THE TRUE ORIGIN OF THE FAMOUS RAPPER EMINEM'S STAGE NAME

The surprisingly straightforward meaning behind rap icon Eminem's stage name is something that fans are only now beginning to learn. The rapper - real name Marshall Mathers - has been a long-running fixture in the hip hop scene since his debut album came out in 1996, having topped the charts numerous times with songs such as 'Lose Yourself', 'Stan', 'The Real Slim Shady' and 'Love the Way You Lie'. His most well-known persona is Slim Shady, the notorious alter ego of the 51-year-old who was given his last honours on his most recent album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).

But have you ever wondered how Eminem came up with his stage name?

There are rumours that the rapper Marshall Mathers is connected to the name. When Mathers and his friend Mike Ruby were rapping together in high school, they went by the names Manix and M&M, and it seems like the name just kind of fell into place. Marshall Mathers. Two Ms. It was once M&M. One person said, "Eminem came from M&M," while another said, "His initials are MM, or M&M, which, when said quickly, is pronounced Eminem." According to a fan, Mathers used to go by M&M in the early years of his career before rebranding himself as the phonetic Eminem to stay out of trouble with the chocolate company of the same name. The meaning of the name Slim Shady is that, following the failure of his debut album Infinite, he had the idea for his alter ego while using the restroom; the word "Slim" is a reflection of his slender figure.

Mathers would later use the persona of Slim Shady as an unrestrained and outrageous outlet for his frustrations with the world.