The ex-wife, the coma and the Beastie Boys: Eminem celebrates 52 years

Best wishes to Eminem. The best-selling hip hop artist of all time celebrates 52 years old. This birthday will be especially special for Slim Shady, as his beloved daughter, Hailie Jade Mathers28 years old, had by his ex-wife Kimberly Anne Scottwill make him a grandfather. Record-breaking rapper, he was the first to hold a Oscar for Best Original Song Lose Yourself of the biopic’s soundtrack 8 Mileswhich he played in 2002.

Only son of Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. and Deborah Rae Nelson, Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. His mother risked her life during the long 73-hour labor to bring him into the world. His father, a penniless musician, abandoned the family when Eminem was only a year and a half, leaving his mother Debbie to raise him alone in poverty, forced to live in a trailer on the outskirts of Detroit. After being the victim of bullying at school, Eminem found outlet in rap music, pouring his anger into lyrics.

His career began by participating in the hip hop battles of the city’s underground scene, where he honed his skill at rhyming. His success helped break racial barriers. Although much of his recording output has made him a controversial figure, Eminem has become a symbol of the American working classembodying his battles. Let’s celebrate the king of rap in 10 curiosities: from the numerous aliases to when he was almost killed by a bully to the Beastie Boys as a point of reference in his legendary career.

His classmates beat him to the point of putting him in a coma

Michel Linssen

Since childhood, Eminem hasn’t exactly had a stable family life. He and his mother moved often, rarely staying in the city for more than a year. This constant moving around made him an easy target for bullies, as he was always the new kid on the block. Suffice it to say that, at the age of 9, he was beaten so violently that he ended up in a coma for over a week. Another beating gave him a concussion and nearly caused him to lose the sight of his left eye. Following that accident, her mother sued the Detroit school system seeking $10,000 in damages. Precisely because of these terrible past experiences, the rapper has often taken a stand against bullying over the years.

Zero in conduct

Sometimes success in school doesn’t always translate to success in life, and vice versa. Eminem is the perfect example of the latter case. Although he participated in rap battles on the high school playground, he never made it to class on time, which naturally led to bad grades. Em repeated eighth grade three times before dropping out entirely at age 17.

Beastie Boys, Eminem’s idols

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The first white rap group to become popular, the Beastie Boys changed hip hop forever. One of their biggest fans is Eminem himself, who paid homage to the iconic trio in his 2013 single Berzerk.

He was sued by his mother

Anyone who has ever listened to Eminem’s songs will be aware of his complicated relationship with his mother Debbie. When the rapper was a teenager, she kicked him out of the house on numerous occasions. Em reacted through his lyrics, particularly on the second album The Slim Shady LP. His mother didn’t take it too well, so much so that she took her son to court for 10 million dollars. In the end, Deb had to settle for $1,600 in damages.

He slept through his Oscar win

Eminem was the first rapper to win the statuette for Best Original Song Lose Yourself of the biopic’s soundtrack 8 Milesplayed by him. However, comparing oneself with passages from great films such as Chicago And Gangs of New Yorkmade the artist stay at home, as he believed he had no chance of winning.

The aliases

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The different aliases represent the different personalities of the Detroit artist. «Slim Shady» is the name of his alter ego, «Eminem» is the rapper and «Marshall Mathers» is who he really is.

Words at bullet speed

In 2020, Em set a record of 7.46 words per second with the single Godzilla. Record taken from himself with the song Rap God of 2013 (6.5 words per second).

Eminem’s ex-wife

The rapper married twice (in 1999 and then in 2006) to the same woman, Kimberly Anne Scott, mother of his only daughter Hailie. The two fell in love during high school. During that time, Kim lived with Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, because she and her twin sister, Dawn, ran away from home to escape their alcoholic stepfather.

Who are the girlfriends of the past?

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The rapper claimed to have had a relationship with Mariah Carey in 2001, although the singer of All I Want For Christmas Is You has always denied. Eminem’s other romances include actress Joy McAvoy and Brittany Murphy, his co-star in 8 Mile.

Elton John helped him quit drugs

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Eminem has had drug problems at various times in his life, which worsened in the mid-2000s when he nearly died from a methadone overdose. Supporting him on his recovery journey was none other than Sir Elton John, who provided him with regular assistance, calling him every week to monitor his progress. Rocket Man became a sort of sponsor for the rapper during his rehabilitation.

Source: Vanity Fair

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