The rap legend has earned close to $400 million during his storied career and he maintains a net worth of at least $230 million. However, despite all of his success, Eminem admits that things weren't always so clear and full of riches. In fact, his upbringing was a tough one in more ways than one.
He barely had a relationship with his father and as for his mother, the two fought frequently. Eminem turned to comics at a young age as a creative outlet and later, as early as 14, he started to rap at school.
Finding the motivation wasn't hard. Eminem rapped about his past experiences, some a lot more serious than others. Fans noticed certain lyrics from when he was nine years old and as it turns out, it was a true story and one that almost cost him his life.
We'll discuss what exactly went down, along with some of the other childhood traumas he faced along the way. It was a very long and difficult road to get to the place that he's in today. At one point in time, seeing another day became a task in itself due to the rough neighborhood he grew up in.
Turning To His Great-Aunt And Uncle
Life is filled with different stresses and when you have nobody to turn to, things can be that much more difficult. Eminem didn't have much of a relationship with his father, and the one he had with Debbie was filled with lots of downs. However, Eminem did admit alongside Rolling Stone that his great-aunt and uncle, on his dad's side, always showed him, love, during the harder days.
Eminem mentions that he had solidity with them, "My Aunt Edna, which would be my great-aunt Edna, and my Uncle Charles, my great-uncle Charles. This was in Missouri. They’re from my dad’s side. They took care of me a lot. My Uncle Charles passed in ’92 or ’93, and Aunt Edna passed away just six months ago. She was, like, eighty-six. They were older, but they did things with me; they let me stay the weekends there, took me to school, bought me things, let me stay and watch TV, let me cut the grass to get five dollars, took me to the mall. Between them and my Uncle Ronnie, they were my solidity."
Despite the love, Eminem found it tough growing up without a father figure, which was ultimately the toughest part of growing up, "He coulda talked to me, let me know something. ‘Cause as far as father figures, I didn’t have any in my life. My mother had a lot of boyfriends. Some of ’em I didn’t like; some of ’em were cool. But a lot would come and go. My little brother’s dad was probably the closest thing I had to a father figure. He was around off and on for about five years. He was the dude who’d play catch, take us bowling, just do stuff that dads would do."
Things at school weren't any easier given the neighborhood Eminem grew up in. A bully by the name of D'Angelo Bailey made his life a difficult one.
A Forgettable 9th Birthday
The hurting got worse and worse, it started with a piece of ice breaking his nose and it would lead to Eminem almost losing his life with various injuries. Em's mom tried suing the school system but the rapper would get the best revenge, exposing the altercation in a song called 'Brain Damage.'
He described the incident in detail, "I was harassed daily by this fat kid named D'Angelo Bailey. An eighth-grader who acted obnoxiously, cause his father boxes. So every day he'd shove me in the lockers. One day he came in the bathroom while I was pissin'. And had me in the position to beat me into submission. He banged my head against the urinal until he broke my nose. Soaked my clothes in blood, grabbed me, and choked my throat."
Despite the horrible details and experience, Eminem turned into a source of motivation, which launched his rap career, "Even the biggest of stars have gone through bullying and survived it and, furthermore, have come out on top - so can you. I was beat up in the bathrooms, in the hallways, shoved in the lockers - for the most part for being the new kid. What got me through this phase of my life was rapping. I found something. 'Yeah, this kid over here may have more chicks or better clothes, but he can't do this like me,' I started to feel like I was getting a little respect."
A great lesson that no matter how tough things get, there's always a positive to come out the other side.
Sources: Rolling Stone, Twitter, YouTube & Joe