2009 Eminem

It’s been years since Eminem’s last album, 2004’s Encore, and people started saying that Eminem had retired. Then in September 2007 while 50 Cent was being interviewed by New York’s Hot 97 radio station, Eminem called to say that he was “debating” about releasing another album – and a storm of speculation followed. A year later Eminem’s label, Interscope, finally confirmed that a new album, Relapse, was indeed in the works, and it was released on May 19, 2009. A tour is sure to be close behind, though he’s said he’ll only perform at the Voodoo Experience this year. Once he does tour, you can be sure that Coast to Coast will have the best ticket selection around, so check back often for tickets and the latest tour information about Eminem.

Virtually no music artist has generated the controversy that Eminem has since before the release of his 1999 debut album, The Slim Shady LP. Considered to be incredibly funny, sarcastic, misogynistic and homophobic, the rapper born Marshall Mathers III has taken his place as one of the kings of rap music, and along the way he has sold huge numbers of CDs and an equally large number of tickets to his shows.

Though he was born near Kansas City, Eminem spent a good portion of his childhood in Detroit, where he developed his rapping style and began to impress the local fans (and other rappers) despite being white. By doing well in the 1997 Rap Olympics MC Battle in Los Angeles, Eminem attracted the attention of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, who took over Eminem's development and led him to superstardom.

By the time Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000, his recorded complaints about his mother's treatment of him as a child brought on a lawsuit for defamation of character, and either jealousy or rage brought on multiple conflicts with other rappers and people who simply wanted to goad Eminem into hostility. Even so, his growing core of fans turned into a multitude that shows no sign of waning.

With 2002's The Eminem Show and 2004's Encore, Eminem regained some composure and spoke in more restrained fashion about his conflicts with his mother. Though he continued to rail against other artists, Eminem failed to generate as much controversy as he had previously. Now, with these years of experience under his belt, he is an even more compelling live performer, so get your tickets to see him today.