Eminem’s ‘Stan’ Listed In Oxford English Dictionary As He Celebrates ‘The Eminem Show’s’ 15th Anniversary

Eminem hasn’t announced a new album just yet, but the iconic rapper is now making headlines for a different reason. The 44-year-old record producer’s hit song, “Stan,” has earned a spot in the Oxford English Dictionary.

“Stan,” which is Eminem’s huge hit in the 2000s that featured Dido, can now be used as both a noun and a verb. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “stan” as “an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity.” The same word will be used as a verb to describe someone who is being that obsessive fan.

The word “stan” has been used in recent years on fans who are extremely passionate about an artist. The use of the word was inspired by Eminem’s song, which is about a fan named Stan who grew obsessed with the rapper, the official word origins stated.

The Oxford English Dictionary’s example for the word usage reads, “He has millions of stans who are obsessed with him and call him a rap god.”

As one would hear in the lyrics or even see in the official music video, Stan becomes angrier by the day knowing that Eminem hasn’t answered any of his fan mails.

Because of his obsession, Stan drives and crashes his car off a bridge while his pregnant girlfriend is stuffed inside the trunk. Toward the end of the song, Eminem eventually writes back, but he realizes that he had seen the tragic story making it to the local news.

Eminem isn’t the first artist to have his lingo listed as an official word in the dictionary. The words “cray” by Kanye West, “YOLO” by Drake, and “Bootylicious” by Beyonce all made it to the list.

News of the “Slim Shady” hitmaker’s Oxford English Dictionary entry comes on the heels of his album anniversary announcement. Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers) recently celebrated the 15th-year anniversary of the hit album The Eminem Show, which is his fourth studio album.

Eminem has released a collection of merchandise, which includes a cassette reissue, signed posters, shirts, and more, to commemorate the celebration. He also took to Instagram on May 30 to reveal in a photo of a handwritten note that Jim Carrey was the one who inspired the album.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUuV9QglxqO/?taken-by=eminem&hl=en

“The concept 4 the Eminem show was inspired by The Truman Show because my life felt like it was becoming a circus around that time and I felt like I was always being watched. Basically, Jim Carrey wrote my album.”

Eminem’s comparison does make sense, considering that Carrey’s The Truman Show brings the story of Truman Burbank, whose entire life is being aired on television as a reality show. He didn’t know that all along, the director has been manipulating his story. Eminem may have felt the same way, especially when the album was released in 2002, a year considered to be the peak of his career. He had just bagged two Grammy awards for Best Rap Album: one for The Slim Shade LP in 2000 and The Marshall Mathers LP the following year. His film, 8 Mile, was also a success, and Eminem definitely had all eyes on him.

The Eminem Show topped the charts in 19 countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, when it released. It was the best-selling album in the U.S. in 2002, having sold 7.6 million copies. The album includes the popular tracks “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” “Without Me,” and “Hailie’s Song.”

Meanwhile, fans continue to wait for more updates on Eminem’s new album. The artist’s last studio project was The Marshall Mathers LP 2 in 2013. It’s been four years since fans got to hear some new material from an Eminem album. Em has confirmed that there will be a new album coming, but he hasn’t announced an official date of release just yet.

Check out Eminem’s “Stan” music video below.

[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]