Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, passed away at the age of 69 after battling cancer on December 2 in St. Joseph, Missouri. The rapper’s representative confirmed her death to several news outlets like TMZ.
Due to their rocky relationship, Nelson became the subject of most of Eminem’s earliest songs. In the track, My Name Is, he calls out his mom for being a drug addict and raps:
“I just found out my mom does more dope than I do / I told her I'd grow up to be a famous rapper / Make a record about doin' drugs and name it after her.”
My Name Is is from Eminem’s second album, The Slim Shady LP, which garnered significant attention from fans after its release in 1999. The album became such a hit that it was listed at number two on the US Billboard 200.
How was Debbie Nelson an inspiration behind Eminem’s lyrics?
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, had a troubled past. He was raised in poverty, and his parents struggled with substance abuse and relationship complications. While growing up, he started resenting his parents, particularly his mom, who triggered his drug addiction. His father abandoned him as a child, while his mother turned physically and emotionally abusive towards him.
In another track from The Slim Shady LP, Brain Damage, Eminem raps about a horrific incident from his childhood that involved him being bullied in his childhood. He also criticized his mother for neglecting his bruises when he reached home after the fight. The lyrics go:
"My mother started screamin', "What are you on, drugs?! /Look at you, you're gettin' blood all over my rug" (I'm sorry)/ She beat me over the head with the remote control/ Opened a hole and my whole brain fell out of my skull.”
The Slim Shady LP helped Eminem acquire pop celebrity status from an underground rap star. The album sold 283,000 copies in its first week of release and won the Best Rap Album award at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
How did Slim Shady LP lead to a public dispute between Eminem and his mom?
In 1999, Debbie Nelson filed a lawsuit against Eminem for defaming her in his lyrics. She demanded $10 million in damages until 2001, when the judge settled the case for $25,000, according to a report in the Independent.
In his fourth studio album, The Eminem Show, released in 2002, Eminem rebuts Nelson’s claims as he referred to witnessing her taking prescription pills. He refuted the claims that he would never diss his mom for his recognition, but he was in actual pain.
“Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition/Take a second to listen 'fore you think this record is dissin'/But put yourself in my position, just try to envision/Witnessin' your mama poppin' prescription pills in the kitchen.” The singer raps in Cleanin' Out My Closet.
He further added that he was made to believe he was sick by his mother, as the lyrics say: “Goin' through public housing systems, a victim of Münchausen's Syndrome/My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn't.”
In 2014, through his song Headlights, Eminem made a heartfelt apology to his mother for criticizing her in his earlier songs. The opening lyrics of the track define his realization; he sings: “I'm mad I didn’t get the chance to thank you for being my Mom and my Dad.”
He further acknowledges his mom's struggles in the track and appreciates her for raising him despite the challenges she faced when their dad left them.
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In October, the 51-year-old rapper recently announced that he would be a grandfather as his daughter, Hailie Jade, was expecting through an emotional music video. In the track, he laments his struggles with drug abuse and his role as a dad.
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