that Eminem and the Detroit rap scene impacted the American culture to a large extent. Detroit artists have an original way of combining instrumentals and influences. I find it musically very rich. Eminem is very creative, not only in his lyrics, but in also his videos. His musical genius impacted not only America, but he took over the rest of the world. Consider someone like Merciless Amir: he mixes beautiful Lebanese music with the rough Detroit spirit, or have a look at I-Mac s Ruthless Aggression mix tape: this is so much innovative in terms of sound techniques, how could it not impact the rest of America? DK: I have read many Eminem biographies. How is this book different from a well documented biography of the rapper's life? IE: The originality of my book is to look at Eminem from a Detroit perspective and also to show how Eminem bridges Detroit s black and white communities through his music. DK: Marshall had several approaches to music. Do you feel his success was due to his turbulent youth and relationships with his mother, Debbie, and girlfriend, Kim? IE: No, I don t think so. I think that his success was due mainly to his determination to make it as an artist. Persistence always pays off. Winners never quit. On the other hand, a lot of elements and circumstances played in his favor: being signed by Dr Dre, the whole controversy around his music etc... DK: The world seems to hate Kim