Eminem: from battle rapper to millionaire – unveiling his net worth
- Eminem was raised by his mom in poverty
- He began rapping when he was just a teen before landing a record deal
- He’s gone to amass an impressive fortune thanks to his music, movies, and more
Published on Jul 25, 2024 at 11:48 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 25, 2024 at 11:48 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Eminem came from very humble beginnings to become one of the biggest rappers of all time.
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on October 17, 1972, Eminem – or Marshall Bruce Mathers III to give him his legal moniker – grew up in poverty, raised by single mom Debbie after his dad walked out on them when Eminem was just one-and-a-half.
He spent his younger years moving from home to home – city to city – never staying in one place very long.
However, he was able to overcome the struggles he faced in his younger years and went on to become one of the most successful recording artists of all time – selling an estimated 220 million records.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
How did Eminem make his money?
Eminem began rapping at a young age – just 14 when he used the name M&M – and would head out to the Hip-Hop Shop on West 7 Mile Road on Saturdays to take part in rap battles at the open mic night.
The hip hop powerhouse has had more hits than you can shake a stick at – The Real Slim Shady, Without Me, Lose Yourself, Not Afraid, Love the Way You Lie, Stan…look, we could go on all day, so let’s just leave that here.
This month, he released his latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) which flew to number one on the Billboard 200.
He’s the first artist to have ten albums consecutively debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
He’s won numerous awards, including 15 Grammys, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, with pal 50 Cent by his side.
As well as creating his own music, he set up Shady Records, which helped launch the careers of 50 Cent, Obie Trice, Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf, and Griselda.
He even managed to make a successful transition into movies, starring in the loosely autobiographical flick 8 Mile for which he won an MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance.
So, he does a lot, basically.
How much is Eminem worth?
According to celebritynetworth.com, Em has a net worth of a staggering $250 million, with Forbes suggesting he made a whopping $50 million in 2019 alone.
He reportedly makes between $10-20 million a year, when he doesn’t tour, and can top more than $50 million in years when he does tour.
His best-selling album to date is The Marshall Mathers LP, which has been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has billions of streams on Spotify – reportedly earning him between $11m and $20m.
And, these figures won’t include the money he’s bringing in thanks to the release of his newest album. Meaning we can safely assume he’s set for life – or, in fact, several lives.
He doesn’t like to flash his cash
While many rappers like to flaunt their wealth in their music, videos, and across social media, Eminem has bucked the trend and appears to live a more low-key lifestyle – albeit one with a very healthy car collection.
Although he has ample cash to splash out on his own high-end private jet – or even a small fleet – this is one luxury Eminem seems happy to live without.
His net worth of an estimated $250m he could very easily afford to pick up a top-notch Gulfstream G700, which cost around $75 million, but if he wanted to go for something a little cheaper then the Cirrus Vision Jet is priced at just $2.85 million.
A recent snap of the rapper appeared to confirm that Eminem also avoids buying the latest tech and is still rocking a BlackBerry.
The 51-year-old has never revealed why he’s a saver rather than a spender, but it may have something to do with his childhood spent on the breadline.
“I try to treat all the money I’m making like it’s the last time I’m going to make it,” he once told the New York Times about his spending habits.
He’s previously told American broadcaster Anderson Cooper that he would hesitate before making large purchases and even reached out to his manager to check if he could afford to buy a watch despite the fact he’d sold millions of albums at this point.
Maybe he’s just dead set on making sure he doesn’t end up cleanin’ out his bank account…
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.