Image Source: People.com
Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) celebrated his 49th birthday on October 17th, 2021, and is often regarded as the "Rap God".The rapper has always been vocal about his struggles in life through his music, whether it was his relationship with his mother, ex-wife Kimberly Scott, their daughter, or his substance abuse.
When Eminem released his first album, "Infinite", it didn’t take the world by storm, but it landed him and his family in his mum’s trailer. But, after signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, he quickly rose to global fame in 1999 with the release of "The Slim Shady LP." His next two albums, 2000’s release ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ and 2002’s release ‘The Eminem Show’ were both global hits and Grammy Award nominees for Album of the Year.
The rapper’s critically acclaimed work and global success are largely credited with breaking racial barriers for white rappers in popular music. While much of Em's early 2000s transgressive work made him extremely controversial, he became a symbol of the American underclass's popular discontent. Many musicians from diverse genres have cited him as an influence on their music.
Eminem calls his daughter, Hailie Jade, his source of motivation, which eventually drove him towards working hard and becoming as successful as he is today. One of the earliest mentions of Hailie in his songs was on the single "97 Bonnie and Clyde", where the rapper tells about the dark times of his troubles with Kim and taking their daughter along to dispose of her mom’s body. The track even featured Hailie’s voice, and that is not just the only song by the rapper where she had a part in, as she also provided part of the hook on "My Dad’s Gone Crazy".
During an interview with The Rolling Stone previously, Em shared, "Me and Dre were working together and Hailie was running around the studio, and she was like [in a little girl high voice], ‘somebody please help me! I think my dad’s gone crazy!' Instantly, that locked in with a beat we’d made the day before. I went to my house, and I had her go in the booth and say it. When she opens up, she’s just like her dad in a lot of aspects. I just told her what to say, and she nailed it, the first take."
Hailie became the Guinness World Record holder as the youngest performer, who was 6 years old when she was credited in "My Dad’s Gone Crazy" in 2002. Over the years, Em has opened up about his relationship with Haile in various songs, including "Cleanin’ Out My Closet," "Going Through Changes," "Hailie’s Song," "Doe Rae Me (Hailie’s Revenge")," When I’m Gone," and "Mockingbird," but he has expressed his regrets over being so open about his daughter to the world. "
In one of his songs "Castles", the rapper says, "This game is crazy. I wanted to claim my love for you, but damn, I never knew it’d be like this. If I did, I wouldn’t have done it. You haven’t asked for any of this s**t. Now you’re being punished? Things that should’ve been private with me and your mother are public."
Eminem shared that he lied to Kim about taking Hailie to Chuck E. Cheese, but he took her to the studio and when Kim found out that he had used his daughter to write a song about killing her, she blasted him. "We had just got back together for a couple of weeks. Then I played her the song, and she bugged the f--k out", he shared.
The 49-year-old rapper also shared that she wants his daughter to have a stable life, and he doesn’t want to make her any more famous. He further added, "She didn't choose to have her father become a rap star. Neither my niece nor my brother. So they're able to go outside and live a normal life, go to stores and do things normally that I can't do. Which is why, a lot of times, certain things I can't be there for."
On the other hand, Hailie Scott Mathers, in her brief interview in 2018, shared with The Daily Mail that she was not sure if she would ever want to live under the spotlight of fame or not. She also mentioned that she and her father are ‘very close'. Em’s daughter since 2016 has been in a relationship with Michigan State University college sweetheart Evan McClintock and had graduated with an honors degree from her school in Michigan after which thanked her parents for the constant support and love they have provided. She said, ‘They have pushed me to be the person I am and have given me all the support to achieve what I have.’
In 2007, Eminem was hospitalized due to a methadone overdose, and talking about it, he shared that it broke his heart when he was not able to be with his kids during Christmas. He said, "The first thing I wanted to do was call my kids. I wanted to get home, and show them that Dad's OK. It was "definitely" hard to miss the holiday, not to mention Hailie's birthday which happens to be on the day of Christmas. Being a father, wanting to be there with your kids. It's not a fun thing to deal with." On 2017's "Arose," the scene in a hospital bed as he thinks he's dying from an overdose, and he raps, "And it's your birthday, Jade / I'm missing your birthday / Baby girl, I'm sorry," a regret ripped right from reality.
Eminem, during his appearance on the Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson podcast in March 2020, spoke about how proud he is of Hailie. He said, "She’s doing good. She’s made me proud, for sure. She’s graduated from college, had a 3.9 [GPA]. I have a niece that I have helped raise, too, that's pretty much like a daughter to me, and she is 26, and I have a younger one that's 17 now. When I think about my accomplishments, probably the thing I’m most proud of is being able to raise kids. It’s important to keep your kids grounded when they’re in a situation like I have. People also think that money just buys happiness–that is not the truth. You’ve got to be right inside, otherwise, none of this s**t means nothing."
Hailie spent most of her youth under Eminem's 15,000-square-foot roof in the Detroit suburbs with half-sister Whitney, mom Kim's daughter from another relationship, and cousin Alaina, the daughter of Kim's twin sister, Dawn. "My kids are comfortable here. I want them to have the stability I didn't have, ", the rapper told The Rolling Stone.
Em at 'Mom's Spaghetti' in Detroit. Image Source: NME
Police were called to Kim's residence on July 30, 2021, after responding to a call of a suicidal person. Kim sustained "several tiny lacerations on the back of her leg," according to deputies and paramedics, according to TMZ. Kim was handcuffed and taken to the hospital for medical attention and a psychological evaluation. Kim has been receiving treatment at recovery home since then.
Eminem opened his new business venture, a restaurant named "Mom's Spaghetti" in September in Detroit where they will be serving Spaghetti, Meatballs, spaghetti with meatballs or s'ghetti sandwich.He gave quantities of the famous pasta to storm victims in Houston and Puerto Rico in 2017, and he supplied mom's spaghetti to Michigan healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 outbreak last year.
