Eminem is highly regarded as one of the best rappers to ever pick up a microphone. Some may argue for him to be the best rapper alive, maybe even of all time, alive or dead. Eminem has come a long way from the troubles of his childhood and knowing his life story allows some of his fans to appreciate his come-up.
Born Marshall Mathers, young Eminem was raised by his mother, Debbie. He was originally born in Missouri, but he and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan when he was just a baby. That alone is a fact that few of even Em's die-hard fanbase know about the rapper. It is not so much because he is shy about talking about his upbringing (though that is the case in some instances), but because he keeps a low profile. As a private man, Eminem does not often talk about who he is or anything about his family, really. But the few things we do know about his family piqued our interests enough to make a list about it.
20 Hailie isn't his only daughter
The fact that Eminem has a daughter named Hailie is common knowledge at this point. After all, she was often the focus of his rap songs, but he never rapped about his other kids. That's right, he has two other daughters.
He adopted Alaina Marie Mathers from his then-wife's twin sister, who was dealing with some personal issues preventing her from raising a child. Then, there's Whitney Scott Mathers, who Em also adopted, this time from Kim herself and her ex-boyfriend.
19 Eminem's Mom Almost Died at Childbirth
Eminem has said countless bad remarks about his mom and why he felt like she was such a bad mother, but no one would hear him talk about what she went through to bring him into this world. At the age of 15 years old, Debbie Mathers went through 73 hours of labor and almost died in childbirth just so that Marshall could be born.
18 Eminem's Dad Left Him at An Early Age
This is something that Eminem rarely talks about, but it is something he has alluded to in his music. Em's whole childhood, he was raised by his single mother after his dad left them in favor of moving to California. Em has mentioned in interviews that he tried reaching out via letters to his dad as a teen, but every time, the letters would come back with a "return to sender" stamp.
17 His Dad Had a Heart Attack This Summer
Perhaps more low key than the fact that Eminem had an absentee father is the fact that this same father actually passed away earlier this year. It was reported by TMZ back in June that Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. had died from a heart attack in his home near Fort Wayne, Indiana.
16 Other Daughter's Real Dad Wanted By Police
Eminem's adopted daughter, Whitney's biological father, Eric Hartter, was supposed to appear in court back in April on criminal charges, but never showed up. As a result, Michigan police had a warrant out for his arrest. In August, Eric Hartter had been found dead (DOA) inside of an abandoned house in Detroit, Michigan.
15 He Has a Brother
We do not usually talk about Eminem's younger half-brother, but his brother's name is Nathan. At a young age, because their mom was hardly around (and when she was, she failed to be an ideal parent), a young Eminem found himself caring about his baby brother. Eventually, Em filed legal documents to get custody of his bro. Now, at age 31, Nathan's doing alright for himself.
14 That Same Brother Caught a DUI in 2009
Well, sorta. When you take out this incident from 2009, Nathan seems to be doing alright. But the incident in question saw Nathan getting stopped by the cops after failing to pull over to the side for an incoming ambulance. Cops discovered that he had a 0.16 alcohol level in his system, which is twice the legal limit. He was arrested and sentenced to one day in jail; it would've been 100 days if he didn't pay a $1,000 fine.
13 His mom sued him for defamation
Most Em fans know that his mom was the focus of several of his songs, and he never said anything nice about how she raised him. This didn't sit well with her, so she sued him for $10 million on accounts of defamation. Instead, she wound up with only $1,600. Years after the fact, these two reconciled.
12 He Didn't Always Want to Be a Rapper
Given how good he is at the genre, it's easy to assume that he was always born to be a rapper, but rap was not Em's main aspiration, not always at least. He told MTV in an interview that he has an "otherworldly" comic book collection. Believe it or not, he used one to illustrate comic books and graphic novels growing up and often used to draw as a kid.
11 He Has a Sister
If our readers did not know he had a brother, even fewer readers know he has a sister named Sarah. This is another halfsibling of Eminem's, but this one comes from his dad's side of the family. The two did not know they were related until 2005. Like her brother, Sarah likes to keep a low profile and therefore there isn't much info on her.
