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Anthony Bozza met Eminem in 1999 when the milky rapper’s fame was “still a whiff on the air.”
While writing a cover story for Rolling Stone, Bozza shadowed Marshall Mathers III before he won the Grammys and the Oscar and moved from trailer park to gated community.
Eminem must’ve smelled the pungent odor of his own impending success. While he was still scrubbing pans in Detroit, Mathers changed his stage name to his initials M&M, and then to his current moniker so as not to be sued by the candy makers.
In the years to come, everyone from Lynn Cheney to Maureen Dowd to Frank Rich would be throwing elbows at the bottle blond with the brilliant rhymes and white-trash pedigree. With last year’s turn as a down-and-out talent in “8 Mile,” Eminem went from reviled target of the Parents Music Resource Center to the darling of the SUV set.
But Bozza began mining the expansive, pop cultural landscape that is Eminem before anyone else even knew there was gold in them thar hills. That early prospecting has won the writer enviable access to the artist for “Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem.”
Make no mistake: the author is an ardent fan (Bozza blows Eminem a big wet kiss early on when he dedicates the book to his subject). It’s a surprise, then, that his open adoration doesn’t lead to the whitewashing of Eminem’s woman-hating, gay-bashing lyrics. (Eminem says he’s “just kidding, ladies,” and Elton John thinks the real Slim Shady’s “sweet.”)
Nor does the writer sidestep the fact that Eminem’s sales and mainstream popularity have as much to do with his race as with his prodigious talent.
Those hoping for the juicy dish of “E! Hollywood Story” should stick to the unauthorized bios of other Michigan natives Diana Ross and Madonna. There are no lingering accounts of Eminem’s charges for gun possession, his mother’s defamation lawsuit or his ugly battle for custody of his daughter Hailie Jade with Kim, the ex whom he murders in song.
Bozza deserves props for sticking to the critical high road. Still, it’s frustrating that he doesn’t indulge in the simplest journalistic Q and A about the nasty headline-grabbing episodes that cast Eminem as a jealous thug who pistol-whipped a man outside a Michigan club for kissing Kim.
The author glosses over such tabloid fodder in favor of more cerebral explorations. The result is less a biography of Eminem than a trenchant critique of the mores, music and politics of gender and race in America as it sloughed off the political correctness of the late 20th century and slouched into the “Girls Gone Wild” permissiveness of the 21st.
While consumers of rap have historically been teenage boys, Bozza and those he interviews offer some intriguing insights into Eminem’s unlikely popularity with women of all ages. Girls weaned on MTV’s “Spring Break” and CNN’s coverage of Monica’s stained dress aren’t bothered by a guy who brings a blow-up doll on stage and leads the audience in a chant of “Kill Kim.” Thirty- and fortysomethings who cheered on Anita Hill as she testified against Clarence Thomas want to cuddle the fatherless boy who claims his mommy made him crazy in the Freudian sense because she “had a different boyfriend every day of the week.” They forgive his sonic misogyny because he grew up hard and had the good sense to rap about it. “America adopted Eminem like a troubled foster child who could no longer be ignored,” Bozza writes.
More than anything else, Bozza makes a compelling case that Eminem is the perfect voice of the post-Sept. 11 generation: jaded but vulnerable, damaged and complicated, desperate to be understood.
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1069497356181300

Nathan Mathers is Debbie’s second son with Fred Samra Jr and Eminem’s half brother. Both brothers have a good and close relationship. Along with Hailie, Nathan belongs to the persons that really matter in Marshall’s life.
Nathan Kane Samra was born on February the 3rd 1986 in Detroit.
Since Nate was a baby, Marshall used to take care of him. Eminem states that he pretty much raised his little brother from the beginning. He even changed his brother’s diapers.
Nate’s life in Detroit has been similar to Marshall’s. He has also been bullied at Roseville Elementary school. Debbie Mathers tried to sue his school for that, but Roseville school returned those facts against her and Nate was placed in a foster family for about one year. Debbie was accused of beating her son. Eminem’s mom probably also abused her second son emotionally. It is well known that she used to isolate him from other kids.
Nate describes her as a crazy person.
While his brother was living with his mom, Marshall always had to be careful when he gave Nathan a call : When I call him, I bite my tongue. I believe she’s listening on the other extension. I’m sure he’s afraid of my mother and I’m sure he’s doing the same things to him that she did to me. ‘
Eminem has always shown love and concern for his brother. There is a reference to Nate in ‘ Cleaning Out My Closet ‘ from the Eminem show :
” and Nathan’s growing up so quick, he’s gonna
know that your phoney’ ‘. This line appears to be a real warning for Debbie.
Nate takes part to many events in Marshall’s personal and public life. He has shared his dramas and successes. He supported his brother in the most dramatic event since the beginning of his career : his Court case.
He was also present at the Mathers’ home when Kim attempted suicide.
You can see Nate in several of Eminem’s videos: “The Way I Am “, ” Without Me ” , ” Sing for the Moment “.
About Nate, Marshall says : ‘ Yo, my brother is mad cool . He’s the most popular kid in the school. He’s got like 10 girlfriends. He even died his hair blonde and got his ears pierced. He looks just like me ! He came to my concert and the girls were all over him. They didn’t even want to get with me. He was sitting on his girl’s lap and I was like ‘ You go, you little pimp. He is cool and we call him Little Nate Dogg. ‘
At the 2001 Detroit Music Awards, Marshall asked his little bother to take his awards and even to deliver the ‘ thank you ‘ speech. At the VMA Awards 2003, Marshall thanked his little brother.
Nate also spends time touring with his brother, which is something he enjoys very much.
Nate who follows his brother’s career with very much interest, is also an aspiring rapper.
This is a little freestyle by Nate from Eminem’s mom interview on the BBC. Nate was rapping with Debbie in their car :
‘ You laughin’ while your bobbin’ in your seat,
You turn around, I’ll bust you in your teeth
You’ll be laughin’ at me,
While the girls will be playing with my meat,
Stop while your ahead,
Take a tylonal and go to bed. ‘
About his musical talent, Debbie Mathers said :
‘ I think when Nathan gets out there, he will do far better than Marshall ‘
But what really matters to Nathan in the end is Eminem’s opinion about his talent as a future rapper :
“I’m more concerned what Eminem’s going to think about me more than anybody else.”
Nate is still trying to find a record deal. It wouldn’t be surprising if he collaborated with his brother someday.
Nate currently lives with his brother Marshall since his 16 th birthday. Marshall bought sportscars to Nate for his 16th and 17th birthday.
In an interview given to ‘ The Face ‘, Eminem’s little brother was asked how it was like to live with his famous brother.
He replied : ‘ better than living with my mom ‘.
In another interview given to the webmaster of his official website , Nate also explained that his mom wasn’t a good mom and how much crazy she could act in real life. No doubt he is telling the truth.

Some people are ready to do anything to get some publicity. They would walk on the dead if they had to.
Benzino belongs to those kind of people. He doesn’t mind spitting on somebody who was once called a ‘ creme-de-la-creme MC ‘ by his magazine ‘ The Source ‘ in 1998 , when Eminem was an unsigned hype. The fact that Eminem is Caucasian didn’t seem to bother anybody among the Source owners at this time.
In 2002, Benzino decides to attack Eminem in order to advance his career as a rapper. Benzino is not even gifted for rap, but he put his ambitions so high that he decided to battle the best battle M.C. Benzino is so ambitious and so full of himself that he is not even afraid to look ridiculous in front of the whole world. Have you ever watched his video ‘ Rock The Party ‘ ? I have, and it was one of the most annoying moments in my entire life. Is that what he wants to oppose to Eminem ? A boring video and annoying songs with whack lyrics ?
For a second, while listening to Ray Benzino, I even granted Ja Rule some talent’because Benzino is really talentless !
Benzino, n’ Ray Scott, constantly targetted Eminem for his skin color, calling his friends and D12 members ‘ House Niggas ‘, calling his rap ‘ The Rap Hitler ‘. Benzino went so far talking about killing Marshall and raping and murdering Hailie (who got her revenge in the ‘ Doe Ray Me ‘ song , though.) Ray Scott’s arguments against Eminem are, most of the time , personal. He dares calling Eminem’s rap ‘ The Rap Hitler ‘, him being ‘ The Rap Malcolm ‘. If we analyze Benzino’s statements deeper, they are very close to facism. Attacking somebody for his skin color can be viewed as racism, no matter what color you are. Being Black doesn’t allow you to make racist statements, simply because there is no truth in racism.
Benzino’s reference to Malcolm X is well choosen, though. Even if Malcolm X fought against the injustice black people were facing in the USA, he is also known for his racial judgements against white people.
I could understand his hatred of Eminem if he didn’t attack his daughter. His personal attack against the talented M.C is a strategical mistake that makes him look childish in front of the public.
But Benzino can try to raise his voice as loud as he wants, he’s been killed lyrically in the song ‘ Nail In the Coffin ‘. The best line is certainly the last one :
‘ Oh, and for those that don’t know, don’t get it twisted yo,
The Source has a white owner”
What ? The Source has a white owner ? Yeah, and his name is Dave Mays. A sentence that should have shut Benzino down.
What appears to be the most pathetic in this story is ‘ The Source ”s position. ‘ The Source ‘ stated that ‘the views of Benzino the artist do not necessarily reflect the views of Source Magazine.’ Depite their statement, the Source totally supported Benzino in his beliefs and points of view. They totally agreed on the fact “Eminem was bad for hip hop culture. ”
By acting in such an unprofessionnal way, the magazine lost its credibility.
Now they are trying to stunt publicity on a ten years old tape where Eminem was freestyling racist remarks about black women out of rage, because he just had broken up with his black girlfriend. We all know that Eminem expresses his feelings of the moment so often , like he did it in ‘ The Way I Am ‘ when he felt exceeded.
We should also take into account that black rappers have also said demeaning sentences against black women or women in general. I could give a great amount of examples, but I’m going to quote Ice cube in ‘ a Bitch is a Bitch ‘ from NWA’s album ‘ Straight Outta Compton ‘ :
‘ Yo, you can tell a girl that’s out for the money
(How?) She look good and the bitch walk funny
She ain’t no dummy, she’s rather kunivin’
Yo bitch, fuck when I’m drivin’ (yup)
See a young nigga that’s strivin’
You’re thru’ without a BMW
That’s why a bitch is a bitch
I guess, or even P.M.S.
Here, test the girl that’s kinda snobby (alright)
And I bet you,
Dissin’ niggaz is her hobby
And after she finished the test
Grade her ?? a B I-T-C-H
And watch her get mad
Cause she know it’s true (she know it)
But a nigga like me, I say: “Fuck you”
Do like Ice Cube, slam her ass in a diss (word)
Cause a bitch is a bitch ‘
Who will believe that a man who hung out with Blacks his whole life, who lived on the black side of Detroit and whose label Shady Records is composed by a black majority, is a racist ? It is laughable. Dr Dre, Eminem’s producer, is a black man, also.
Russell Simmons who organized the hip hop Summit in detroit on June the 4th 2003 (Eminem took part to this event), took Eminem’s defence :
“These lyrics are disgusting, but the oneness of hip-hop culture has transformed many young people in trailer parks around the country away from their parents’ old mindset of white supremacy.
We believe Eminem’s apology is sincere and forthright. He continues not only to be an icon of hip-hop, but also has evolved into a good soldier who gives back money, time and energy to the community, encouraging this generation of youth to reach their highest aspirations.
“We, therefore, must be careful as to how the race card is played to divide people rather than to encourage unity in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality for all.”
Rather than the ‘ culture stealer ‘ Benzino wants Eminem to be, Eminem has been an enrichment for the hip hop community. He has united the poor black and white underclasses. The talented (white) M.C has opened hip hop to a larger audience, which is a good thing.
Benzino has proven to be an old fashioned closed minded person with racist beliefs. Mr Scott and his so called ‘ bible of hip hop ‘ have lost their credibility in the world of hip hop.
Step by step, Benzino is digging his own grave’
To quote Benjamin Chavis, Russell Simmons partner :
‘ Hip-hop culture transcends race. ‘

Influential hip-hop figurehead Russell Simmons has come out in support of Eminem against allegations of racism.
In a statement released yesterday (November 20) Simmons said he believed Eminem’s apology to be “sincere.”
The owners of The Source magazine, Ray Benzino and Dave Mays, held a press conference this week during which they played early recordings of Eminem delivering racist rhymes.
The hip-hop star was quick to react asking the public to, “take it for the foolishness that it was.”
“These lyrics are disgusting, but the oneness of hip-hop culture has transformed many young people in trailer parks around the country away from their parents’ old mindset of white supremacy,” Simmons said.
“We believe Eminem’s apology is sincere and forthright. He continues not only to be an icon of hip-hop, but also has evolved into a good soldier who gives back money, time and energy to the community, encouraging this generation of youth to reach their highest aspirations.”
Simmons’ partner in the charitable Hip Hop Summit Action Network, Benjamin Chavis, said: “Hip-hop culture transcends race.”
“We, therefore, must be careful as to how the race card is played to divide people rather than to encourage unity in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality for all.”
Nonetheless, The Source is refusing to back down, Editor Kim Osorio told New York Newsday: “These are racist remarks by someone who has the ability to influence millions of minds.”
http://www.dotmusic.com/news/November2003/news31563.asp

Todd Nelson is Debbie’s elder brother and thus Marshall’s uncle. In the early 80’s, Marshall spent a few years with his uncle in Warren, Michigan, in a little house. The two family home was purchased by Eminem’s great grandmother Bessi Viola Whitacker in 1950 and has been put on sale on eBay in 2002 by Todd. Appearently, his financial situation didn’t allow him to keep the house :
‘ This is a very emotional thing for me, because this house has been in our family for 50 years. I didn’t want to sell it, but I had to because my finances won’t allow me to live here any more. ‘
Todd Nelson has made the DVD ‘The Man Behind The Mask’ that is all about Eminem. The DVD certainly contains interesting stuff and allows you to view places like Eminem’s primary school, the house where he used to stay with his uncle and other significant and interesting places in Detroit where Eminem used to rap.
About his nephew, Todd says:
“It never occurs to me that he’s famous. I changed his diapers when he was a kid.”
According to Todd, Eminem was very protective towards his mom. When he didn’t like her boyfriend, the man had just to carry his luggage and leave their home.Todd talks about Eminem’s will to become famous and about Kim’s suicide attempt.
Some of his statements are unbelievable. He claims to be the first who has taught Marshall how to rap, what we may, of course, doubt : Eminem’s maternal uncle has never released any rap tape nor done any work related to rap music. Eminem denied his allegations.
He describes Marshall as a sissy, who was afraid to go fishing with him, because ‘the water was too cold’.
Todd also states Marshall has turned to the worst since he started making bad songs. Those statements sound funny from the mouth of a man who spent 8 years in a Missouri state prison for killing his brother-in-law.
Eminem’s uncle has rather shown a real eagerness to sell his nephew’s privacy to the British tablo’ds and to talk about his sexuality which is really none of his business, no matter if those facts are true or not. (*)
(*)http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_811455.html?menu
Eminem’s fame shouldn’t allow him to talk about such private matters.
No doubt that both men’s relationship is bad. Todd stands on Debbie’s side, pretending that she was ‘real good to the boy’.
About Marshall’s mom, Todd says:
“His mother looked after him so well. He grew up not having to take responsibility for anything because Debbie did it all for him.”
But Debbie’s sick behavior is no longer hidden for the public’s eyes. He totally denies that Marshall has had a hard life and denies some facts related in 8 Mile.
Since Eminem became famous, many of his family members turned their back to him and focused their interest on his money. Todd also wants some publicity and tries to find a way to make easy money on Eminem’s back.
Eminem’s sentence summarizes it all: ‘My family has never been there for me. They e

At the beginning of his career, Eminem has made two big mistakes that could have had bad consequences for the talented artist.
On June the 3 rd 2000, Eminem had an argument with his rival Douglas Dail from the ICP (Insane Clown Posse) group. He threatened him and brandished a 9 mn semi-automatic gun on his rival Douglas Dail from the ICP (Insane Clown Posse) group.
The same day, Eminem went to Hot Rocks Cafe where he found his wife Kim kissing another man, John Guerra. He went mad and hit John Guerra with an unloaded gun. Eminem was arrested after the police received a 911 call. He was charged with assault and carrying a concealed weapon.
Judge Viviano finally sentenced him to two years of probation under the condition to refrain from all excessive use of alcohol and to submit to a regular drug testing.
Kim expressed about the incident that happened with John Guerra. She sent a letter to the Detroit Free Press :
“My husband came up to Hot Rocks to check up on me. Why is still unknown to me because if I was to cheat on him it wouldn’t be in a neighbourhood bar where he knows I am. Had he asked any questions before he flew off the handle, he would have realised that everyone with me were only friends. The fact that he just jumped to conclusions has gotten him and myself in trouble.
“I would also like to state, since my husband has had no problem trying to make me look like an unfaithful wife, that every time I find a picture of him with other women, or read in magazines that he’s involved with ‘groupies’, I don’t go and show up where he is making a huge scene and getting our faces put all over the TV and papers. I have always taken his word on things and stood by his side.”
Kim has not really proven to stand on Marshall’s side. In the past she had left him each time he was financially down. This drama has lead to the couple’s divorce in 2001.
It is well known that Kim gave a rather intimate kiss to John Guerra that day. Even Guerra admitted it. John Guerra was a married man having two little kids. He only worried about his family when he saw the gun Eminem pointed at him.
This event is related in the skit of the Eminem Show called ‘The Kiss’:
The Kiss (Skit)
[Eminem:]
I’m gonna kill this bitch
Im’a kill him
I’m going to fucking jail
Cuz im gonna kill this bitch
[Dave:]
Yo man
[Eminem:]
What
[Dave:]
I dont know
I gotta realy really bad feelin about this
[Eminem:]
Man would u shut the fuck up dave you always gotta bad feelin man
Thats her car right there
[Dave:]
Aight let me park
[Eminem:]
Just park
[Dave:]
Im parkin!
[Eminem:]
Turn the car off dogg
[Dave:]
Aight
[Eminem:]
Aight we wait
[Dave:]
We wait for what
[Eminem:]
We wait till she comes out and then im gonna fuckin kill her
[Dave:]
Man you aint gonna kill no one
What the fuck did you bring that for
[Eminem:]
Man shut the fuck up dog
Just shutup, the fuckin clip is empty
[Dave:]
Man dont point that shit at me
[Eminem:]
Its not even loaded bitch, look
[Dave:]
Dude, god i fuckin hate it when you do that shit
[Eminem:]
Yea but its funny as fuck
[Dave:]
Muthafucka im gonna kill you one of these days i swear
[Eminem:]
Gets you everytime
Is that her
[Dave:]
where
[Eminem:]
Right there mothafucka
[Dave:]
Oohh yeah
[Eminem:]
Aight get down get down
[Dave:]
Fuck, what u doing to her
[Eminem:]
Get Down!
[Dave:]
What the fuck you want me to get under the car
[Eminem:]
Yo, who she walkin with
[Dave:]
How the fuck am i suppose to know, you told me to duck down
[Eminem:]
Its the fuckin bouncer
Did she just kiss him
[Dave:]
I dont think so
[Eminem:]
Dogg she just fucken kissed him
[Dave:]
No she didnt
[Eminem:]
Shes kissin him
[Dave:]
No shes not
[Eminem:] Gets out car
[Dave:]
Ohh shit
[Eminem:]
Come on
[Screaming & Running]
Eminem is sitting inside of his car with a friend who advises him not to use his gun and who tries to control his reactions. But in the end, when he sees his wife with another man, he just runs out of the car, ready for some uncontrolable action with bad consequences.
Like anybody of us, Eminem has made mistakes in his life. But those mistakes have made a stronger and a more mature man of him: his maturity is visible in his current statements as well as in his work. Eminem has learnt a lot from his former mistakes that could have sent him directly to jail for five years. He uses the dramas that happen in his life as a creative force that will enable to understand them better and to analyze them.

Benzino at The Source press conference

“I hope people will take it for the foolishness that it was, not for what somebody is trying to make it into today.” — Eminem
NEW YORK — Eminem found himself on the defensive Tuesday (November 18) after The Source magazine owners Ray Benzino and Dave Mays held a press conference to play a recording of the MC delivering racial slurs.
On the first of two tracks purportedly recorded in 1993, an audibly young Slim Shady raps, “All the girls I like to bone have big butts/ No they don’t, ’cause I don’t like that n—– sh–/ I’m just here to make a bigger hit.”
The second track featured Eminem rapping about a black girlfriend he broke up with. “Blacks and whites, they sometimes mix/ But black girls only want your money, ’cause they’re dumb chicks,” he rhymes. Later in the freestyle Em raps, “Never date a black girl, because blacks only want your money/ And that sh– ain’t funny.”
The first track was only a few lines long, but the second track went on for several minutes with Em — seemingly rhyming off the top of his head — repeatedly saying he did not like black girls and that they were only out to get money. Both tracks sounded amateurish.
“Don’t make this right now a double standard,” Benzino said at the press conference. “We gotta treat this the same way you treat Mike Tyson, like you treat Kobe Bryant, like you treat R. Kelly, like you treat O.J. Simpson.”
Eminem responded by insisting he isn’t racist and explaining that the recording was made when he was young, foolish and angry.
“Ray Benzino, Dave Mays and The Source have had a vendetta against me, Shady Records and our artists for a long time,” Eminem said in a statement. “The tape they played today was something I made out of anger, stupidity and frustration when I was a teenager. I’d just broken up with my girlfriend, who was African-American, and I reacted like the angry, stupid kid I was. I hope people will take it for the foolishness that it was, not for what somebody is trying to make it into today.”
Eminem, 50 Cent and the rest of the Shady/Aftermath team have had a long-running feud with The Source, fueled by Benzino’s accusations that the media operate on a double standard when it comes to the multiplatinum white MC and that an artist of color could never get away with saying some of the things Em says in his music (see “Benzino Ignites Beef By Calling Eminem ‘2003 Vanilla Ice'”).
After their comments, Benzino and Mays refused to entertain questions about the tape and its origins. They did say they plan to include a CD of the Eminem recordings in February’s issue, and they promised another press conference concerning Eminem will be held in the future, when they’ll answer questions and have civic leaders and members of the hip-hop community on hand.
Wow, Benzino probably thinks he will end the talented rapper’s career with this tape? He’s laughable.
It proves that Eminem went out with a black woman. A real racist wouldn’t date black women at all.
At this time, he was young and angry. We all know that Eminem often expresses his feelings of the moment to let out his rage. He probably had a bad experience with a black woman who actually wanted his money. He shouldn’t have generalized this. He has made a mistake and he admits it.
Eminem has proven not to be a racist person and I think Benzino won’t convince anybody.

Rap star Eminem’s ex-wife, Kim Mathers, was arrested on a bench warrant after she had reportedly been missing for weeks.
Mathers was arraigned at a local court Tuesday afternoon on charges for missing two court dates.
Mathers had failed to appear for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 6 in Warren District Court to face possible charges in connection with a drug raid at a local hotel.
“Is Kimberly Ann Mathers in the courtroom?” Judge John Chmura said before issuing the bench warrants on Nov. 6.
Mathers’ attorney said he and her family had not seen or heard from her since Oct. 30.
“Her family and her children are praying for her. We are really concerned,” said attorney Michael Smith.
Two bench warrants were out for Mathers since she did not show up for the court dates, according to Local 4.
Mathers, 28, faces charges for a Sept. 29 party held in her Warren hotel room, according to police.
Acting on a report of a disorderly person, Warren officers spotted Mathers talking on a cellular phone outside her room at the Candlewood Suites shortly before 3 a.m., according to the Macomb Daily.
Police told the paper they heard yelling and loud music coming from inside. When she opened the door, officers saw several people inside, as well as several open bottles of alcohol and cigarette rolling papers, according to a police report.
Mathers apparently told police the room was in her name and that people were using marijuana and Ecstasy at the party, the police report states.
Mathers is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on Dec. 18. A judge set her bond Tuesday at $50,000 cash.

Eminem recently expressed that he was afraid of global fame. His biographer, Anthony Bozza, confirmed that the rapper was scared of massive commercial success that has made a global superstar of him. Eminem has made it really big.
Marshall wasn’t prepared to such a rapid ascencion. In less than one year, between 1998 and 1999, Eminem has become famous. Working at Gilbert’s Lodge the year before and signing with the famous Dr Dre the year after, is really disconcerting. If you also consider the high level of pressures that were put on Eminem’s shoulders at the beginning of his career and the numerous controversies that surrounded the release of his albums, this is pretty much to bear for one single man.
In an interview given to Brian Mc Collum from the ‘Detroit Free Press’ on June the 30th 2000, Eminem stated:
‘ Nobody really understands the pressures put on me, to always be good, to always be on point. There are so many pressures that go with my job right now.’
Along with the pressures that came from his label , other pressures came from people who protested against his music. All of a sudden, the GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) turned Eminem into the symbol for misogyny and homophobia. Eminem’s career debut has been far from uncontroversial. The dramas that happened in his personal life increased the fact that he was in constant ebullition.
In the same interview, Eminem expressed about his dream come true:
‘You gotta be careful what you wish for. I always wished and hoped for this. But it’s almost turning into more of a nighmare than a dream.’
After the release of his movie ‘8 Mile’, Eminem has earned more respectability among people who used to dislike him. The success of his movie has been determinant to increase his fame.
‘8 Mile’ also helped people to focus an interest on Detroit, who is usually viewed as a dark and annoying industrial city.
Is Eminem really satisfied with his every day life? According to the lyrics of ‘Say Goodbye To Hollywood’, the answer is clearly no. It is sometimes difficult to realize for us, who are not famous, how superstars are forced to live and to behave.
Eminem expresses it in ‘Say Goodbye To Hollywood’:

I don’t wanna quit, but shit, I feel like this is it
For me to have this much appeal like this is sick
This is not a game, this fame, in real life this is sick
Publicity stunt my ass, conceal my fuckin’ dick
Fuck the guns, i’m done, i’ll never look at gats
If I scrap, i’ll scrap like I ain’t never whooped some ass
I love my fans
But no one ever puts a grasp on the fact i’ve sacrificed everything I have
I never dreamt i’d get to the level that i’m at, this is whack
This is more than I ever could of asked
everywhere I go, a hat, a sweater hood, or mask
What about math, how come I wasn’t ever good at that
It’s like the boy in the bubble, who never could adapt, i’m trapped
If I could go back, I never woulda rapped
I sold my soul to the devil, i’ll never get it back
I just wanna leave this game with level head intact
Imagine goin’ from bein’ a no one to seein’,
everything blow up and all you did was just grow
up emceeing
It’s fuckin’ crazy
Cause all I wanted was to give Hailie the life I never had
But instead I forced us to live alienated, so i’m sayin’…

Marshall sometimes feels like being trapped. He has to hide and to protect from the papparazzi, the press, from some freaky fans. To summarize it all, he feels like he has no peace. Wherever he goes, he needs to hide his face. He feels like he’s been deprived from the freedom he had when he was underground. He expresses quite the same in ‘Sing For the Moment’ from the Eminem Show:

But then these critics crucify you, journalists try to burn you
Fans turn on you, attorneys all want a turn at you
to get they hands on every dime you have…

He feels like everybody wants something from him. Even worse: some journalists destroy his public image, fans don’t leave him alone, attorneys are ready to take his money, because he constantly gets sued.
I personaly think that Eminem likes the fame and the love he gets from his numerous fans, but sometimes he doesn’t manage to cope with the pressures that surround him and also with some people’s crazy behavior in front of him. He is perfectly conscious of the fact that he is an easy target for the media who don’t like him.
When he feels exceeded, Marshall wants to quit the game, but he also knows that ‘a normal life is boring/ The superstardom is close to post mortar’ and that he has reached the high level of fame he talks about in ‘Lose Yourself’.

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Although he was Eminem’s closest friend, we know very few things about Ronnie. Ronnie Dean Polkingharn was Betty Kresin’s (Eminem’s grandmother) sixth child. He was only two months older than Marshall. Both kids used to spend their whole free time together. Ronnie had a major influence on his nephew. He intoduced him into hip hop and break dance. It was his first album that inspired Eminem to become the gifted breakdancer he is now. Eminem remembers when his uncle Ronnie bought him the ‘Breakin’ album in 1981 :

When I was 9 years old, my uncle put me on to the Breakin’ soundtrack. The first rap song I ever heard was Ice-T, Reckless., I was fascinated.

Marshall and Ronnie used to record rap tapes together. Both kids were separated when Debbie went to Detroit, but each time he returned to St Joseph, Missouri, he spent his whole time with Ronnie.
About Ronnie, Marshall says:

He was just like my best friend. He was the only family that I had, that I was close to.

According to Betty Kresin, both kids couldn’t stand being separated for a long time and insisted to see each other after several months of separation.
In 1991, on December the 13th , a big tragedy happened in Marshall’s life . Debbie called her son that day to tell him the bad news :

She was crying she was just kept crying, and I was like, what’s the matter, what’s going on she was like, Ronnie is dead.

Eminem was so shocked that he couldn’t attend the funeral. He just isolated himself and kept listening to Ronnie’s tapes.
As you probably know, Eminem upset his grandmother when he wanted to use his dead uncle’s voice for a new release in 2001. She misinterpreted her grandson’s intentions and intented to sue him. She also pretended that her grandson changed for the worse. At this time, granny Betty and her grandson had a serious argument. Betty wanted Marshall to pay for her bills when he became famous.

The next time I saw him, he asked me how much my bill was. I told him, and he never did a thing for me. He has never offered anything to his mother. Her gutter is falling off her house, and she has only recently got a used washing machine.

She also wanted him to exhume her dead son’s corpse in order to investigate on his death.
“They were really good pals”, she stated.
And she told Marshall :

Now you’re famous, you’ve got money, and you say you love Ronnie so much with that tattoo on your arm. I want his body exhumed to find out the truth about what happened.

Suddenly, Betty changed her mind and decided that Marshall wasn’t the bad guy she was talking about and reconciled with her grandson. She completed her book ‘The Ties That Bind’. This book will certainly and help us to know more details about Ronnie and Marshall’s childhood.
Eminem’s intentions were clearly to honor his deceased uncle :

I loved Ronnie. I’ve got a Ronnie tattoo on my arm.I wanted to pay tribute to him. Nothing bad, I’ll sell records regardless

The dog tag he wears around his neck comes from him and his tatoo is on his upper left shoulder (“R.I.P Ronnie”) is dedicated to his uncle.
It took Eminem a long time to cope with his uncle’s death. He was obsessed with his suicide and also fantasized about killing himself in his lyrics. In an interview given to ‘Music 365’ on April the 28th 2000, Eminem was asked if he wanted to end his life for good after this dramatic event:

-Music 365 : “Your uncle Ronnie committed suicide. Have your ever felt so low that you wanted to end it all? ”
-Eminem: “That’s always been something that’s been in the back of my mind, but I don’t think I have the balls to do it. There was this one time when I really felt like I wanted to do something to change my life, whether it would be doing something I regretted, or with rap or whatever. “

Fortunately and thanks to the inner strength he has cultivated inside of him, Marshall’s will to rap was stronger than his suicidal tendencies.
There are many references to Ronnie in Eminem’s songs. In his song ‘Stan’, from the Marshall Mathers LP, Stan says :

I read about your Uncle Ronnie too I’m sorry
I had a friend kill himself over some bitch who didn’t want him…’

Those lines refer to the circumstances of Ronnie’s death. His suicidal girlfriend might be responsible of Ronnie’s death, but it will remain a supposition. Ronnie was known as a sensitive man. He has been kicked out of the US army because he couldn’t stand guns. His death by gunshot was ruled suicide.
Another reference to his uncle can be found in the ‘Cleaning Out My Closet’ song where Eminem screams his pain and anger at his mom :

Remember when Ronnie died and you said you wished it was me? Well, guess what, I am dead. Dead to you as can be.

His everlasting pain expressed about Ronnie’s disparition can also be found in ” My Dad’s Gone Crazy” :

More pain inside of my brain, in the eyes of a little girl inside of a plane
Aimed at the world trade, standin’ on Ronnie’s grave,
Screaming at the sky’

The D12 song ‘Shit can happen’ lets appear another reference to Ronnie.

One man army, guns can’t harm me
Young and army, worse than my Uncle Ronnie
Ever since I got my first gun pulled on me
I can’t stop carryin out my dirty laundry
Middle fingers flipped and censorship’

Marshall used to idealize Ronnie and he always considered him best rapper than him. He didn’t even dare rapping in front of him, because he thought his rap wasn’t good enough compared to Ronnie’s. Once Ronnie visited him in Detroit and Marshall told Ronnie about his dream to become a rap superstar and his determination to go to the end. But Ronnie had given up rap for good, because he was convinced he would never make it.
Marshall’s best tribute to his beloved uncle is his success as a talented rapper.
Copyright by Isabelle Esling
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