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It's hard to say anything about Eminem that hasn't been said before. The Detroit-area rapper has made controversy his middle name, seeming to create headlines and draw critical attention during every waking minute. Sometimes even in his sleep. And the thing about Eminem is you already know his real name is Marshal Mathers. You know that he's in a stormy relationship with Kim, that his mom is a bitch, that he loves his little daughter Haley and that his murderous, psychotic hip hop alter-ego goes by the name Slim Shady. And you know you don't wanna meet Slim Shady in a dark alley cuz only one of you is walking out. Yes, Em has made his life into his music and it's impossible to resist, as a pop fan and a voyeur. On his first album, Em took the previously predominantly urban-dominated rap music to the suburbs and trailer parks of America. Which is not to say these kids weren't already listening to rap, just that no one was rapping about them. Mathers has claimed that he developed his various, darkly humorous personas to stand out, not wanting to be compared to any other rapper. Em hooked up with Dr. Dre on his debut album, The Slim Shady LP, which was a chart-busting hit. Here Eminem introduced us to his dysfunctional life while Dre's beats kept us listening. Marshal's rap style was fresh and manic, displaying a sense of humor absent from the dour world of hip-hop. On his second disc, The Marshal Mathers LP. Em received mass critical acclaim as well as several more #1 singles. Critics worry that some of his lyrics are homophobic and misogynistic, to which Em responds that he's playing a series of characters and his songs don't reflect his true opinions. Em also collaborates and tours with his drugged-out dirty Detroit boys in the band D12 and he was behind the production boards on many of 50 Cent's Get Rich Or Die Trying tracks. These days, Eminem is taking a break from solo recording but he continues to collaborate, most recently with the Senegalese rapper Akon.

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