Eminem is past the age where he said he'd stop making music as he celebrates birthday today
Slim Shady has officially joined the over 50s club, which could spell the end of his illustrious music career.
Eminem - real name Marshall Mathers - is celebrating his 51st birthday today (17 October) but fans fear his retirement from rap is looming.
The 8 Mile star previously hinted that he would call it quits when he turned 50, despite still 'loving' creating music.
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It's hard to imagine a world without the legendary lyricist being embroiled in a war of words with other celebs or pushing the boundaries of free speech.
In a previous interview with VIBE, Eminem revealed he wasn't sure 'how much longer [he had] in [the] game'.
The self-proclaimed Rap God, then aged 37, feared he might be past his prime by the time he became middle aged.
He said: "I’m always going to love hip-hop. But how much longer am I going to still do it? I couldn’t really give you an answer.
"But the day that this is not better than the last will probably be the day I stop."
It's been over two decades since he released his Grammy-winning debut album, The Slim Shady LP, in 1999.
And he predicted he would have nothing left to say by the time he turned 50.
Eminem continued: "I do love it so much. But even if I was rapping at 50 [years old], I don’t know if I would put it out.
"I know it always makes me feel better to lay things to tape, and—'Lay the tape'.
"See, I’m old school. The fans might say the s**t is garbage. You don’t how long people are going to want you around...
"Realistically, if I don’t rap, what the f**k am I going to do? It’s too late to just be unfamous right now at this point."
The birthday boy tends to keep a low profile these days, but has emerged from the shadows to support other stars in recent months.
Eminem joined his longtime pal and protégé 50 Cent on stage for his Final Lap tour in Michigan in September.
It came just months after the rapper surprised fans at the Detroit leg of Ed Sheeran's Mathematics world tour back in July.
In both instances, the crowd went wild for him - which hopefully gives him the incentive to keep churning out smash hits.
Just last month, he cracked the Top 10 list of the highest-selling artists of all time.
I for one am looking forward to the day he is spitting bars about his achy joints, grey hair and being pestered by his grandchildren.
Olivia Burke