People are only just realizing what Eminem's rap name really means
While it might seem obvious, some fans are only now recognizing the origin behind Eminem's rap name.
The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers (or Marshall Bruce Mathers III if we want to go on a full name basis), rose to prominence in the late '90s with the release of his widely acclaimed debut album The Slim Shady LP.
He's since spent the past 30 years of his career (and counting) challenging, defying, and dissing expectations set against him, releasing chart-topper after chart-topper and becoming so synonymous with his one-word stage moniker that it seems some aren't aware of the simple lore behind it.
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"Just realized Eminem's name isn't completely random," a user on Reddit wrote. "His name is Marshall Mathers. Initials MM. M and M. Eminem."
"I'm amazed at myself that it took this long to realize," they added.
Another user claimed: "This is (or so I thought) universally known.
"He was going to name himself M&M but changed it to Eminem because of obvious legal reasons," referring to the chocolate brand of the same name.
When he was 14, Eminem began rapping with his high school friend Mike Ruby. It's said the duo adopted the names 'Manix' and 'M&M,' which the 'Lose Yourself' hitmaker ultimately changed to Eminem to still have that similar sound.
UNILAD has reached out to Eminem's representatives for comment.
The rapper's latest album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) made waves upon its release in July of this year. And he recently sparked another bout of conversation with the extended version of the album released on September 13.
The extended edition included a remix of the track 'Fuel' featuring Westside Boogie and Grip, that took a jab at producer Sean 'Diddy Combs' who was arrested this week and convicted of sex trafficking among other charges.
In his lyrics, Eminem publicly names Diddy and insinuates that he had something to do with The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur's deaths.
"The Notorious B.I.G.'s death was the domino effects of 2Pac's murder / Like facial tissue, whose card should I clean next? Puff's?" Eminem raps on the track.
"Til he's in police handcuffs, guilty, will he step up? / Like gee, never turned himself in, who knows all the murders there's been / Or me next up, prepare for me to not choose none of my words carefully."
UNILAD previously reached out to Diddy's representative for comment.
Yasmeen Hamadeh