encourages a man to murder his wife and her lover, the song marked the beginning of a friendship and musical bond between Dr. Dre and Eminem. The label-mates later collaborated on a number of hit songs ("Forgot About Dre" and "What's the Difference" from Dr. Dre's second album 2001, "Bitch Please II" from The Marshall Mathers LP, "Say What You Say" from The Eminem Show, "Encore/Curtains Down" from Encore, and "Old Time's Sake" and "Crack a Bottle" from Relapse), and Dr. Dre made at least one guest appearance on each of Eminem's Aftermath albums. The Slim Shady LP has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.

However, despite everything, Eminem and Kim tied the knot in July 1999. Unfortunately, as the result of his skyrocketing career and new-found fame, the Mathers' marriage was subsequently damaged.

After Eminem released «The Slim Shady LP», he started his own record label Shady Records in late 1999. Eminem looked for an avenue to release D12, and his manager Paul Rosenberg was keen to start a label, which led to the 2 teaming up to form Shady. Its A&R Marc Labelle has defined the record label as «a boutique label but [with] all the outlets of a major [and] Interscope backing up our every move.»

2000-2002: The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show and "8 Mile"

Eminem's third studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was released on May 2000. It sold 1,760,000 copies in its first week, breaking records in the United States held by Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle for fastest-selling hip hop album and Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time for the fastest-selling solo album. The first single from the album, "The Real Slim Shady", was a success despite controversies about Eminem's insults and questionable claims about celebrities (such as that Christina Aguilera had performed oral sex on Fred Durst and Carson Daly). In his second single, "The Way I Am", he reveals the pressure from his record company to beat "My Name Is". In the third single, "Stan", Eminem assumes the persona of a deranged fan who kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend in a mirror of the song "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" from The Slim Shady LP. The Marshall Mathers LP has been certified 11x Platinum (Diamond) by the RIAA.

That same year, Eminem pistol-whopped the 6'2" club bouncer, John Guerra, for kissing Kim in front of Detroit's Hot Rocks. He pled guilty and received two years of probation.

Eminem reportedly requested a divorce after Kim's suicide attempt, and she responded by suing him for emotional distress over the aggressive songs he wrote about her. The lawsuit was settled, and the couple continued to live together.

A short time later, in 2001 Kim requested a divorce, and they split, maintaining joint custody of their 5-year-old daughter, Hailie. Eminem retained ownership of their $450,000 home, and Kim got $475,000 to purchase her own house. Eminem's attorney said, "It's always been Marshall's desire that whatever happened, would happen in the best interest of the child."

Eminem performed alongside Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony in 2001, although the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation condemned John's decision to perform with him. That same year, Eminem appeared in the Up in Smoke, Family Values and Anger Management tours.

The Eminem Show was released on May 2002. It was another success for Eminem, reaching #1 on the charts and selling over 1,300,000 copies in its first week. The album examines the effects of the rapper's rise to fame, his relationship with his wife and daughter, and his status in the hip hop community. The Eminem Show was the best-selling album of 2002 in the United States and was eventually certified 10x Platinum (Diamond) by the RIAA.

Eminem made his Hollywood debut in the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile in 2002. He said it was a representation of growing up in Detroit rather than an account of his life. He recorded several new songs for the soundtrack, including "Lose Yourself" (which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003 and became the longest-running No. 1 hip hop single in history). Eminem was absent from the ceremony and co-composer Luis Resto accepted the award.

2003–2005: Production work, Encore and Musical hiatus

In 2003, Eminem, a lifelong fan of Tupac Shakur, provided production work for three tracks on the Tupac Resurrection soundtrack. He would follow this up the next year by producing 12 of the 16 tracks on Tupac's Loyal to the Game album. On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service said that it was «looking into» allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States. The cause for concern was the lyrics of «We As Americans» («Fuck money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents»), which was later released on a bonus CD with the deluxe edition of Encore.
Encore, released in 2004, was another success, but not as successful as his previous albums. Its sales were partially driven by the first single, «Just Lose It», which contained slurs directed toward Michael Jackson. On October 12, 2004, a week after the release of «Just Lose It», Jackson phoned Steve Harvey's radio show to report his displeasure with its video (which parodies Jackson's child molestation trial, plastic surgery and the 1984 incident when Jackson's hair caught fire during the filming of a commercial). In the song, Eminem says, «That's not a stab at Michael / That's just a metaphor / I'm just psycho.» Many of Jackson's friends and supporters spoke out against the video, including Stevie Wonder, who described it as «kicking a man while he's down» and «bullshit», and Steve Harvey (who said, «Eminem has lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back»). The video also parodied Pee-wee Herman, MC Hammer and Madonna during her Blond Ambition period.

Despite its lead single's humorous theme, Encore explored serious subject matter with the anti-war song «Mosh», which criticized President George W. Bush as «This weapon of mass destruction that we call our president», with lyrics including «Fuck Bush.» On October 25, 2004, a week before the 2004 US Presidential election, Eminem released the video for «Mosh» on the Internet. In it, Eminem gathers an army (including rapper Lloyd Banks) of Bush-administration victims and leads them to the White House. When they break in, it is learned that they are there to register to vote; the video ends with «VOTE Tuesday November 2.» After Bush's reelection, the video's ending was changed to Eminem and the protesters invading the White House during a speech by the president.

Also in 2004 Eminem launched a satellite music channel, «Shade 45», on Sirius radio, which was described by his manager as «essentially a destination to get and hear things that other people aren't playing.»

Eminem also adopted one of his sister-in-law Dawn's daughter, Alaina, and his ex- wife Kim's child from another relationship, Stevie. During the mid-2000s, when Dawn’s drug abuse went from bad to worse, Eminem adopted Alaina -born Amanda Marie Scott (b. 1993). Stevie – born Whitney Scott Mathers (b. 2002) – is Kim Scott's biological child from her relationship with tattoo artist Eric Harttner, who died in 2020 aged 40. Eminem adopted them in 2005 after he and Kim rekindled their relationship, four years after their divorce.

Eminem began his first US concert tour in three years in the summer of 2005 with the Anger Management 3 Tour, featuring 50 Cent, G-Unit, Lil Jon, D12, Obie Trice and the Alchemist, but in August he canceled the European leg of the tour, later announcing that he had entered drug rehabilitation for treatment of a «dependency on sleep medication».

Meanwhile, industry insiders speculated that Eminem was considering retirement, while rumors circulated that a double album titled The Funeral would be released. In July, the Detroit Free Press reported a possible final bow for Eminem as a solo performer, quoting members of his inner circle as saying that he would embrace the roles of producer and label executive.

A greatest hits album, Curtain Call: The Hits, was released on December 6, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment, and sold nearly 441,000 copies in the US in its first week, marking Eminem's fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Hot 200, and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. However, Eminem suggested that month on WKQI's «Mojo in the Morning» show that he would be taking a break as an artist: «I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going… This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call' because this could be the final thing. We don't know.

2006-2009: Hiatus, Drug addiction and Sobriety

Eminem went on hiatus in 2005, largely due to a prescription drug addiction.

According to his friend Proof, Eminem first straightened out in 2002. During the production of 8 Mile, Eminem, working 16 hours a day, developed insomnia. An associate gave him an Ambien tablet which "knocked [him] out", encouraging him to obtain a prescription. This was Eminem's first experience of drug addiction, which would affect him for several years.

Near the end of production on Encore, he would "just go into the studio and goof off [with] a pocketful of pills". Eminem began taking the drugs to "feel normal", taking a "ridiculous amount;... I could consume anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium [in a day]. Vicodin, maybe 30." The drugs would put him to sleep for no more than two hours, after which he would take more. Eminem's weight increased to 230 pounds and he was regularly eating fast food: "The kids behind the counter knew me – it wouldn't even faze them. Or I'd sit up at Denny's or Big Boy and just eat by myself. It was sad." Eminem became less recognizable due to his weight gain and once overheard two teenagers arguing about whether or not it was him: "Eminem ain't fat".

Although Eminem told Rolling Stone in 2002, "I would rather have a baby through my penis than get married again", he and Scott briefly remarried in January 2006. He filed for divorce in early April 2006, agreeing to joint custody of Hailie.

In April 2006, Proof, who was Eminem's childhood friend, was murdered. His death was one of the factors that caused Eminem to fall into depression and addiction during his five-year hiatus.

Eight months later, Eminem released a compilation album titled Eminem Presents: The Re-Up that featured late Proof and other Shady Records artists.

In September 2007, Eminem called New York radio station WQHT during an interview with 50 Cent, saying that he was «in limbo» and «debating» about when (or if) he would release another album: «I'm always working – I'm always in the studio. It feels good right now, the energy of the label. For a while, I didn't want to go back to the studio… I went through some personal things. I'm coming out of those personal things [and] it feels good.»

In December 2007, Eminem was hospitalized after a methadone overdose. He had first bought from a dealer who had told him it was "just like Vicodin, and easier on [your] liver". He continued to buy more until he collapsed in his bathroom one night and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors there told him he had ingested the equivalent of four bags of heroin and was "about two hours from dying". After missing Christmas with his children, Eminem checked himself out of the facility, weak and not fully detoxed. He tore the meniscus in his knee after falling asleep on his sofa, requiring surgery; after he returned home, he had a seizure. His drug use "ramped right back to where it was before" within a month. Eminem began to attend church meetings to get clean, but after he was asked for autographs he sought help from a rehabilitation counselor. He began an exercise program that emphasized running. Elton John was a mentor during this period, calling Eminem once a week to check on him. Eminem has been sober since April 20, 2008.

2008–2011:Comeback, Relapse, Recovery and Bad Meets Evil reunion

Eminem appeared on his Shade 45 Sirius channel in September 2008, saying: «Right now I'm kinda just concentrating on my own stuff, for right now and just banging out tracks and producing a lot of stuff. You know, the more I keep producing the better it seems like I get 'cause I just start knowing stuff.» Interscope confirmed that a new album would be released in spring 2009.

In December 2008, Eminem provided more details about the album, entitled «Relapse»: «Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man. Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on 'Relapse'. We are up to our old mischievous ways;… let's just leave it at that.»

According to a March 5, 2009, press release, Eminem would release two new albums that year. Relapse, the first, was released on May 19; its first single and music video, «We Made You», had been released on April 7. Although Relapse did not sell as well as Eminem's previous albums and received mixed reviews, it was a commercial success and re-established his presence in the hip hop world. It sold more than five million copies worldwide. During the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Sacha Baron Cohen descended on the audience in an angel costume. He landed buttocks-first on Eminem, who stormed out of the ceremony; three days later, Eminem said that the stunt had been staged. On October 30 he headlined at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans, his first full performance of the year. Eminem's act included several songs from Relapse, many of his older hits and an appearance by D12. On November 19, he announced on his website that «Relapse: Refill» would be released on December 21. The album was a re-release of Relapse with seven bonus tracks, including «Forever]]» and «Taking My Ball». Eminem described the CD: «I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned… Hopefully, these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year… I got back in with Dre and then a few more producers, including Just Blaze, and went in a completely different direction which made me start from scratch. The new tracks started to sound very different than the tracks I originally intended to be on Relapse 2, but I still want the other stuff to be heard.»

On April 14, 2010, Eminem tweeted: «There is no Relapse 2». Although his followers thought he was not releasing an album, he had changed its title to Recovery and confirmed this by tweeting «Recovery» with a link to his website. He said:«I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year. But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title.» Recorded from 2009 to 2010, Recovery was released on June 18. In the US, Recovery sold 741,000 copies during its first week, topping the Billboard 200 chart. Eminem's sixth consecutive US number-one album also topped the charts in several other countries. Recovery remained atop the Billboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks of a seven-week total. Billboard reported that it was the best-selling album of 2010, making Eminem the first artist in Nielsen SoundScan history with two year-end best-selling albums. Recovery is the best-selling digital album in history. Its first single, «Not Afraid», was released on April 29 and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100; its music video was released on June 4. «Not Afraid» was followed by «Love the Way You Lie», which debuted at number two before rising to the top. Although «Love the Way You Lie» was the best-selling 2010 single in the United Kingdom, it did not reach number one (the first time this has happened in the UK since 1969). Despite criticism of its inconsistency, Recovery received positive reviews from most critics. Template:As of, the album had US sales of three million copies. Recovery was the best-selling album worldwide in 2010, joining 2002's best-seller The Eminem Show to give Eminem two worldwide year-end number-one albums. With Recovery, Eminem broke the record for the most successive US number-one albums by a solo artist. He appeared at the 2010 BET Awards, performing «Not Afraid» and «Airplanes, Part II» with B.o.B and Keyshia Cole. Later that year, he performed at the Activison E3 concert. In June, Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in Detroit and New York City, at concerts called The Home & Home Tour. The first two concerts quickly sold out, prompting an additional show in each city. BET called Eminem the number-one rapper of the 21st century. He opened the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, performing «Not Afraid» and «Love the Way You Lie» with Rihanna singing the choruses. Due to the success of Recovery and the Home & Home Tour, Eminem was named the 2010 Hottest MC in the Game by MTV and Emcee of the Year by the online magazine HipHopDX. He and Rihanna again collaborated on «Love the Way You Lie (Part II)», the sequel of their hit single. Unlike the original, Rihanna is the lead vocalist and it is sung from the female perspective. In December 2010, the «Great Eminem Recovery» was number one on Billboard's Top 25 Music Moments of 2010. He appeared at the 2011 Grammy Awards on February 13, performing «Love the Way You Lie (Part II)» with Rihanna and Adam Levine]l and «I Need a Doctor» with Dr. Dre and Skylar GGre. That month it was announced that «Space Bound» would be the fourth single from Recovery, with a music video featuring former porn actress Sasha Grey, the video was released June 24 on the iTunes Store.

In 2010, Eminem again began collaborating with [[Royce da 5'9]] on their first EP as Bad Meets Evil; the duo formed in 1998. The EP, Hell: The Sequel, was released on June 14, 2011. Eminem was featured on Royce da 5'9's «Writer's Block», released on April 8, 2011. On May 3 they released the lead single «Fast Lane» from their upcoming EP and a music video was filmed. In March 2011, within days of each other, The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP were certified diamond by the RIAA; Eminem is the only rapper with two diamond-certified albums.c With more than 60 million «likes» he was the most-followed person on Facebook, outscoring Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Michael Jackson. Eminem was the first artist in five years with two number-one albums (Recovery and Hell: The Sequel) in a 12-month period.

Early in 2011 he leaked «2.0 Boys», on which Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse collaborated when they signed with Shady Records in January and performed it in April. Bad Meets Evil released their next single, «Lighters», on July 6 and its music video in late August. On August 6, Eminem performed several songs from throughout his career at Lollapalooza with the artists who had been featured on each song.

2012–2016: The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Shady XV and Southpaw

Eminem announced on May 24, 2012, that he was working on his next album, scheduled for release the following year. Without a title or release date, it was included on a number of «Most Anticipated Albums of 2013» lists (including MTV; «Complex» ranked it sixth and XXL fifth). On August 14, «Survival», featuring Liz Rodrigues and produced by DJ Khalil, premiered in the multi-player trailer for the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts. According to a press release, the first single from Eminem's eighth album would be released soon. During the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, it was announced that the album would be entitled The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (following The Marshall Mathers LP) and was scheduled for release on November 5. Its lead single, «Berzerk», was released on August 25 and debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Three more singles followed: «Survival» (appearing on the Call of Duty: Ghosts trailer), «Rap God» and «[The Monster]]» (with Rihanna).In song "Headlights", Eminem apologized to and reiterated his love for his mother. Over a beat based on “Mother” by John Lennon, Eminem issues a public apology to his mom on “Headlights”. Eminem and his mother have never really gotten along, as she has been a target of hateful lyrics in songs like “Cleanin' Out my Closet” (2002) and “My Mom” (2009). After years of vitriol, he now raps with a more mature perspective and expresses remorse and even apologizes for the songs attacking her.

The album was released on November 5, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records and Interscope Records. Its standard version had 16 tracks and the deluxe version included a second disc with five additional tracks. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 was Eminem's seventh album to debut atop the Billboard 200 and had the year's second-largest first-week sales. He was the first artist since the Beatles to have four singles in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The first American artist with seven consecutive UK number-one albums, he is tied with The Beatles for second place for the most consecutive chart-topping UK albums. The album secured Eminem's position as Canada's best-selling artist and was 2013's best-selling album.

On November 3, Eminem was named the first YouTube Music Awards Artist of the Year, and a week later he received the Global Icon Award at the 2013 MTV EMA Music Awards. On June 10, it was announced that Eminem was the first artist to receive two digital diamond certifications – sales and streams of 10 million and above – by the RIAA (for «Not Afraid» and «Love the Way You Lie»). On July 11 and 12, Eminem played two concerts in Wembley Stadium. At the 57th Grammy Awards, he received Best Rap Album award for The Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (with Rihanna) for «The Monster».

In the summer of 2014, Eminem and Rosenberg began using the hashtag #SHADYXV on social networking sites and Eminem wore a T-shirt with the hashtag onstage. This was later revealed to be the name of an upcoming Shady Records compilation. Shortly afterwards the first single from the album «Guts Over Fear», featuring singer-songwriter Sia was released and the album's track list was released on October 29. Shady Records released a cypherl to promote the album, in which Eminem did a seven-minute freestyle. «Detroit vs. Everybody» (the album's second single), with Eminem, Dej Loaf, Royce da 5'9», Danny Brown, Big Sean and Trick-Trick, was released on November 11. Shady XV, released on November 24 during Black Friday week, consists of one greatest-hits disc and one disc of new material by Shady Records artists such as D12, Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil and Yelawolf. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 138,000 copies in the United States.

The Official Eminem Box Set, a career-spanning, 10-disc vinyl box set, was released on March 12, 2015. The set includes seven of Eminem's eight studio albums (excluding Infinite), the 8 Mile soundtrack, the compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up and the greatest hits collection Curtain Call: The Hits. Early in the year, it was announced that he would appear on Tech N9ne's «Speedom (Worldwide Choppers 2)». The song, also featuring Krizz Kaliko, was released on April 20. Eminem also appeared on Yelawolf's «Best Friend», the single from Love Story.

Eminem is the executive producer of the soundtrack on the sports drama Southpaw, with Shady Records. The first single from the soundtrack called 'Phenomenal' was released on June 2, 2015. Another single, «Kings Never Die» by Eminem featuring Gwen Stefani, was released on July 10, 2015, on YouTube via Eminem's Vevo account. Eminem was the first interview of Zane Lowe in Beats 1. The interview streamed online on the Beats 1 radio on July 1, 2015. Eminem appeared on the public access show Only in Monroe, produced in Monroe, Michigan and was interviewed by guest host Stephen Colbertfor an episode that aired July 1, 2015. In the episode Eminem sang snippets of Bob Seger songs at Colbert's prompting and briefly discussed Southpaw. In June 2015, it was revealed that he will serve as the executive producer and music supervisor on the TV series Motor City whose premise will be based upon the 2002 film Narc.

In September 2016, Eminem was featured on Skylar Grey's song, «Kill For You», which appears on her album, Natural Causes. On October 19, 2016, Eminem released a new song called «Campaign Speech», a political hip hop song and announced he was working on a new album. On November 17, 2016, Eminem released a remastered version of 'Infinite' on his YouTube VEVO channel. On November 22, 2016, Eminem released a trailer for a 10-minute short documentary called Partners in Rhyme: The True Story of Infinite.

2017–2019: Revival and Kamikaze&

In February 2017, Eminem appeared on «No Favors», a track from Big Sean's album I Decided. In the song, Eminem calls the newly elected President Donald Trump a «bitch» and also raps about raping conservative social and political commentator Ann Coulter, who is a Trump supporter, with a variety of foreign objects. Coulter responded to the lyrics, stating, «I think it's unfortunate that the left, from Berkeley to Eminem with his rap songs, has normalized violence against women, as Eminem has done.» Eminem participated in the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards' annual cypher, using his verse, a freestyle rap called «The Storm», to further criticize Trump and the administration for, among other things, Trump's focus on National Football League players' protests during «The Star Spangled Banner» over Hurricane Maria recovery efforts and lack of gun control reform in the wake of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. Eminem ended the cypher by giving an ultimatum saying that Trump supporters cannot be his fans. The verse received wide praise among other rappers following its release. In October 2017, Eminem appeared on «Revenge», a track from Pink's album Beautiful Trauma. It was reported that the Secret Service interviewed Eminem in 2018–2019, regarding threatening lyrics towards President Trump and daughter Ivanka.

Starting in late October 2017, Eminem and Paul Rosenberg began teasing what fans speculated was the title of a new album titled Revival, in the form of advertisements for a fake medication of the same name. Later in November, the first single «Walk on Water» was released, which featured Beyoncé. The song was first performed, by Eminem, at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 12, featuring Skylar Grey. He appeared on Saturday Night Live on November 18, performing «Walk on Water», «Stan» and «Love the Way You Lie» with Skylar Grey. On November 28, Dr. Dre posted a video confirming the album's release date as December 15, 2017. On December 8, Eminem released a promotional single titled «Untouchable», which featured a sample from the duo Cheech & Chong. Despite an online leak of the album two days prior, Revival was released as planned on December 15. On January 5, 2018, the second single «River» was released, which featured Ed Sheeran. “Bad Husband” is an apology directed towards Eminem’s ex-wife, Kim Scott. This is the first track Eminem has written as an apology to Kim for the pain he’s caused her throughout his personal and public life, even though he already acknowledged Kim’s positive impact on him on “Stronger Than I Was.”

It became Eminem's eighth consecutive album to top the US Billboard 200 upon release with 197,000 copies sold in its first week. As a result, he became the first musical act to have eight entries in a row debut atop the chart. The album was met with mixed reviews from music critics and is generally considered his worst album. In 2018, an extended edition of «Nowhere Fast» with Kehlani and a remix of «Chloraseptic» featuring 2 Chainz and Phresher were released from Revival.

On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his tenth studio album and first surprise album Kamikaze, making it his second full-length studio album in 8 months. The album topped the Billboard 200, making it his ninth album in a row to do so, after selling 434,000 units in the first week. The album was released as a response to criticism of Revival, his worst rated album. The album was promoted with three singles: «Fall», «Venom», from the 2018 film of the same name and «Lucky You» with Joyner Lukas. "Stepping Stone” is dedicated to Em’s rap group D12. Boosted by Em’s personal achievements as a solo act, D12 was thrust into the limelight. Their two albums Devil’s Night and D12 World debuted as number one and went on to sell millions of copies. However, the group faded after the untimely death of Proof in 2006. And in this song's described how D12 wound up being an unintentional career boost for Eminem, while the rest of D12 were eventually left behind. Notably, in the last verse, he states that D12 is finished, and the group is now officially disbanded.

During the October 15, 2018, episode of the late-night television show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Eminem performed the song «Venom» at the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building in New York City as a promotion of the album.

On December 1, Eminem released an 11 minute freestyle to his YouTube channel titled 'Kick off'. Eminem collaborated with several artists throughout early 2019, including Boogie, Logic, Ed Sheeran, 50 Cent and Conway The Machine. On February 23, 2019, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Eminem released a re-issue of The Slim Shady LP, including acapellas, instrumentals and radio edited versions of tracks from the album.

2020–present: Music to Be Murdered By, Super Bowl LVI, and Curtain Call 2

On January 17, 2020, Eminem released another surprise album Music to Be Murdered By. Recorded from 2019 to 2020, the album features guest appearances by Young M.A., Royce da 5'9, Q-Tip, Denaun Porter, White Gold, Ed Sheeran, Juice WRLD, Skylar Grey, Anderson .Paak, Don Toliver, Kxng Crooked, Joell Ortiz and Black Thought. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 279,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Subsequently, Eminem became the first artist to have ten consecutive albums debut at number one in the US and one of six artists to have released at least ten US number-one albums.bMusic critics praised Eminem's lyrical abilities and the improved production after Kamikaze, while criticism directed towards the album's formulaic song structure, lack of innovation and shock value. The lyrics of «Unaccommodating», in which Eminem referenced the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, drew significant criticism, with many critics finding the lyrics objectionable. The mayor of Manchester denounced the song's lyrics, describing them as «unnecessarily hurtful and deeply disrespectful». The lyrics also drew widespread criticism from victims' relatives and others involved in the attack.

On February 9, 2020, Mathers performed «Lose Yourself» at the 92nd Academy Awards. On March 9, 2020, the music video for the song «Godzilla» was released on YouTube through Lyrical Lemonade's channel. The video features Mike Tyson and Dr. Dre. As of March 10, 2022, the music video has over 464.9 million views. On March 11, 2020, Music to Be Murdered By was certified Gold. On July 9, 2020, Kid Cudi's daughter Vada announced via social media that he was releasing a song with Eminem called «The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady]» the coming Friday.

A deluxe edition of the album, titled Music to Be Murdered By – Side B, was released on December 18, 2020. Similar to Eminem's previous two albums, it was released without any prior announcement. It contains a bonus disc with sixteen new tracks, with guest appearances by Skylar Grey, DJ Premier, Ty Dolla Sign, Dr. Dre, Sly Pyper, MAJ and White Gold. The album's release was accompanied by a music video for «Gnat», directed by Cole Bennett. Music to Be Murdered By – Side B is projected to debut on the Billboard 200 at number 3, with 70,000–80,000 album-equivalent units, including 25,000–30,000 in pure album sales.bIn the track «Zeus», he apologizes to Rihanna over a leaked song from his Relapse studio sessions in which he sided with Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to felony assault involving her in 2009. He announced on September 28, 2021 on his social media that he would be featured in a song with Polo G and Mozzy called «Last One Standing» by Skylar Grey for the soundtrack of the film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, released on September 30, 2021. Eminem performed alongside LL Cool J at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on October 30, 2021. On February 13, 2022, Eminem performed at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige, with surprise appearances from 50 Cent and Anderson. Paak. Eminem announced on May 23, 2022 on his Instagram that he and CeeLo Green will collaborate on a new track titled «The King and I» which will be produced by Dr. Dre and will appear on the Baz Luhrmann's Elvis movie soundtrack. It was released on June 16, 2022, a week prior to its announced.

On June 24, 2022, Eminem and Snoop Dogg released a song entitled «From the D to the LBC» to squash their beef which started with an interview of Snoop Dogg with Breakfast Club and a subsequent diss by Eminem on the song «Zeus» from Music to be Murdered By – Side B. Eminem had previously confirmed on «Killer (Remix)» that Dr. Dre had stepped in to squash the beef, but Snoop announced a collaboration to squash it once and for all. The two had previously collaborated on the track «Bitch Please II» from Eminem's sophomore album The Marshall Mathers LP. The song's music video was also released the same day after the two unveiled it at Apefest.

Eminem announced his second greatest hits album on July 11, 2022, entitled Curtain Call 2, which is a sequel to his first compilation Curtain Call: The Hits. The album will cover his albums from Relapse to Music to Murdered By, as well as collaborations and songs from movie soundtracks. It was released on August 5, 2022, and also includes «The King and I», «From the D 2 the LBC», and an additional new track named Is This Love (’09) featuring 50 Cent.
On August 26, 2022, Eminem was featured alongside Kanye West on the remix of the song «Use This Gospel» on DJ Khaled's new album «God Did». The remix was originally set to be released on West's shelved album «Jesus Is King Part II».The song features production from Dr. Dre and his production team called the ICU.

Discography

Studio albums

• 1996: Infinite
• 1999: The Slim Shady LP
• 2000: The Marshall Mathers LP
• 2002: The Eminem Show
• 2004: Encore
• 2005: Curtain Call
• 2009: Relapse
• 2010: Recovery
• 2013: The Marshall Mathers LP 2
• 2017: Revival
• 2018: Kamikaze
• 2020: Music to Be Murdered By
• 2020: Music To Be Murdered By (Side B)
• 2022: Curtain Call 2
• 2024: The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)

EPs

• 1997: Slim Shady EP

Unofficial Releases

• 2003: Straight From The Lab
• 2004: Eminem Is Back
• 2006: Raw & Uncut
• 2008: So U Wanna Freestyle
• 2009: The King Is Back
• 2010: The Shady Situation
• 2011: Straight From The Vault

Mixtapes

• 2011: The Shady Project (by DJ Lennox)