Eminem was rushed to the hospital over the holidays due to complications from pneumonia.
A statement released Tuesday (January 8) by Eminem's label, Interscope Records, reads: "Over the holidays, Marshall Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem, was under doctors' care at Detroit-area hospitals for complications due to pneumonia. He has since been released and is doing well recovering at home."
TMZ cited "sources" as saying the Em's weight has exceeded 200 lbs., although a source close to the rapper questioned that account when asked about it by MTV News.
Eminem has largely been off the radar since the release of his Shady Records official mixtape, The Re-Up, in December of 2006. The last time we heard from him was on September 12, when he phoned into radio host Angie Martinez's afternoon show on New York's Hot 97 while she was interviewing 50 Cent. Em called to support his artist and friend. When asked about his own projects, Em described himself as being "in limbo" but said he is always in the studio working. However, he also told Martinez that he wasn't sure if or when he would be putting out a new LP, although he did seem excited about the prospect of releasing music from his artists.
"It feels good right now, the energy of the label," he said. "For a while, I don't wanna go back to the negative stuff. ... Going through some personal things, coming out of those personal things, it feels good."
On New Year's Eve, Eminem was interviewed live on Sirius Satellite Radio by Cipher Sounds. Em was light hearted and cracked jokes as he talked about the albums in his catalog.
However, apart from 50 Cent, the only project Shady Records released last year was an EP by new artist Cashis. The long-delayed debut of Atlanta spitter Stat Quo still has not been released, and D12 members have pursued solo projects, like Bizarre's independently released Blue Cheese & Coney Island.
It's been long speculated in the industry that both Eminem and D12 would put out projects this year — there was even a fake album cover bearing the name "King Mathers" floating around the Internet. However, no official announcement has been made by Shady Records regarding its 2008 releases.
