Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Eminem's parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing in Ramada Inns along the Dakotas-Montana border before their separation.

As a nine-year-old, Eminem was beaten so badly by a school bully that he spent a week in a coma. His music has since been credited with helping to bring more than one fan out of a similar state, including a twelve-year-old girl who was hit by a car in Northumberland.

"Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
I repeat, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
We're gonna have a problem here
Y'all act like you never seen a white person before"

He aspired to be a comic book artist before discovering hip hop.

After spending three years in ninth grade due to truancy and poor grades, he dropped out of Lincoln High School at age 17.

Eminem had his first run-in with the law at age 20, when he was arrested for his involvement in a drive-by shooting with a paintball gun. The case was dismissed when the victim did not appear in court.

"I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid)
To take a stand (to take a stand)
Everybody (everybody)
Come take my hand come (come take my hand)
We'll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just letting you know that, you're not alone
Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road"

Sales for the album, which he recorded for the independent Web Entertainment label, were not ... ummm ... infinite. In fact, he only sold about 1,000 copies. But poor sales and indifferent reviews led him to craft the angrier, moodier tracks for which he would become famous.

Slim Shady is the evil and mischievous side of Eminem. He was created when Mathers joined the rap group D12, or the Dirty Dozen. Since there were supposed to be 12 rappers and they only had six, they each came up with an alter ego, and Slim Shady was born. When Eminem raps through the point of view of Slim, his songs are violent and dark, with a comic twist.