How Eminem Became a Role Model

Eminem was so central to pop culture in 2002 that he could legitimately launch an album with a song about the importance of his return. Nobody inspired more arguments. Rappers had inflamed politicians and the press before, but none had done so with albums that sold 25 million copies a piece. The furore over Eminem’s first album was large enough to be the central theme of his second, and the fuss around that one fuelled the third.