Detroit-based American artist Eminem has been a fixture in hip-hop since his debut album Infinite, released in 1996. This caught the eye of Dr. Dre, who signed Eminem to his Aftermath Entertainment label. In 1999, Aftermath Entertainment released the landmark The Slim Shady LP, which propelled Eminem to mainstream recognition and success.
Credited with increasing hip-hop’s popularity in middle America, Eminem broke barriers with his rapping skills and is considered one of the best rappers ever. These skills were developed during Eminem’s upbringing, dating to the 1980s, when he created demos and EPs on local independent labels with fellow Detroit-based artists. Eminem’s homegrown history within the music industry speaks to the variety of interesting formats on which his iconic albums can be found. For example, The Slim Shady LP is available as a triple LP release, which features a trifold sleeve and a poster.
Having sold more than 200 million records, Eminem is considered one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. His success is validated by his distinction of being the first artist to have ten albums debut consecutively at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Eminem has won numerous Grammy, Billboard, and American Music Awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. With all this success, Eminem still has a keen eye for how his art is released, creating limited edition colored vinyl and cassette releases. Beyond that, he has channeled his success into other ventures, including apparel and electronics, all of which speak to the musical roots of how he came up.