Not Afraid: The Evolution of Eminem

by Anthony Bozza

Overview

THE SEQUEL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WHATEVER YOU SAY I AM, CHRONICLING THE PAST TWENTY YEARS OF RAPPER EMINEM'S LIFE, BASED ON EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH THE ARTIST, HIS FRIENDS, AND ASSOCIATES

"A passionate look at the Detroit rapper's music . . . an expert and thoughtful assessment." - Booklist

In 1999, a former dishwasher from Detroit named Marshall Bruce Mathers III became the most controversial and polarizing musical artist in the world. He was an outlier, a white artist creating viable art in a black medium, telling stories with such verbal dexterity, nimble wit, and shocking honesty that his music and persona resonated universally. In short, Eminem changed the landscape of pop culture as we knew it.

In 2006, at the height of his fame and one of the biggest-selling artists in music history, Eminem all but disappeared. Beset by nonstop controversy, bewildering international fame, a debilitating drug problem, and personal tragedy, he became reclusive, withdrawing to his Detroit-area compound. He struggled with weight gain and an addiction to prescription pills that nearly took his life. Over the next five years, Eminem got sober, relapsed, then finally got and stayed clean with the help of his unlikely friend and supporter, Elton John. He then triumphantly returned to a very different landscape, yet continued his streak of number one albums and multiplatinum singles.

Not Afraid picks up where rock journalist Anthony Bozza's bestselling Whatever You Say I Am left off. Capturing Eminem's toughest years in his own words, as well the insights of his closest friends and creative collaborators, this book chronicles the musical, personal, and spiritual growth of one of hip-hop's most enduring and enigmatic figures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306922954
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	12/08/2020
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	211,544
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

ANTHONY BOZZA is a former senior staff writer for Rolling Stone and was the first journalist to cover Eminem nationally in America. He is the author of several New York Times and London Sunday Times bestsellers, including his first book, Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: The Storm, October 10, 2017 xv

1 A Ton of Bricks 1

2 Never Enough 14

3 Everybody Has a Private World 35

4 Shady's Kids: A History of White Rap 69

5 Going through Changes 115

6 See You in Hell 144

7 Rap God 168

8 Do You Believe? 195

9 Energized Like a Nine Volt 233

Conclusion: Greatest in the World 264

Epilogue 273

Acknowledgments 279

Index 280

Editorial Reviews

10/28/2019

Bozza follows Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem with this uneven, hagiographic biography of Detroit rapper Eminem. After a crisp introduction from LL Cool J that calls out the “little extra turbo boost” Eminem’s career received from being white, Bozza follows the early success of Eminem’s first albums and his starring in the movie 8 Mile. Eminem struggled with family strife, addiction, and creative drift, Bozza writes, all compounded by the toxicity of fame and the 2006 shooting death of his best friend, rapper Proof, his “anchor to reality.” Picking up in earnest after Eminem went to rehab two years later (where he was eventually helped by Elton John), Bozza turns from biographer to adoring music critic, cataloguing albums, collaborations, and professional beefs. Filled with lucid dissections of rap technicalities, the book does a solid job of placing Eminem in the modern hip-hop scene, but too often the author falls back on lavishing kudos (“the greatest wordsmith rap has ever known,” for example) and tiresome breakdowns of sales figures and critical blurbs of each record. While there are sparks throughout, this ends up feeling like a rote account of the otherwise electrifying career of Eminem. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"A passionate look at the Detroit rapper's music... an expert and thoughtful assessment."—Booklist

From the Publisher

11/08/2019

Eminem burst onto the music scene in 2000 with the single "My Name Is." Bozza (Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem) frames Eminem as one of the first talented white rappers with mainstream appeal and hip-hop credibility, and charts his evolution as an artist. He builds a convincing case for his legacy as the top rap lyricist of all time—despite past controversies over his misogynistic and homophobic lyrics. Bozza offers elegant analyses of the rapper's albums, from 2004's Encore to 2018's Kamikaze, pausing to examine the history of white rappers in a genre created by black musicians. He follows the artist through personal dramas, including the shooting death of his best friend and mentor Proof, and tracks his debilitating addiction to prescription drugs, which caused the rapper to all but disappear from the studio and the public eye, later emerging wiser and more levelheaded. VERDICT Bozza's eloquent tribute to Eminem will resonate with fans of hip-hop and enthusiasts of popular music biographies.—Amanda Westfall, Emmet O'Neal P.L., Mountain Brook, AL

Library Journal