October 1, 2023 | Carl Wyndham

Facts About Eminem That’ll Make You Lose Yourself


I say what I want to say and do what I want to do. There’s no in-between. People will either love you for it or hate you for it". – Eminem

Here are a few things you might not know about the man Rolling Stone magazine crowned as the King of Hip-Hop.


1. Split Personality

Eminem says that his different names represent different personas. “Slim Shady” is the name for his temper, “Eminem” is just the rapper, and “Marshall Mathers” is who he is at the end of the day.

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2. The Inn Crowd

Before their separation, Eminem’s parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing in Ramada Inns along the Dakotas-Montana border.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

3. So What Cha Want?

Marshall was inspired to rap after he discovered The Beastie Boys’ 1986 classic License to Ill.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

4. It's a boy

Eminem was born when his mom was just 17-year old. She nearly perished during her 73-hour labor.

Eminem FactsShutterstock

5. Home is Where the Heart Is

When Eminem was 15, his mother allowed runaway Kimberly Ann “Kim” Scott to stay their home and, several years later, Eminem began and on-again off-again relationship with Scott.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

6. Me Fail English? That’s Unpossible!

Eminem failed the ninth grade three times before he finally dropped out and became a rapper.  We wouldn't recommend this career path but it seems to have worked out pretty well for Em.

Eminem FactsShutterstock

7. Mommy Dearest

Eminem was sued by his own mother for defamation after he included the line ‘My mother does more dope than I do’ in his single “My Name Is". It is unclear whether her objection was to the insinuation that she smoked dope or the inaccuracy of the quantities of dope smoked.

The Wire FactsGetty Images

8. Lunch Raps

Eminem and his childhood friend and fellow rapper, Proof, would sneak into the nearby high school in order to compete in lunchroom freestyle rap battles.

Eminem FactsWikimedia Commons, Mika Väisänen

9. Corresponding Sounds

When Eminem wrote verses, he wanted most of the words to rhyme so he wrote long words or phrases on paper and, underneath, worked on rhymes for each syllable. While the words often made little sense, it was this exercise that helped him practice sounds and rhymes.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

10. Best of the best

In a study that looked at 93 top artists over 25 genres of music, it was discovered that Eminem had the widest vocabulary, coming in at 8,818 unique words (versus Jay-Z with 6,899 and Bob Dylan with 4,883).

Eminem FactsGetty Images

11. Short List

The only non-comic book that Eminem has read in its entirety is LL Cool J’s “I Make My Own Rules".

Eminem FactsGetty Images

12. Eighty-Six’d

To support his mother, a young Marshall Mathers worked as a short-order cook at a Michigan family restaurant called Gilbert’s Lodge and was fired five days before Christmas on his daughter’s birthday. He wrote “Rock Bottom” shortly after that.

Eminem FactsWikimedia Commons

13. Back to the Lab Again…

Eminem’s first album, Infinite, was a commercial failure. His rhyming style lacked the comically violent slant for which he later became famous. Detroit DJs largely ignored the album and their suggestion that he “go into rock and roll” led him to craft angrier, moodier tracks.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

14. The Great White Hype

His second album, The Slim Shady EP, which featured his sadistic and violent alter-ego Slim Shady, featured frequent references to drug use, carnal acts, mental instability, and violence. This album was far better received, leading hip-hop magazine, The Source, to feature him in its “Unsigned Hype” column.

Eminem Facts

15. Lost the Battle, Won the War

In 1997, Eminem went to Los Angeles to compete in the Rap Olympics, a nationwide battle rap competition. He came in second, losing to highly-regarded battle rapper Otherwize, but impressed Interscope Records who brought a copy of The Slim Shady EP back to Jimmy Lovine who played it for Dr. Dre who signed him to his label Aftermath, losing his amateur status and preventing from competing in future Olympics.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

16. Affirmative Action

On the Eminem signing, Dre recalls, “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.’”. Although his associates criticized him for hiring a white rapper, Dre stuck to his guns, saying, “I don’t give a **** if you’re purple; if you can kick it, I’m working with you". Interestingly it is in the rap industry where you have talent transcending color.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

17. Like Two Dogs Caged

When The Slim Shady LP received a wide release, it went triple platinum by the end of the year. However, Em was accused of imitating the style and subject matter of underground rapper Cage. In the ensuing beef, Cage referred to Eminem’s alter-ego Slim Shady as 'B*tch Lady'. As a real burn, Eminem, of course, needs only to point at his record sales.

Eminem FactsWikimedia Commons

18. More Fun than Skeeball

Eminem told his wife that he was taking his daughter Hailie to Chuck E Cheese but, in reality, he took her to the recording studio to record her part for the song “’97 Bonnie & Clyde,” a song about a field trip with his infant daughter to dispose of his wife’s lifeless body. Yeah… sometimes honesty is definitely not the best policy.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

19. Fast Lane

When The Marshall Mathers LP was released, it broke Snoop Dogg’s record for fastest selling hip-hop album and Britney Spears’ record for fastest-selling solo album.

Eminem FactsFlickr

20. You Can’t Always Get What You Want

When he was a kid, Eminem wanted to be a comic book artist. Sadly, he had to settle for multi-millionaire rap genius instead.

Eminem FactsShutterstock

21. Bottled Up

When he was in rehab, Eminem says that he used superhero comics to fill the void left behind by the pills and the booze.

Marvel Villains FactsShutterstock

22. Ice Ice Baby

Eminem’s comic book geek moment hit a peak when he was featured in a Marvel storyline in which The Punisher foils a plot to assassinate Eminem by the Parents Music Council (a parody of the Parents Music Resource Center) and then leaves Eminem on a circle of floating ice in the middle of the arctic.

Eminem FactsFlickr

23. Would You Rather…

After his divorce, Eminem said that he’d rather “have a baby through his [crotch] than get married again". Despite that, he and Kim briefly remarried in 2006.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

24. Not Bullet Proof

Proof, Eminem’s D-12 bandmate, childhood friend, and best man at his second wedding to Kim Mathers, was sadly shot and lost his life following an altercation that began over a game of pool.

Eminem FactsWikipedia

25. Love the Way You Lie

In 2017, Eminem appeared on the track “No Favors,” from Big Sean’s album I Decided. In the song, Eminem refers to newly elected president Donald Trump as a “b****” and raps about assaulting conservative social and political commentator Ann Coulter, a trump supporter. So… we guess he’s a Democrat.

Eminem Facts Getty Images

26. It’s IN the Computer?

Eminem doesn’t know how to use a computer and he refuses to learn. “If I learn how to work a computer,” he says, “I’ll be on that b*tch all day looking at comments about me, and it’s going to drive me crazy". We bet he thinks Carly Simon’s song is about him too.

Eminem FactsShutterstock

27. Torment For You

De’Angelo Bailey, the former high school bully and current janitor who Eminem rapped about on the track “Brain Damage,” sued Eminem for a million dollars, claiming that the song damaged his reputation. Lord knows you wouldn’t want to be looked upon poorly within the custodial community.

Eminem FactsWikimedia Commons

28. This Judge Rules!

When throwing Bailey’s case out, Judge Deboray Servitto explained her ruling through rap: “Mr. Bailey complains that his rap is trash / so he’s seeking compensation in the form of cash. / Bailey thinks he’s entitled to some monetary gain / because Eminem used his name in vain. / The lyrics are stories no one would take as fact / they’re an exaggeration of a childish act. / It is therefore this court’s ultimate position / that Eminem is entitled to summary disposition".

Eminem Facts Getty Images

29. Right in the Kisser

Eminem beat a man for kissing his wife and settled out of court for $100,000. A kiss AND $100,000? Sounds like a great deal (if you leave out the part where you get pistol whipped by an enraged white rapper).

Eminem FactsGetty Images

30. Melts in Your Mouth

His real name is Marshall Mathers and that’s how he got his stage name Eminem. M(arshall). M(athers). He was not, as some people have speculated, named after the delicious chocolate treat.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

31. In Canada, it’s 12.87 Kilometers

Eminem made his Hollywood debut in the 2002 film 8 Mile, a semi-autobiographical film that Eminem insists is not actually about him, but more about the experience of a white rapper growing up in Detroit to become a well-respected hip-hop artist. So, nothing like him at all.

pl.ign

Eminem FactsGetty Images

32. Not Afraid

The rap battle scenes in 8 Mile took days to film, and the crowd of 300 extras was getting bored. So director Curtis Hanson started an improv freestyle rap battle with the four best rappers getting a one-take-only one-shot scene with Eminem who wanted to mime the battle to save his voice for scripted scenes. But Eminem couldn’t resist the challenge, especially with the crowd taunting him, and he turned the mic on and took on his opponents. For the results, you’ll have to consult the DVD extras.

Eminem Facts8 Mile, Universal Pictures

33. Marv Won

The actual winner of the competition, Marv Won, actually wound up becoming friends with Slim Shady himself, and remains friends with the superstar rapper over a decade later.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

34. And the Oscar Goes To… Slim Shady?!

The song “Lose Yourself” from the film 8 Mile was the first rap song to ever win an Academy Award and also means that Eminem has more Academy Awards than Liam Neeson, Glenn Close, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, and Ralph Fiennes combined.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

35. This Opportunity Comes Once in a Lifetime Yo

Eminem claims that he did not expect to win the Oscar, so he did not attend the ceremony, and spent the evening napping with his daughter. So, he won twice.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

36. Featuring Samuel L. Jackson

When the album The Eminem Show was released, music critics, noting the extensive use of profanities and the word “motherf*****” on the album, referred to him as “Eminef,” a moniker previously preserved for Monday Night Football.

Eminem FactsFlickr

37. Pill Popper

Eminem has had well-documented issues with drug dependency claiming that during the height of his addiction, he consumed anywhere from 40-60 Valium and 30 Vicodin per day. Which is, like… a lot.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

38. He’s Lovin’ It

During this time period, Eminem ate a lot of fast food, and his weight ballooned to 230 lbs, to the point where fans no longer recognized him. Eminem once overheard two teenagers arguing about whether or not it was him, and one of them said, “Eminem ain’t fat". Y’know. Fat. With an F. Like the kids say.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

39. Methadone Man

Eminem fell unconscious and was rushed to hospital after consuming a quantity of methadone that was the equivalent of four bags of illicit morphine. Doctors told him he was “about two hours from dying". Two hours away from a BET tribute? Not many people get that close.

Eminem FactsWikimedia Commons

40. The Monster

Eminem’s mother stated that he has struggled with bipolar disorder throughout his life and that it got worse after the birth of his daughter Hailie confirming what everybody already knew: Kids will drive you crazy.

Superbad FactsFlickr

41. Ebony and Ivory

Eminem is the first white person to ever be on the cover of “The Source” and “XXL” magazines.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

42. Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That

The LGBT community has criticized Eminem for his anti-gay lyrics. Eminem defended himself by claiming that he was speaking in character and not from his own perspective. Ah, “It wasn’t me". The Shaggy defense. Classic.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

43. A Gay Old Time

Amidst the accusations of homophobia, Eminem performed his song “Stan” with Sir Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2001. It was touted as “the hug heard ‘round the world". Despite the overture, there were still protests from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). because gay, doesn’t always mean happy.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

44. Let’s Get This Straight

When Eminem suggested he perform “Stan” with Elton John, he claimed that, at first, he wasn’t being serious. And in terms of the whole event being a form of PR to battle the homophobia controversy, Eminem claims that he didn’t even know that Elton John was gay. Eminem probably thinks that Liberace was also straight as an arrow.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

45. Someone Saved My Life

When Eminem wanted to get clean, he called Elton John who helped him for over 18 months to kick his addiction to Vicodin, Ambien, and other prescription substances. If anybody knows about kicking a drug habit, it’s Elton John.

Elton John factsGetty Images

46. I’m Coming Out

In the film The Interview, Eminem plays himself. Or a version of himself that claims his anti-gay lyrics are just a byproduct of him being gay. Either way, it was hilarious.

Eminem FactsThe Interview, Columbia Pictures

47. Half Minute Man

The hook for “Just Lose It” took Eminem 30 seconds to write. It took Eminem less time to write a number one hit song than it took us to toast a Pop Tart.

Eminem Facts Getty Images

48. Just Beat It

The song “Just Lose It” was widely criticized for containing slurs about Michael Jackson. Steve Harvey, friend of Michael Jackson, said that “Eminem has just lost his ghetto pass. We want the pass back". We’re pretty sure Harvey lost his ghetto pass for his association with Family Feud.

Steve Harvey factsGetty Images

49. Straight from The Source

Constantly controversial, Eminem was under fire when The Source revealed that it possessed a tape in which he rapped slurs against black women. Eminem claimed it was the aftermath of a bad breakup with a black girlfriend. You know what they say. Once you go black, you put out potentially racist bootlegs that randomly damage your career for no good reason.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

50. Civic Duty

In the video for his song “Mosh,” Eminem gathers an army of Bush administration victims and leads them to the White House. After they break in, it is revealed that they were actually there to vote. Of course, Bush was re-elected, so… good job fellas.

High school scandalPexels

51. Bush Whacked

In 2003, Eminem was investigated by the US Secret Service for allegations that he had threatened the President of the United States. The investigation was based on lyrics from his song “We As Americans” in which he rapped ‘F*** money / I don’t rap for dead presidents / I’d rather see the president dead / It’s never been said, but I set precedents’. The US Secret Service clearly has no appreciation for the nuances of rap.

Eminem FactsGetty Images

52. Head Up His...

During the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Sacha Baron Cohen descended onto the audience in an angel costume and landed, buttocks-first, on Eminem’s head. Eminem stormed out of the ceremony, seemingly furious. He said that, after he left, he went back to his hotel room and “laughed uncontrollably for about three hours".

Eminem FactsGetty Images

53. How Do You Like Dem Apples?

Eminem was offered the lead role in the 2013 sci-fi film Elysium but turned it down because they refused to move production from Los Angeles to Detroit. The role went to Matt Damon who was the third choice behind Eminem and Ninja from the South African band Die Antwoord. When asked how he felt about being so far down the list, Damon said, “It’s the kind of thing like… asking your girlfriend about ex-boyfriends. You don’t want to know".

Eminem FactsGetty Images

54. Rap Sheet

Eminem’s first run-in with the law was at age 20 when he was apprehended for involvement in a drive-by with a paintball gun. According to law enforcement, the paintballs didn’t even break. The case was dismissed when the victim did not appear in court.

Eminem FactsWikimedia Commons

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7


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