Star Analysis - Eminem

Eminem was born on the 17th October 1972 in Missouri under the name of Marshall Bruce Mathers. Since gaining popularity in 1999 he has been a successful record producer and actor, but is better known around the world as a rapper.

To date he has a total of 13 Grammys and is the first artist in history to win best rap album for three consecutive LP's. Eminem has had 13 number 1 singles worldwide and in December 2009 he was named the artist of the decade by 'Billboard Magazine'. Even though Eminem has only released a hand full of albums, in the UK alone he has sold over 12.5 million records, and in the US has had over 37 million album downloads.

Eminem's first album was called 'The Slim Shady LP' which was released in 1999 and managed to sell 283,000 copies in its opening week. At the time Eminem was signed by Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records. 'The Slim Shady' turned out to be one of the most popular albums of the year, and it actually went triple platinum (over 3 million copies) by the end of 1992 and to date it has sold over 9 million copies. Even thought the album was seen as hugely successful and popular, some of the lyrics struck controversy with many members of the general public, but in response to this fans say that the lyrics are not to be taken seriously and that the it is an exaggerated persona of Eminem's real life.

I think that that if it were not for this album's break through, then the music industry (especially the rap industry) would be a very different place to what it is now, as it has to be one of the most influential albums in the past 15 years and I feel that the controversial aspects of the production helped to generate publicity, thus increasing sales.

The next album to come from Eminem was called 'The Marshall Mathers LP', and this was released in may 2000. The album sold 1.76 million copies in the first week of sales, making it the fastest selling rap album in history, doubling the previous record held by Snoop Dog. The album was the second highest seller in 2000 and by 2010 it had sold over 10 million copies, making it the fourth best selling album of the decade. Currently it holds the record for the best selling rap album in the USA and it has a 9x platinum certificate.

Again the album caused controversy (with one of the songs causing most offence called 'Kill You') and even the attorney general of Canada said the Eminem should be stopped at the border as his lyrics 'advocate violence against women'. But once again could all of this controversy increase in public and media attention?

Another major album (fifth studio album) to be released by Eminem was Encore which was released on November 12th 2004. In the US alone, in the first two weeks the album sold just over 1.5 million copies, and it was awarded the quadruple-platinum award in December. After nine months worldwide sales stood at about 11 million with sales being boosted by the single 'Just Loose It', however many fans criticized the lyrics, which were seen as simplistic compared to previous albums, and it also lost out to 'Late Registration' by Kanye West in the annual Grammy Awards.

Once again the album sparked controversy, and this time the United States Secret Service admitted 'looking into' allegations that Eminem had threatened the President in the song 'We As Americans'. Also the single 'Just Lose It' was notable for being disrespectful to Michael Jackson, with comments referring to child molesting.

The sixth studio album to be released by Eminem (15th May 2009) was called 'Relapse'. It was the first album to be of original material since 'Encore' and it was to be one of the most anticipated album releases of 2009. Even though the album was to sell 608,000 copies in its first week (in the US) and by June 2010 sell almost 2 million copies (in the US), it had not had quite as much success as some of his previous work and received some mixed reviews with NME saying; "What he presents is still powerful, but narrowly cast".

In my opinion the decrease in success was down to two main factors. 1. Some people may have been put off by the language and controversy in from previous albums, and secondly due to the large gap in album releases (due to his addiction to sleeping pills and writer's block), new youth (who are the one of the largest consumers of this type of media) may not have known who he was, as they may not have heard his previous work. However the album was defiantly not unsuccessful as it still reached number 1 in many countries, and the sales may have been affected due to the increase in illegal downloading.

The next album to come from Eminem was 'Recovery' which was released on June 18, 2010, and designed to be the sequel to the previous album - Relapse. Compared to 'Recovery' the album received much more positive feedback and won the Grammy award for best rap album. Selling 714,000 copies in the first week (in the USA) and becoming the second best seller in 2010 was defiantly a 'recovery' for Eminem's career. I think that this may have been helped by contributing artists such as Rihanna on the single 'Love The Way You Lie'. The album spent over seven weeks at number one in both the UK and the USA amongst other countries and it is currently at number 1 on the list of all time albums with the most digital sales.

Music Videos From Eminem

One of the earlier singles in Eminem's career was 'The Real Slim Shady', and this track also had a music video.

One if the main things I noticed whilst viewing the video was the amount of controversial things that are shown, for example a prostitute. The images that are shown may be a contributing factor to Eminem's image, and they may have helped him gain the reputation of a 'gangster'.

Another video released by Eminem, from the album 'Recovery' was for the song 'Not Afraid'.

There are many similarities that I noticed while watching the videos which make it quite clear that the video is from the same artist. Firstly there are all ways lots of close ups of Eminem, which clearly show his facial expressions, and how well the lip sync has been created. Also in both videos there are reoccurring shots throughout the videos, and these usually show Eminem in the same room, singing the lyrics. I think that these reoccurring shots are very powerful in the production as they help to keep it flowing, and they are often accompanied by low angle shots which make the audience look up to the artist (which adds a feeling of power to him), and I think that this helps to reinforce the image of Eminem.

I feel that this video does show some of the changes that has happened in his career and possibly his age (he may be more mature), as less controversial images are shown. Another big difference that I spotted was the increase in special effects, for example, he is seen flying through the sky. I think one of the reasons for using more (and quite advanced) special effects is because of the increase in technology, since the video 'The Real Slim Shady'.