Hailie Jade Scott Mathers, the first and only child of Eminem and Kim, was born on Christmas Day in 1995. With his deep love for her, Eminem devoted a great deal of attention and time to his daughter, and this almost ended his career.

Shared by Mazur, the manager of the restaurant where Eminem often worked part-time, “He had considered quitting his rap career to support his family. Although he occasionally came close to being fired for minor mistakes, he always strived to be a model employee. Honestly, he worked 60 hours a week just because he didn’t want his daughter to grow up with a life like his own before, living day to day and working week to week.”

However, the presence of Hailie created some instability in Eminem’s relationship with Kim. By 1996, the couple decided to separate, with Kim keeping Hailie in a small apartment. Eminem moved out with his mother, and this story is detailed in the track “Mockingbird.” The broken family, poverty, and the frustration Eminem experienced during this time also gave rise to the persona of Slim Shady (Eminem’s most prominent alter ego). While Marshall Mathers was a rapper focused solely on working hard at a small restaurant, Slim Shady was a wild character always displaying rage, involving in themes of violence and abuse.

Another account from Eminem’s friend Jay Fields revealed that he was shocked by this alter ego. Jay recounted that a rapper named Buddha Fulla Ryhmes, also from Detroit, asked Eminem why he rapped about those things, which seemed unlike him. Eminem responded, “I tried rapping about other stuff for ten years, and I didn’t make any money except for a few pizza slices.”

Returning to the most rebellious aspects of Slim Shady, they were directly aimed at Kim. In 1997, Eminem released his first track depicting a murderer who kills his girlfriend, “97 Bonnie and Clyde.” The song appeared on the mixtape ‘The Slim Shady EP’ in 1997 and was officially released on the album ‘The Slim Shady LP’ in 1999. The song’s narrative is vividly portrayed as he takes Hailie along to dispose of Kim’s body in a lake (as depicted on the cover of “The Slim Shady LP”).

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Eminem shared that he lied to Kim, saying he was taking Hailie to see Chuck E (a children’s show), but instead, he took her to the studio. “When Kim found out I used our daughter to take a photo for a song about killing her, how should I put it, mindfuck. lol”

In 1998, Eminem recorded the track “Kim,” which was later officially released on the album ‘The Marshall Mathers LP.’ This song continues the story from “97 Bonnie and Clyde,” reflecting intense anger and hatred towards Kim Mathers, Eminem’s then-wife. There’s no need to elaborate much on this; it’s well-known and unmatched in Hip Hop history.

In 1999, Eminem and Kim reconciled, but it ended quickly in the spring of 2001. The incident occurred when Eminem caught Kim being affectionate with a friend in a nightclub parking lot in June 2000. Eminem immediately attacked the man and was subsequently arrested. He was charged with carrying a weapon and assault and received a two-year suspended sentence. This event is clearly depicted in the skit “The Kiss” on the album ‘The Eminem Show.’

In 2007, Kim shared that she attended an Eminem concert in Detroit in July 2000 (a month after Eminem caught her with the friend). “I asked Eminem if he would perform ‘Kim’ if requested. He said he would never. But there, Eminem played the song, and he had a doll resembling me. I watched everyone singing every word, laughing, dancing, enjoying it, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. Yes, a spectacular revenge.”