Behind the Lyrics: Eminem
Tryston Stone
7/8 Writer’s Workshop D
In this modern day, all we see from rappers is musical entertainment, and the excitement within their careers. However, there's a lot more about their pasts and their effects on world-wide issues than we think. Consider Marshall Mathers, or better known as Eminem. With the unknown meaning behind his music, and his drug and alcohol recovery, there is a whole different story being told behind the scenes. Marshall is a change maker because, while he may just appear like a generic musician, he’s spread awareness around the world about alcohol and drug abuse, as well as raising awareness for suicide prevention. Having a personal experience with alcohol and drug abuse he has a profound understanding of these issues.
Marshall Mathers is rapper, music producer, and film actor. Mathers grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri. At a young age, Eminem’s father abandoned him when he was only one-years-old, leaving his mother to raise him alone. Eminem’s mother was only able to hold jobs for months at a time, bouncing from Detroit, Michigan to Missouri. It was all a struggle for Marshall and his mother, as Marshall and his mother weren't able to find a home nor afford one, as a result, they had to live in public housing projects. As Marshall recalls, he would switch school up two to three times a year as a kid. “That was the hardest part of all,” Marshall later stated. Living this hard life style left a big impact on him and his personality. Not being able to develop close relationships with others affected him deeply. His inability to be close with people led to lots of bullying. Marshall would get punched and even kicked in the hallways, no to mention playgrounds too. After leaving big stains at every school he attended, Marshall would go on to attended Lincoln High in Warren, Michigan. Marshall had to repeat the 9th grade three times, and eventually dropped out at the age of 17. Eminem was always great at English and only English. He didn't care what the teachers said: he believed that English was his greatest skill in school.
Once he dropped out, he took a chance with rap. Having amazing English skills, Marshall went on to release his first album, Infinite in 1996. Four years later, Eminem released The Real Slim Shady. This song caught the attention of big rappers, like Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Moments later, Dre signed Marshall for a two year contract. Once the contract ended, 50 Cent signed Marshall. Once the contract ended with 50 cent ended, Eminem had already released five albums and was about to release one the most influential album in hip-hop history: 8 mile. One of the many songs in this amazing album stood out to everybody, this song was called “Lose Yourself.” This song went on to win an Oscar and a Grammy. This explains so much about Eminem’s past, and his effort to spread awareness around the world.
Given his background, it's clear that he's overcome many issues throughout his life. What makes him a change maker is how he used these experiences to spread awareness about drugs through his music. With the clever word choice used, the message of his songs were easily met with millions of fans across the world. But an issue he had dealt with before crossed his path again. His struggle with drugs resurfaced. As Eminem spent several more years in recovery, coming back in 2000, Eminem divorced his wife Kim Mathers. The pair had an on-and-off relationship for the next six years, Marshall and Kim remarried in 2006, and divorced again several months later. In 2007 Marshall had overdosed on prescription sleeping pills, nearly dying. As quoted by him: “If we had left two hours later that would have been it.” Shortly after this crisis, Marshall was kicked out of the house for doing drugs and drinking alcohol once again. In early 2008 Marshall came back to the music business and had finally beat his battle with drugs. Releasing his first music in five years, everyone was ready to listen and excited. Once finished with his new music in 2009, Marshall released two singles: “Crack a Bottle” and “Beautiful.” In 2010, he released his album “Recovery.” This album was meant to be and was an autobiography of Marshall’s experiences in rehab and of that the time in general. After breaking many records, “Recovery” went on to win Marshall another Grammy Award in 2010.
Eminem is best known for his musical career in hip-hop or more specifically, rap music. Eminem is known to have a unique style and history behind the rap scene. Rihanna, a popular artist, and Eminem went on to make many songs together that later became very well received, breaking charts. With Marshall overcoming his challenges, getting to where he is makes it even more impressive. With Eminem being able to use music to spread awareness about drugs and alcohol and had great success with it. This being on of the many success in Marshall’s career this is one that he can mark down as history.
Sources used: https://www.biography.com/people/eminem-9542093
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/eminem/biography
