Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, film producer, and actor. He is consistently cited as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. In addition to his solo career, Eminem was a member of the hip hop group D12. He is also known for his collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9"; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil.
After his debut album Infinite (1996) and the extended play Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP, which earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. His next two releases, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002), were worldwide successes, with each being certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and both being nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. As a result of being the leading figure in a form of black music, Eminem was subject to comparisons to Elvis Presley at the time. Encore was released in 2004, which faced heavy criticism by fans and critics for its lacklustre quality. Eminem went on hiatus after touring in 2005 partly due to a prescription drug addiction. He released Relapse (2009) and Recovery (2010), with both winning Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. Recovery was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide, the second time Eminem had the international best-selling album of the year (after The Eminem Show). Eminem's eighth album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), also won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album; it expanded his record for the most wins in the category. These were followed by 2017's Revival and 2018's Kamikaze.Eminem starred in the drama film 8 Mile (2002) playing a fictionalized version of himself, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself", making him the first hip hop artist to ever win the award. Eminem has made cameo appearances in the films The Wash (2001), Funny People (2009), and The Interview (2014), and the television series Entourage (2010). Eminem has developed other ventures, including Shady Records, with manager Paul Rosenberg, which helped launch the careers of artists such as 50 Cent, Yelawolf and Obie Trice, among others. Eminem has also established his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio.
With over 170 million records sold globally, Eminem is among the best-selling music artists of all time. He is the best-selling music artist in the United States in the 2000s. He has won numerous awards, including fifteen Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, seventeen Billboard Music Awards, an Academy Award (for Best Original for "Lose Yourself) and a MTV Europe Music Global Icon Award. Eminem has had nine number-one albums on the Billboard 200, which all consecutively debuted at number one on the chart making him the only artist to achieve this, and five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone included Eminem in their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
