Eminem was on the toilet when he came up with his nickname Slim Shady.

The 'Lose Yourself' rapper finds his bathroom an inspiring place where he comes up with a lot of ideas.

Eminem said: "I was sitting on the toilet and a lot of good material came out of that. This name popped into my head. I was kind of skinny and I thought maybe it should be something slim.

"And then for some reason Slim Shady popped into my mind and I just thought of 20 things to rhyme with it.

"I just thought: 'This is it'. I went back in the room and just kept writing."

Eminem — whose memoirs 'The Way I Am' go on sale on Tuesday — revealed the point when he decided it was time to turn his life around.

The hip-hop star — real name Marshall Mathers — pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon during a fight outside a nightclub and was sentenced to one year's probation and community service in June 2001.

Eminem said: "I think I made a decision when I was sitting in the back of the cop car.

"But when I got through it, I was like: 'I can't act like an idiot anymore. I got kids.'"