This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (November 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)Jimmy Smith Jr. , a blue-collar worker from a poor family, struggles with various aspects of his life. Jimmy and his friends, simple-minded Cheddar Bob (Evan Jones); fun-loving Sol George (Omar Benson Miller); socially minded DJ IZ (De'Angelo Wilson); and Jimmy's best friend, the charismatic Future (Mekhi Phifer) all of whom have also formed a rap crew together named "Three-One-Third" (a play on the Detroit area code 313), aspire to fame and notoriety.Although encouraged by his friends who hail him as a talented rap music artist, Jimmy worries about his potential as a musician due to his lack of confidence. One night at a club called "The Shelter", where Future is the MC, Jimmy panics and chokes-up during a rap battle and leaves the stage humiliated and defeated.It has been revealed that he has moved back north of 8 Mile Road to the rundown trailer home in Warren of his alcoholic, co-dependent mother Stephanie (Kim Basinger), his little sister Lily (Chloe Greenfield), and Stephanie's indolent semi-live-in boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon). After the battle he comes home, unintentionally walking in on his mother and Greg having sex. Afterwards an altercation erupts between him and Greg, which inadvertently wakes Lily, whose presence immediately quiets Jimmy's anger. Jimmy puts her back to bed and sings her a lullaby.Jimmy's friend Wink (Eugene Byrd), a radio station employee with ties to a record label prompter, offers to use his connections to help Jimmy record his demo.Jimmy works at an automotive factory, but when he asks for extra shifts, his supervisor dismisses his request on account of his habitual tardiness. Jimmy meets a woman named Alex (Brittany Murphy), and is immediately attracted to her. They meet again one night at a club where she flirts with him and the two talk about their pasts and what they are aspiring to. Alex expresses her confidence in Jimmy's abilities throughout the film, telling him that she can feel that his talent and passion will lead him to success.At home, Stephanie finds out that they're being evicted due to non-payment. Concerned for the well being of his sister, Jimmy implores his mother to ask Greg to help, she refuses afraid that he'll leave her, believing that he will soon ask her and Lily to move in with him.Jimmy's friendship with Wink becomes strained after he discovers that Wink does promotional work for Jimmy's rivals, a gang of rappers known as "Tha Leadaz of tha Free World", led by the egocentric sociopath, Papa Doc (Anthony Mackie). At one point, Jimmy and his friends get into a brawl with Tha Free World, which is broken only when Cheddar Bob pulls out a gun and accidentally shoots himself in the leg; he survives, but is relegated to crutches.At work one day, Jimmy sees a rap battle in which a worker named Mike (Xzibit) insults a gay co-worker Paul with his lyrics. Jimmy joins the battle to defend Paul by insulting Mike. Wink also knows Alex, as he is helping her put together a book so she can start a modeling career in New York. Jimmy asks Alex out on a date, but they instead have sex in the factory.Greg finds out about the eviction and immediately confronts and dumps Stephanie, insulting the entire family, leading to an angry assault by Jimmy. Jimmy later comes home to a dejected and intoxicated Stephanie, who blames Jimmy for Greg leaving her and selfishly crying about how no one is going to want her now and asking what is she going to do. Finally fed-up with her behavior, Jimmy admonishes her about being so selfish and for the most part ignoring Lily, he ends the confrontation asking her, "What did we ever do to you?" to which she responds by kicking him out.Future pushes Jimmy to get his revenge by competing against Tha Leadaz of tha Free World at the next rap battle. Even though Jimmy doubts himself, Future is confident that he has what it takes. Meaning well, Future signs Jimmy up for the next round of battles without his knowledge which enrages him and causes him to angrily push Future away.Wink arranges for Jimmy to meet with producers at a recording studio, but Jimmy finds Wink and Alex having sex atop a mixing console. Enraged, he beats up Wink and their friendship is ended. In retaliation, Wink and Tha Leadaz of tha Free World jump and beat up Jimmy outside his mother's trailer, as Lily watches in terror. Papa Doc holds a defeated Jimmy at gunpoint, but Wink dissuades Papa Doc from killing him.A now-sober Stephanie then comes home after the attack on Jimmy, cleaned up with groceries in hand. She then reveals to Jimmy that she won at bingo that night and she now has enough money to pay off the overdue rent. Jimmy, proud of his mother for changing her ways, confides in Stephanie that he has been saving up to record his demo, but now he will no longer rely on Wink but do it himself on his own terms. Stephanie expresses both encouragement and pride, saying that doing something yourself is the best way. The interaction gives Jimmy a renewed sense of confidence and determination.Throughout the course of the film Jimmy takes more responsibility for the direction of his life. When he exhibits an improved attitude and performance at work, his supervisor grants him the extra shifts he requested. However, Jimmy's late-night shift conflicts with the next battle tournament. But a goodbye visit from Alex, who is moving to New York, changes his mind about competing. Paul, the co-worker whom Jimmy had stood up for, agrees to cover for him at work, and Jimmy enters the battle.In each of the three rounds of the battle, Jimmy is pitted against a different member of Tha Free World and wins the first two rounds. In the last round he is paired against Papa Doc. Jimmy is aware that Doc knows all his weak points, so he uses his difficult life as a springboard to reveal the truth about Papa Doc, exposing him as a fraud: his real name is Clarence and despite passing himself off as a thug he comes from a privileged background, having attended Cranbrook, a private high school in upper-class suburb Bloomfield Hills, and grown up in a stable two-parent household.With nothing to say in rebuttal, Clarence hands the microphone back to Future. After being congratulated by Alex and his friends, Future offers him a position hosting battles at The Shelter. Jimmy declines, saying he has to get back to work and to find success his own way. He walks back to work, with a renewed sense of confidence about his future, as the song "Lose Yourself" plays in the background.
Output: Question: What happens to Jimmy at the rap battle?, Answer: Jimmy's late-night shift conflicts with the next battle tournament