King Mathers:

Before the world knew him as Slim Shady or Eminem. Marshall Mathers was a well respected Detroit artist in the underground scene.

With his first try in the rap game Mathers released his first album "Infinite." Although the album was unsuccessful, it revealed the creative skills of a talented MC who represented the 313. In 1999, when Eminem’s "The Slim Shady LP" came out, I heard a lot of people talking about it, but with my busy schedule I didn’t have a chance to hear it myself. Some liked the album and more seemed not to like the album, it was viewed as being too offensive.

Then I had the opportunity to hear the radio’s version of "My Name Is", it seemed to be too gimmicky or bubble gummy for me. After that, I expected Eminem to somewhat fade away and later disappear. Myself like many other people, was so mis- informed and wrongly dismissed Eminem as an artist. Then I bought the album and took the time to listen to it. I soon realized that this man (Eminem)was in fact a pure lyricial genius. It wasn’t until I saw him live that I realized he had the most raw talent I had ever seen and heard, as well as the effect he had on the crowd .

"The Slim Shady LP" is a bit more gritty than "The Marshall Mathers LP", "The Eminem Show" and the hits on "Curtain Call", but to be quite honest it is nothing short of being amazing! Eminem has a way about himself, he transcends rap and is constantly creating a new musical genre. He somehow manages to reach out to the most un-likeliest people. I won’t deny his lyrics are explicit, but over time I come to realize Eminem doesn’t use explicit lyrics to attract fans or to sell albums. He uses the explicit lyrics to express himself. It maybe shocking to some, but he tells us his version of his own reality…his truth.

On arrival, Eminem created controversy with his wicked rhymes. Receiving criticism from the press and media. GLAAD denounced Eminem’s lyrics as homophobic and misogynist, as others protested it promoted violence. Some of Eminem’s biggest controversy surrounded songs like "97 Bonnie and Clyde" it is a well known track about someone killing their wife after catching them cheating. It’s a song that addresses real life issues that many people deal with on a day to day basis.

Guilty Conscience is another track with people encountering real and extreme situations. Eminem and Dr. Dre play the parts as good verses evil. With the daily drama from his mother and ex-wife Kim, Eminem’s life has been anything but easy and he relates to it in "Rock Bottom." His track "Still Don’t Give a F*ck" is the summary to the essence of Eminem.

The greatest thing about Emimen is his denial of being some kind of role model, superman or hero. He falls back on the message found in "Role Model." He is sometimes viewed as a parents’ worst nightmare, but he constantly express’ "don’t do like I do." Eminem is always at his best and on top of his game when he raps about his family. The un-conditional love he has of his daughter Hailie and the love/hate relationship he shares with ex-wife Kim Mathers and the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his mother. There is not a doubt in my mind that Eminem’s personal life has basically been the secret to his success, almost like a crucial piece of the puzzle.

In December 2005, Eminem decided to fall back from the main stream and put his focus on his Shady Label performers. In the eyes of the media, this met Eminem was announcing his retirement. Around the same time, Eminem announced that he and ex-wife Kim was once again going to re-marry. Both we’re short lived. Dealing with drug dependency, the loss of his best friend, the break up of his second marriage, was issues that Eminem was literally drowning in. Many thought the rapper would throw in the towel, call it quits and retire.

But once again proving his critics wrong, he teamed up with Akon for "Smack That" followed by the release of "Eminem Presents: The Re-up." Once again proving, Eminem’s back with his crew and stronger than ever. The "The Re-up" was designed to give Eminem fans a chance to become more familiar with Eminem’s new additions to the Shady Crew.

Since the release of the "The Re-up" there has been many mixed opinions, some like the album and more seem not to like the album. Many claiming Eminem isn’t the same, failing many peoples expectations. Many blame it on Eminem’s selection of rappers. Others blame Eminem and his courageous venture into the world of producing.

Each Shady Label performer, from the newest to the oldest members, has their place and plays their role in this valuable team work effort. Proving himself once again was the track "No Apologies." I felt Eminem was emptying his soul. I felt this was one song he did for himself, no one else. Not caring what the rest of the world thinks of him. The song reveals the spirit of a true lyricist. Reports have been surfacing in the press and on the internet that Eminem is currently in the studio working on his fifth album. "King Mathers" is suspected to be the tentative title for an upcoming album.

Shady label-mate Ca$his and 50cent suggests that Eminem is working on a new album, referring to the upcoming albums title as "King Mathers." Stating it would be released sometime in 2007 and have a special appearance from Jay-Z. Whether reports are true or not, one thing remains clear. Eminem is a pure lyrical genius, as everything he touches turns to gold. He does things with beats and spits rhymes as if he was born to. That in my opinion, no one else does, can do or even comes close too.

He uses his real life experiences as a way of communicating his feelings and expressing himself.
Many wonder if Eminem will remain king or if one day someone will take his thrown. I think his reputation as an artist guarantees without a shadow of a doubt that he is a talented artist capable of influencing the music of today as well as tomorrow.

In some ways, people may never ever realize the true effect his music has. There is not a doubt in my mind that Eminem’s personal life has basically been the secret to his success. It is and always will be a crucial piece to the fascinating puzzle of the man behind the mask known as Eminem.