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Last Updated: Friday 18-May-2001 16:54
EMINEM GAMES
In 1998, when college-educated, father of two, Byron
"Big Nasty"
Williams took on the job of bodyguard to hip-hop's great trinity,
Marshall Mathers/Eminem/Slim Shady, he knew he'd be exposed to
another threesome: sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. What he didn't know
was that his job would eventually lead to betrayal and violence.
In his self-published book,
Shady Bizzness: Life As Marshall Mathers
Bodyguard In An Industry of Paper Gangsters, Williams explains how the
multi-platinum rapper went from being his "little brother" to
his foe.
This interview with the ex-bodyguard and found out exactly what goes on
behind-the-scenes of Slim Shady's world-Kim, Ecstasy, groupies and guns.
How did you and Eminem meet?
Through a friend, Mark Hicks. Paul Rosenberg (Eminem's manager) asked
Mark if he knew of anyone who could do security and he recommended me.
What were your first impressions
of Eminem and Paul?
I thought Paul was arrogant and Slim was a character.
What was the relationship
between you and Eminem then?
We would sit down and kick it about shit. Slim tested me to see if I had
his
back by doing outlandish shit like stage diving and disappearing to see
if
I could find him. In like three months, we were cool. He trusted me.
Did he ever confide in you?
He always asked me how and why I didn't do certain things [like drugs].
He called me "Goody Two-Shoes." Paul once told me that
Slim cared about me and felt like no one could take care of him
[Slim] like I did. I was very flattered.
What's the reason for writing
the book?
To teach Em a lesson about taking advantage of people. I thought of
Slim as my little brother. He has to learn how to respect people and
show loyalty.
So, you're not a disgruntled
employee out to make some money?
I had no intentions of doing a book until he [betrayed me]. I put my life
on the line for him and he went and took food out my children's mouth.
As far as I'm concerned, he sold me out! When I went to confront him
about the shit that he did, he tried to pull a gun on me!
We're you fired?
I resigned.
How did you take the revenge
factor out of the book?
I toned the book down a lot. Shady Bizzness will teach people about the
entertainment industry-how crooked managers are, and how the industry
affects artists and their families.
How did Eminem change for
the worse?
He lost his sense of reality-got caught up in his own hype and his
characters.
Do you think that the people
around him encouraged this behaviour?
They never encouraged it, but they never [discouraged it]. If they did,
he would turn it up a notch because he doesn't listen to anyone.
What was Eminem's frame
of mind on "The Slim Shady Tour"?
He would sleep, shop and perform.
What was your role on the
tour?
Besides providing security, I had to deal with groupies-make sure they
were [of] legal [age], had to stop fights. I was basically a baby-sitter.
What about the drug use
during the first tour?
Drugs-mainly Ecstasy and Vicadin-was [sic] prevalent. I think Slim did
drugs to deal with the shows and the press. After a while, that shit takes
it's toll on you. I remember Em saying he could stop [drugs] at any time.
He would go off of them for like a week, then start up again.
How were the drugs made
accessible to Eminem?
It was the road manager's job to supply them! (Laughter) Paul kept us
so
busy and away from our families; I think that's why Slim lost his identity.
Slim told Paul, "Slow down and stop doing shit without consulting
me first.
I wanna see my daughter." Paul would say, "You're gonna see
your
daughter next week." But Paul doesn't understand because he's chillin'
at his home while we're out on the road. Shit would get so stressful;
I could see why Em did so many drugs.
What about his wife Kim?
Kim had a problem with sharing Marshall with the world. And
Em had to shit on her on his albums in order to support his family.
She came out during "The Warped Tour," but I never saw them
have a
blissful time, never saw them hold hands.
Was he faithful to Kim?
On the first tour, he wasn't really doing shit with all the groupies.
But the second tour, that's when shit got started! I must say,
Em was very selective with the girls he chose...
The interview gave you one
side of the story, this is another.
In an attempt to do this, SOHN contacted Paul Rosenberg (Em's manager)
- the man behind the legend
who gets his own attention in Williams' book.
After much rapper red tape, our phone interview was set for 4p.m. on a
Wednesday afternoon. I waited patiently for two hours because Rosenberg
was in mid-flight and needed a land line to give me the goods on Em. Two,
then three hours passed and my phone never rang. In between some
Mexican takeout and a couple of games of trash can hoops, SOHN started
thinking this interview wasn't going to happen at all. So just incase,
at
11p.m., I decided to take matters into my own hands and go in search
of the real Slim Shady myself.
SOHN went to the message boards in the "My Click" section of
SOHH,
to find out what our site's members think about the hype and all the
recent Shady Bizzness:
"I think that this fool
[Williams] is just another lazy hater. He obviously
couldn't handle life on the road, or for that matter having the second
best job [in the world], next to being Slim himself. Why can't people
just
do their jobs and quit hating!"
--Chewy 23
"...About his kids
not getting food. That's bullshit. The interviewer of the
article said in another forum that Nasty had a college degree. With
[a diploma] you can sure as hell feed your children."
--Jules Biggie
He sounds like he had mad
love for Eminem at one point though.
Thus far he is basically adding a little information to the image and
events and stuff that everyone already sees and knows about
Eminem. Just listening to his music and peeping his steez a little lets
a person know basically how the cat is."
--Stealth
"Whether it's true
or not (probably a [little] in between) he
[Williams] just wants to get paid. Like Slim or not, that's probably
the truth."
The next day as the deadline was quickly closing in. Rosenberg called
from
his cell eager set it straight about his famous Midwestern client and
friend:
What's Em's greatest quality?
- How much he cares about his daughter. He does everything for her.
He calls her multiple times a day.
What's his day-to-day life
like?
- He's living out of hotels, constantly travelling and trying to keep
things
straight. He talks to his friends. He's a normal person who gets into
trouble and has to wake up each morning and deal with his problems.
What's his emotional state
of mind?
- I'd say he's unhappier than the average person-a lot of things haven't
worked out for him. He's trapped as an entertainer - can't act like a
normal
guy, can't walk around, can't react to situations like other people can,
can't
confront things.
What would he be if he weren't a rapper?
- He'd probably be what he says he would be: a short-order cook at some
diner in Detroit. He has a sad past and not such a positive outlook on
life.
He's very smart and talented, but [growing up] he didn't feel like he
could
excel.
What's the most important
thing in his life?
- His daughter.
What are five words that
best describe Em?
- Courageous, brilliant, funny, reactionary, resilient.
What is his positive impact
on society?
- He's a good role model for the downtrodden. He has a really good heart.
He always stands up for himself and he has tremendous courage.
He really means well.
When is Em the happiest?
- When he's at home with his daughter...when he's hanging with his boys
and he's just relaxed and regular.
When's he the most upset?
- When he's been on the road awhile.
If Em had one wish, what
do you think it'd be?
- Anonymity. I know it's totally contradictory because he's this famous
rapper, but I really think that's what he'd want.
---- http://www.shadyfactory.cjb.net
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