Who is the Real Slim Shady? ES puts Marshall under the microscope.
Determined Dude4
Rather than think of his own misery5, Marshall used his past problems as fuel to break into the music industry. For years, he was determined—some might even say obsessed6—with getting discovered. But despite his efforts, things didn't look good for the bad boy. “This was a guy who... was just so desperate and pretty much ready to give up,” Anthony explains. Luckily, Dre heard Marshall in a rap battle on a Los Angeles radio station and recognized his talent. He signed Marshall to his Aftermath label, and shortly thereafter, Marshall introduced himself to the world as “Eminem.” He released The Marshall Mathers album in 2000.
Mouthy7 Musician
Eminem boldly8 began his journey to superstardom9 with the hit single The Real Slim Shady. He made some very forward10 comments about the biggest names in the business (i.e. Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and 'N Sync). Because of his uncensored11 comments, Eminem became an artist that people either liked or hated. “He wasn't Mr. Crazy all the time,” Anthony adds. “But a lot of people think that about him, just by looking at him perform and reading stories from the media.”
Father Figure
On Christmas Day 1995, Marshall's and Kim's daughter, Hailie Jade, was born. However, Kim and Marshall were not married, they were only lovers. Eminem's success brought Hailie's mom, Kim (who'd cheated on him), back into his life. The high school sweethearts wed in September 1999, but their relationship was short-lived (he filed for divorce on August 16, 2000). To begin with, Eminem took great pleasure in his success. “He kind of had this insane12 lust13 for life—maybe even a little self-destructive,” Anthony shares.
It didn't take long before Marshall got his priorities in order. He realized why he set out on this journey in the first place—to provide for his baby girl. For Eminem, Hailie put the brakes on what could have been the biggest mistake of his life. “When he was younger and had only just become successful, he lived from one minute to the next,”Anthony says. “But then, he calmed down and became a much more mature guy, realizing that he had responsibilities.”
Shady: The Simple Guy
While you might have expected him to be partying until the sun comes up, home life for Eminem is actually quite calm. “He's had many invitations to join the celebrity set14 in Hollywood, but he still lives in Detroit and he's going to stay there,” Anthony says. “His house is pretty normal—not like other rappers. It's not all fancy, no flat screen TVs15 in the bathroom.” When he's not touring, the rapper is a hands-on16 parent and enjoys watching movies and coloring in books with Hailie at home. “He gets Hailie up in the morning, gives her breakfast, drives her to school—he's there as much as possible," Anthony adds. "Underneath it all, he's a pretty sensitive dude.”
Eminem remains somewhat of an unsolved mystery—but perhaps that's what makes him so successful? Just as we're on the verge of17 figuring out exactly who he is, Eminem unveils18 yet another aspect of Slim Shady.
矢志不移
阿姆不是自怨自怜，而是将苦难作为动力一举攻入乐坛。那些年里，阿姆执着地——甚至不妨说偏执地——寻找出头的机会。这个“坏孩子”尽管尽心尽力，事情却全无起色。安东尼解释他当时的情形：“小伙子当时快绝望了，差一点就要放弃。”幸而那时德瑞听了马歇尔在洛杉矶广播台所举行的一次说唱乐比赛上的演唱，从而发现了他的天赋。他将马歇尔罗致到他的“余波”娱乐公司旗下。不久，马歇尔便以艾米纳姆为艺名崭露头角，于2000年发行了他的《马歇尔·马瑟斯》专辑。
大嘴艺人
阿姆以他的打榜单曲《真正的超大痞子》踏上明星之旅。他对一些娱乐圈名人大放厥词（当红偶像克莉斯汀娜，小甜甜布兰妮和超级男孩都被点名）。他的这些口不择言的评论招致一些人的喜爱和一些人的仇恨。“他并不总是如此嚣张过激，”安东尼补充到，“但是很多人只看了他的演唱或者媒体的报道就这么看待他。”
父亲形象
1995年的圣诞节，马歇尔与金的女儿海莉·洁德出生了。然而那时他们并没有结婚，只是恋人。阿姆的成功将海莉的妈妈金（她对阿姆曾经不忠）带回到他的生活中。这对中学时代的恋人于1999年9月结婚，但他们的婚姻未能维持多久（阿姆于2000年8月16日申请离婚）。首要的原因是阿姆过于追求成功。安东尼分析道：“他对生活有一种近乎疯狂的追求，甚至都有些接近自我毁灭了。”
然而不久阿姆就找到了他的生活重心。他认识到他努力奋斗的首要原因是——他要抚养他的宝贝海莉。对于阿姆来说，海莉阻止了他可能犯下的一生中最大的错误。“年轻气盛，刚刚功成名就时，他率性而为，只顾眼前，”安东尼说，“但是现在，他变得冷静自持，越来越成熟了，他意识到自己所承担的责任。”
阿姆：生活简朴的人
也许你以为阿姆是那种喜欢通宵达旦狂欢的人，其实阿姆的家庭生活相当安宁。“他的确收到许多要他加入好莱坞名人圈的邀请，但他还在并仍打算待在底特律，”安东尼说，“他的住宅相当普通，完全不同于其他的说唱歌手，一点也不豪华，浴室也没什么全平彩电。”他不外出时，这位歌手是一位事必躬亲的父亲。他津津有味地跟女儿海莉一起看电视片，一起在书上涂鸦。“他早晨叫海莉起床，给她做早餐，开车送她去学校——他会尽可能陪在她身边。”安东尼说，“阿姆骨子里是个感情相当细腻的人。”
阿姆似乎仍然是个不解之谜——但可能正是这样才使他如此成功？在我们刚刚要琢磨出他的真相时，他却展露出了“超级大痞子”另一面。
1. switch v． 转换，换
2． bounce back （受打击后）迅速恢复元气， 重振旗鼓
3． hip－hop n． 嬉哈乐
rap n． 说唱乐
rapper n． 说唱歌手
4． dude n． （美） 男人，家伙
5． misery n． 痛苦，苦恼
6． be obsessed with 缠住，迷住
7． mouthy adj． 高谈阔论的
8． boldly adv． 大胆地
9． superstardom n． 超级明星
10． forward adj． 无礼的，放肆的
11． uncensored adj． 无约束的
12． insane adj． 疯狂的
13． lust for 欲望，渴望
14． celebrity set 名流圈
15． flat screen TV 全平电视
16． hands－on adj． 自己动手的，事必躬亲的
17． on the verge of 接近于，濒临
18． unveil v． （揭开面纱）显露