Eminems Childhood

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (now known as Eminem, or his alter-

ego Slim Shady) was born on October 17, 1972 in Kansas City,
Missouri. Eminem's father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. abandoned
him when he was 18 months old and he was raised by his mother,
Debbie Nelson Mathers-Briggs from that point on.
Early on, Em and his mother (just 15 when he was born) bounced
back and forth between Kansas City and Detroit, living in public
housing systems - forcing Em to constantly change schools and
start from scratch socially, in tough urban neighborhoods, that
didn't take so kindly to new (or white) faces. A lack of stability
meant he was always an outsider, struggling to find his identity or
any true home base. He was also a target of violent bullying, both
in the schoolyard and in the local streets that surrounded him.
This tormented existence made Em somewhat of a recluse as a
child, often staying alone in his bedroom, often sketching his
heroes and creating his own realities, in relative peace.
Eminem says that his mother never had a job and that they survived solely on welfare checks and
occasional payouts from lawsuits which she would dream-up over minor incidents. She would also
later go on to sue Eminem himself, in 2001, for defamation of character. This seems unlikely though
given the fact she went through with the dispute to the end, resulting in a minor out-of-court
settlement.
Eminem also has a younger brother, Nathan Mathers, now an aspiring rapper, going by the name
Nate Kane. Eminem has claimed that he practically raised Nathan himself and that his mother would
abuse his little brother, constantly pretending he was ill and
then had Nathan taken from her by social services.
Mnchausen syndrome by proxy is a mental disorder where
the affected person pretends to see illness in others, or
inflicts physical or psychological stress to give such
appearance. It has said to be most common for single
mothers vying for attention (and sympathy) to do this with
their children, and it is considered a form of child abuse. He
also says she did this to him, but to a smaller degree than
with his brother, and that seeing his mother's abuse of
Nathan brought back memories. He references this in his
2002 hit "Cleaning Out My Closet"...
"Victim of Mnchausen's syndrome. My whole life I was
made to believe I was sick when I wasn't."
As a bullied youth, Eminem found solace in emulating and
basking in the rebellious and 'take no shit' attitudes of rap
groups such as N.W.A. Eminem has said that hearing the
ideas of groups like N.W.A helped him develop a personality
and confidence to defend himself against local bullies. Which in a broader sense, could of been the
tipping point that eventually led to his smartass and often aggressive people we've heard in his music.