Is Eminem’s “Stan” Based On A True Story? 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About The GRAMMY-Winning Rapper

Eminem is heading to Inglewood, Calif. this Sunday (Feb. 13), where he will perform at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show alongside frequent collaborator Dr. Dre, rap superstars Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg, and the queen of hip-hop soul herself, Mary J. Blige. The show is already shaping up to be legendary, with the five rap icons poised to take over the SoFi Stadium around 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST.

Although Eminem is the top-selling hip-hop artist of all time, there are still a few lesser-known facts about the elusive Detroit rapper. For example, did you know Eminem starred in a two-minute commercial during Super Bowl XLV — the longest ad in Super Bowl history at the time? Brush up on your Slim Shady knowledge ahead of his highly anticipated performance at this year’s Super Bowl below.

1. Eminem was the first rapper to win an Academy Award

Eminem’s GRAMMY-winning song “Lose Yourself” from the 2002 film 8 Mile won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making him the first hip hop artist ever to win the award. However, Marshall Mathers was not expecting his song to win — so much so that he skipped the ceremony and spent the night hanging out with his daughter, instead.

At the 2020 Oscars, Shady surprised attendees with a performance of the popular track, nearly two decades after it won him the award.

2. He’s broken 13 Guinness World Records

Over the course of his 34-year career, Eminem has broken 13 Guinness World Records. In 2015, his GRAMMY-nominated single “Rap God” broke the record for Most Words in a Hit Single. The Detroit native also holds titles like Fastest-Selling Rap Artist, Largest Vocabulary For A Recording Artist, and Fastest Rap in a No. 1 Single, the latter of which he clenched with 2020’s “Godzilla.”

3. He was the first artist to have 10 consecutive No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200

In 2020, Eminem scored his 10th consecutive No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 with his 11th studio album, Music To Be Murdered By. The 49-year-old was the first artist to achieve this, breaking his then-tie with Kanye West. In terms of non-consecutive No. 1 debuts on the chart, Eminem sits behind Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand, who have both released 11 No. 1 albums; JAY-Z, who has 14; and the Beatles with 19.

4. Eminem recorded “My Name Is” after meeting Dr. Dre

For their first meeting, Eminem went to Dr. Dre’s home studio and recorded what would become his 1999 hit, “My Name Is.” The track earned Eminem one of his first-ever GRAMMY Awards and marked the beginning of one of the most iconic rapper-producer relationships in hip-hop history.

5. He wanted to be a comic book artist before pursuing rap

Before he had hip-hop dreams, Eminem had ambitions of being a comic book artist. Although he wasn’t big on reading — the only book he’s read cover-to-cover is allegedly LL Cool J’s I Make My Own Rules — a young Mathers was fascinated with comics. Superhero comics also provided an outlet while in rehab for drug addiction, Eminem revealed on “The Jonathan Ross Show” in 2009. Eminem’s love of comic books has occasionally popped up in his music career, such as his “Mosh” music video and “The Slim Shady Show” series. He was also the focus of his own Marvel Comics story, “Eminem/Punisher #1.”

6. "Lose Yourself” is Eminem’s biggest hit

“Lose Yourself,” the diamond-certified 2002 hit from 8 Mile, is Eminem’s most successful single to date. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — becoming his first single to do so — and reached the top spot on 24 national charts worldwide. It was also nominated for five GRAMMY Awards, ultimately winning Best Rap Song and Best Male Rap Solo Performance in 2004.

7. He’s won 15 GRAMMY Awards

Eminem has won a total of 15 GRAMMY Awards and has been nominated 44 times. He took home his first two trophies at the 42nd GRAMMY Awards for “My Name Is,” which won Best Rap Solo Performance, and The Slim Shady LP, which won Best Rap Album. He’s performed at the GRAMMYs four times, the first being his iconic duet of “Stan” with Elton John in 2001.

8. Rick Rubin executive produced two of Eminem’s albums

Rick Rubin worked with Eminem as the producer and executive producer of his eighth album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, which won Best Rap Album at the 2015 GRAMMYs. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Em revealed he was drawn to working with the legendary producer because he wanted to “experiment with new, older breakbeats” and “retro” sounds. Rubin also produced and executive produced Eminem’s ninth album, Revival.

9. Eminem turned his famous “Mom’s spaghetti” line into a restaurant

"His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy / There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti,” is a line most Eminem fans know by heart. Although the famous “Lose Yourself” lyric was not inspired by Eminem’s own life — he was writing in-character as 8 Mile protagonist Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr. — it did inspire a business venture. In 2021, Eminem opened Mom’s Spaghetti restaurant in Detroit; a pop-up version of the eatery will also be present at Super Bowl LVI.

10. “Stan” is not based on a true story

Eminem’s 2000 smash-hit “Stan” was not based on a real person. However, the song, which tells the story of an obsessed fan who kills himself and his girlfriend after Eminem fails to respond to his letters, was inspired by the rapper’s real experiences. After receiving disturbing fan mail in response to his sophomore album, The Slim Shady LP, Eminem wrote the track as a “message to fans” not to take his lyrics literally. The Dido-sampling song became a career-defining hit and the term “stan” became an official addition to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Eminem's Enduring Track "Lose Yourself" | For The Record