10 Things You Didn’t Know About Eminem
Eminem has had a career decorated with incredible music, much controversy and some very interesting moments -- remember his feuds with the likes of Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera or killing his ex-wife Kim on songs. With over 100 million albums sold worldwide, the Detroit native will go down as one of the greatest (and complex) artists of all time.
With such a storied past, there's a lot to learn about about Marshall Mathers. For example, his middle name is Bruce. But surely diehard fans knew that already. There's more to know about the rapper and TheDrop.fm is here to help. Check out 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Eminem.
- 10
Michael Jackson owned some of his music catalog.
In 2007, Sony/ATV Music Publishing company purchased Famous Music LLC from Viacom. Because Michael Jackson had a stake in Sony, he owned some of the rapper's songs like 'Without Me' and 'The Real Slim Shady.' In a way, Jackson owning the tracks made for good revenge since Em did a not-so-honorable parody of the late singer in his video for 'Just Lose It.'
- 9
His first arrest was acted out in a movie.
Eminem's first arrest was for shooting a police car with a paintball gun. However, the rhymer, who was 20 at the time, wasn't the triggerman -- his friend was -- and the paint ball didn’t even break, according to police. The alleged victim didn’t show up for court so Em's case was dismissed. The initial arrest was recreated in the movie '8 Mile.'
- 8
Eminem is not an only child.
Eminem has a younger brother who was arrested for a DUI back in 2009. He is 14 years younger than the rapper.
- 7
The rapper's name wasn't inspired by chocolate candy.
When we hear the name Eminem, we often think of M&M's, the colorful chocolate candy with creative and entertaining commercials. The Detroit native wasn't inspired by the sweet treats though when thinking of a rap moniker; it stems from the initials of his name, Marshall Mathers.
- 6
He's in 'The Guinness Book of World Records.'
Eminem's success as a rap artist is no laughing matter. In 'The Guinness Book of World Records,' he's listed as having the record for most successive U.S. No.1 albums by a solo artist, being the 21st century’s top-selling album act and having the most successive U.S. albums to debut at No.1 by a solo artist. He also once held the record for most likes on a Facebook page, with over 42 million likes.
- 5
The rhymer was considered for a role in 'The Fighter.'
Eminem was considered for a role in the 2010 movie 'The Fighter,' after Mark Wahlberg thought Matt Damon wasn't too into the part, and it eventually went to Christian Bale. The movie went on to win a few Oscars and Golden Globes.
- 4
Eminem didn't graduate from high school.
Who said you need an education to be successful? Eminem attended Lincoln High School in Warren, Mich. He stayed back three times before dropping out at 17, when he was still in ninth grade.
- 3
He's received the 'Weird' Al Yankovic treatment.
Eminem is known to have done parodies of everyone else in the late '90s and early 2000s, poking fun at Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera and countless others. But in 2003, "Weird" Al Yankovic made a parody of 'Lose Yourself' titled 'Couch Potato.' Don't worry, Eminem did give him permission to do it.
- 2
The Detroit native has an Oscar.
Although '8 Mile' did not win any awards, Eminem’s track 'Lose Yourself,' which was the standout song in the fim, was the first rap song to win an Oscar in 2002.
- 1
In his early days, he was compared to AZ.
When Eminem released his very first album, 'Infinite,' in 1996, he earned some criticism for copying other rappers' styles, namely AZ. The rapper never intended to bite anyone's flow and was experimenting on his way to the top.
"Obviously, I was young and influenced by other artists, and I got a lot of feedback saying that I sounded like AZ. 'Infinite' was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself. It was a growing stage. I felt like 'Infinite' was like a demo that just got pressed up."