A Look Back at Eminem’s First Album, ‘Infinite,’ Ahead of Its 26th Anniversary

Eminem has been a hardworking rapper in the music business for over two decades, first bursting on the scene in 1996 with his debut album Infinite. In the years since then, Eminem has become an award-winning emcee and a bona fide elder statesman of hip-hop. As the years go on, Infinite remains an untouched time capsule of a young Eminem at the start of his career.

Eminem released his debut album ‘Infinite’ in 1996

Eminem first started rapping as a teenager in the suburbs of Detroit. He first started by forming a group called New Jacks and made a self-titled demo tape. In 1989, they became Bassmint Productions; in 1992, they changed their name to Soul Intent, joined by rapper Proof and some of Eminem’s other childhood friend. They released a self-titled EP featuring Proof in 1995.

As a young rapper, Eminem began getting his name out there through open mic nights around Detroit. He reflected on his road to his 1996 debut album Infinite in the documentary Partners in Rhyme: The True Story of Infinite.

“I think I was about 20 and I’d started going up to a lot of open mic spots. And one was called the Hip-Hop Shop, the most infamous open mic spot there was, especially at that time in Detroit,” Eminem recalled. “I started going to them open mic spots and just making a name. Making a name for myself and coming up in there and just f***ing ripping it and being the only white kid in there. You know, that was the talk: the white boy, this and this.”

His subsequent albums made him a superstar

In 1996, Eminem was ready to launch his own solo career. He released his debut studio album Infinite through the Bass Brothers’ independent label, WEB Entertainment. Infinite was released on November 12, 1996, when the young emcee was 24 years old.

Infinite didn’t make the kind of noise Eminem had hoped for when it was released. Physical copies of the album were released on cassette and vinyl, but the album only sold approximately 70 copies. (Naturally, those physical copies are pricey collectors’ items today.)

Eminem was losing hope in his career

After Infinite flopped, Eminem had trouble envisioning a career for himself as a massively successful rapper. “During that time, it seemed it was just crashing ’cause nobody was listening,” he recalled. “I said, ‘this is the best thing I can do. If this doesn’t work, then what am I gonna do? It’s not gonna happen.’”

Things started to turn around the following year. He released his debut EP The Slim Shady EP through WEB Entertainment, introducing the world to his violent Slim Shady alter ego that people know and love today. In 1998, he was featured in The Source magazine’s famous “Unsigned Hype” column, which featured the likes of DMX and The Notorious B.I.G. before they blew up.

He eventually caught the attention of Dr. Dre and signed to his Aftermath Entertainment record label. Dre produced his breakout sophomore album The Slim Shady LP, released in 1999. The album won Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards the following year. By the mid-2000s, thanks to his Oscar-winning turn in his movie 8 Mile and his smash albums The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show, the once-unknown rapper had become a household name.