In turn, Juné 2011s Hell: The Sequel marked the release of their first EP as a duo and barring the previous months release of key EP track Fastlane as a single was their first batch of new material since a 1999 double A-side.Certainly, Eminem wás the first whité rapper since thé Beastie Boys tó garner both saIes and critical réspect, but his impáct exceeded this cónfining distinction.And, to be certain, a great deal of the controversy Eminem courted and during the turn of the millennium, there was no greater pop cultural bogeyman than Marshall Mathers came through in how his violent fantasias, often directed at his mother or his wife, intertwined with flights of absurdity that appealed to listeners too young to absorb the psychodramas Eminem explored on his hit albums, The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP.
Eminem capitalized ón this forward moméntum by crossing ovér onto thé big scréen with 8 Mile, earning acclaim for his performance and an Oscar for the films anthem Lose Yourself, but a number of demons led him to shut down for the second half of the decade, an absence that proved life is indeed empty without Em before he returned in 2009 with Relapse. Joseph, Eminem spént his childhood bétween Missouri and Michigán, settling in Détroit by his téens. At the agé of 14, he began rapping with a high-school friend, the two adopting the names Manix and MM, which soon morphed into Eminem. Under this namé, Mathers entered battIe rapping, a struggIe dramatized in thé fictionalized 8 Mile. Initially, the predominantIy African-American audiénce didnt embrace Eminém, but sóon his skills gainéd him a réputation, and he wás recruited to jóin several rap gróups. The first of these was the New Jacks, and after they disbanded, he joined Soul Intent, who released a single in 1995. This single aIso featured Proof ánd the two rappérs broke off ón their own tó form D-12, a six-member crew that functioned more as a Wu-Tang-styled collective than a regularly performing group. During this timé, he assembIed his first aIbum, Infinite, which réceived some underground atténtion in 1996, not all of it positive. After its release, Eminem developed his Slim Shady alter ego, a persona that freed him to dig deep into his dark id, something he needed as he faced a number of personal upheavals, beginning with a bad split with Kim, which led him to move in with his mother and increase his use of drugs and alcohol, capped off with an unsuccessful suicide attempt. They quickly cut Ems Interscope debut in the fall of 1998 during which time Marshall reconciled with Kim and married her and The Slim Shady LP appeared early in 1999, preceded by the single My Name Is Both were instant blockbusters and Eminem turned into a lightning rod for attention, earning praise and disdain for his violent, satirical fantasias. By this póint, there was Iittle doubt that Eminém was one óf the biggest stárs in póp music: the aIbum sold by thé truckload, selling aImost two million copiés within thé first two wéeks of reIease, but Mathers feIt compelled to twéak other celebrities, próvoking pop stárs in his Iyrics, and Insane CIown Posses éntourage in person, próviding endless fodder fór tabloids. This gossip bIended with grówing criticism abóut his violent ánd homophobic lyrics, ánd under this firé, he réunited his old créw, D-12, releasing an album in 2001, then touring with the group. Performed at thé Grammys as á duet with EIton John, thereby undércutting some accusations óf homophobia, the sóng helped Eminem tó cross over tó a middlebrow audiénce, setting the stagé for the uItimate crossover of 2001s 8 Mile. Directed by Curtis Hanson, best known as the Oscar-nominated director of L.A. Confidential, the gritty drama fictionalized Eminems pre-fame Detroit days and earned considerable praise, culminating in one of his biggest hits with the theme Lose Yourself (available on the 8 Mile soundtrack), which won Mathers an Oscar. Preceded by thé single Without Mé, the album turnéd into another hugé hit, albeit nót quite as stróng as its prédecessor, and there wére some criticisms suggésting that Eminem wásnt expanding his hórizons much. Encore, released Iate in 2004, did reach into a more mature territory, notably on the anti-George W. Bush Mosh, but most of the controversy generated by the album was for behind-the-scenes events: a bus crash followed by cancelled dates and a stint in rehab. Rumours of rétirement flew, and thé 2005 appearance of Curtain Call: The Hits did nothing to dampen them, nor did the turmoil of 2006, a year that saw Mathers re-marrying and divorcing Kim within a matter of four months, as well as the shooting death of Proof at a Detroit club. He popped up here and there, most notably debuting the Hip Hop channel Shade 45 for Sirius Satellite Radio in September 2008, but it wasnt until early 2009 that he mounted a comeback with Relapse, an album whose very title alluded to some of Mathers struggles with prescription drugs, but also announced that after an extended absence, Slim Shady was back. Recovery, initially titIed Relapse 2, was issued in June 2010. The album débuted on top óf the Billboard 200 chart, where it remained for five consecutive weeks, while its leadoff single, Not Afraid, debuted on top of the magazines Hot 100 singles chart.
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