Dre was so impressed after hearing Eminem freestyling on a Los Angeles radio station that he put out a manhunt for the Michigan rhymer. Shortly thereafter, Dre signed Eminem to his Aftermath imprint and the two began working together. But like many other rappers Eminem's rise to stardom was far from easy.
After being born in Kansas City and travelling back and forth between KC and Detroit metropolitan area, Eminem and his mother moved into the Eastside of Detroit when he was 12. Switching schools every two to three months made it difficult to make friends, graduate and to stay out of trouble.
Rap, however, became Eminem's solace. Battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise a painful existence. Although he would later drop out of school and several minimum-wage-paying , full-time jobs, his musical focus remained constant. Eminem released his debut album "Infinite" in 1996.
Desperate to be embraced by the Motor City's Hip Hop scene, Eminem rapped in such a way that he was accused of trying to sound like Nas and Az. After being thoroughly disappointed and hurt by the response "Infinite" received, he began working on what would later become "The Slim Shady EP" a project he made for himself. By presenting himself as himself Eminem and his career took off AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
Webster's Dictionary Definition: "Re-Up = sign up: to sign on again ; especially: to enlist again." This is also a term that is used on the inner-city streets in America in the drug dealing trade. "Re-upping" on the streets denotes the replenishing of drug supply once the product has run out.
This album features some of the biggest icons in the Hip Hop scene such as 50 Cent, D12, Obie Trice, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Cashis, Tat Quo, Young Hot rod and Em himself. The producers on the album are Eminem, Dr Dre, Sha Money XL and Alchemist. The first single off the album is "You Don't Know" featuring Em, 50, Banks, Bucks and introducing Cashis.