e is truly the man your mother warned you about. But it is too late now.
In the few years that he has been around, Eminem has infected youth the world over with his trademark brand of in-your-face political incorrectness. His style -- grating vocals spouting foul invective set to a rap beat -- has become his sonic signature. There is more to Eminem than his music -- his alleged misogyny and homophobia are stamped in his art.
Born this day in 1972, the white rapper stormed into the rap scene in 1999. He wandered from home to home with his single mother and, at age 12, settled in the automobile city of Detroit. He dropped out of school in grade 9 and, unusually for a white teenager, initiated himself into hip-hop.
Eminem's personal life reflects strongly in his songs. His fury against wife Kim and his turbulent relationship with his mother spurred him to write violent, twisted lyrics. After the success of his album, he reconciled with Kim but the marriage went through a few sputters before it finally choked.
Eminem's attacks on gays and women earned him the ire of both groups, who called for a boycott of his albums. His lyrics also attacked other artistes.
But the controversy helped his career. His second album won Best Rap Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards, and the commercial success propelled him to fame as the most successful rapper, black or white, since the genre's heyday in the mid-1990s.
As Eminem turns 32 today, find out how much you know about the controversy-baiting white rapper.