Tomorrow marks the quarter of a century since Eminem’s first studio album has seen the light of the day.
It isn’t easy to choose a specific date when Marshall Bruce Mathers III became Eminem we know now. It has certainly been a long and winding road to success. Should we count from the day when young Marshall heard LLCool J’s “Bad”? Or from the day when Proof set 14-years-old Marshall up for a rap battle in the Osborn High School lunchroom? Or from 1988 when MC Double M, yes, that was his stage name back then, released his first mix-tape?
There were ups and downs on Marshall’s way to becoming a rapper whose name everyone would recognise. But it is accepted that he put down his foot firmly on the path in 1996 when brothers Jeff and Mark Bass signed him to their company F.B.T. Productions to release an album for their independent label Web Entertainment. Together with his friend Denaun Porter, Eminem recorded his first solo album, “Infinite”.
The album did not find commercial success. This failure pushed Em to develop his brash and cynical Slim Shady persona. The rest is history. The history that unfolds before our own eyes. The history where Eminem goes through unbelievable personal hardships and comes from the other end the better person, the stronger lyricist, the more successful artist.
Tomorrow, November 12, 2021, will mark 25 years since the “Infinite” release. It means that from that day, Eminem becomes eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Newly inducted LL Cool J has already said that he would like to see Em in the Hall of Fame. The institution, however, has a notoriously long backlog of artists who still have not received their recognition. Let’s hope it won’t take long for Eminem to see his name enshrined in the Hall.
Let’s hope it will also not take long for Eminem to finally deal with issues that prevent him from uploading “Infinite” to streaming services. The album that was not appreciated enough back in 1996 is now a cult project that shows how already mature and complex Em was as an artist. Fans want it!
