Eminem has been one of the biggest names in rap since the 1990s, but even his most loyal fans may not know how the American icon came up with his famous alter ego Slim Shady. The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, created Slim Shady as a darker side of himself, allowing him to explore thoughts and ideas that he could not necessarily express as Eminem.
While the character went on to become one of the most recognisable personas in music, the story behind how Slim Shady came about is surprisingly simple. Born in Missouri, US, Eminem moved around Michigan during his childhood before settling in Detroit when he was 12.
From Manic and M&M to Slim Shady
He began rapping at the age of 13 with high school friend Mike Ruby, with the pair initially going by the names Manic and M&M - the latter eventually evolving into Eminem. After battling other rappers in underground competitions and performing around Detroit's hip-hop scene, Eminem began to gain wider attention before landing his major label breakthrough with 1999's The Slim Shady LP.
The album introduced millions of listeners to his outrageous alter ego, but the origin of the name itself was far less complicated than the character's deeper meaning.
Why did Eminem create Slim Shady?
Eminem has explained that Slim Shady was created as an outlet for some of his darker thoughts and frustrations. Speaking to The Source, he described the persona as "the evil thoughts that come into my head" and "things I shouldn’t be thinking about".
He also explained that Slim Shady gave him a way to separate his serious thoughts from the deliberately outrageous lyrics he wrote 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 explained: "Sometimes I write Eminem rhymes, sometimes I write Slim Shady rhymes."
Where did the name Slim Shady come from?
The rapper later compared Slim Shady to a fictional character created by an actor, explaining the persona allowed him greater creative freedom. "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 said the character gave him the freedom to explore more extreme ideas, as he added: "It does give me the excuse and freedom to then say a lot of f***ed up shit." However, he was keen to point out that Slim Shady should not be viewed as a completely accurate representation of who he is. "Do I really think that way in real life about everything I talk about? No, I don’t," he said.
Eminem told The Source that he came up with the name 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 began thinking of words that rhymed with "Slim Shady" - and the name stuck.
