Eminem has been given the prized slot of closing the Yasalam After-Race Concerts on Sunday. With the rapper turning 40 this month, we take a look at how he became a cultural phenomenon
The man
Eminem – real name Marshall Bruce Mathers III – is the rare artist straddling both the hip-hop and pop worlds while at the same time retaining his street credibility. With more than 100 million albums sold, he is one of the most successful artists of all time, as well as the top-selling artist of the 2000s
The rapper
As well as his unflinching lyrics, Eminem is renowned for a shape-shifting flow that could move from cartoonish (Without Me) to forceful (Lose Yourself) to introspective (Stan) to blood-curdling (Kim). Shifts in verbal styles allow him to cross genres and create his celebrated alter ego, the unhinged Slim Shady.
The songs
For more than a decade, Eminem has been racking up hits, with eight chart toppers in territories ranging from the US to the UK, and 10 tracks landing in the US Top 10. From the rocking Lose Yourself and the balladry of Stan to the soulful Sing for the Moment and the straight-up pop-rap of Without Me, Eminem works with a wider musical palette than his fellow rappers. This explains his mass appeal, from hip-hop heads and indie kids to suburban mums.
The albums
Five of Eminem's seven albums debuted on top of the US charts. Three of them - The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), The Eminem Show (2002) and Encore (2004) - sold more than 10 million copies each.
The tours
Eminem has been involved in some of hip-hop's biggest tours, both as a headliner and a guest artist. In 2000 he joined the legendary Up in Smoke Tour, featuring a mouthwatering line-up that included Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. The same year, Eminem cofounded The Anger Management Tour, one of the first tours targeting both a hip-hop and hard-rock audience. Eminem shared the stage with a varied bunch including Limp Bizkit, Ludacris, Papa Roach, 50 Cent and Rammstein.
The ringleader
Eminem rolls with his all-Detroit posse D12. Cementing their brotherhood, Eminem fulfilled his promise that when he became successful he would take the collective along for the ride. Eminem and the group created two successful D12 albums as well as toured together.
The producer
While Eminem's early sound was largely formed by his mentor, Dr Dre, the rapper showed production skills of his own as he took further control of his sound. His production style is generally dense and melodramatic with a heavy rock element. This is best displayed in his album The Eminem Show.
The label owner
It was Eminem who first understood 50 Cent's star potential. Excited by his mix tapes, Eminem cosigned the New York rapper to his label Shady Records. 50 Cent's first album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', is one of the fastest-selling debut albums in the US.
The legacy
As well as expanding the boundaries of hip-hop, Eminem has left a mark on popular culture. His success allowed hip-hop, a genre dominated by African Americans, to reach new demographics and social classes, from the ghetto to the suburbs.
The future
Earlier this week Eminem unveiled a new hat for sale at his online store. It lists every year he has released an album and, curiously, 2013 was included - a hint that next year is shaping up to be another big one for the superstar rapper.
Eminem plays Sunday at du Arena as part of the Yasalam After-Race Concerts. The performance can only be accessed by F1 ticket holders, who must collect their Yasalam After-Race Concert wristband from the Yas Marina Circuit on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Doors open 7pm. For more information go to www.yasalam.ae
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
if you go
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
