Back in 2019 we did a short feature on Eminem's album, Kamikaze. Today, we'll look at his rise as a musician!

Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in Saint Joseph, Missouri, rapper, songwriter, and record producer Eminem has cemented himself as one of the best-selling musicians of the 21st century.

Although Eminem was born in the Midwestern United States, the rapper began living in the East side of Detroit at the age of 12 — in the area known as 8 Mile — and began rapping in nightclubs in the city as early as 14.

With a troubled childhood stamped with poverty and abuse, Eminem quit school after being held back in grade 9 for the third year in a row due to unmarked absences and poor grades. He then worked a variety of jobs to help his mom pay the bills, although he claims she would regularly throw him out of the house and take his earnings. While she was an avid bingo player, Eminem would take that as an opportunity to play music loudly and start writing his songs.

Throughout his teenage years and early adulthood, the rapper slowly began making a name for himself in hip-hop’s underground music scene, writing songs about personal and family struggles.

By the mid-90s, Eminem had signed to Jeff and Mark Bass's FBT Productions and recorded his debut album Infinite for their independent Web Entertainment label. The album ended up being a commercial letdown upon its 1996 release.

After that, Eminem exploded onto the music scene after he came in second at the 1997 Rap Olympics. Within two years, his second album, The Slim Shady LP, sold more than 10 million albums worldwide and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

By the year 2000, Eminem’s third studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was released and sold nearly 2 million copies in its first week. The release broke records for the fastest-selling hip-hop album of all time and a fastest-selling solo album in the US. Over the year, the album sold 10 million copies and was the third best selling album of the year in the US.

Two years later in 2002, Eminem released The Eminem Show, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 19 million copies worldwide. The record was the highest-selling album of the year in the US and reached certified diamond status in his home country and Canada and Australia. That year, Eminem also starred in the film 8 Mile and released the soundtrack, which included his first number 1 US Single, “Lose Yourself.” The soundtrack debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was the fifth best selling album of the year with 3.2 million records sold.

Encore, Eminem's fifth studio album, was released in 2004 and became his third consecutive solo album to reach number one in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. After that, the artist took a hiatus and released his sixth studio album in 2009, Relapse, and sold more than 2 million copies in the US alone.

The artist kicked off the next decade with his seventh studio album, Recovery, which not only debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 but was also the top-selling album globally that year.

For the decade, Eminem released his eighth album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 in 2013 and then Revival in 2017. Both albums reached number one on the Billboard 200 in their respective first weeks, which made Eminem the first artist in history to have eight albums in a row to reach the top spot in their first week In 2018, Eminem released his surprise tenth studio album, Kamikaze and then another surprise album, Music to Be Murdered By, was released on January 17, 2020.

Here at Underground Music, we carry Eminem favourites such as Curtain Call: Hits (CD), Slim Shady (CD and record), Kamikaze (a record) and The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (a record).

Underground Music is Kelowna, BC’s go-to record shop that gives you the experience of what it was like to come to a record shop in the 1970s.

Check out our online store or ome down to Underground Music and browse our selection of Eminem today!