Eminem Bio
The rise of Eminem from humble origins to the top of the rap world was far from easy. It took grit, it took determination, and, most of all, it took talent.
Eminem, born Marshal Mathers on October 17, 1972, became interested in rapping while attending high school in Detroit, Michigan. Though there was initial resistance to the idea of a "white rapper," through perseverance he gradually gained acceptance, performed with local groups, and eventually cut independently his first solo album Infinite in 1996.
He came to the attention of Interscope's Jimmy Iovine in 1997 in L.A. while competing in the Rap Olympics. He finished second in the freestyle category. Iovine later played Eminem's tape for Dr. Dre who loved it and wasted no time contacting Eminem and arranging a meeting. It has been reported that Dre was taken aback when he found out he had been dealing with a white boy, but, regardless, he didn't let it interfere with their mutual purpose. Within minutes, they had begun recording "My Name Is."¹
¹ Complete bio with quotes at Ace's Bio-Farm.
Eminem Quotes
"A lot of my rhymes are just to get chuckles out of people. Anybody with half a brain is going to be able to tell when I'm joking and when I'm serious." ~ Eminem
"It was an honor to hear the words out of Dre's mouth that he liked my shit. Growing up, I was one of the biggest fans of N.W.A, from putting on the sunglasses and looking in the mirror and lip sinking, to wanting to be Dr. Dre, to be Ice Cube. This is the biggest hip-hop producer ever." ~ Eminem
"I do say things that I think will shock people. But I don't do things to shock people. I'm not trying to be the next Tupac, but I don't know how long I'm going to be on this planet. So while I'm here, I might as well make the most of it." ~ Eminem
"Right now, there's a lot of people focusing on the way he died. I want to remember the way he lived. Proof was funny, he was smart, he was charming. He inspired everyone around him. He can never, ever be replaced. He was, and always will be, my best friend." ~ Eminem on the death of D12 rapper Proof
