Chapter 2: Jimmy Needs to Channel His Anger Into His Music The world of Detroit's hip hop clubs is one that 8 Mile star Eminem knows well: "I remember, if I lost a battle, it would be like my entire world was crumbling. A lot of people would say, 'What's the big deal? Get over it. You lost, try again. ' But I would feel like my whole life was over. It's competition. It's like a sport that is somebody's whole life. It may look silly to a lot of people, but to a lot of us, it's our world." In 8 Mile, Jimmy has the skills he needs to win. But he needs to find his voice and channel his anger into his music. "My character, Jimmy, is really hot-headed," said Eminem, "which is how I used to be, and I guess still can be at times. His emotion constantly gets the best of him. " But as Jimmy finds his voice, he also begins to find his way and a will to pursue the new roads that will take him beyond the boundaries he can no longer live within. Fascinated by the hip hop world, producer Brian Grazer had long been convinced that it had enormous dramatic potential which had never been fully explored on film. He was determined to develop a story that would bring its power, energy and truth to the screen. "I've been interested in hip hop for more than 20 years," explained the producer. "I got introduced to the music of Slick Rick, who was this absurd hip-hop artist who told perverse stories in his songs that had humor and truth. That's what made me want to discover more about the roots of hip hop, how it works, what the lyrics are relevant to. This was before it became a multi-billion dollar industry. " Grazer knew that for a film about this world to work, it was essential to find the right rap artist. As destiny would have it, Grazer's laser focus fixed on the brilliant and controversial rapper Eminem at exactly the same time that the rapper was searching for the right project in which to make his motion picture debut. Eminem and producer Jimmy Iovine had listened to countless film pitches but nothing connected for them until they met Grazer. According to Iovine, "We kept hitting the ball and Brian Grazer was the first guy to hit it back." "I became interested in Eminem several years ago," Grazer remembered. "He wasn't a star at the time, but I felt he had enormous charisma and that he could be explosive as a film star. I got him in my office, and he just wouldn't talk. He wouldn't even look at me. After about 15 minutes, he finally engaged. And once I got him talking, he was fantastically articulate and eloquent." With Eminem on board, Grazer engaged the services of screenwriter Scott Silver, whose independent film johns was imbued with a street-smart realism that impressed Grazer as having qualities similar to what he was seeking in 8 Mile. Noted Grazer, "Just as you don't have to appreciate boxing to like Rocky or Raging Bull, you don't have to be a hip hop fan to appreciate 8 Mile. It's about human endurance, tenacity, getting into this world and surviving it." For director Curtis Hanson, 8 Mile was an opportunity to once again explore a unique stratum of American culture, to peel back its layers and take a look at people struggling to find their way: "In 8 Mile, we are exposed to a world little known or visited in film, or in mainstream news coverage: impoverished America struggling to make it legitimately in the recesses of the inner city. The people in Detroit know 8 Mile as the city limit, a border, a boundary. But for the character of Jimmy, 8 Mile is the psychological dividing line that separates him from where he wants to be and who he wants to be. If you think about it, we all have our own 8 Mile."  Next Page: To Grow Up As a Rapper Gives You Credibility