Born Marshall Mathers III in 1972, Eminem famously grew up on Detroit’s 8 Mile neighborhood. He endured a difficult childhood that was marked by blue collar poverty, bullying, parental abandonment, and frequent moves. Despite dropping out of high school, Mathers fostered a love for literature and story telling, interests that would contribute greatly to his talent as a songwriter and performer. By 1996, he signed with FBT Productions and Web Entertainment, releasing his first album Infinite. His music, however, was largely overlooked and did not receive a lot of airplay in Detroit. Mathers continued to work as a dishwasher at a lodge restaurant, working as much as 60 hours a week to help care for his daughter.
By 2000, he and his music turned a fortuitous tide, as he began receiving more favorable reviews of his performances and music. He released The Marshall Mathers LP that year and sold more than 1 million copies. From that album he released his now iconic song “The Real Slim Shady”, a song that he wrote in reference to his alter ego by the same name. He has since gone on to release a total of eight albums more, leading to an Eminem net worth of $160 million. He is consistently listed as one of the most successful and most influential rappers of all time, putting him in the same company as his contemporaries Jay-Z and Dr. Dre, among others.
Despite being an avid performer and rapper, Eminem did famously take a hiatus from his work in 2005 and 2006. During that time, he canceled his European tour and entered rehab for an addiction to sleep medication. He also mulled whether or not he would return to recording. In the end, his passion for making music and writing songs won out. He continues to make his style of music and has released a new album called Shady XV in 2014
How Much Is Eminem Worth Now?
Along with writing and recording music, Eminem has also proved himself to be a prolific author and actor. In fact, he added to his Eminem net worth by appearing in the 2001 film The Wash, as well as the 2002 film 8 Mile, a movie that was based loosely on his life in Detroit. For that movie, Eminem wrote and performed several songs on the soundtrack. In addition to these two earlier movies, he has also appeared in the movies Jumper and Funny People.
He additionally lends his talent to voice over work in video games and cartoons. In the game 50 Cent: Bulletproof he voices a police officer character. He voices some of the characters on TV’s Crank Yankers and the web cartoon called The Slim Shady Show. As far as his TV work is concerned, Eminem has appeared in guest roles on the popular show Entourage. He has also appeared in the documentaries How to Make Money Selling Drugs and Detroit Rubber.
His net worth is also comprised from his writing endeavors. He penned an autobiography entitled The Way I Am in 2008. In his memoirs, he details his struggles with depression, drug use, and fame. The book was well received by both his fans and the general public alike. His mother also released her own book about Eminem. Both literary endeavors painted him in a more empathetic light and also helped him add to his ever-growing net worth. This net worth understandably is important to Eminem not so much for his own use and enjoyment. As a devoted parent to his daughter Hallie, he has gone on record as saying that he pursues music as much as he does so that he can leave a legacy to his daughter to enjoy and remember him by later.