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50 free Eminem trivia questions with answers. Eminem is the best-selling rapper of all time, the first hip-hop act to win an Oscar, and the man who turned a rejected debut and a Detroit trailer park into eleven number one albums. This quiz covers the whole run: the failed Infinite, the Rap Olympics tape that reached Dr. Dre, the record-breaking Marshall Mathers LP, 8 Mile, the Encore hiatus, Recovery, Rap God's Guinness record, and the surprise drops of the 2010s and 2020s. Easy questions cover his real name, his hometown and his daughter; harder ones ask which album's cover copies the Beastie Boys, how many syllables per second he hit on 'Godzilla', and which song gave a word to the Oxford English Dictionary. Every answer has been checked against a published source and carries a link, and the wording stays clean throughout, so it works for a music-night round or a fan test.
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Q 01What is Eminem's real name?
Marshall Bruce Mathers III
His stage name grew out of 'M&M', the tag he used when he began rapping at 14 with schoolfriend Mike Ruby.
Q 02In which Missouri city was Eminem born?
St. Joseph
He and his mother moved constantly before settling in Detroit when he was 12.
Q 03How old was Eminem when his family finally settled in Detroit?
12
They lived in a working-class, mostly Black neighbourhood, and he snuck into Osborn High School for lunchroom rap battles with Proof.
Q 04Which high school did Eminem drop out of at 17 after three years in ninth grade?
Lincoln
He then worked jobs including one at a Little Caesar's Pizza in Warren to help his mother pay the bills.
Q 05What was the title of Eminem's 1996 debut album, a commercial failure?
Infinite
By his own account it sold about 70 of the roughly 1,000 copies pressed; DJs told him to try rock and roll instead.
Q 06At which 1997 competition did an Interscope intern get the tape that reached Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre?
The Rap Olympics
He had just been fired and evicted; he signed with Aftermath and Interscope on March 9, 1998.
Q 07Which producer's label, Aftermath Entertainment, signed Eminem in 1998?
Dr. Dre
They finished 'My Name Is' in an hour on the first day of recording.
Q 08'My Name Is' interpolates a 1975 track by which British singer?
Labi Siffre
The song won Eminem his first Grammy, for Best Rap Solo Performance, in 2000.
Q 09How many copies did The Marshall Mathers LP sell in its first week in 2000?
1.76 million
That broke records held by Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle and Britney Spears; the album went on to sell 21 million worldwide.
Q 10With which singer did Eminem perform 'Stan' at the 2001 Grammy Awards?
Elton John
He was under fire for homophobic lyrics at the time, which made the duet with a gay icon front-page news.
Q 11'Stan' samples the opening lines of which Dido song?
'Thank You'
Producer the 45 King heard it while watching Sliding Doors and went straight to his studio; 'stan' is now in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Q 12Which Eminem single was his first UK number one and interpolates a Tom Green novelty song?
'The Real Slim Shady'
Its 'will the real ... please stand up' hook comes from the game show To Tell the Truth.
Q 13Which of his studio albums is the best-selling hip-hop album of all time?
The Eminem Show
It sold 27 million copies worldwide, was the best-selling album of 2002 and is certified 12-times platinum in the US.
Q 21Which childhood friend and D12 member was killed in April 2006?
Proof
They had sneaked into Osborn High School together for lunchroom battles; the compilation The Re-Up followed that December.
Q 22With whom did Eminem co-found Shady Records in 1999?
Paul Rosenberg
They needed a home for D12; the label went on to sign 50 Cent, Obie Trice, Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf.
Q 23Which rapper did Eminem sign to Shady in 2002 after hearing his mixtape Guess Who's Back?
50 Cent
Get Rich or Die Tryin' followed in 2003 with the number ones 'In da Club' and '21 Questions'.
Q 14Which Aerosmith song is sampled on Eminem's 'Sing for the Moment'?
'Dream On'
He said 'Cleanin' Out My Closet' was the second song written for the album.
Q 15What is the name of Eminem's character in 8 Mile?
Jimmy 'B-Rabbit' Smith Jr.
Curtis Hanson directed; Kim Basinger plays his mother Stephanie and Brittany Murphy his girlfriend Alex.
Q 168 Mile Road divides Detroit from what?
The largely white suburbs to the north
Eminem grew up on the suburban side before moving into the city.
Q 17For how many consecutive weeks did 'Lose Yourself' top the Billboard Hot 100?
12
That is still the record for a solo rap song, and it was his first US number one.
Q 18'Lose Yourself' made history at the Oscars as what?
The first hip-hop song to win Best Original Song
He did not attend in 2003; he finally performed it as a surprise at the 2020 ceremony.
Q 19Which two co-writers shared the 'Lose Yourself' Oscar with Eminem?
Jeff Bass and Luis Resto
Bass, one of the Bass Brothers, said the song took about a year of back-and-forth to finish.
Q 20What does the name of Eminem's group D12 stand for?
The Dirty Dozen
Formed in 1996 with Proof, Bizarre, Kuniva, Swifty McVay and Denaun Porter, they released Devil's Night in 2001 and D12 World in 2004.
Q 24Which 2004 album's middle stretch was heavily criticised, though "Mockingbird" and "Like Toy Soldiers" won praise?
Encore
Its lead single 'Just Lose It' parodied Michael Jackson, prompting calls to pull the video; a hiatus followed.
Q 25What was the name of Eminem's satellite radio channel launched on Sirius in 2004?
Shade 45
His manager described it as a destination for things other people were not playing.
Q 26Which 2009 concept album has Eminem playing a serial killer, with Dr. Dre producing every track but one?
Relapse
He produced 'Beautiful' himself; 'Crack a Bottle' topped the Hot 100 and Relapse: Refill added seven tracks.
Q 27Eminem's 2010 album was originally announced under what working title?
Relapse 2
He tweeted 'There is no Relapse 2' in April 2010 after the new songs sounded nothing like the first album.
Q 28Eminem's 2010 album was the first ever to do what in the United States?
Sell over a million digital copies
It sold 741,000 in its first week and was the best-selling album worldwide in 2010.
Q 29Who sings the chorus of 'Love the Way You Lie'?
Rihanna
Skylar Grey wrote and demoed it with Alex da Kid; the pair also made a Part II.
Q 30'Not Afraid' was only the 16th song in Billboard history to do what?
Debut at number one on the Hot 100
It was the album's first single and also debuted at the top in Canada.