From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Eminem made an impact.
Eminem, born Marshall Mathers, is a highly influential American rapper, songwriter, and producer. Widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, he's credited with popularizing hip-hop in Middle America and challenging racial barriers within the music industry. Despite controversy surrounding his often transgressive lyrics in the late 90s and early 2000s, he became an iconic figure embodying the angst of the American underclass.
Travis Scott has overtaken Eminem as the second most-streamed rapper on Spotify, marking a notable shift in the platform's hip-hop hierarchy. Scott is closing in on the top spot.
In 1988, Eminem, then known as MC Double M, formed his first group, New Jacks, and made a self-titled demo tape with DJ Butter Fingers.
In 1989, New Jacks joined Bassmint Productions.
In 1992, Bassmint Productions changed their name to Soul Intent and Eminem made his first music video appearance in "Do-Da-Dippity" by Champtown.
In 1995, Eminem was signed to Jeff and Mark Bass' F.B.T. Productions.
In 1995, Soul Intent released a self-titled EP featuring Proof.
In 1995-1996 Eminem recorded and in 1996, released his debut album Infinite for Web Entertainment label.
In 1996, Eminem and Proof teamed up with other rappers to form The Dirty Dozen (D12).
In 1996, Eminem released his debut album, 'Infinite'.
In 1997, D12 released The Underground E.P.
In 1997, Eminem developed Slim Shady and recorded his debut EP, the Slim Shady EP.
In 1997, Eminem participated in the Scribble Jam MC battle and went to Los Angeles to compete in the 1997 Rap Olympics, where he placed second. An Interscope Records intern got a copy of his EP, and it was sent to Jimmy Iovine.
In 1997, Eminem released the extended play 'Slim Shady EP'.
On March 9, 1998, Eminem was signed to Aftermath and Interscope.
In March 1998, Hip-hop magazine The Source featured Eminem in its "Unsigned Hype" column.
In 1998, Eminem and Royce da 5'9" formed the duo Bad Meets Evil.
In 1998, Eminem appeared as an extra in Korn's "Got the Life" music video, where he gave the band a demo tape.
In 1998, during Eminem's beef with Cage, New York rapper Necro met Eminem and gave him a CD with the beat that became "Black Helicopters" by Non-Phixion, although Eminem never used it.
In February 1999, Eminem released 'The Slim Shady LP'.
In 1999, Eminem achieved mainstream popularity with 'The Slim Shady LP' after signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.
In 1999, Eminem hinted in his single "My Name Is" that he avoided the use of drugs after experiencing his mother's history of drug abuse.
In late 1999, Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg teamed up to start Shady Records.
In late 1999, following multiplatinum record sales, Interscope offered Eminem his own label, leading him and Paul Rosenberg to found Shady Records.
The Marshall Mathers LP was recorded from 1999 to 2000
In May 2000, Eminem released 'The Marshall Mathers LP'. It sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking U.S. records.
In July 2000, Eminem was the first white artist to appear on the cover of The Source.
On November 21, 2000, Eminem published Angry Blonde, a non-fiction book featuring commentary on his songs and previously unpublished photographs.
Billboard named Eminem the Artist of the Decade (2000–2009).
Eminem released the song "The Way I Am" in 2000.
In 2000, Eminem participated in the Up in Smoke Tour and the Family Values Tour. He also headlined the Anger Management Tour with Papa Roach, Ludacris, and Xzibit.
In 2000, Eminem released 'The Marshall Mathers LP', which became a worldwide success.
In 2001, D12 released their first album Devil's Night.
In 2001, D12's debut album, Devil's Night, was released.
In 2001, Eminem had a small role in the film The Wash.
In 2001, Eminem performed "Stan" with Elton John at the 43rd Grammy Awards ceremony, which was met with condemnation from GLAAD due to Eminem's perceived homophobic lyrics. On February 21, 2001, GLAAD held a protest outside the Staples Center, the venue for the awards ceremony. Additionally, Eminem was featured on Jay-Z's album 'The Blueprint', producing and rapping on the song "Renegade".
In 2001, during rehearsal for the "Stan" duet at the Grammy Awards, Elton John felt goosebumps, comparing Eminem to Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger, James Brown and Aretha Franklin.
In May 2002, Eminem released 'The Eminem Show', which topped the charts and sold over 1.332 million copies in its first week. The album addresses Eminem's rise to fame, his relationships, and his status in hip-hop. It became the bestselling album of 2002, selling 27 million copies worldwide and was certified Diamond by the RIAA.
For his work in the film 8 Mile, Eminem won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself", becoming the first hip-hop artist to receive the award.
In 2002, Eminem made his Hollywood debut in the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile.
In 2002, Eminem released 'The Eminem Show', which became a worldwide success and the best-selling album worldwide of that year.
In 2002, Eminem signed 50 Cent to Shady Records in a joint venture with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label.
In 2002, Eminem starred in the musical drama film '8 Mile', playing a dramatized version of himself. The song "Lose Yourself" from the soundtrack won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
In 2002, The Eminem Show was the world's best-selling album, marking the first of Eminem's two worldwide year-end number-one albums.
In 2003, Eminem won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself" from the 8 Mile soundtrack, becoming the longest-running No. 1 hip-hop single in history. Luis Resto accepted the award in his absence.
On October 25, 2004, Eminem released the anti-war music video for "Mosh" online, featuring an army of Bush-administration victims who register to vote. After George W. Bush's reelection, the video's ending was altered.
Ahead of the 2004 United States presidential election, Eminem released the protest song "Mosh," which criticized then-President George W. Bush.
Following the release of 'Encore' in 2004, Eminem took a hiatus, partially due to struggles with prescription drug addiction.
In 2004 D12 released their second album, D12 World, which included the hit singles "My Band" and "How Come".
In 2004, Eminem promoted the Shady National Convention at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, where Donald Trump endorsed him.
In 2004, Eminem was co-executive producer of 2Pac's posthumous album Loyal to the Game with Shakur's mother, Afeni.
On December 6, 2005, Eminem released a greatest hits album, 'Curtain Call: The Hits', which sold approximately 441,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. and became his fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Hot 200.
In 2005, Eminem signed Atlanta rapper Bobby Creekwater and West Coast rapper Cashis to Shady Records.
On December 5, 2006, the compilation album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up was released on Shady Records as a project to introduce Stat Quo, Cashis and Bobby Creekwater.
In September 2007, Eminem mentioned in an interview with New York radio station WQHT that he was "in limbo" and uncertain about releasing another album.
In September 2008, Eminem announced on his Shade 45 Sirius channel that he was focusing on his own music and producing tracks.
On October 21, 2008, Eminem's autobiography The Way I Am was published by Dutton Adult, featuring never-before-published photos.
In 2008, Eminem was considered for the role of David Rice in the film Jumper.
According to a March 5, 2009, press release, Eminem announced he would release two new albums in 2009, starting with 'Relapse'.
Billboard named Eminem the Artist of the Decade (2000–2009).
From 2009 to 2010, Eminem recorded the album 'Recovery'.
In 2009, Eminem expressed support for Barack Obama in an interview.
In 2009, Eminem had a cameo appearance in the film Funny People.
In 2009, Eminem returned to the music industry with the release of 'Relapse'.
In 2009, Interscope confirmed that Eminem would release a new album in the spring.
On April 14, 2010, Eminem tweeted that "There is no Relapse 2", then he confirmed the new album title, "Recovery".
In June 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z announced The Home & Home Tour, with concerts in Detroit and New York City. Due to high demand, additional shows were added.
As of November 21, 2010, the album 'Recovery' had sold three million copies in the U.S.
In December 2010, it was announced that "Space Bound" would be the fourth single from Recovery, featuring Sasha Grey in the music video released on June 24 on the iTunes Store. Also, Eminem's "Great Eminem Recovery" was number one on Billboard's Top 25 Music Moments of 2010.
In 2010, Eminem released 'Recovery', which became the best-selling album worldwide of that year.
In 2010, Eminem released 'Recovery', which sold 741,000 copies in its first week in the U.S., topping the Billboard 200 chart and several other countries' charts. It remained at the top for five consecutive weeks.
In 2010, Eminem started collaborating again with Royce da 5'9" on their first EP as Bad Meets Evil.
In a 2010 interview with Jonathan Ross, Eminem stated his love for music and his desire to focus on it, though not ruling out future film roles.
In March 2011, 'The Eminem Show' and 'The Marshall Mathers LP' were certified diamond by the RIAA, making Eminem the only rapper with two diamond-certified albums.
In March 2011, 'The Marshall Mathers LP' was certified Diamond by the RIAA.
On April 8, 2011, Eminem was featured on Royce da 5'9"'s "Writer's Block".
On June 14, 2011, Eminem and Royce da 5'9" released their first EP as Bad Meets Evil, titled 'Hell: The Sequel'.
On August 14, 2013, Eminem's song "Survival", featuring Liz Rodrigues and produced by DJ Khalil, premiered in the multi-player trailer for the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Although offered the lead role in the 2013 science-fiction film Elysium, Eminem turned it down because director Neill Blomkamp would not change its location from Los Angeles to Detroit.
In 2013, Eminem received the MTV Europe Music Award for Global Icon.
In 2013, Eminem released 'The Marshall Mathers LP 2', which debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
In his 2013 song "Headlights", Eminem reiterated his love for his mother and apologized to her for some of the lyrics from his earlier songs, including "Cleanin' Out My Closet".
In 2014, Eminem had a cameo appearance as himself in the film The Interview.
In 2014, Eminem was named the most-streamed artist of all time on Spotify.
On March 12, 2015, The Official Eminem Box Set, a career-spanning, 10-disc vinyl box set, was released, including seven of Eminem's eight studio albums (excluding Infinite), the 8 Mile soundtrack, the compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up and the greatest hits collection Curtain Call: The Hits.
On July 1, 2015, Eminem was the first interview of Zane Lowe in Beats 1, which was streamed online.
On October 19, 2016, Eminem released a new political hip-hop song called "Campaign Speech" and announced he was working on a new album.
On November 17, 2016, Eminem released a remastered version of 'Infinite' on his YouTube VEVO channel.
On November 22, 2016, Eminem released a trailer for a 10-minute short documentary called Partners in Rhyme: The True Story of Infinite.
During the 2016 United States presidential election, Eminem released "Campaign Speech," a freestyle attacking Republican candidate Donald Trump.
In February 2017, Eminem appeared on "No Favors", a track from Big Sean's album I Decided. In the song, Eminem raps about controversial topics, leading to public reactions.
Beginning in late October 2017, Eminem and Paul Rosenberg teased what fans speculated to be the title of his next album, Revival, through advertisements for a fake medication of the same name.
On December 15, 2017, Eminem's album Revival was released, despite an online leak two days prior.
Eminem's 2020 song "Darkness" references the 2017 Las Vegas shooting and ends with a call for stricter gun control laws.
In 2017, Eminem performed "The Storm," an anti-Trump freestyle, at the BET Hip Hop Awards, supporting Colin Kaepernick and declaring that Trump supporters were no longer welcome as fans.
In 2017, Eminem released 'Revival', which debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
In 2017, Mom's Spaghetti was previously a pop-up in Detroit.
On January 5, 2018, Eminem released the second single from the album Revival, "River", featuring Ed Sheeran.
On August 31, 2018, Eminem released his tenth studio album and first surprise album, Kamikaze.
On October 15, 2018, Eminem performed "Venom" live from the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as promotion for the album Kamikaze.
On December 1, 2018, Eminem released an 11-minute freestyle titled "Kick Off" on his YouTube channel.
In 2018, Eminem released 'Kamikaze', which debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
In 2018, Mom's Spaghetti was a pop-up at Coachella.
On February 23, 2019, to mark the 20th anniversary of The Slim Shady LP, Eminem released a re-issue including acapellas, instrumentals, and radio edits of tracks from the album.
On January 17, 2020, Eminem released another surprise album, Music to Be Murdered By.
On February 9, 2020, Eminem performed "Lose Yourself" at the 92nd Academy Awards.
On March 9, 2020, the music video for "Godzilla" was released on Lyrical Lemonade's YouTube channel.
On July 9, 2020, Kid Cudi's daughter Vada announced that he would release a song with Eminem titled "The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady" the following Friday.
On December 18, 2020, Eminem released a deluxe edition titled Music to Be Murdered By – Side B, featuring a bonus disc with sixteen new tracks, without prior announcement.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Eminem donated a pair of rare Air Jordan 4 Retro Eminem Carhartt shoes for a raffle to benefit COVID-19 relief and donated spaghetti meals to healthcare workers.
In 2020, Eminem released 'Music to Be Murdered By', which debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
On September 29, 2021, Eminem and Union Joints opened a spaghetti restaurant called Mom's Spaghetti at 2131 Woodward Ave in Detroit, referencing his song "Lose Yourself".
On September 30, 2021, Eminem was featured alongside Polo G and Mozzy on Skylar Grey's song "Last One Standing" for the soundtrack of the film Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
On October 30, 2021, Eminem performed with LL Cool J at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.
On February 13, 2022, Eminem performed at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige.
On June 24, 2022, Eminem and Snoop Dogg released the song "From the D to the LBC" and publicly reconciled.
On July 11, 2022, Eminem announced his second greatest hits album, Curtain Call 2.
On August 5, 2022, Curtain Call 2, the sequel to 2005's Curtain Call: The Hits, was released, including "The King and I", "From the D 2 the LBC", and a new track "Is This Love ('09)" featuring 50 Cent.
At the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Eminem named over 100 artists from hip-hop's golden age who influenced him.
In 2022, Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2022, on the remix of Kanye West and DJ Khaled's track "Use This Gospel", Eminem delivered explicitly Christian lyrics, thanking Jesus and rapping about salvation.
In July 2023, Eminem's Shady Records signed rapper Ez Mil in a joint deal with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.
On August 4, 2023, Ez Mil released the song "Realest", featuring Eminem. In the track, Eminem addresses comments from Melle Mel.
In 2023, Eminem announced the launch of a "Mom's Spaghetti" jarred pasta sauce.
In 2023, Eminem sent a cease and desist letter to Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy requesting that he stop performing "Lose Yourself" at campaign events.
During an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on March 19, 2024, Dr. Dre stated that Eminem intended to release a new album that year.
On May 31, 2024, Eminem released the lead single, "Houdini", from the upcoming album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). The song topped charts in many countries.
On June 28, 2024, Eminem posted a teaser for the album's second single, titled "Tobey" and featuring Detroit rappers Big Sean and BabyTron.
On July 12, 2024, Eminem's concept album was released through Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. It became his eleventh number-one album on the Billboard 200, ending Taylor Swift’s chart run and was met with mixed reviews.
On August 31, 2024, LL Cool J released the single "Murdergram Deux", featuring Eminem, marking their first collaboration.
In October 2024, during the United States presidential election, Eminem appeared at a rally in Detroit, endorsing Kamala Harris and emphasizing the importance of voter turnout in Michigan.
In December 2024, Eminem featured on the track "Gunz N Smoke" from Snoop Dogg's album, Missionary, alongside 50 Cent.
In 2024, Eminem opened the MTV Video Music Awards with a self-referential performance of “Houdini” and “Somebody Save Me.”
In 2024, Eminem released 'The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)', which debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
In May 2025, Eminem won Favorite Hip-Hop Artist and Favorite Hip-Hop Album for The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) at the 2025 American Music Awards.
In June 2025, the collaboration track "Animals (Pt. I)" with JID was released.
In July 2025, Eminem announced the release of the documentary film Stans, focusing on his career and rise to fame through the perspective of his fans, along with the release of the official soundtrack.
Eminem's friendship with Funny People co-star Adam Sandler was one of the reasons he made a cameo in the latter's 2025 sequel film Happy Gilmore 2.
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