The Way I Am is an autobiography co-authored by American rapper Eminem and American music critic Sacha Jenkins. It was first published on October 21, 2008, by Penguin Books' imprint, Dutton. The text is set in Clarendon, Aachen Bold, and City. The book includes a bonus DVD with exclusive Eminem footage and reproductions of the rapper's original handwritten lyric sheets.
Background[]
In 2008, Melcher Media was approached by Dutton Books to produce an unfiltered Eminem biography, which for the first time would include Eminem's handwritten lyrics.
The cover was in collaboration with Headcase Design (Paul Kepple and Scotty Reifsnyder), featuring Eminem "through a red acetate jacket. When the jacket is removed, the reader sees that it is masking a collage of red handwritten lyrics, superimposed over Eminem’s photograph (and completely invisible when the jacket is in place)." They added of its interior, "In addition to life-size scans of the original lyric sheets printed throughout, a selection of perforated lyric sheets at the back of the book can be removed and hung as art."[1]
Synopsis[]
Chart topping-and headline-making-rap artist Eminem shares his private reflections, drawings, handwritten lyrics, and photographs in his New York Times bestseller The Way I Am
Fiercely intelligent, relentlessly provocative, and prodigiously gifted, Eminem is known as much for his enigmatic persona as for being the fastest-selling rap artist and the first rapper to ever win an Oscar. Everyone wants to know what Eminem is really like-after the curtains go down. In The Way I Am, Eminem writes candidly, about how he sees the world. About family and friends; about hip-hop and rap battles and his searing rhymes; about the conflicts and challenges that have made him who he is today.
Illustrated with more than 200 full-color and black-and-white photographs-including family snapshots and personal Polaroids, it is a visual self-portrait that spans the rapper's entire life and career, from his early childhood in Missouri to the basement home studio he records in today, from Detroit's famous Hip Hop Shop to sold-out arenas around the globe. Readers who have wondered at Em's intricate, eye- opening rhyme patterns can also see, first-hand, the way his mind works in dozens of reproductions of his original lyric sheets, written in pen, on hotel stationary, on whatever scrap of paper was at hand. These lyric sheets, published for the first time here, show uncut genius at work. Taking readers deep inside his creative process, Eminem reckons with the way that chaos and controversy have fueled his music and helped to give birth to some of his most famous songs (including "Stan," "Without Me," and "Lose Yourself").
Providing a personal tour of Eminem's creative process, The Way I Am has been hailed as "fascinating," "compelling," and "candid."The Way I Am is Eminem at his best: funny, raw, and disarmingly honest as he reflects on the people, places, and events that have made him who he is today. With never-before-published photographs, artifacts, and mementos from his life, Eminem shares some stories about a childhood bouncing from school to school, his struggles to support his young family on Detroit's East Side, the challenges of learning the rap game, and what his daily life is like now. The Way I Am also showcases Eminem's songs, with in-depth discussions of his writing process and his work in the studio with Dr. Dre. Original lyric sheets for hits such as "Lose Yourself" and "Stan" are printed as facsimiles in the book along with loads of personal snapshots and Polaroids, original illustrations by Eminem himself, concert flyers, a visual tour of the star's Detroit haunts, and behind-the-scenes photos of concerts and life on the road.
Dedication[]
The book opens in memory of his best friend Proof (1973-2006) and the following lyrics of "Fame" by Tupac Shakur:
One thing we all adore
Something worth dying for
Nothing but pain
Stuck in this game
Searching for fortune and fame
Personnel[]
- Melcher Media – producer
- Charles Melcer – publisher
- Bonnie Eldon – associate publisher
- Duncan Bock – editor-in-chief
- Lia Ronnen – executive editor
- Kurt Andrews – production director
- Lauren Nathan – project editor
- Daniel Del Valle – editorial assistant
- Paul Kepple and Scotty Reifsnyder – designer
Acknowledgements[]
Special thanks to Marshall B. Mathers III, Sacha Jenkins, Paul Rosenberg, and Luca Scalisi.
Thanks also to Bronwyn Barnes, Adam Bright, David E. Brown, Karin Catt, Daniel Del Valle, Max Dickstein, Marc Gerald, Coco Joly, Trena Keating, Lily Kosner, Liana Krissoff, Marc LaBelle, Maurice Malone, Ian Marshall, Tracy McNew, Lisa Milton, Stuart Parr, Kenneth Partridge, Ian Preece, Anna Rabinovitch, Holly Rothman, Jessi Rymill, Patrik Rytikangras, Nathan Sayers, Skam, Lindsey Stanberry, Shoshana Thaler, Alex Tart, Brian Tart, Vanessa Vellucci, Anna Wahrman, Rebecca Wiener, Betty Wong, and Megan Worman.
Chapters[]
- All That I Know, Part I
- The Birth, Death (and Resurrection?) of Slim Shady
- Supernova
- Very Funny, Motherfucker
- Eight Mile
- Anger Management
- Family Man
- Ghost Rapped in a Beat: Original Handwritten Lyrics from the Personal Collection of Marshall B. Mathers III
- All That I Know, Part 2
References[]
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