Eminem, by name of Marshall Bruce Mathers III, (born October 17, 1972, St. Joseph, , U.S.), American rapper, record producer, and actor who was known as one of the most-controversial and best-selling artists of the early 21st century.
Mathers had a turbulent childhood, marked by and of abuse. At age 14 he began rapping in clubs in , , and, when unexcused absences kept him in the ninth grade for the third year, he quit school, determined to make it in . As Eminem, he made a name for himself in the hip-hop underground, both as a solo artist and as a member of the Detroit-based sextet D12 (also known as the Dirty Dozen). His first album, Infinite (1996), sold poorly, however, and he continued to work menial jobs.
When Eminem placed second in the freestyle category at the 1997 Rap Olympics in , he came to the attention of , founding member of pioneering rappers N.W.A. and the head of Aftermath Entertainment. By that time Eminem had developed the persona of the inhibitionless Slim Shady, who gave voice to Eminem's id in often vulgar and violent lyrics. With Dr. Dre as his producer and mentor, Eminem released The Slim Shady LP early in 1999. Benefiting from the inventive channel-surfing for the hit song "My Name Is" and the instant credibility of Dr. Dre's involvement, the album sold several million copies, and Eminem won two and four Video Music Awards.
Grounded in his life experience but seemingly reflecting a troubled psyche, Eminem's songs outraged many, including the , which denounced him as a homophobic misogynist. His relationship with his wife, Kim, was chronicled in songs in which he rapped about killing her. In 2000 Eminem was charged with assault when he allegedly pistol-whipped a man he saw kissing her; the couple divorced in 2001, and their relationship remained rocky (in 2006 the couple remarried and divorced again). His mother also sued him for defaming her in song and in interviews.
In 2000 Eminem released , which set a record in the for the fastest-selling rap album. The incredible success of the album, which included the provocative hit singles "The Real Slim Shady" and "Stan," brought more controversy. To silence critics, in 2001 Eminem performed a duet with openly gay musician at the Grammy Awards, where The Marshall Mathers LP was nominated for best album of the year. Later that year he recorded the album Devil's Night with D12 and toured with the group. He also created his own record label, Shady Records. The D12 , 50 Cent, and other rappers signed to and released albums with the label.
Eminem returned in 2002 with The Eminem Show, which proved to be nearly as popular as The Marshall Mathers LP. Also that year he made his acting debut in the semiautobiographical . The gritty was a critical and commercial success. The following year he won an for "Lose Yourself," a song featured in the movie. After reteaming with D12 for D12 World (2004), Eminem released Encore (2004) and a greatest-hits set, Curtain Call: The Hits (2005), both of which sold well but failed to garner as much attention as his previous albums had. He then stepped out of the public eye, resurfacing briefly in 2006 to eulogize friend and D12 member Proof, who was killed outside a Detroit nightclub. Two years later Eminem published the memoir The Way I Am, which included photos, drawings, and lyrics.
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Relapse (2009) marked Eminem's first collection of new material in five years. Although it featured solid production from Dr. Dre, the album met with middling reviews because of its over-the-top attempts to shock and its somewhat dated catalog of pop references. Nevertheless, the single "Crack a Bottle" became Eminem's second song to top the Billboard singles chart (after "Lose Yourself"), and Eminem won Grammy Awards for both the song and the album. His next album, Recovery (2010), was a response to the leveled at Relapse. Although Eminem was no longer at the vanguard of hip-hop, Recovery demonstrated that he remained a potent commercial force, as the soul-baring singles "Not Afraid" and "Love the Way You Lie" (featuring the singer ) both became major hits. Eminem reteamed with Rihanna on "The Monster," from The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), and the album became his sixth to win the Grammy Award for best rap album.
Eminem received mixed reviews for Revival (2017), and Kamikaze (2018) was described by many critics as somewhat curmudgeonly in tone. Such had little impact on sales, however, and in 2020 Music to Be Murdered By became his 10th consecutive album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. In addition, Eminem occasionally with rapper Royce da 5′9″ under the name Bad Meets Evil; among their releases was the EP Hell: The Sequel (2011). In 2022 Eminem performed with other hip-hop stars—including Dr. Dre, , and —at the halftime show. Later that year he was selected for into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
This article was most recently revised and updated by .Table of ContentsFast FactsTop QuestionsRead NextQuizzesMediaMoreRelated BiographiesAmerican rapper, record producer, and clothing designerAmerican rapper and entrepreneurAmerican producer, rapper, and designerAmerican rapper and actorDr. DreAmerican rapper, hip-hop producer, and entrepreneur Cite Share Feedback Also known as: André Romelle YoungWritten and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaLast Updated: Sep 5, 2023 • Listen to article4 minutesDr. DreCategory: Born: February 18, 1965 (age 58) Founder: Awards And Honors: ...(Show more)Notable Works: Top QuestionsWho is Dr. Dre?What was Dr. Dre's first song?Where did Dr. Dre grow up?What artists has Dr. Dre produced for?What was Dr. Dre's role in creating the subgenre of G-Funk?
Dr. Dre, byname of André Romelle Young, (born February 18, 1965, Los Angeles, , U.S.), American , producer, and who helped popularize the gangsta rap subgenre.
Born to teenaged parents who aspired to careers, André Young took the stage name Dr. Dre in the early 1980s. He performed as a hip-hop deejay and as part of the group World Class Wreckin' Cru at clubs and parties in ' south-central district. In 1986 he founded (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) with fellow rappers and . The group's second album, (1988), was a breakthrough for the movement, featuring explicit descriptions (and often glorifications) of street violence and drug dealing. While Dre appeared prominently as a rapper in N.W.A, his most-lauded role was as a producer, crafting ambitiously noisy, multilayered sonic collages to back the group's inflammatory lyrics.
Dre left N.W.A in 1992 and cofounded with Marion ("Suge") Knight. That year his solo debut, , introduced the "G-funk" production style, characterized by plodding tempos, synthesizer washes, and musical sampling of 1970s records, especially those by . The album also produced Dr. Dre's first , for "Let Me Ride," which was released as a single after the album's release and took home best solo performance at the 1994 ceremony. The Chronic's multiplatinum success helped make this sound dominant in mainstream hip-hop in the mid-1990s. In 1996 Dre left Death Row to form Aftermath Records. Three years later he released a second hit solo album, 2001 (1999), which produced the Grammy-winning single "Forgot About Dre," among other hits.
By then his work as a producer for other artists—including rappers and , whose careers he was with having launched—had also earned him considerable respect. In fact, he took home the Grammy for producer of the year in 2000, largely because of his work on Eminem's Grammy-winning album . Dr. Dre would capture two more Grammys, both in 2009, for his later work with Eminem.
In the early years of the 21st century, Dr. Dre began working on a follow-up to 2001. After a lengthy gestation, however, the album (which was to have been titled Detox) was scrapped. Meanwhile, his production career continued to flourish through collaborations with performers such as , , and 50 Cent. The wait for a third Dr. Dre album finally came to an end in 2015 with the release of Compton; the album was reportedly inspired by the film Straight Outta Compton (2015), which told the story of N.W.A. In 2016 Dr. Dre was inducted into the as a member of N.W.A. He later appeared with other hip-hop stars—including Snoop, Eminem, Blige, and —at the halftime show in 2022.
Outside the recording studio, Dr. Dre found success as a businessman. In 2008 he and , a executive, formally established Beats Electronics, which sold headphones, earphones, and speakers, among other items. Six years later they launched Beats Music, a music-streaming service. The two companies were purchased by for $3 billion in 2014.
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Together, the pair also ventured into philanthropy. In 2013 Dr. Dre and Iovine gave $70 million to the for the creation of the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of . The undergraduate program—seeking to foster skills in art and design, engineering and , and business and venture management—began in 2014, and the academy's first graduate program launched in August 2017.
