This former child prodigy grew up poor and had to drop out of school to look for a job. Over the years, his childhood home was demolished because of safety reasons.
The child prodigy and his mother | Source: YouTube/WatchMojo
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Despite life’s adversities, the young boy has grown up to succeed in the music business. This progress enabled him to carve out a better life for himself as he could now afford to live in a posh mansion. Here is the boy who grew up to become an acclaimed rapper living in a luxurious estate.
A photo of the child prodigy | Source: YouTube/WatchMojo
In Detroit’s east side, Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, found his refuge in music amidst the chaos of urban poverty. Surrounded by the stark realities of a divided community, he embraced the very sounds born from this strife, turning his experiences into powerful lyrics.
Eminem at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards on September 9, 1999 | Source: Getty Images
Growing up with a single mother in predominantly black neighborhoods, Eminem faced significant challenges from an early age. The public figure reflected on his upbringing in an April 1999 interview alongside his mom Debbie Mathers.
Debbie Mathers during a portrait session at her house in September, 2005 in Detroit, Michigan. | Source: Getty Images
Eminem and Debbie moved quite often between Missouri and Michigan. They rarely stayed in one house for a year or two and only settled when the future rap star was 11 years old.
Eminem during 2004 MTV European Music Awards at Tor di Valle on November 18, 2004 in Rome, Italy. | Source: Getty Images
Eminem and his mother, including his half-younger brother, Nathan Samara, were one of three white families in their neighborhood. Debbie mentioned that this was not an issue as she is colorblind. However, the younger kids in their block greatly bothered her now-famous son.
Elton John and Eminem end their duet performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on February 21, 2001 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
By his teenage years, Eminem had witnessed and endured intense racial hostility and violence. “Marshall got jumped a lot,” said Debbie of her child then 16. Eminem, who also has another brother named Michael Mathers, recalled an incident from back then.
Pictures of Eminem from childhood | Source: YouTube/WatchMojo
“I was walking home from my boy’s house, through the Bel-Air Shopping Center. All these black dudes rode by in a car, flipping me off. I flipped them off back, they drove away, and I didn’t think nothing of it,” he recounted.
They parked the car and one of them approached him and punched him in the face, knocking him down. The perpetrator then pulled out a gun on him and he fled, leaving his shoes behind.
Eminem pictured behind the wheel driving around his hometown Detroit | Source: YouTube/WatchMojo
Eminem stated he believed they wanted his shoes, but they did not. As he returned the next day, he found them in the mud. “That’s how I knew it was racial,” he explained.
The “Mockingbird” hitmaker and his mother lived with family members for several years before settling in Detroit. This occurred after his parents’ marriage fell apart and the father moved to California.
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