Eminem [1], also known by his alter ego Slim Shady or by his birth name, Marshall Mathers III, has been one of the most provocative, polarizing figures in pop culture for nearly two decades. His first major album, The Slim Shady LP, debuted in 1999, making the then 24-year-old Michigan native a rap icon overnight. Eminem [2] has experienced record-breaking career highs and life-threatening personal lows since he stepped on the seen, but through it all he has found a way to always come out on top. We're breaking down fascinating facts about the hip-hop [3] legend through the numbers.
- 10/17/1972: His date of birth [4].
- 1: The number of Academy Awards he has won. [5] His song "Lose Yourself" from his biopic 8 Mile won best original song in 2003.
- 2: The place he came in during the 1997 Rap Olympics [6] when he was discovered by an Interscope Records employee.
- 2: The number of times he married Kimberly Anne Scott, first in 1999 divorcing in 2001, then in 2006. The second marriage also ended in divorce the same year [7].
- 3: The number of times he failed the 9th grade before dropping out of high school [8].
- 3-4: The number of songs he made with Dr. Dre the first day they met [9].
- 5.50: How much he made per hour as a cook in a Detroit restaurant [10] called Gilbert's Lodge before his big break.
- 9: His age when he heard his first rap song [11], which was "Reckless" by Ice-T. The song was on the Breakin' soundtrack, which his late Uncle Ronnie had given him.
- 9: The number of studio albums [12] he has released.
- 9: The number of years he has been sober [13] following an addiction to prescription drugs.
- 10.5: His shoe size.
- 14: The number of years between him and his younger half-brother Nathan [14].
- 15: The number of Grammys he's won throughout his career [15].
- 23: His age when daughter Hailie [16] was born.
- 30: The number of seconds it took him to write the hook for "Just Lose It." [17]
- 50: The approximate number of songs [18] he makes for every album before deciding on the final tracklist.
- 60: The number of minutes it took him to write "My Name Is" [19] during his first meeting with Dr. Dre.
- 1,560: The number of words in his song "Rap God," which set a new Guinness World Record [20].
- 1982: The year his mother sued his school [21] after he was badly beaten by bullies.
- 8.818: The number of unique words he has used in his songs, making him the musician with the largest vocabulary according to a 2015 study [22].
- 480,00: The number of copies his debut album, The Slim Shady LP, sold in its first two weeks [23].
- 100,000,000+: The number of albums he has sold [24] worldwide to date.