Eminem Part Two
After the failed suicide attempt, Eminem continued to work on getting his career as a rapper started while also attempting to reconcile with the mother of his daughter. In 1997 the young rapper released The Slim Shady EP. This EP saw Eminem assume a musical style more consistent with the music that would eventually lead him to massive success. The album eventually caught the attention of Jimmy Iovine (the president of Interscope Records) who then passed it on to former N.W.A. member Dr. Dre. The veteran rapper was so impressed by the rhymes he heard that he was soon in the studio working with Eminem on his first major label album, The Slim Shady LP.
Having signed Eminem to his Aftermath label, Dr. Dre now had a vested interest in his success. With Dre's support, the album was heavily promoted before its release to a level rarely seen in the music industry. But unlike many albums that get pre-release hype, The Slim Shady LP actually lived up to the reputation that preceded it. Released in 1999, the album has sold more than 5 million copies in the United States alone. That same year Eminem married his girlfriend Kim Scott. However, the relationship remained rocky and the two were divorced in 2001.
Meanwhile, Eminem's career continued to flourish with the hit albums The Marshall Mathers LP released in 2000 and The Eminem Show in 2002. As he became more popular, trouble seemed to have an easier time finding him. Several gun related charges landed Eminem on probation during this time and lawsuits came at him from many directions, including a libel suit filed by his own mother. None of this had much effect on the rapper's success and in 2004, his fourth straight multi-platinum album, Encore was released.
After Encore, Eminem took a break from releasing music while trying to decide what direction to pursue with his career. He remarried Kim Scott in 2006 but they divorced again before the year's end. Rumours began circulating that he was retiring from music completely or turning his attention solely to producing, but in 2008, he returned with Relapse and once again rose to the top of the charts though the CD did not achieve the level of success his previous albums did. But that changed in 2010 with the release of his next album, Recovery, which become that year's best-selling album.
With his string of chart-topping albums, Eminem is showing no signs of slowing down. Both The Eminem Show and The Marshall Mathers LP were certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in March 2011 making Eminem the only rap star with two diamond certifications. In August 2011, Rolling Stone named Eminem the "King of Hip Hop." Eminem also became the most popular person on Facebook with over 40 million likes. Though he has had many successes in the past, it is clear Eminem still has a bright future ahead of him with more successes certainly on their way!
|
