An updated edition of the best-selling in-depth biography of the world’s most popular rapper.
Nick Hasted’s ground-breaking book traces Marshall Mathers’ rise to fame from the schools and workplaces of his native Detroit to global superstardom. In researching this first serious biography of rap’s biggest superstar Hasted spent time in Detroit and tracked down friends and foes of Marshall Mathers III, and as a result he paints a vivid portrait of a troubled yet driven boy who triumphs not just against his unusually disadvantaged upbringing but in a culture at total odds with his ethnic background.
In racially-divided Detroit the future rapper grew up with first-hand experience of the social conflicts that would feed his later radicalism. From the depths of being a suicidal no-hoper through the redemptive alias of Slim Shady to eventual triumph as an unlikely rap star, Eminem’s dark story is unflinchingly presented in this eye-opening book.
The author also lays bare Eminem's relationships with his much-hated mother, his teenage soul-mate Kim Scott, black producer, Dr. Dre and The Bass Brothers who guided and inspired him from the age of fourteen. The author also explores his impact on other stars from The Pet Shop Boys to his protégé 50 Cent, and his debut as a film star in the autobiographical, Oscar-winning 8 Mile.
Continually reviled, sued and criticised, Eminem continues to be a major cultural force in the world. This new edition of The Dark Side Of Eminem has been brought right up to date, investigating the violent death of Eminem’s best friend Proof, his debilitating drug addiction during a four year disappearance from public view, the rise and fall of his label Shady Records, and his triumphant comeback with the huge hit album Recovery.
Press Reviews
“A serious and even handed account.” – Q magazine
“Gives us good insight into his anger.” – BOY GEORGE in The Sunday Express
"This is the best of a sudden flurry of biographies charting the rise of this brilliant, troubled Detroit rapper.” – Daily Telegraph
“Eminem soared from drug-filled poverty to adulation and notoriety, and then collapsed into gilded, narcotic, seclusion. But, after his latest comeback, his biographer Nick Hasted believes the future holds plenty for the master wordsmith.” – Independent
