Who could have predicted that in a mere two years, Eminem would become the most reviled and controversial hip-hop figure ever? Or that twelve months after that, Eminem would sit firmly at the pinnacle of American celebrity, a Grammy winner many times over and the recipient of an Oscar?
Since their first meeting, Bozza has been given a level of access to Eminem that no other journalist has enjoyed. In Whatever You Say I Am, never-before-published excerpts from Bozza's interviews with Eminem are combined with the insight of hip-hop figures, music critics and journalists to look behind the mask of this enigmatic celebrity. With an eye toward Eminem's place in American popular culture, Bozza creates a thoughtful portrait of one of the most successful artists of our time. This is more than a biography of a thoroughly well-documented life. It is a close-up look at a conflicted figure who has somehow spoken to the heart of America.