Eminem is a relatively normal guy trying to be successful doing what he loves most…which is rap. It may seem like he appeared out of nowhere, but it has been a few years of trying to make it, earn respect, and up until recently, a lot of explaining who he is. Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, where overnight a nobody can become a star, has been the backdrop for Eminem’s short six month rise from a barely famed underground rapper to the darling of MTV.
AUGUST 1998, Ol’ Dirty B*****d Show at the Key Club, Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles- I am introduced to Eminem outside the concert. He is a young guy in a plain black sweatsuit and a dirty baseball hat who minutes earlier was explaining to one of his boys, “ Yo, man, I ain’t got no pull around here to get in to this shit. These fuckin’ guys don’t know who I am. I ain’t nobody! Fuck it, let’s just go…” The guy he is with, (who I find out later is Dean, his A&R from Interscope), starts making calls on his cell phone. The girls waiting for them look obviously irritated. I am told Eminem has been in the studio working with Dr.Dre and is about to be the next big thing. All I can think is, “this guy raps with Dre?” Not because he is white, but, I guess I just imagined more of a … image. Gold chains, an attitude, flossy outfit… whatever. But Eminem looked more like he should be delivering pizzas instead of recording a rap album. He was funny, and even a little polite, much unlike most rappers who work with Dre. Despite his image, it seemed like Eminem knew he was destined for bigger and better things.