Released: February 23, 1999

Songwriter: Jeff Bass Mark Bass Eminem

Producer: Bass Brothers

[Produced by Bass Brothers]

[Intro]
Ayo, this song is dedicated
To all the happy people
All the happy people who have real nice lives
And have no idea what it's like to be broke as fuck

[Verse 1]
I feel like I'm walkin' a tight rope without a circus net
Poppin' Percocet, I'm a nervous wreck
I deserve respect but I work a sweat for this worthless check
I'm 'bout to burst this TEC at somebody to reverse this debt
Minimum wage got my adrenaline caged
Full of venom and rage, 'specially when I'm engaged
And my daughter's down to her last diaper, it's got my ass hyper
I pray that God answers, maybe I'll ask nicer
Watchin' ballers while they flossin' in they Pathfinders
These overnight stars becomin' autograph-signers
We all long to blow up and leave the past behind us
Along with the small fries and average half-pinters
But player-haters turnin' bitch like they have vaginas
'Cause we see them dollar signs and let the cash blind us
Money'll brainwash you and leave yo' ass mindless
Them snakes slither in the grass, spineless

[Chorus]
That's rock bottom, when this life makes you mad enough to kill
That's rock bottom, when you want somethin' bad enough to steal
That's rock bottom, when you feel like you've had it up to here
'Cause you mad enough to scream, but you sad enough to tear
That's rock bottom, when this life makes you mad enough to kill
That's rock bottom, when you want somethin' bad enough to steal
That's rock bottom, when you feel like you've had it up to here
'Cause you mad enough to scream, but you sad enough to tear

[Verse 2]
My life is full of empty promises and broken dreams
I'm hopin' things look up, but there ain't no job openings
I feel discouraged, hungry and malnourished
Livin' in this house with no furnace, unfurnished
And I'm sick of workin' dead-end jobs with lame pay
And I'm tired of bein' hired and fired the same day
But fuck it, if you know the rules to the game, play
'Cause when we die, we know we all goin' the same way
'Cause it's cool to be the player, but it sucks to be the fan
When all you need is bucks to be the man, plus a luxury sedan
Or comfortable and roomy in a 6
But they threw me in the mix with all these gloomy lunatics
Who walk around depressed, and smoke a pound of cess a day
And yesterday went by so quick, it seems like it was just today
My daughter wants to throw the ball, but I'm too stressed to play
Live half my life and throw the rest away

[Chorus]
That's rock bottom, when this life makes you mad enough to kill
That's rock bottom, when you want somethin' bad enough to steal
That's rock bottom, when you feel like you've had it up to here
'Cause you mad enough to scream, but you sad enough to tear
That's rock bottom, when this life makes you mad enough to kill
That's rock bottom, when you want somethin' bad enough to steal
That's rock bottom, when you feel like you've had it up to here
'Cause you mad enough to scream, but you sad enough to tear

[Verse 3]
There's people that love me and people that hate me (Yup)
But it's the evil that made me
This backstabbin', deceitful and shady (Mhm)
I want the money, the women, the fortune and fame
That means I end up burnin' in Hell, scorchin' in flame
That means I'm stealin' your checkbook and forgin' your name
This lifetime bliss for eternal torture and pain
'Cause right now, I feel like I've just hit the rock bottom
I've got problems, now everybody on my block's got 'em (Duh)
I'm screamin' like them two cops when 2Pac shot 'em
Holdin' two Glocks, hope your doors got new locks on 'em
My daughter's feet ain't got no shoes or socks on 'em
And them rings you wearin' look like they got a few rocks on 'em
And while you flaunt 'em
I could be takin' 'em to shops to pawn 'em
I got a couple of rings and a brand-new watch, you want 'em?
'Cause I ain't never went gold off one song
I'm runnin' up on someone's lawn with guns drawn

[Chorus]
That's rock bottom, when this life makes you mad enough to kill
That's rock bottom, when you want somethin' bad enough to steal
That's rock bottom, when you feel like you've had it up to here
'Cause you mad enough to scream, but you sad enough to tear
That's rock bottom, when this life makes you mad enough to kill
That's rock bottom, when you want somethin' bad enough to steal
That's rock bottom, when you feel like you've had it up to here
'Cause you mad enough to scream, but you sad enough to tear
That's rock bottom

Eminem

A legendary hip-hop icon who started as an underground battle rapper in Detroit, Marshall “Eminem” Bruce Mathers III (1972 – present) has developed a career full of controversy, wild swings, and some of the most noteworthy raps in the history of the genre.

Eminem has broken countless barriers, shifting and impacting the culture in several ways. In June 2017, “Stan” was added into the Oxford Dictionary, and in 2019, to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. He was the first rapper to win the Grammy Award for Best Album for three consecutive albums. “Rap God” set the Guinness World Record for most words in a song. He was also the first rapper to win an Oscar. His albums The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show became certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2011, making him one of the few artists to have more than one Diamond album. This has helped him become the highest selling hip-hop artist of all time. In January 2020, with his 11th studio album Music to Be Murdered By debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, Eminem became the first artist in history to have 10 consecutive #1 debuts.

Produced and co-signed by Dr. Dre, Em had an unprecedented run of success from 1999 up until 2003, releasing three well-reviewed multi-platinum albums, stealing the show on countless collaborations, and even starred in a hit movie. However, it all came crashing down around 2004, when a string of problems ranging from drug dependence to depression to the tragic death of best friend Deshaun “Proof” Holton in 2006 led to a long hiatus from music and a pair of what were, by his own admission, sub-par albums.