The Many Faces of Eminem.
Through multiple decades we’ve watched Eminem evolve from the epitome of counter culture to an A-list celebrity. From a trailer park in Detroit to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – for Eminem’s 49th birthday we’re going to reflect on the many faces and accomplishments of Marshall Mathers.
The Slim Shady Era
The introduction of Eminem’s alter-ego “Slim Shady” served as a launch pad for a young Eminem’s career. From the late-80s to mid-90s Eminem gained some underground credibility, but ultimately struggled to find mainstream success until 1997 – when the world met Slim Shady.
In 1999 – The Slim Shady LP dropped and My Name Is became one of the most recognizable songs in the world. In typical Eminem fashion – My Name Is won the budding artist a Grammy, but also resulted in a lawsuit from his own mother along with public backlash that would follow him throughout his career. The persona of Slim Shady served as an outlet for young people from all walks of life who felt similarly frustrated with the status quo.
Slim Shady served as a check on mainstream culture at the turn of the millennium, when pop culture was far less ironic and self-aware than it is now. Eminem functioned as a cultural critic, as well as a producer of culture – which is a rare way for artists to gain recognition. Slim Shady thrived through the aughts but ultimately has faded into the background as Eminem has grown.
The Slim Shady Era consisted of The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, and Encore. These are widely considered to be Eminem’s best pieces of work.
Relapse and Recovery
The popular narrative around Eminem is that the shadow of of Slim Shady was impossible to fill, however every album that Eminem has released since 2000 has been the #1 album in America. With albums like Relapse, Recovery, and Revival Eminem found success with songs like Crack A Bottle and Love The Way You Lie.
Just after Recovery was released, Eminem returned to his Bad Meets Evil roots and made an album with fellow Detroit rapper Royce Da 5’ 9”. Although these are not widely considered Em’s best works – he found considerable success deep into his career. In 2014 – Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP 2 which is often forgotten but went quadruple platinum and won a Grammy for Best Rap Album.
From 8 Mile to Funny People
Eminem’s sense of humor has been the cornerstone of his music since he began making music. Slim Shady gained broad popularity because of Eminem’s self awareness and dark sense of humor. This self awareness led to Eminem starring in a film about his own life at the height of his popularity.
In the film 8 Mile – Eminem portrays a fictionalized version of himself, showing the good, bad, and ugly. To this day 8 Mile is constantly airing on television and referenced in pop culture.
Similarly Eminem would make hilarious cameos in films like Funny People and The Interview. Em knows how to get a laugh and can carry himself while acting.
Eminem Vs. the World
What do Moby, Machine Gun Kelly, Ja Rule, Everlast, Nick Cannon, and the Insane Clown Posse have in common? Eminem has publicly dissed all of them. Eminem’s dark sense of humor, combined with his blue collar upbringing and a noticeable chip on his shoulder resulted in tons of beef and disagreements with other entertainers.
The many feuds of Eminem have kept fans and the public entertained for years. However, it also resulted in him being investigated by the US Secret Service on two separate occasions – under both George Bush and Donald Trump.
Eminem has had public beef with everyone from Mariah Carey to his own mother to high level government officials. He’s perhaps the best instigator in modern pop culture history.
Through nearly fifty years on earth Eminem has sold more than 220 million albums worldwide, making him one of the most popular and best-selling artists of all-time. People from all walks of life relate to Eminem, “and every single person is a Slim Shady lurking, he could be working at Burger King, spittin’ on your onion rings. Or in the parking lot, circling, screaming ‘I don’t give a fuck!’ with his windows down and his system up.”
You can say what you want about Eminem, but no one can say he hasn’t accomplished more than nearly any rapper alive.