Eminem

Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972, became the first hip-hop act to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song when “Lose Yourself,” from the 2002 film 8 Mile, took the prize. The song spent 12 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, the longest run for a solo rap song. As both a rapper and actor, he earned critical acclaim for his role in 8 Mile, playing a dramatized version of himself.

After releasing his debut album, Infinite, in 1996 and the Slim Shady EP the following year, Eminem signed with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. The Slim Shady LP arrived in 1999 and brought him mainstream recognition. Its follow-ups, The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000 and The Eminem Show in 2002, each sold more than one million copies in a single week. The Eminem Show was the world’s best-selling album of 2002 and is identified as the best-selling hip-hop album of all time.

His late-1990s and early-2000s work drew controversy for its transgressive content, while his writing also incorporated political criticism and social commentary. Eminem is widely regarded as one of rap’s greatest artists and is often credited with helping bring hip-hop to Middle America and broadening acceptance of white rappers. He is the best-selling rapper and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales exceeding 220 million records. In the United States, he has earned seven diamond certifications from the RIAA.

Following Encore in 2004, Eminem stepped away from music in part because of prescription drug addiction. He returned with Relapse in 2009 and Recovery in 2010, which was the world’s best-selling album of that year. His later studio albums, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Revival, Kamikaze, Music to Be Murdered By, and The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), all debuted atop the Billboard 200.

Beyond his solo catalog, Eminem has worked in New Jacks, Soul Intent, Outsidaz and D12, and formed Bad Meets Evil with Royce da 5'9". He co-founded Shady Records, created the Sirius XM channel Shade 45, and opened the restaurant Mom’s Spaghetti. His honors include 15 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, 17 Billboard Music Awards and 15 MTV Video Music Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.