|
|
 A
protege of Dr. Dre,
rapper Eminem was born Marshall Mathers in Kansas
City, spending the better part of his impoverished
childhood shuttling back and forth between his hometown
and the city of Detroit. Initially attracted to rap as a
teen, Eminem began performing at age 14, later earning
notoriety as a member of the Motor City duo Soul
Intent. He made his solo debut in 1996 with the
independent release Infinite, soon followed by the
Slim Shady EP; both records made a huge splash in
the hip-hop underground, earning notice not only for Eminem's
exaggerated, nasal-voiced rapping style but also for his
skin color, with many quarters dubbing him the music's
next "great white hope." According to legend, Dr. Dre discovered his
demo tape on the floor of Interscope label chief Jimmy
Iovine's garage, although it was not until Eminem
took second place in the freestyle category at 1997's Rap
Olympics MC battle in Los Angeles that Dre agreed
to sign him; the LP Slim Shady followed in early
1999, scoring a hit with the single and video "My
Name Is." -- Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide |
