The Real Slim Shady Just Turned 50

It isn't our attempt to make anyone feel old, but this might do it. Marshall Mathers The Third has turned 50! While his life has played out in public, there is no denying that he put Michigan on the map for a lot of people. He has endured his fair share of lawsuits, public scandal, and addictions. He has made it straight out of the trailer and into a fortune estimated to be worth 230 million dollars! Through all of it, he has left a legacy of music and now is proudly clean and sober.

Before he guest starred at, what many consider to be one of the best, Super Bowl Halftime Shows, he was pretty controversial. Despite that, he did a good job relating to the underdogs and under classed of the world. He gets a lot of credit, and rightfully so, for being an influence to many artists today. In the late 90s, he linked up with Dr Dre and they dominated the charts in the early 2000s. It was not all roses and rainbows. Controversy seemed to follow him. His life played out like a movie minus Mekhi Phifer. Speaking of movies:

He also introduced Detroit to a whole new audience on the big screen. 8 Mile hit theaters in 2002. It is loosely based on Marshal's life. He even picked up an academy award for best song with, "Lose Yourself."  The movie made a lot of us want to battle rap and showed off several classic Michigan spots. The Shelter, for example, was an actual club and a young Marshall did get his start there, but St Andrew's Hall is only used for part of the movie. The backstage area was filmed in an abandoned drug store. The rest was reconstructed in a warehouse down the street. That is the room where Rabbit shuts up Anthony Mackie. Left him speechless and wins the crowd. Obviously this is well before he would go on to become Captain America in the MCU.

Obviously, Eminem didn't peak with 8 Mile. He went on to be one of the best selling artists of all time. In 2010, Recovery was everywhere. Eminem got sober and the music got even better. "Love the Way You Lie," was everywhere! What a lot of people don't realize is the fact that Eminem doesn't tour much. He is an introvert. Obviously. He also has a lot of anxiety and doesn't like the concept of touring. In 2010 he and Jay Z did two massive shows. One in New York and the other at Comerica Park in Detroit. I was at the latter and so was a big chunk of Hollywood. Hugh Jackman, Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Timbaland, Rihanna, Beyonce, and several other athletes and music makers. It was a great show!

Money like Shady's allows for some nice homes. Em had two in Michigan. One in Clinton Township and the other in Rochester Hills. He sold one of them in 2017 and the other in 2021. He still visits the mitten. He even opened a restaurant called, "Mom's Spaghetti," in Detroit and was hanging with the Detroit Lions when the last season of, "Hard Knocks," was filming.

Not many have a career the caliber of Eminem's. Not bad for a poor kid that delivered Little Caesar's pizzas in Warren. Those early performances are legendary. The year he showed up with all the Shady clones for the VMA's, still ranks as one of the best. With Rihanna performing the halftime show this year, we can only hope Shady will make back to back appearances. Until then, allow us to say Happy 50th Birthday Eminem!