The Evolution of Eminem

Today is Em's 43rd birthday—and what a ride it's been.

Eminem: "We As Americans" - The lyrics: “I don’t rap for dead presidents, I rather see the president dead, it’s never been said but I set precedents."Released during George W. Bush’s first term, Eminem flipped the iconic phrase to express his disgust at the administration.(Photo: Scott Gries/PictureGroup)

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The Evolution of Eminem - Today, October 17, is Eminem's 43rd birthday — and what a four decades it's been. With ten No. 1 albums, tens of millions of records sold and literally countless amazing verses, there's no denying that Marshall Mathers is one of the best to ever do it. But he didn't get to the top of the world overnight — click on to read the Evolution of Eminem. (Photo: Scott Gries/PictureGroup)

Hi, Marshall - Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. His father skipped out when he was 18 months old, and he was raised solely by his mother. They moved to Detroit when he was a teenager. (Photo: WENN.com)

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Hi, Marshall - Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. His father skipped out when he was 18 months old, and he was raised solely by his mother. They moved to Detroit when he was a teenager. (Photo: WENN.com)

The Slim Shady EP - Em began rhyming as a kid, and signed a production deal with the Bass Brothers in 1992. He slowly built a name for himself by tearing through the competition at area MC battles and releasing music independently. But 1997's much-bootlegged The Slim Shady EP was when it all came together. The album, which spread like wildfire through underground circles, introduced hip hop to Eminem's Slim Shady persona and his trademark style, featuring half-disturbing, half-hilarious references to drug abuse, violence, poverty, mental problems, baby-mama beef and inctricate, rapid-fire rhymes. (Photo: Shady Records)

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The Slim Shady EP - Em began rhyming as a kid, and signed a production deal with the Bass Brothers in 1992. He slowly built a name for himself by tearing through the competition at area MC battles and releasing music independently. But 1997's much-bootlegged The Slim Shady EP was when it all came together. The album, which spread like wildfire through underground circles, introduced hip hop to Eminem's Slim Shady persona and his trademark style, featuring half-disturbing, half-hilarious references to drug abuse, violence, poverty, mental problems, baby-mama beef and inctricate, rapid-fire rhymes. (Photo: Shady Records)

4. Eminem & Dr. Dre\r - The most commercially successful duo on this list. Dre's cosign and production work gave Em's intricate battle-tested stylings instant cred on both the corner and the airwaves; in turn, the Detroit MC gave Dre new energy and new relevance in the new millennium. Highlights: "My Name Is," "Kill You," "The Real Slim Shady"\r\r\r(Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect/Getty Images)

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Batman, Meet Robin - The Slim Shady EP eventually made its way to the desk of Interscope label head Jimmy Iovine, who passed it on to Dr. Dre. Blown away by Em's music (and the fact that an MC this ill was white), the Good Doctor signed Slim to his then upstart Aftermath imprint. Smart move, Doc. (Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect/Getty Images)

"My Name Is" - Em's 1999 debut single, "My Name Is," and its video were a shock to the system. The juxtaposition of the clip's off-the-wall visuals, Dr. Dre's new-millennium G-funk and a bleached-blond Em's twisted, irreverent humor was a left-field smash, and the archetype for Em's early 2000s sound. The single lifted Em's debut full-length, The Slim Shady LP, to triple-platinum status. All of the sudden Marshall Mathers was a star, and a lightning rod for critics from all corners. (Photo: Interscope Records)

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"My Name Is" - Em's 1999 debut single, "My Name Is," and its video were a shock to the system. The juxtaposition of the clip's off-the-wall visuals, Dr. Dre's new-millennium G-funk and a bleached-blond Em's twisted, irreverent humor was a left-field smash, and the archetype for Em's early 2000s sound. The single lifted Em's debut full-length, The Slim Shady LP, to triple-platinum status. All of the sudden Marshall Mathers was a star, and a lightning rod for critics from all corners. (Photo: Interscope Records)

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The Marshall Mathers LP - Em's 2000 sophomore set, The Marshall Mathers LP, put him on a whole other level. The album sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking records set by Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle as the fastest-selling hip hop album and Britney Spears's Baby One More Time as the fastest-selling solo album in history. Packed with innovative, seminal songs like "Stan" and "The Way I Am," the album is widely regarded as Slim's best. (Photo: Interscope Records)

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The Marshall Mathers LP - Em's 2000 sophomore set, The Marshall Mathers LP, put him on a whole other level. The album sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, breaking records set by Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle as the fastest-selling hip hop album and Britney Spears's Baby One More Time as the fastest-selling solo album in history. Packed with innovative, seminal songs like "Stan" and "The Way I Am," the album is widely regarded as Slim's best. (Photo: Interscope Records)

2001 Grammys - Em won over mainstream America and many critics when he linked with Elton John to perform "Stan" at the Grammys. The high-profile duet with the gay pop icon was seen as an olive branch of sorts from Em to the gay community, who had blasted him for his lyrics in the past.(Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

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2001 Grammys - Em won over mainstream America and many critics when he linked with Elton John to perform "Stan" at the Grammys. The high-profile duet with the gay pop icon was seen as an olive branch of sorts from Em to the gay community, who had blasted him for his lyrics in the past.(Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

D12 - Despite all of his successes, Em hadn't forgotten his roots. He reunited with his old Detroit crew D12 and signed them to his new imprint, Shady Records. With Em at the forefront, the group's 2001 debut Devil's Night went double-platinum. (Photo: Interscope Records)

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D12 - Despite all of his successes, Em hadn't forgotten his roots. He reunited with his old Detroit crew D12 and signed them to his new imprint, Shady Records. With Em at the forefront, the group's 2001 debut Devil's Night went double-platinum. (Photo: Interscope Records)

8 Mile, Thursday at 1:30P/12:30C - Eminem's saying: "Yes" to his dreams.(Photo: Universal Pictures) 

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8 Mile - In 2002, Em brought his star power from the mic to the screen with the semi-autobiographical feature film 8 Mile, a critical and commercial success. The movie's theme, "Lose Yourself," won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and topped the charts for 23 weeks — the longest-ever such run by a rap song. (Photo: Universal Pictures)

Shady Business - Eminem signed 50 Cent to his Shady/Aftermath label. The two have been friends since. Ironically, Em is part of a handful of rappers who have not fallen out with 50. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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Gatman and Robin - Em helped usher 50 Cent into the game, signing him to a joint deal between Shady and Aftermath in 2002 and co-executive producing his classic multiplatinum debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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Eminem (@Eminem) - TWEET: “Q10- If u could play #radioactive for any person in the world, who would it be?”In a rare moment, Em takes the time to ask Yelawolf 10 questions about his recently released project Radioactive. Read the full interview here.  (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

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Curtains Close? - After extending his reign with The Eminem Show and Encore, Eminem took a hiatus from the game, releasing little new material for four years. It was a dramatic time for Em: He suffered from an addiction to sleeping pills, remarried and then redivorced his baby-mama Kim Scott, and mourned the murder of his best friend and long-time D12 collaborator, Proof. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

The Evolution of Dr. Dre - After spending most of the previous years working on his long-delayed third album, Detox, Dre reunited with Eminem to produce the majority of 2009's Relapse, Slim's first real album in five years. (Photo: Aftermath Records)

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Relapse - After four long, painful, music-less years, Eminem returned with 2009's Relapse. The album didn't reach the musical or commercial heights of his early years, but it still moved five million units worldwide. Later that year, he outshined rap's new generation on Drake and Weezy's "Forever." Don't look now: Eminem was back. (Photo: Interscope Records)

Recovery - Talk about aptly titled. After underwhelming some with Relapse, Em reasserted his dominance with 2010's Recovery. The album, which featured a hungry, focused Slim, was the best-selling LP of 2010 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Album. No wonder Rolling Stone named him the "King of Rap" last year.  (Photo: Interscope Records)

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Recovery - Talk about aptly titled. After underwhelming some with Relapse, Em reasserted his dominance with 2010's Recovery. The album, which featured a hungry, focused Slim, was the best-selling LP of 2010 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Album. No wonder Rolling Stone named him the "King of Rap" last year.  (Photo: Interscope Records)

Eminem and Shady 2.0 - Eminem's Shady Records came to prominence with acts including D12, Obie Trice and, of course, 50 Cent. When Slim took over the Cypher at last year's BET Hip Hop Awards, though he rolled with Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf, whom he dubbed Shady 2.0. (Photo: BET)

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Circle of Friends - At the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards, Em brought the heat with Yelawolf and his Slaughterhouse brethern leaving everyone at home and in the audience in awe of his powerful freestyle skills.(Photo: Kevin Mazur/EM/WireImage)

Eminem joking about how he acted during rehearsals for the film 8 Mile:  - “I was a f------g d--k.” (Photo: Skip Bolen/WireImage)

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Shady as Ever - Eminem was still going strong in 2012. He produced and mixed his Shady signees Slaughterhouse's acclaimed album Welcome to: Our House and spit a crazy guest verse on Pink's new track, "Here Comes the Weekend."  (Photo: Skip Bolen/WireImage)

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Dynamic Duo - The hotly anticipated sequel to Eminem's sophomore release, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 hit the streets in 2013. It was his seventh album to top the charts with four singles making the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, including his hit collabo with Rihanna, "The Monster". (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for MTV)

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Dynamic Duo - The hotly anticipated sequel to Eminem's sophomore release, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 hit the streets in 2013. It was his seventh album to top the charts with four singles making the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, including his hit collabo with Rihanna, "The Monster". (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for MTV)

He Be Killin'em - Debuting at no.3 on Billboard, Shady XV featured Em's mega tribute to his hometown, "Detroit vs. Everybody", featuring the city's other hip hop heroes, Big Sean, Dej Loaf, Danny Brown, Royce da 5'9 and Trick-Trick.(Photo: Shady Records, Interscope Records)

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He Be Killin'em - Debuting at no.3 on Billboard, Shady XV featured Em's mega tribute to his hometown, "Detroit vs. Everybody", featuring the city's other hip hop heroes, Big Sean, Dej Loaf, Danny Brown, Royce da 5'9 and Trick-Trick.(Photo: Shady Records, Interscope Records)

Victory Lap - Early this year, Eminem released  every Shady fan's dream, The Official Eminem Box Set, a 10-disc vinyl set all all of his recordings. With nearly 20 years with of jams, what other milestones will Eminem reach in his next 40 years on this planet? We can't wait to find out.  (Photo: Shady Records)

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Victory Lap - Early this year, Eminem released  every Shady fan's dream, The Official Eminem Box Set, a 10-disc vinyl set all all of his recordings. With nearly 20 years with of jams, what other milestones will Eminem reach in his next 40 years on this planet? We can't wait to find out.  (Photo: Shady Records)