Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, began his music career in the early 1990s. He released his first independent album, "Infinite," in 1996. However, he gained significant mainstream attention with his major-label debut, "The Slim Shady LP," which was released in 1999. This album, which featured hits like "My Name Is," launched Eminem into widespread fame and marked the beginning of his commercial success.
The 51-year-old – also known by his darker alter-ego Slim Shady – is highly regarded for his complex rhyme schemes, wordplay, and ability to tell compelling stories through his music. Not to mention, he doesn’t shy away from controversial themes.
He has songs that address taboo topics like personal struggles, addiction, family issues, abuse, stalking and critiques of society. Eminem has won nine Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself" from his movie "8 Mile." He is also one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
But despite releasing music for around 30 years, people are only just learning how Eminem got his rap name.
One Reddit user asked: "Why did he call himself Eminem? Does anyone know why he called himself that? I have been listening to him for quite a long time but I never understood why he chose Eminem instead of something like Slim Shady."
It turns out his rap name Eminem dates back to his childhood when he and his high school friend, Mike Ruby, adopted the names Manix and M&M. The name M&M, short for Marshall Mathers, later evolved into Eminem.
One user claimed: "He actually used to label his material M&M but he changed it when it started to takes himself more seriously and garner attention to avoid an obvious lawsuit."
And another user said: "I saw an interview with someone that knew him when he was younger and he actually came up with that when he was messing around with M&M's and took two of them and put them together, and asked the guy (the guy was someone's parent or something) what does it say, and he said M&M and then Eminem went yeah, that's me."
Well that's settled then, you learn something new every day!
Eminem left some fans astounded after they discovered the true meaning behind his stage name.
His chart-topping hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 include The Real Slim Shady, Lose Yourself, Without Me, Love the Way You Lie, Not Afraid, The Monster, Godzilla and, most recently, Houdini.
However, fans have begun to question the origin of his stage name, with one Reddit user asking: "Why did he call himself Eminem?"
They added: "Does anyone know why he called himself that? I have been listening to him for quite a long time but I never understood why he chose Eminem instead of something like Slim Shady."
It appears his rap name Eminem dates back to his childhood when he and his high school friend, Mike Ruby, adopted the names Manix and M&M. The name M&M, short for Marshall Mathers, later evolved into Eminem.
Reacting to this revelation, some users expressed their surprise at not having made the connection sooner. One user noted: "He actually used to label his material M&M but he changed it when it started to takes himself more seriously and garner attention to avoid an obvious lawsuit."
Responding to the discussion, one fan recalled: "I think in the booklet for MMLP there's an old pic of him rapping and his outfit has the M&M cartoon characters printed on it."
Meanwhile, it was confirmed by another with the detail that "his initials are MM, or M&M, which is pronounced Eminem when said quickly."
Chipping in with a bit of history, a third enthusiast added: "I saw an interview with someone that knew him when he was younger and he actually came up with that when he was messing around with M&M's and took two of them and put them together, and asked the guy (the guy was someone's parent or something) what does it say, and he said M&M and then Eminem went yeah, that's me."
