A dark moment: Eminem unveils the “lowest point” in his career
Eminem is one of the most successful rappers of all time and is an international star. However, his career has been turbulent. The Detroit lyricist has seen astonishing highs and some truly saddening lows, all of which have contributed to his music.
Until recently, Em’s 2002 album, The Eminem Show, was the highest-selling hip-hop album of all time, and the ‘Stan’ emcee has several diamond-certified singles under his belt.
However, before the 8 Mile creator got discovered by an Interscope A&R intern at the 1997 Battle Rap Olympics, he was a struggling artist in desperate need of money and hungry for recognition.
Regardless of genre, the record deal is the ultimate sign of success in the music industry. With a contract and the backing of a major label come status, and with status comes respect. However, a label in the 1990s, when Eminem was on the rise, wasn’t an option like it is for the youth of today but a prerequisite for success.
From distribution to promotion, radio play and the option of visuals, before social media, the rise of streaming services and the internet, record labels ruled large. That said, Eminem would luckily get the backing of Aftermath.
However, before the emergence of Aftermath and Jimmy Iovine, after Eminem released his debut studio album Infinite in 1996, Mathers was scammed by a Detroit native who promised him a guaranteed record deal. Still, the ‘My Name Is’ rhymer believed he was getting signed.
Without naming the individual, during an interview with the hip-hop media outlet XXL, Eminem revealed the fraudster who tricked him was an affiliate of the Bass Brothers duo, with whom he was working during the mid-1990s. Explaining the situation, Mathers detailed, “We had somebody at this hip-hop label who said they wanted to sign me when I was working with the Bass Brothers.”
He continued, “I made three or four songs, and we gave it to this guy and found out that he worked in the mail room, and he wasn’t really who he said he was.” This scam had given Mathers an ember of hope, which was quickly put out.
Revealing that the fraudster’s hoax caused him a great amount of grief, Mathers disclosed, “I was at the lowest point. I didn’t even know what I was going to do because it didn’t look like it was going to happen. I’m 24 years old, and I got a baby to take care of, and all I want to do is rap, but it didn’t look good. I was super depressed.”
Fortunately, Mathers was unknowingly saved by a label intern in the crowd at the LA Rap Battle Olympics in 1997, after which Mathers’ demo quickly ended up in the hands of Dr Dre and was, shortly after, signed by him.