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.
