Eminem

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Born Marshall Mathers III, superstar rapper Eminem (his alias is a play on his initials, M and M) has always appeared to court controversy. Eminem grew-up near 8 Mile Road which separates the City of Detroit from the suburbs. He claims to have survived a harrowing up-bringing at the hands of a drug-addled mother following their abandonment by his father. These circumstances and events have been played out in various tracks and helped to fuel the fires of controversy that seem to follow the rapper around.

Eminem was discovered in 1998 at the age of 26 by the legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who immediately signed the rapper to his newly formed Aftermath Records (a division of Interscope). His debut full-length album The Slim Shady LP was both a critical and commercial smash, selling more than 250,000 albums in the first week alone. His open, confrontational style, distinctive nasal vocals and the fearlessness of his lyrics quickly gained Eminem a crossover fanbase with disenfranchised suburban youth; while at the same time sparking the first of many accusations that his lyrics were misogynistic and homophobic.

However, none of this controversy seemed to have a detrimental effect when his second album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was released in early 2000. The album sold nearly two million copies in the first week and broke several records, becoming the fastest-selling rap album in history and achieving the most single-week sales of any solo artist. Again the album drew great critical praise, while also attracting a backlash from many groups including gay-rights activists and feminist groups. They claimed that many lyrics on The Marshall Mathers LP were markedly misogynistic and homophobic, and socially conservative political figures and Christian groups objected to the vulgarity and language of the lyrics. As a result many of the tracks on the album where heavily censored, with a few tracks being removed altogether. All the controversy climaxed when the album was nominated for four Grammys in 2001, including Album of the Year - the first time a hardcore rap album was ever nominated in this category. At the Grammys Eminem performed his hit song "Stan" as a duet with famous and outspoken gay musician Elton John, but this did little to quell the protests.

For his third album Eminem formed his own record label, under the Interscope umbrella, taking the name from his alter-ego and calling his new project Shady Records. The Eminem Show drew the same controversies as previous albums alongside the same critical and commercial success, garnering numerous accolades, as was becoming the norm for an Eminem release. However after the furore died down Eminem now had a label to run and talent to discover. Among the many artists now signed to Shady are 50 Cent, D12 and Obie Trice. Other side projects for Eminem included starring in the Oscar winning film 8 Mile, in which he plays a young white rapper in a semi-autobiographical tale of a rapper making his way off the streets. The film also starred Kim Basinger and Brittany Murphy.

His fourth release Encore sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, and his fifth release, the compilation album Curtain Call, sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. In total, all five Eminem albums have sold more than 70 million copies worldwide, making him the most listened-to rap artist on the planet. Eminem's life has been one of extremes, from the harrowing conflict of life on the streets and friends being murdered, to the incalculable joy of seeing his life's work validated to such a degree.