What is Eminem's net worth?
Eminem is a multi-platinum selling American rapper, producer, and actor with a net worth of $250 million. During touring years, Eminem is consistently one of the highest paid entertainers in the world. In some years, Eminem makes around $20 million per year. In years when he is actively touring to promote his albums, that figure easily approaches $30-50 million. He makes millions from his own music and the albums of artists on his Shady Records label. Just between 2004 and 2019, excluding his most successful years in album sales, he has made at least $280 million before taxes. His total career earnings to date are likely closer to $420 million.
Known for his gritty storytelling, complex rhymes and controversial lyrics, Eminem has made a huge impact on the music industry, breaking numerous records and setting new standards in rap music. Eminem rose to fame in the late 1990s with his debut album, The Slim Shady LP, and quickly became a global sensation. Co-produced by Dr. Dre, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, and its success marked the beginning of Eminem's dominance in the music industry. Released in 2000, The Marshall Mathers LP set the record for the fastest-selling solo album in the United States, selling over 1.76 million copies in its first week. Featuring hits such as “Stan” and “The Real Slim Shady,” the album again won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year.
Eminem continued his success with The Eminem Show in 2002 and Encore in 2004, both of which topped the charts and won Grammy Awards. In addition to his musical success, Eminem also branched out into acting in the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Lose Yourself”. He subsequently released the albums Relapse (2009), Recovery (2010), The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), Revival (2017), Kamikaze (2018), and Music to Be Murdered By (2020), which were certified gold in March 2020.
early life
Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He spent his youth moving around Missouri with his single mother before settling in Warren, Mich. Before their divorce, his parents, Marshall Sr. and Deborah “Debbie” Rae Nelson, were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, which played around the Midwest, primarily at Ramada Inns.
After their divorce, Debbie and Marshall split their time between Michigan and Missouri, never staying in one place for more than a year, and mostly living with family. As a child, Marshall was lonely and often bullied at school. As teenagers, they lived in a predominantly black neighborhood in Detroit.
Eminem initially dreamed of becoming a cartoonist, but changed his mind after hearing his first rap song, “Reckless – Featuring Ice-T,” on the soundtrack to the film Breakin'. The album was a gift from his half-brother Ronnie.
At age 14, he adopted the rap persona “M&M” (after his initials) and dropped out of high school at age 17. He worked a variety of odd jobs while writing songs and participating in freestyle rap battles around town.
slim shady
Marshall soon gained recognition and respect in the hip hop scene in his home Detroit area. He joined a group called Bassmint Productions, later renamed Soul Intent. He recorded music for Mashin' Duck Records and FBT Productions while working minimum wage jobs as a cook and dishwasher. Eminem released his debut album, “Infinite,” in 1996 through the record company Web Entertainment.
Around this time, he adopted a more extreme and violent “Slim Shady” persona. As his alter-ego Slim Shady, he rapped about drugs, sex, violence, rape, and murder. In the spring of 1997, he recorded The Slim Shady EP, which was released that winter by Web Entertainment.
Meeting Dr. Dre
In March 1998, Eminem was featured in an unsigned promotional column in The Source magazine. Shortly thereafter, he was whisked away from home to travel to Los Angeles to compete in the Rap Olympics. He placed second, but more importantly, the folks at Interscope Records liked his performance and gave his copy of The Slim Shady EP to the company's CEO, Jimmy Iovine.
Jimmy Iovine had just started his own label, Aftermath Records, and was looking for new talent to sign, so he played the album for Dr. Dre, who later described his initial reaction to Eminem's demo:
“I thought, 'What is this?!' 'Who is this?' In my career in the music business, I'd never found anything off a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find me now.'”
Eminem was discovered and quickly signed to Aftermath Entertainment, where he re-recorded and polished The Slim Shady EP with Dre as executive producer.
The album was an immediate commercial and critical success, eventually being certified 4X Platinum in the United States alone and earning Eminem a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.
His next album was a monster: In May 2000, he released The Marshall Mathers LP, which became the fastest-selling hip-hop album of all time, ultimately selling more than 21 million copies. His follow-up, 2002's The Eminem Show, sold more than 27 million copies.
As of this writing, Eminem has sold over 220 million albums worldwide, enough to make him the ninth best-selling musician of all time, behind Pink Floyd, Rihanna, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Elvis, and The Beatles.
Shady Records/50 Cent
In 1999, Eminem founded his own label, Shady Records, under Aftermath Records, and the first artist to sign to the company was D12, a group of Detroit rappers that Eminem knew.
In 2002, while filming the movie 8 Mile, Eminem was introduced to New York underground rapper 50 Cent. Eminem had heard several of 50 Cent's mixtapes and wanted to sign him to his label. 50 Cent soon became the first solo artist to sign with Shady Records. That same year, Shady Records released the 8 Mile soundtrack, which has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.
50 Cent's debut album, released in February 2003, sold 14 million albums worldwide. In his career to date, 50 Cent has sold 30 million albums.
Eminem's earnings by year: | |
Year | Revenue |
2004 | $10,000,000 |
2005 | $14,000,000 |
2006 | $16,000,000 |
2007 | $18,000,000 |
2008 | $12,000,000 |
2009 | $14,000,000 |
2010 | $8 million |
2011 | $14,000,000 |
2012 | $15,000,000 |
2013 | $10,000,000 |
2014 | $18,000,000 |
2015 | $31,000,000 |
2016 | $11,000,000 |
2017 | $16,000,000 |
2018 | $23,000,000 |
2019 | $50,000,000 |
2020 | $9.7 million |
2021 | $28,000,000 |
total: | $317.7 million |
As you can see, the table above does not include the highest record sales period of Eminem's career from 2000 to 2003, as data was not reported at the time. He sold over 50 million records during that period and performed 88 solo concerts as part of his Anger Management tour.
During that time, Eminem has personally earned at least $100 million from record sales, touring, and merchandise, conservatively putting his career earnings at $417.7 million as of this writing.
Awards and Milestones
As of this writing, Eminem has won 15 Grammy Awards, 8 American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Awards, an Academy Award (Best Song for “Lose Yourself” from the soundtrack to the film “8 Mile”), a Primetime Emmy Award, and an MTV Europe Music Global Icon Award.
In November 2022, Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
In recent years, Eminem has become a somewhat reclusive celebrity. He has been open about his struggles with drugs but is now sober. Much of his personal life was frequently on public display in court during the late '90s and early 2000s. He has been battling both his mother and ex-wife Kim. Kim and Eminem have a daughter, Hailie, together. Eminem also has custody of Kim's daughter Whitney, from another relationship, and her niece Alaina.
In September 2021, Eminem opened a Mama's Spaghetti restaurant in Detroit, Michigan.
real estate
In 2000, Eminem purchased an 8,900 square foot home in Clinton Township, Michigan for $1.483 million, which would remain his primary residence for many years.
In 2003, he bought a 15,000-square-foot house in Oakland County, Michigan, for $4.8 million. It was the mansion of the former CEO of Kmart. Visitors beware, Eminem has transformed the property into a virtual fortress, complete with electric fencing and a security booth manned by armed guards around the clock. The entire neighborhood is also gated and guarded by additional security. Interestingly, Eminem barely lived in the house. He put it up for sale in 2017 for $1.99 million, but it eventually found a buyer for $1.9 million.
All net worths are calculated using data obtained from publicly available sources, and where provided, also incorporating private tips and feedback received from celebrities or their representatives. We work diligently to ensure our figures are as accurate as possible, but unless otherwise noted, they are only estimates. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the buttons below.