Not always called Eminem, Marshall Mathers was a poor kid living in Warren, Michigan. Growing up, Marshall and his mother were constantly moving from place to place—staying at relatives� places In Warren and Kansas City, Mo. Relocating with such frequency made lasting friendships difficult for Marshall, and he found it much easier to withdraw from the other kids and concentrate on comic books and the television. ���When Mathers was 12 years old, his mother and him finally made a home for themselves on the east side of Detroit. As a result, Marshall was able to make friends at his new school, Lincoln Jr. High and Osbourne High School, and would hang out listening to artists such as LL Cool J and the 2 Live Crew.
On more than a few occasions, Mathers competed against other rappers at his school, and gained quite a reputation for his skills. However, he was inclined to skipping school and cutting classes, which caused him to fail the ninth grade. Eventually, he dropped out of high school completely, skipping from one job to the next, but always improving his rapping/rhyming technique.
Mathers was able to practice this technique by rapping in groups such as Bassmint Productions, the New Jacks and Sole Intent, before he decided to go on his own. In 1997, Eminem�s album, Infinity, released through FBT Productions, was met with much criticism. In spite of his critics, Eminem did not give up and continued to market himself by appearing on radio stations and free-style competitions across the country. His hard work and determination proved him well and he won the 1997 Wake Up Show Freestyle Performer of the year from L.A. DJs Sway and Tech, and also won second place in Rap Sheet magazine�s “Rap Olympics”, an annual free-style rap contest. In 1998, Eminem put out The Slim Shady EP, and was then signed on to Dr. Dre�s label, Aftermath Entertainment, as the two coordinated The Slim Shady EP for a legitimate release.
Throughout the year, Eminem has been regularly recording for other musicians, and once his tour obligations are complete, he plans to take a brief vacation before returning to the recording studios to finish The Slim Shady LP. Eminem has been nominated for Best New Artist in the Source�s Hip Hop Music Awards, “My Name Is�” has been recognized for Best Male Video, Best New Artist, and Best Director, and “Guilty Conscience” brought him a Breakthrough Video nomination.