Eminem is highly regarded as one of the best rappers to ever pick up a microphone. Some may argue for him to be the best rapper alive, maybe even of all time, alive or dead. Eminem has come a long way from the troubles of his childhood and knowing his life story allows some of his fans to appreciate his come-up.

Born Marshall Mathers, young Eminem was raised by his mother, Debbie. He was originally born in Missouri, but he and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan when he was just a baby. That alone is a fact that few of even Em's die-hard fanbase know about the rapper. It is not so much because he is shy about talking about his upbringing (though that is the case in some instances), but because he keeps a low profile. As a private man, Eminem does not often talk about who he is or anything about his family, really. But the few things we do know about his family piqued our interests enough to make a list about it.

20 Hailie isn't his only daughter

The fact that Eminem has a daughter named Hailie is common knowledge at this point. After all, she was often the focus of his rap songs, but he never rapped about his other kids. That's right, he has two other daughters.

He adopted Alaina Marie Mathers from his then-wife's twin sister, who was dealing with some personal issues preventing her from raising a child. Then, there's Whitney Scott Mathers, who Em also adopted, this time from Kim herself and her ex-boyfriend.

19 Eminem's Mom Almost Died at Childbirth

Eminem has said countless bad remarks about his mom and why he felt like she was such a bad mother, but no one would hear him talk about what she went through to bring him into this world. At the age of 15 years old, Debbie Mathers went through 73 hours of labor and almost died in childbirth just so that Marshall could be born.

18 Eminem's Dad Left Him at An Early Age

This is something that Eminem rarely talks about, but it is something he has alluded to in his music. Em's whole childhood, he was raised by his single mother after his dad left them in favor of moving to California. Em has mentioned in interviews that he tried reaching out via letters to his dad as a teen, but every time, the letters would come back with a "return to sender" stamp.

17 His Dad Had a Heart Attack This Summer

Perhaps more low key than the fact that Eminem had an absentee father is the fact that this same father actually passed away earlier this year. It was reported by TMZ back in June that Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. had died from a heart attack in his home near Fort Wayne, Indiana.

16 Other Daughter's Real Dad Wanted By Police

Eminem's adopted daughter, Whitney's biological father, Eric Hartter, was supposed to appear in court back in April on criminal charges, but never showed up. As a result, Michigan police had a warrant out for his arrest. In August, Eric Hartter had been found dead (DOA) inside of an abandoned house in Detroit, Michigan.

15 He Has a Brother

We do not usually talk about Eminem's younger half-brother, but his brother's name is Nathan. At a young age, because their mom was hardly around (and when she was, she failed to be an ideal parent), a young Eminem found himself caring about his baby brother. Eventually, Em filed legal documents to get custody of his bro. Now, at age 31, Nathan's doing alright for himself.

14 That Same Brother Caught a DUI in 2009

Well, sorta. When you take out this incident from 2009, Nathan seems to be doing alright. But the incident in question saw Nathan getting stopped by the cops after failing to pull over to the side for an incoming ambulance. Cops discovered that he had a 0.16 alcohol level in his system, which is twice the legal limit. He was arrested and sentenced to one day in jail; it would've been 100 days if he didn't pay a $1,000 fine.

13 His mom sued him for defamation

Most Em fans know that his mom was the focus of several of his songs, and he never said anything nice about how she raised him. This didn't sit well with her, so she sued him for $10 million on accounts of defamation. Instead, she wound up with only $1,600. Years after the fact, these two reconciled.

12 He Didn't Always Want to Be a Rapper

Given how good he is at the genre, it's easy to assume that he was always born to be a rapper, but rap was not Em's main aspiration, not always at least. He told MTV in an interview that he has an "otherworldly" comic book collection. Believe it or not, he used one to illustrate comic books and graphic novels growing up and often used to draw as a kid.

11 He Has a Sister

If our readers did not know he had a brother, even fewer readers know he has a sister named Sarah. This is another halfsibling of Eminem's, but this one comes from his dad's side of the family. The two did not know they were related until 2005. Like her brother, Sarah likes to keep a low profile and therefore there isn't much info on her.

10 Why Kim Got Arrested

Eminem has had more than enough run-ins with the law, but so has his ex-wife Kim who as recently as 2016 was sentenced to a year's worth of probation and $900 worth of fines for a 2015 DUI crash. She took to the wheel after drinking a fifth of Malibu rum. She's also been arrested for a 2001 jet ski "accident" while drunk and a 2003 felony charge.

9 Eminem's Beef with MGK was over his daughter

Eminem's beef with Machine Gun Kelly last year, along with its ensuing rap battle pitting the elder rapper's "Killshot" vs. the younger rapper's "Rap Devil" was a much-publicized beef. One thing often overlooked is that it all started because MGK made a joke during a radio interview about finding Eminem's daughter, Hailie, attractive. Eminem saw it, dropped some subliminal shots against MGK on his last album, then MGK dropped "Rap Devil" in response. Then came "Killshot."

While she told The Daily Mail in 2018 that she has no interest in joining the music industry like her old man, Hailie did try to break in at a young age, or at the very least, Eminem kind of forced her way in by having her feature on one of his songs. Her vocals can be heard on "My Dad’s Gone Crazy."

7 Em and Kim continue to be on and off for years

Eminem and Kim have dated and known each other ever since they were 15-years old. After developing a bond for that long, it's hard to just let that flame fizzle out. Which is why they have been on and off for so long. Their daughter, Hailie was born in 1995, but the two had some breakups on and off years after.

Things smoothed over long enough for them to get married in 1999, but they divorced in 2001. They married again in 2006 but divorced months later.

6 Eminem failed 9th grade three times

Eminem is a high school dropout and believe it or not, he failed the 9th grade three times. As he has mentioned in interviews and songs like "So Far," while he excelled in English and loved rhyming words (shocker), subjects like social studies and math were not his strong suits. By his third attempt at 9th grade, he was 17-years old and decided he might as well rid it all from his life.

5 Hailie wants to be an IG influencer

In a 2018 interview with Cosmopolitan, Hailie Mathers (or Scott as she goes by online), admitted she thought about being an Instagram influencer after the offers she got in DMs. Now, a year later, as a 23-year old Michigan State grad, she actually is an IG influencer now. Quite the career path for Slim Shady's daughter.

4 His half-brother starred in a movie

He may be the less famous sibling that nobody talks about, but do not mistake that fact for thinking Nathan Mathers is not successful in his own right. More recently, he starred in a horror film called Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge, which after being shown at festivals the past couple of years and a trailer releasing online in 2017, is listed on IMDB to be slated for a 2020 wide release in theaters.

3 Sued for hitting his ex's boyfriend

In 1999, Eminem was in the middle of a lawsuit over an assault charge where he attacked one John Guerra in the parking lot of a Hot Rock Cafe in Detroit after watching him kiss his ex, Kim. Em mentioned this in his song "Sing for the Moment" where he promised that despite the claim he pistol-whipped John, "that was a fist that [him]." Still, Em pleaded guilty to possessing a concealed weapon and was put on probation for two years.

2 His mom left him

Eminem's dad was not the only parent who abandoned him. Even his mother (however briefly) left him. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Em explained that his mom would disappear for lengthy periods of time and left him in the custody of his aunt and uncle. "They were my solidity," he said in the interview.

1 She wrote a diss track towards him

Eminem obviously has a myriad of diss tracks alleging that Debbie Mathers was not exactly mother of the year, but not a lot of people remember that she made a diss track against him as well. During their lawsuit, in collaboration with a no-name rap duo named ID-X, she released a song called "Set the Record Straight" where she attempted to clear her name, call her son a "spoiled young man," and beg for the real Slim Shady to please stand up.

Sources: TMZ, Rolling Stone, radaronline.com, Cosmopolitan, Daily Mail