Eminem has revealed that the name for his alter ego Slim Shady came to him while he was sitting on the toilet, and that the character was created as a way to express darker thoughts.
The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, created Slim Shady as a darker side of himself, giving him an outlet to explore thoughts and ideas he could not necessarily express as Eminem. The character went on to become one of the most recognisable personas in music, but the story behind how Slim Shady came to life is surprisingly simple.
Before the fame
Born in Missouri, US, Eminem moved around Michigan during his childhood before settling in Detroit at the age of 12. He started rapping when he was 13 alongside high school mate Mike Ruby, with the duo originally performing under the aliases Manic and M&M - the latter gradually transforming into Eminem.
Following battles against fellow rappers in underground contests and performances across Detroit's hip-hop circuit, Eminem started to attract broader recognition before securing his major label debut with 1999's The Slim Shady LP.
Who is Slim Shady?
Eminem has revealed that Slim Shady was developed as a vehicle for some of his more sinister thoughts and anger. Speaking to The Source, he characterised the persona as "the evil thoughts that come into my head" and "things I shouldn't be thinking about".
He also revealed that Slim Shady provided him with a means to distinguish his genuine thoughts from the intentionally provocative lyrics he penned as the character. "People should be able to determine when I'm serious and when I'm f***ing around," he said.
In footage from around 1999, Eminem described Slim Shady more simply as "an angry side for me to vent". He revealed that which persona he adopted depended on his state of mind, as he said: "Sometimes I write Eminem rhymes, sometimes I write Slim Shady rhymes."
The rapper subsequently likened Slim Shady to a fictional character portrayed by an actor, stating the persona offered him greater artistic licence. "He's this character I created through music, just like an actor or actress would create a character when they're on the screen," he told Metro Times.
Eminem explained the character afforded him the liberty to examine more extreme concepts, where he added: "It does give me the excuse and freedom to then say a lot of f***ed-up shit." Nevertheless, he was eager to clarify that Slim Shady should not be regarded as an entirely faithful reflection of his true self. "Do I really think that way in real life about everything I talk about? No, I don't," he said.
Where did the name come from?
While the development of the character held deeper significance, the origin of the name itself was considerably more straightforward. Eminem told The Source he came up with it while sitting on the toilet. "I was takin' a s*** I swear to God. And the f***ing name just popped into my head," he said.
He then started thinking of words that rhymed with "Slim Shady" - and the name stuck.
