Eminem has said that there is 'no excuse' for his dad to not know him.
The rapper, real name Marshall Mathers III, opened up about the relationship he had with his estranged father, whom he shares a name with, Marshall 'Bruce' Mathers, Jr.
The 'Slim Shady' icon has regularly rapped about his dysfunctional upbringing in several of his tracks, alongside how he has handled fatherhood himself after becoming a dad to Hailie Jade, 26, alongside his two adopted children, Alaina, 29, and Stevie, 21.
Advert
Eminem’s mum, Debbie Nelson, revealed in her 2008 memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, that she was only 15 years old when she married Bruce, who was a whole seven years older than her at the time.
Just two years later, when she was 17 and Bruce was 24, the pair welcomed their son to the world.
The marriage quickly broke down after Bruce allegedly became physically abusive towards Debbie and they split up soon after the 'Lose Yourself' rapper was born.
"He never knew his father, and I did all I could to make up for it," she wrote. "I wanted Marshall to have a relationship with his father… but Bruce didn’t want to know."
But it's clear that this wasn't going to hold the future star back as he has since acted as one of the major modern figureheads of the rap scene and took the world by storm in the late 1990s through to the 2000s.
Speaking on an episode of 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper about his father, who left when he was just six months old, Eminem revealed: "I never knew him. Never met him, never knew him."
When asked by the host if he had any desire to, the 'Mockingbird' hit-maker explained: "I don't know.
"I don't know, some people ask me that. I don't think I do."
He went on to say: "I just I can't understand how... if my kids would move to the edge of the earth, I'd find them. No doubt in my mind.
"No money, no nothing. If I had nothing, I'd find my kids. So there's no excuse."
He reiterated: "There's no excuse."
People were quick to offer their support for the Grammy-award-winning artist.
One YouTube user penned: "Eminem is a real man on so many levels, it's amazing he gets disrespected by s***ty rappers who aren't half the man he is."
A second put forward: "The absence of his father made Eminem a great dad."
"Wow," a third added, "history doesn't always repeat itself, he is an incredible dad."
A final fan commented: "I agree with him, there really is no excuse to walk away from a child."
Rhiannon Ingle