EMINEM FACTS
110+ Amazing Facts About The Rap God!
Early Life & Personal
Eminem's real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III. He was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri!
His mother was only 17 years old when she had him, and his father abandoned the family when Eminem was just a baby.
Eminem and his mom moved around a lot - they never stayed in one place for more than a year or two!
He moved to Detroit, Michigan when he was 12 years old - the city that would shape his entire career!
Eminem failed 9th grade THREE times! He eventually dropped out of high school at age 17.
Despite dropping out, he was actually really good at English class and loved reading the dictionary!
He taught himself to rap by studying the dictionary to learn new words and rhyme patterns!
As a kid, Eminem was bullied so badly that he was once beaten into a coma that lasted several days.
He got his stage name "Eminem" from his initials M&M (Marshall Mathers), but spelled it differently to be unique!
Before becoming famous, he worked as a cook at a restaurant called Gilbert's Lodge in Michigan.
He also worked at a factory that made car parts to support his family before his rap career took off.
Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade was born on December 25, 1995 - a Christmas baby!
Hailie graduated from Michigan State University in 2018 with a degree in psychology and a 3.9 GPA!
Eminem has mentioned Hailie in over 20 of his songs - she's his biggest inspiration!
He also raised his niece Alaina and his adopted daughter Stevie as his own children.
Eminem is known for being super private - he almost never gives interviews about his personal life!
He's a huge comic book collector and has spent over $600 on a single rare comic!
Eminem loves video games, especially first-person shooters and sports games!
He's a big fan of horror movies - his album "Music to Be Murdered By" was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock!
Eminem is left-handed, which is pretty rare - only about 10% of people are lefties!
Music Career
Eminem started rapping at age 14 and would practice for hours every single day!
He participated in rap battles at a place called the Hip-Hop Shop in Detroit every Saturday!
His first album "Infinite" in 1996 sold only about 1,000 copies and was considered a flop.
After "Infinite" failed, he created the "Slim Shady" character as an alter ego to express darker thoughts.
Dr. Dre discovered Eminem in 1998 after hearing his demo tape at Interscope Records!
Dr. Dre said when he first heard Eminem, he was shocked a white kid could rap that well!
"The Slim Shady LP" (1999) went triple platinum in just a few months after release!
"The Marshall Mathers LP" (2000) sold 1.76 million copies in its FIRST WEEK - a record at the time!
"The Eminem Show" (2002) was the best-selling album of the entire year in the United States!
He has sold over 220 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists in history!
Eminem is the best-selling rapper of all time AND the best-selling artist of the 2000s decade!
He founded his own record label called Shady Records in 1999 with his manager Paul Rosenberg.
Shady Records has signed artists like 50 Cent, Obie Trice, D12, and many more!
Eminem was part of a group called D12 (also known as Dirty Dozen) with 5 other Detroit rappers.
He took a 5-year break from music (2005-2009) to deal with personal issues and came back stronger!
"Recovery" (2010) sold over 741,000 copies in its first week and was a huge comeback!
He surprise-dropped "Kamikaze" in 2018 with NO promotion - fans had no idea it was coming!
"Music to Be Murdered By" was also a surprise release in January 2020!
Eminem has released 11 solo studio albums (and counting!) throughout his career.
He has been featured on hundreds of songs with other artists over the years!
Records & Achievements
Eminem holds the Guinness World Record for most words in a hit single - "Rap God" has 1,560 words in 6 minutes and 4 seconds!
In "Rap God," he raps 97 words in just 15 seconds - that's 6.5 words per SECOND!
The supersonic speed section of "Rap God" where he raps super fast went viral worldwide!
He has won 15 Grammy Awards out of 44 nominations - that's an incredible success rate!
Eminem won Best Rap Album at the Grammys SIX different times - more than any other rapper!
He won an Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile!
When he won the Oscar, he was sleeping at home because he didn't think he would win!
"Lose Yourself" was the first rap song EVER to win an Oscar for Best Original Song!
He finally performed "Lose Yourself" at the Oscars in 2020 - 17 years after winning!
Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 in his first year of eligibility!
He has had 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 - tying him with legends like The Beatles!
Eminem has more than 60 million subscribers on YouTube - one of the most subscribed music artists!
His music videos have been viewed over 20 BILLION times on YouTube combined!
"Rap God" music video alone has over 1.5 billion views on YouTube!
He has won 8 American Music Awards throughout his career!
Eminem has won 17 Billboard Music Awards - showing his commercial dominance!
He was named "Artist of the Decade" (2000-2009) by Billboard magazine!
Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #83 on their list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time!
He's been named one of the greatest rappers of all time by virtually every music publication!
Eminem has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was unveiled in 2022!
Famous Songs
"My Name Is" (1999) was his breakthrough hit that introduced Slim Shady to the world!
"The Real Slim Shady" (2000) won a Grammy and the music video won an MTV VMA!
"Stan" (2000) tells a story so powerful that "stan" became a word meaning "super fan"!
The word "stan" was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary because of Eminem's song!
"Without Me" (2002) was his most successful single at the time, going 6x platinum!
"Lose Yourself" (2002) spent 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100!
"Lose Yourself" is certified Diamond (10+ million sales) - one of the best-selling singles ever!
He wrote "Lose Yourself" while on set filming 8 Mile, often writing lyrics between takes!
"Mockingbird" (2004) is a heartfelt song written for his daughter Hailie!
"Not Afraid" (2010) debuted at #1 and became an anthem about overcoming struggles!
"Love the Way You Lie" with Rihanna was the best-selling single of 2010!
"The Monster" with Rihanna hit #1 and won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration!
"Rap God" (2013) showcases his incredible technical skill and speed!
"Godzilla" (2020) features him rapping even FASTER than in "Rap God" - 224 words in 31 seconds!
"Till I Collapse" is one of the most popular workout songs ever created!
He's collaborated with legends like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, and more!
"Forgot About Dre" with Dr. Dre won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group!
"Crack a Bottle" with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent sold 418,000 digital copies in its first week!
His songs have been streamed over 30 BILLION times on Spotify alone!
Eminem has over 52 million monthly listeners on Spotify - one of the top artists on the platform!
Movies & Acting
Eminem starred in the movie "8 Mile" (2002), which is loosely based on his real life!
In 8 Mile, he played "B-Rabbit," a struggling rapper trying to make it in Detroit.
The rap battle scenes in 8 Mile are considered some of the best ever filmed!
8 Mile made over $240 million at the box office - a huge success!
He had a cameo in the movie "Funny People" (2009) starring Adam Sandler.
Eminem appeared as himself in "The Interview" (2014) in a hilarious scene!
He produced the soundtrack for the movie "Southpaw" (2015) about a boxer!
The song "Phenomenal" was written specifically for the Southpaw movie!
He wrote and performed "Venom" for the Marvel movie of the same name in 2018!
Eminem performed at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige!
Cool & Random Facts
Eminem has three alter egos: Slim Shady (wild), Marshall Mathers (personal), and Eminem (performer)!
He rarely smiles in photos - it's become part of his signature look!
Eminem is known for wearing hoodies - he has hundreds of them!
He opened a restaurant called "Mom's Spaghetti" in Detroit, named after his famous lyric!
The "Mom's Spaghetti" restaurant serves - you guessed it - spaghetti!
He took a knee during the Super Bowl halftime show in support of social justice!
Eminem is a huge Detroit Lions fan despite their historically losing record!
He's also a big Detroit Tigers (baseball) and Detroit Pistons (basketball) fan!
Eminem does NOT have any tattoos - unlike many other rappers!
He's known for his incredible work ethic - he still writes rhymes every single day!
Eminem memorizes all his lyrics - he doesn't use a teleprompter at concerts!
His net worth is estimated to be over $250 million!
He's been sober since 2008 and often raps about his journey to recovery!
Eminem runs 17 miles a day as part of his exercise routine!
He's a big fan of the TV show "Breaking Bad" and even referenced it in his songs!
Eminem once declined to perform at the Grammys because he doesn't like award shows!
He's known for "beefing" (having rap feuds) with other celebrities through his songs!
Despite his tough exterior, friends say he's actually very shy in real life!
Eminem's favorite color is blue!
He once turned down $8 million to perform at a private concert because he doesn't do private shows!