How Eminem has managed to stay at the top of his game

Despite multiple controversies, the rapper still produces ground-breaking tracks


Entertainment Desk October 19, 2018
PHOTO: ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Back in August, famed rapper Eminem dropped his album Kamikaze. And as opposed to the trend, he did not bother to have a press tour but instead provided a link to download his latest release, reported E! News.

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In true Eminem fashion, the rapper let his music do the talking and to no surprise, Kamikaze was full of controversial lyrics - some were homophobic which he later regretted while others were targetted to fellow rappers or politicians.

Regardless, the musician's tenth studio album had all the headline-making elements and thoughtful themes that one would expect. It wasn't an instant success but much like Eminem's career and life, Kamikaze received mixed reviews. That's how it has been for the artist since he was introduced as Slim Shady 20 years ago.

PHOTO: KJOT PHOTO: KJOT

Originally named as Marshall Matters III, Eminem was Dr. Dre's protege in 1999. He stood out from the crowd not only because he was a white rapper in a predominant black industry, but also for his style of music and delivery - something that no one had heard before.

His first single My Name Is had explicit references to violence against women and drug use. Even the censored version of the song was caught up in controversy. Despite that, Eminem was not ignored. The outrage over his songs only added fuel to the fire and he eventually became a huge musical success around the globe.

PHOTO: PITCHFORK PHOTO: PITCHFORK

In 2000, Canadian officials tried to stop Eminem from entering the country but their efforts were in vain. Legally, there was nothing that could bar him from crossing the border. The 46-year-old then performed a sold-out show to 60,000 people at Toronto SkyDome, begging the question: Were Eminem's lyrics a satirical take on pop culture and values, or whether they were just filled with hate to crunch numbers at the Billboard? But whatever it may be, there is no denying the fact that he is immensely talented.

Eminem has about 15 Grammys, 14 American Music Awards and seven People's Choice Awards under his belt. He was the best-selling artist in the 2000s and in 2010, he was termed as Slim Shady the King of Hip-Hop by Rolling Stone.

PHOTO: URBAN ISLANDZ PHOTO: URBAN ISLANDZ

Despite the success, many big wigs of the music industry often criticised him. Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey had a public feud with him. He has also offended the likes of Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Iggy Azalea and Machine Gun Kelly through his songs as well. But audiences feel that his dispute with Kelly was a publicity stunt as both the artists were signed by the same record label and had albums releasing around the same time.

While we still don't know if that was true or not, the drama in Eminem's personal life has been authentic. His relationship with his mother and ex-wife Kim Scott was very troublesome and has often been featured in his songs.

In this file photo, Eminem performs In this file photo, Eminem performs "Love The Way You Lie" at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, February 13, 2011. PHOTO: REUTERS

Later, he started substance abuse and after a near-fatal overdose in 2007, Eminem decided to get clean. In 2014, he apologised to his mother through a song Headlights but whether or not they patched things up in real life is still a debate. Through his 2017 album Revival, Eminem also apologised to Kim and his daughters as his music had opened up their lives for investigation. He also celebrated his decade of sobriety in mid-2018.

But beyond that, no one really knows the real Eminem. He likes going to the cinema but rents an entire hall for himself. He binge watches shows and is actually very quiet and low-key. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Eminem said, "It might sound weird, given that I'm always trying to get people's attention with my music, but I'm not an attention-seeker. When I'm not Eminem, and I'm just Marshall."

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He added that he pokes fun at people in songs but the "real him" has no issues with the LGBTQ community. Eminem concluded, "I think people know my personal stance on things and the personas that I create in my music. And if someone doesn't understand that by now, I don't think there's anything I can do to change their mind about it."

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