Rap icon Eminem’s unstable early home life and battle with addiction fueled a brilliant career spitting intense, clever and controversial rhymes. Born Marshall Mathers III in 1972, he spent his formative years in Detroit, where he discovered a love of hip-hop and began participating in open-mic contests. The development of his violent Slim Shady alter ego kicked off his career in earnest: He was discovered by producer Dr. Dre, who was criticized for promoting a white rapper. But Eminem’s talent was undeniable, and he won Best Rap Album Grammy Awards for his first three multiplatinum albums, ‘The Slim Shady LP’ (1999), ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ (2000) and ‘The Eminem Show’ (2002). He starred in the 2002 semi-autobiographial film ‘8 Mile’ and became the first rapper ever to win an Academy Award, for the movie’s signature song, ‘Lose Yourself.’