Music

Eminem

Failed ninth grade three times, washed dishes, and lost rap battles until a demo reached Dr. Dre.

Born: 1972 · St. Joseph, Missouri, US
Roots: White American
Family: Poverty; His father left before he was two; he and his mother moved between Missouri and Detroit trailer parks, rarely staying a year in one school.
Education: Dropped out of Lincoln High School at 17 after repeating ninth grade three times
Started with: Open-mic battles; Battle rap at Detroit's Hip Hop Shop while cooking and washing dishes; his debut tape sold about a thousand copies.
Affiliations & societies: None documented.; Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1996 · age 24
Infinite flops
The debut sells around a thousand copies; he is a new father working kitchen shifts.
1997 · age 25
Rap Olympics
Second place in Los Angeles; an Interscope intern passes his tape along, and it reaches Dr. Dre.
1999 · age 26
The Slim Shady LP
Dre signs him; the album goes multi-platinum amid controversy over its content.
2000 · age 27
The Marshall Mathers LP
Reported as the fastest-selling solo album in US history at the time.
2003 · age 30
Lose Yourself wins the Oscar
The first rap song to win Best Original Song, from 8 Mile.
2007 · age 35
Overdose
Nearly dies from methadone; he has spoken openly about the addiction years since.
2010 · age 37
Recovery
The comeback album tops global year-end charts; he is frequently cited among the best-selling music artists ever.

Sources

Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.