Eminem
Eminem may not want for anything now as a successful rapper, music producer and actor, but his beginnings were humble and troubled. His father abandoned him as an infant, his mother couldn't keep a job and they moved constantly, often living in public housing. His itinerant lifestyle made him a target of bullies. He failed ninth grade three times and dropped out by 17. But his passion for devouring the dictionary proved useful when his started dominating Detroit rap battles. This period, in which he began dating Kim Scott and had daughter Hailie in 1995, was dramatized in this acting debut 8 Mile. His self-released 1997 demo caught the attention of Dr. Dre, who signed him to Interscope and produced the Slim Shady LP (1999), which included "My Name Is" and sold more than three million copies. The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) sold more than 19 million copies and won a Grammy. In 2001, he reconnected with old Detroit scenesters and released an album as D12. He's a reliable controversy magnet. His lyrics are homophobic, violent, profane and misogynistic. His mother sued him for defamation in 1999. They settled for $25,000. Scott, whom he married and divorced twice, began an ugly custody battle while he slipped further into alcoholism and pill addiction. He got clean after overdosing in December 2007 and returned to music, releasing Relapse in 2009, Recovery in 2010, and MMLP2 in 2013.
