Eminem has been drug-free for 14 years and spoke about near-fatal overdose
It's Eminem's 50th birthday, and as the iconic rapper reaches a major milestone, he also had another impressive anniversary this year.
As of April 2022, Slim Shady is 14 years sober and has opened up about his addiction to pain and anxiety medication.
And according to the 'Lose Yourself' rapper, he even suffered a near-fatal overdose.
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Eminem's problem with painkillers started during the filming of his 2002 hit movie, 8 Mile.
The addiction persisted for some time and even led to a scary incident in 2007, as those who listened carefully to his album Revival would know.
In two songs, 'Castle' and 'Arose' - the final two tracks on the album - the rapper explains his brush with death and the impact it had on his family.
On 'Castle', the 'Real Slim Shady' rapper says: "I can't stomach, they can take this fame back, I don't want it / I'll put out this last album then I'm done with it / One hundred percent finished, fed up with it / I'm hanging it up, fuck it."
The song emphasises the rapper's struggle to cope with fame after being discovered by Dr Dre in 1997.
He goes on to hint at an overdose: "If things should worsen, don't take this letter I wrote / As a goodbye note / 'Cause your dad's at the end of his rope / I'm sliding down a slippery slope / Anyways sweetie / I better go, I'm getting sleepy / Love, Dad... shit, I don't know."
A pill bottle dropping can be heard and someone collapses to the floor shortly after.
Then, in 'Arose', Eminem deals with the aftermath of the methadone overdose, saying: "Just heard that nurse say, my liver and kidneys aren't functioning / Been flirtatious with death, skirt-chasing, I guess it's arrivederci / Same nurse, just heard say they're unplugging me."
Speaking to his daughters Hailie and Alaina in the song, Eminem goes on to say that he's too sick to come home for Christmas, adding: "Excuse the cursing, baby, but just know / That I'm a good person, though they portray me as cold / And if things should worsen, but I bet you they won't / I'm pledging to throw this methadone in the toilet."
"Consider the last four minutes as / The song I'da sang to my daughters/ If I'da made it to the hospital less than two hours later, but I fought it / And came back like a boomerang on 'em."
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Shola Lee