Controversial rapper Eminem has rode a roller coaster ride of fame within the three years he has spent in the limelight. With his career, as well as his personal life, in the spotlight, Eminem has managed to create hit records and scandals simultaneously.
             Who would have thought a white trash boy from Detroit would eventually evolve into one of the pinnacles of popular rap music and hip-hop culture by the year 2000? The answer: no one. Well, no one believed it was possible until he picked up a microphone and people heard him spew out lyrics expressing his disgruntled view of society.
             Born in Kansas City on October 17, 1972, Marshall Bruce Mathers III learned from a young age to escape from his chaotic home life by acting out in school; moving from place to place left him with a shortage of friends which spurred his tendencies to escape, writing down his feelings in the form of rap lyrics. Mathers eventually dropped out of school after failing the ninth grade and held down numerous odd jobs fulltime, fueled by the mere thought of success as a rapper. "I tried to get back to school five years ago," he said, "but I couldn't do it. I just wanted to rap and be a star one day" (www.eminemworld.com). After rapping in groups such as the New Jacks, Sole Intent, and Basement Productions, Mathers decided to take the sole route. His debut album, Infinite, released through a local company called FBT Productions in 1997, was met with harsh criticism from the hip-hop community. Eminem discusses the period of his life: "I was getting a lot of feedback saying I sounded like Nas or Jay-Z," he admitted, "Infinite was me trying to figure out how I wanted my rap style to be, how I wanted to sound on the mic and present myself...It was a growing stage. I felt like Infinite was like a demo that just got pressed up" (www.eminemworld.com). Later that year, his perseverance and ambition paid off...