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Eminem crashed the mainstream in the late '90s. With super-producer Dr. Dre behind the boards, the Detroit emcee quickly became a cultural touchstone. Combining cartoonish rage, ear-tickling beats, a distinct flow and gushing rhyme skills, he drew the praise of critics and the scorn of rap-hating political interests. His second album was darker, loaded with moody singles "Stan" and "The Way I Am." Eminem's private life soon mirrored his bad-boy image, and he found himself getting divorced, sued by his mom and arrested for weapons violations. After teaming up with Elton John at the 2001 Grammy Awards (to quiet the resounding charges of homophobia), he went to work on the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile. Eminem's third record, The Eminem Show , dropped in the summer of 2002. Encore followed in 2004. But by 2006, Eminem seemed disinterested in reassuming the role of alpha emcee. The 30-something was busy bouncing in and out of rehab and trying to decide whether or not to rekindle a relationship with longtime girlfriend Kim. He did manage to add a few verses to a best-selling label mixtape, Re:Up, that satiated the die-hard fans.
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