Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Exclusive emcee Lazarus interview

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Exclusive emcee Lazarus interview: I discovered emcee Lazarus back in 2004 while investigating about the Detroit underground hip hop scene. Lazarus is far from being your...

Exclusive emcee Lazarus interview

I discovered emcee Lazarus back in 2004 while investigating about the Detroit underground hip hop scene. Lazarus is far from being your average emcee. If you like the battle scene, Lazarus will ignite your passion with his astute wordplays. He allies a very good flow, a fantastic rapping technique, a good dose of verbal tornado towards his opponents. Mc Lazarus knows how to rap. Did you know? Kamran Rashid Khan is also a doctor.

Let me introduce you to the extraordinary rapper-doctor.

-What motivated you to become a rapper?

The biggest motivation for me was that I loved hip hop as form of expression.  Hip hop is a vessel between an artist and the rest of the world.  It's also a vessel between the artist and himself.  Through the use of this art, one can express their deepest feelings in thought and translate them onto a canvas that can be interpreted by others.  When I was in high school, I found myself connecting with certain rappers that were asking to be heard and understood.  Their music was built off of their personal story and struggle.  With everything I had been going through in my own life, I wanted to tap into that medium.  I wanted to spit my story out the world as well.  I became fascinated with the way words played with each other to create a rhythmic pattern. Hip hop is a medium where the words you write on your pad become another instrument in the music.  I used to put on instrumentals with my boys in high school and just start freestyling to the beat.  Over time, this became my personal addiction.  And then it just grew bigger and bigger.

-Why did you choose Lazarus, the Biblical character as your nickname?

I was without a stage name for the first year or two that I was rapping.  My boys just called me Kamran.  In the process of searching for a name that fit what I represented, one of the names that was brought to my attention was Lazarus.  Lazarus, being a character that rose up from the dead, instantly connected with the idea that I stood for which was to rise from silence.  Freedom of speech is very important to me.  Living in a society where so much of what is experienced by a Muslim minority is underrepresented and misconstrued, I felt that my presence would be one to enlighten and broadcast the tale of somebody who otherwise had no voice in the media.  Even members of my own race and community discouraged me to pursue a career in music; there just wasn't any place in that field for someone of Pakistani descent.  At one point, all hope in my mind had died.  Particularly after 9/11, I truly felt that my chances of making it as a rapper were finished.  But then I started rising.  I used the "Terrorist" stereotype against itself and started taking other rappers' racial slurs in battle raps and deflected them back with triple the intensity.  I wasn't going to be silent anyomore.  Lazarus rose from the dead.

-What is your outlook on the current state of hip hop?

It is devoid of stubstance.  Hip hop used to be about passion, poetry and art.  Look at KRS-One.  Look at Rakim.  Look at 2pac.  These people put their soul into the music they put out.  Their music represented something and was a way for them to express themselves.  Today, music doesn't represent anything except money, sex, drugs and clothes. I look at mainstream hip hop as the endpoint of a corporate machine.  If you fit the stereotype that is projected to keep the masses dumbed down, then you get promoted and endorsed.  You are essentially the outcome of picking randomly out of a box of millions to determine who the next generic street rapper is going to be.  These artists get popular by way of forced promotion and as time passes, they get forgotten and so the cycle repeats itself.  If an artist through this machine happens to come out and start rapping about something meaningful or relevant, they slowly start seeping back through the cracks and are trapped back underground.  This is not to say that there aren't any creative artists who are making names for themeselves, they are just managing themselves independently and building themselves without that commercial engine.

-What inspires you to write your songs?

Lazarus is an alter-ego for me.  He is the Superman to my Clark Kent.  When Clark Kent sees something troubling occur in his environment, he runs to the phone booth to transform into Superman who then comes to save the day.  That's Lazarus.  Whenever I see something going on in my surroundings, whether that be in music, something personal, political, or if I feel that a certain issue fails to be addressed, then Lazarus will arrive at the scene and do that which others are either incapable of or too afraid to do.  He's the side of me that says, "Never say never," or "Do or die."  He raises my confidence sky-high and allows me to be my own savior.  A real life superhero.  So when I feel there's a need for that person, I call him out.

-What is the common point between being a doctor and a rapper?

There isn’t a common point between being a doctor and a rapper, but I make one.  Both fields, in their own respective ways, require an unbelievable amount of perseverance and persistence.  They just so happen to be polar opposites in terms of career choice.  When I am practicing medicine, my focus is entirely on the patient in front of me.  Likewise, when I’m in the studio, my focus is solely on making the best music I can make.  The initial

presumption was that I was going to have to be pick one over the other.  That was something I could never do.  I was passionate to pursue both fields.  So many people said, even using very humble and respectable approaches, that I would never make it past medical school with a career in music riding along with it.  I did that.  Then they said I wouldn’t be able to do it during residency, whilst working 80 hours a week in the hospital.  I’m doing that.  Now I am able to provide therapy to people with both my medicine and my music.

-What is the biggest challenge you ever faced as an emcee?

Initially, the biggest challenge for me as an emcee was to gain respect.  In my early days, I felt that I had to do whatever I could do to separate myself from every other kid claiming to be able to spit.  Everybody called themselves a skilled rapper the same way everybody thinks they're Jordan playing ball.  I realized early that there was a life force in me that made me feel invincible when I was on the mic.  I trained it. 

I mastered it.  I would practice freestyling whenever I wasn’t studying.   So that would mean being in the anatomy lab for four hours, then going outside on campus at Wayne State University and finding rappers to battle.  This led me to competitions around Detroit and on various radio stations where I continued to battle and win.  The big challenge after that, however, was to show that I wasn’t just a battle emcee.  Most battle rappers can’t write songs.  And to transcend from battling to song writing was necessary if I wanted to truly make an impact as an artist.  I began to develop the art of putting narratives into songs.  I wanted to tell stories about my life and my experiences.  This is what started giving meaning to my presence as a rapper.  My story being one that was distinct from the rest, I started to fill a void that was never tapped before in hip hop.

-Which artists have you collaborated with on the Detroit scene and nationwide?

I’ve collaborated with Stretch Money, Quest M.C.O.D.Y., Proof of D12 and Royce Da 5’9.”   They were all great experiences.  It was great to work with Royce on the song “Born To Die” and the late Proof on Helluva’s “I Dare You.”  Recording with hip hop veterans definitely keeps my game sharp.  I've also had the opportunity to open up for P. Diddy, D12 and G-Unit.

-Besides hip hop, what kind of music do you listen to?

I love anything that has a heart and a soul and feels good.  I’m a fan of various different genres of music.  I can listen to anything from Wu-Tang, N.W.A. and Biggie to Queen, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson and Al Green.  Outside of that, I'm a big fan of good bhangra and reggae.  If it’s good music, it’s good music.  I love quality music.

-How have you promoted your music to get to where you are?

The internet has been a great vessel for me to expand my audience.  I've gotten fans from various countries around the world who check up on me and support the music that I put out.  Both "Let The Game Know" which was directed by MTV VMA director Anthony Garth and "Drug of Choice" which was filmed in Pakistan, both received over 1 million views on YouTube.  Prior to that, you would've caught me putting flyers on people's cars, going from club to club, battle to battle and selling mixtapes out of my pocket.  I sell my music on iTunes and am in the process of starting my own independent company.  Radio stations have been helpful in getting my music out.  FM 98 WJLB in Detroit, the various college radio stations in Detroit, stations in Canada, India, Pakistan, and the UK have been putting a lot of my records on blast.  BBC ranked "Drug of Choice" amongst their most popular songs.  The Discovery Channel and Voice of America both shot documentaries about me and FOX Sports featured my theme song for the Detroit Red Wings hockey team which I composed a couple of years back.  Those have been great avenues to get my music and story more exposed.  Lastly, doing shows has been a great way to gain new fans.  As hard as it is during residency, I still try to get on venues whenever I get the chance.

-What are your music plans for 2013?

I'm in the process of putting together a new mixtape to follow the last one I dropped which was called "Lazarus Story."  I also plan on dropping at least a couple new videos this year.  In addition to that, I have plans to do some soundtrack work in Hollywood and possibly getting an overseas tour going.  I look forward to getting a lot done this year.

 Copyright© by Isabelle Esling

All Rights Reserved

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Detroit writer Contel Bradford reviews "Eminem and...

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Detroit writer Contel Bradford reviews "Eminem and...: In an article entitled " Hats Off to the Detroit Scene" , author Contel Bradford, of Detroit, gave " Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene" a r...

Detroit writer Contel Bradford reviews "Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene

In an article entitled " Hats Off to the Detroit Scene", author Contel Bradford, of Detroit, gave " Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene" a review.

Who is Contel Bradford?

Contel Bradford is a professional writer of many trades — aspiring
screenwriter, affiliate marketer in training, published author. He
excels at writing articles on internet technology, specializing in
areas that range from email marketing and web hosting to social media
and SEO. Mr. Bradford is also the author of the iPod and iTunes
Handbook and the riveting urban fiction novel Thug Nation.

Learn more about this multi-talented man of mystery at Contelbradford.com

HATS OFF THE DETROIT SCENE, by Contel Bradford

I sometimes call Detroit the land of the forsaken. It sucks more than it doesn’t, and to be honest, I can’t wait to leave. Having said that, I’ve lived here for like ever, so I can’t help but love it. This is why I used to get a little frustrated at the lack of Detroit’s presence in the rap game. 

It’s nothing I get too bent out of shape about, it just seems like the presence is stronger in other cities, and Detroit kinda gets shit (shitted or shat) on. Then I’m reminded how we’re home to some of the greats in the game. Esham, Big Proof, and Eminem are among the greats that comprise the Detroit rap scene.

Speaking of Eminem and the Detroit rap scene, I’d like to introduce you to a new book, which happens to be called, Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: White Kid in a Black Music World. Sweet how I tied that in, eh? 

All kidding aside, this book is written by Isabelle Esling, music journalist and a good friend from a distant land known to me as Isa. I can’t quite remember how we met, but it was online perhaps 8 or 9 years ago. Our connection was a shared love for D12. She told me how she was planning to write a book about Em and D12; I told her how I was just getting started as an author and had a book I was selling in Detroit.

At least this is how I remember it going down. Keep in mind I’ve lost countless brain cells since then. 

Anyway, Isa was very instrumental in me establishing a presence of my own online. I let her read my first book, Dark Decision, and she loved it. She shared this in her circles and generated buzz that helped me sell future books such asThug Nation. Her support of my work also helped me connect with a long lost family member, who saw some of the reviews she wrote about my book, and build the credibility I would go on to use to start a career in freelance writing. 

Aside from being a good friend, Isa is a great journalist who is passionate about her work, and that passion shines through in her extensive coverage of Eminem and other artists on the Detroit rap scene over the years. 

If you want a candid look at Eminem, the underground rap scene in Detroit, or just want to read something fresh and interesting, I highly recommend this book. You won’t be disappointed. 

You can learn more about Isabelle and her book, Eminem and Detroit Rap Scene, here (or there, the link, ya know?). 

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Steve Furay reviews Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene for Michigan Citizen

By Steve FuraySpecial to the Michigan Citizen

Read the original article here.

DETROIT — A new book about the life and career of Eminem has now been released, satisfying fans throughout the world with more material about the rap superstar. But here in Detroit, the city he claims, the book raises questions about whether he has returned the favor for the gifts that Motown has given him.

“Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: White Kid In A Black Music World” draws readers’ thoughts to the tensions between Black and white communities in one of the nation’s most segregated cities. The movie “8 Mile” played on the same idea, a white rap underdog trying to become recognized in the Black community.

Author Isabelle Esling, a French native living in England, wrote the book from numerous magazine and television interviews with Eminem, plus her own interviews with members of Detroit’s hip hop community.

Esling describes the hard life Eminem experienced growing up, through poverty and stress of troubled family members. Eminem’s success as an artist is in his ability to compose lyrics honest and imaginative about his rough upbringing, always with a punchline ready.

When his music first became popular in 1999, Eminem’s global fame was a perfect storm of talent and imagination reflecting the spirit of the age. Hyperactive youth faced the future of a troubled world economy, with media feeding the public violence on a 24-hour cycle.

“Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene” focuses on the genius of his writing, but his dedication to helping Detroit is also questioned. DJ Butter, for instance, was an early collaborator with Eminem and his group D12, and tells his experience of Eminem’s Shady Records having bad business with local artists.

“When Eminem and D12 went against me,” says DJ Butter in the book, “I just never understood how I could break bread with those guys before the big label deals and they couldn’t break bread back. They made me out to be the bad guy.”

Eminem has become a world symbol for Detroit, but here he is an artist who gained fame and wealth and then left. His upbringing in the city’s hip hop scene of the 1990s was heavily based on helping to make the community a better place, building businesses and opportunities for youth to escape life in the streets.

The famed Hip Hop Shop, open during the mid-1990s as a hub of the Detroit hip hop scene, was a turning point in Eminem’s career, where the Saturday afternoon open mics were flooded with a community of highly talented artists.

The success of artists like Elzhi and Royce Da 5’9” validate the Shop’s creation of top skilled emcees through artistic interaction, and Eminem was a key participant of this collective. The common chant was “3-1-3,” the area code that everyone wanted to help make better for the future.

Proof, known to the world as a member of Eminem’s group D12 before his death in 2006, is referenced in the book as a close friend, mentor and artistic inspiration. Proof was also in the group 5 ELA, or 5 Elementz, where he and members Thyme and Mudd worked at Hip Hop Shop and set up the open mics each Saturday.

“He was the leader (of D12),” says Mudd. “They listened to whatever ideas he came with. He could sit down, calm them down, bring them together enough to whereas they respected him as a leader.”

Though Proof left 5 ELA, Mudd and Thyme give testimony that he always wanted his own success to be used for the betterment of the community. This aspect of Eminem’s upbringing in hip hop through Proof is not discussed in “Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene.”

“We ain’t trying to be out there on the mountaintop,” says Mudd. “We’re with the people, we’ve always been with the people. We’ve always brought the community together. To me it’s just the right thing to do. It’s like a church or a synagogue — once you get the congregation you can lead the flock, just as long as you’re leading them in the right direction.”

Today, 5 ELA’s community spirit lives through 5e Gallery, located on Michigan Avenue in Corktown. The gallery is owned and operated by DJ Sicari, the group’s newest member, who was also employed at the Hip Hop Shop. The space struggles for financial resources like others in city, but Thyme views this hip hop community center as an opportunity to help realize the dream of the “3-1-3” movement. This is the unrealized potential of a “White Kid In A Black Music World.”

“The hip hop in this town is an economic force that is never used,” says Thyme. “It’s always used for someone’s particular personal gain. We can’t even think about none of them. All of us that’s here doing it, we have to say the responsibility is ours. How you gonna handle that?”

“Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: White Kid In A Black Music World” by Isabelle Esling is available for purchase online at www.Amazon.com

IsaMusoJourno: Christmas is approaching...here is the perfect pre...

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Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Treat yourself or your loved ones for Christmas!

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Official Isabelle Esling author website

Find me here.

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Author Donna Kshir takes me to the depth of "Emine...

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Author Donna Kshir takes me to the depth of "Emine...: INTERVIEW    strong>INTERVIEW Author Donna Kshir asked me a bunch of deep and interesting questions about my recent...

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Author Donna Kshir takes me to the depth of "Emine...

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Author Donna Kshir takes me to the depth of "Emine...: INTERVIEW    strong>INTERVIEW Author Donna Kshir asked me a bunch of deep and interesting questions about my recent...

Author Donna Kshir takes me to the depth of "Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene"

INTERVIEW

 

 strong>INTERVIEW</strong>

Author Donna Kshir asked me a bunch of deep and interesting questions about my recent book on Eminem and the Detroit scene. She will allow you to discover more about my motives, Eminem, Detroit rappers, and what inspires me. Have a look at this in depth interview!

1.Tell me a bit about yourself?

Well, I am a music journalist and a writer. Writing is my passion.

2.How did you get into music journalism or what motivated you to write?

-I think the wish to be writing has always been latent in me. It just needed a big detonator to get me started.
My big motivator was Eminem s music. I wanted to share my knowledge, my impressions and my passion for the artist and his message with the world.

3.Making it as a writer is a lot of hard work. What’s the biggest challenge you had to face?

-My biggest challenge as a writer was to become a published author.
I had to rewrite my book several times in order to perfect it. It took me 9 years.

4.I had the privilege of reading your new release. What inspired you to write about Eminem and The Detroit Rap Scene?

-I discovered Eminem back in 2001 thanks to my son Marcus. At first, I was a little bit suspicious about this white dude rapping. I am always suspicious at first, even as a white person, when I see a white artist in a traditionally black musical genre. This has nothing to do with racism, it is just that there are loads of wannabes. So I first thought to myself “Oh not another white guy mimicking black people!”, but then I discovered his work, listened to his interviews and found him amazing and full of talent.

I have been  so enthusiastic that I really wanted to write about this artist in particular. Getting to know the whole D12 crew encouraged me to dig deeper into the Detroit hip hop scene. There are so many talented artists on the scene and they deserved exposure as well, because at this time the Detroit scene was pretty much unknown from the world.

5.How long have you followed Eminem and his work?

-I have been following Eminem since 2001, so more than a decade and I analysed his musical work from Biterphobia, Infinite, to Recovery.

 6.Eminem has had a lot of success in his career. Do you think he is as powerful as an artist as he was 5 years ago?

-Difficult question…I think that Eminem really was at his peak in 2003, at the time I came to see him in concert in Paris Bercy. Everybody was talking about him, in my country and in the whole world.
I think that people cooled down a little bit when he retired from the scene due to his health problems. I also think that he is not reaching out to the same kind of people (besides the die hard fan base) now than at the beginning of his career.

He is still powerful, but maybe perceived differently-and less controversial than he used to be.

 

7.There are a lot of talented artists in the underground Hip Hop Scene that have the talent but don't get the recognized or fame they deserve. Why do you think some rappers, like Eminem, make it and find success, and some don't?

-Eminem could have stayed like this too. The rhymes he wrote at 14, like in the Biterphobia  song, are so much impressing. Infinite was a great album, lyrically speaking, but it lacked technical means. I do think that meeting Dr Dre was the chance of his life. When you meet the right people at the right time, you are getting the right type of promotion.
There are loads of talented rappers in Detroit, some of them really need more recognition, like Lazarus. He is a rapper and a doctor . His parents emigrated from Pakistan to Detroit. He is truly one of Detroit s best battle rappers.

8.Who, in the music business (underground or mainstream) would you most like to meet?

-Mainstream: Dr Dre, no contest! He is a legend.
-Underground: Uncle ILL, Mu, I-Mac and Dogmatic in Detroit and Dirty Red in Compton

9.Musically speaking, who is your biggest influence? And why was it so important to include the Detroit Rap Scene in your book?

-If you are speaking generally, James Brown is one of my biggest musical influences. I love the dynamism and positivity of his music.
In rap music, the early Eminem is certainly a very big influence. I also love Compton legend Eazy E.

10.You dedicated your book to your two sons; Marcus and Simon and Big Proof "Deshaun Holton." What was the inspiration behind the dedication to Big Proof?

-Proof is a symbol of unity in Detroit rap. His goal was to unite emcees and make them work together for the love of music. I love his dedication to hip hop, I love his way of experimenting different styles in his solo work. I also love his simplicity as a person. I was very fortunate to interview him ( thanks, Darcey of Iron Fist Records),  before he was brutally murdered. I think that nobody represents Detroit hip hop better than Deshaun Holton aka Big Proof.

11.Was it a challenge to find the essence of the Detroit ghetto and its rappers to find the real character of Marshall Mathers III?

-I wouldn t call it a challenge, rather a wonderful opportunity to explore Detroit underground rap. The main difficulty was to be taken seriously in the beginning. But soon people started to support me and to help me out with my musical investigations.

12. What is one thing you respect about Marshall Mathers? And do you find some of his lyrics disrespectful to the way he refers to women?

-I respect Eminem showing people that they should go for their dreams.  He showed people, that no matter where you come from, you can develop the will to succeed and make your dreams happen. In that way he is a role model for many people. I respect that, because his life was far from being simple.
I don t react to his misogynistic sounding lyrics, I even find them funny in the context he uses those…people should read Eminem between the lines: he is not a bad guy, a woman beater. He is just an emcee messing around with your head and playing with words.

13.Through your book I found Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene to impact our American culture. Do you feel the same way and why?

-If you are speaking in terms of creativity, I do think 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?

14.I have read many Eminem biographies. How is this book different from a well documented biography of the rapper's life?

-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.

15.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?

-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..

16.The world seems to hate Kim Mathers. Do you feel Marshall shared too much of his personal life in his music and that is a reflection why so many people hate or have hard feeling towards Kim? And do you ever see the public feeling differently towards Kim?

-I still don t get that: how can people hate Kim Mathers when they don t even know her personally? This is crazy!

From what I understand, Eminem s intent was to be very close to his listeners and as such, he wanted to share very intimate details of his life. In some way, he s been maybe a little bit too close…some crazed fans probably interpreted this as an open door to spread their hatred about his family members.

I am sure Eminem s mom, Debbie Mathers, had her deal of difficulties, raising her two kids on her own. She surely made some mistakes…but I think that she is a regular person who deserves privacy. So does Kim. I feel sympathy for both, because I realize that they never asked for all this media exposure.

A fan or a journalist, or whoever listens to Eminem s should understand that even when Eminem seems to be mad at his relatives in his music, it often expresses the anger of the moment. We should all take a respectful distance from his family members.

 

17.As a Eminem biographer following Eminem's career and personal life, do you feel Marshall made mistakes in his relationships with his mother Debbie and ex-wife Kim?

-Difficult question, indeed.  I  don t know any of them personally, but I could assume, according to the official and inside sources that I have that he certainly made some mistakes, but isn t that human? No familial relationship can be described as “perfect”.

-I feel like the episode of the “Kim doll” was a little bit too much to bear for his ex wife.
I also feel like Debbies “ image” has been permanently destroyed in people s mind. It is very difficult to cope with the press picking on you permanently.

18.Many children and teens experience bullying. Do you think the abuse a Marshall experienced   as a child impacted his life and helped him become the person he is today?

-I think that it certainly impacted him. It probably left some scars, but it also helped him to grow as a person.
I am glad Debbie Mathers and her partner Neal Alpert stood up, creating an official anti bullying campaign in 2012. Maybe it well help the public to see her as an engaged person, not as a perpetual monster.

19.In you opinion, how many years do you believe Eminem has left in his rapping career? And once he retires will he will still have a hand in music?

-He left from 2005 to 2007, because of health and addiction problems. I cannot picture Eminem retiring, because he has a true passion for music. If he does, I think he will always have a foot into the scene.

20.Do you currently have any projects in the works?

-Oh yes. I am working towards the success of this book. I also have two more books that have been accepted by two different publishing companies. My second book is a novel, in French, entitled “ Sous le Ciel de Paris” and my third book is the biography of my dear grandma “Liebe Oma”, in German language.
I am also in the process of submitting a fourth book, a spiritual one “ Unwrap Your Present” to publishers. I have a fifth book in the works, it is a science fiction work, in French, based on time travel.

So you see, I am kept busy all the time.

21.If you could thank one person, for helping get you where you are today…Who would it be and why

- I d like to point out that I have to thank a lot of people for supporting me and helping me get where I am now (including you, of course), but if you are talking about my very beginnings, I would like to thank two persons in particular:

-Martin Harrell, a close friend, whom I met in my hometown back in 2002. He always supported me and gave me the right advice.
-Gavin Sheridan, an Irish professional blogger, who gave me my chance as a music journalist and got me started back in 2003.

22.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I see myself as a successful, full time writer living in Paris.

23. If you could invite one person to dinner tonight, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

-I d pick Canadian writer Michael Losier, because he is an example of optimism and simplicity to me. I am also fascinated with his domain of expertise, the law of attraction. I believe that we can attract good things in our lives by thinking the right way. Michael is a great teacher, I chatted a couple of times with him on Facebook and I would love to meet him face to face.
       
   
Copyright© Donna Kshir an Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Isabelle Esling interview by author Genevieve Scholl

Who is Genevieve Scholl?

 

Genevieve Scholl is an author, photographer, artist, designer, studying to be a Paralegal, crafter (she makes hair clips, cook and proud aunt.

 

1.Explain what a music journalist actually is.

Good question! Being a music journalist for a decade, I do consider myself to be a kind of musical detective. You have to search for new talents, expose skills. You have to go deep into the music and figure out the artist s intent, so yes to me a music journalist is a musical detective at first, but also someone who is driven by a passion and who is capable of putting music into words.

 2. What got you interested in writing?

I have always liked writing. I used to write little stories that I illustrated myself as a child. My father used to remunerate me for each of these stories.

Writing comes to me naturally, because this is something I really love doing. I love sharing with my audience.

 

 3. Is writing/ music journalist your only career and/or hobby?

When I am not writing, I am teaching languages. I am a German teacher, but I also taught French and English.

 

4. Who, in the music business would you most like to meet?

I’d be interested in meeting Dr Dre. He impresses me, as a person and as an artist.

 

 5. Your book is about Eminem, but do you listen to music other than rap? What kind and who is your favorite band or singer in that genre?

I am very eclectic. I love rap music, besides Eminem, I am very much into the Detroit Rap Scene. I also love many Westcoast artists, Eazy E and BG Knock Out and Dresta, Dirty Red…I love old school rap, including Mc Hammer.

 I was raised into classical music and jazz. I love soul music ( James Brown is my idol, I also love Elmer Fields), blues…I have a preference for black music in general, but I also like artist such as Rod Steward or more recent, Maverick Sabre.

 

6. Do you read Fiction and if you do who is your favorite author?

I write more than I read at the moment to be very honest, but the book I came across during a short Parisian trip in August was “ Le Bonheur du Jour” from Jose Cabanis, in French.

I love Balzac, I love Friedrich Schiller, I love Victor Hugo, Guy de Maupassant, Chamisso and Heinrich Heine.

 

 7. Where do you live?

I live in London, UK.

 

 8. Where would you live if money was no option?

Paris, no contest, I love Paris…another option would be Saarbrücken, in Germany, a town that is linked with childhood memories.

 

 9. DO you have any interesting collections?

I am not so much of a collector. I do collect memories that I put on paper. Sometimes they reappear in form of a fiction, like in my current literary projects.

 

 10. Send link to your blogs/ media/ facebook/ etc.

Here are my links:

The Eminem Blog

http://www.theeminemblog.com

Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/IsaMusoJourno

I do write for this website on the hip hop section:

www.dtownie.com/

Facebook account

https://www.facebook.com/isabelle.esling

 

LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=hb_tab_pro_top

 

Website about my first book:

www.eminemandthedetroitrapscene.blogspot.uk

Website with professional profile-portfolio:

www.isamusojourno.blogspot.com

 

Websites regarding different literary projects:

About my novel in French, Sous le Ciel de Paris

www.isaparis75.blogspot.com

Self help book project:

www.unwrapyourpresent.blogspot.com

About an upcoming project, bio of my grandma, in German language:

www.liebeoma.wordpress.com

 

Copyright© by Genevieve Scholl and Isabelle Esling

All Rights Reserved

 

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Author Donna Kshir reviews " Eminem and the Detroi...

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Author Donna Kshir reviews " Eminem and the Detroi...:                                                                        Donna Kshir, writer Despite her very busy schedule, my frien...

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Author Donna Kshir reviews " Eminem and the Detroi...

Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene: Author Donna Kshir reviews " Eminem and the Detroi...:                                                                        Donna Kshir, writer Despite her very busy schedule, my frien...

Author Donna Kshir reviews " Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene"

                                                                       Donna Kshir, writer

Despite her very busy schedule, my friend and fellow writer Donna Kshir took the time to review my book in the Detroit Examiner. Before I share her words with you, I would like to state that I am very grateful  for her review.

 

Donnas opinion about my book

 

Detroit Examiner article

 

"I first met Isabelle Esling back in 2005. She was a talented young writer at The Eminem Blog. She immediately stood out to me, as she had a great passion and love for music. Isabelle has a gift of putting music into words. She has been enthusiastic about Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene for as far back as I can remember.

If you want to know Eminem the rapper, you first have to understand who Marshall Mathers is, where he comes from, what inspired him, his fight and struggle to succeed as an artist, and how those events made him the man he is today.

A young Marshall came from very humble beginnings. Those early beginnings also came complete with a dysfunctional family and a history of drug dependency. He knows what it feels like to be different, to be bullied and experience racism. Experiencing life on both the black and white sides of the Detroit ghetto provided a young Marshall with a valuable look into two very different, separate cultures giving him a love for music that would set the stage and eventually change rap music forever.

Marshall would spend a decade perfecting his rhyming skills and writing lyrics, but also building a reputation. His dream of rapping appeared impossible and maybe foolish to some; his family, friends and even his educators. No one wanted to believe in Marshall, making it that much harder for him to believe in himself, but his best friend Proof would give him enough courage, strength and inspiration that eventually made him one of the most successful artists of our time.

Marshall had several approaches to music, but using his turbulent youth and relationships with his mother, Debbie, and girlfriend, Kim, created a rebellious alter-ego that would set the stage and make him the superstar he desired to be.

Whether you have been a fan of Eminem for years or if have recently discovered him, this book is for you! I highly recommend EMINEM and the Detroit Rap Scene: White Kid in a Black Music World. Isabelle answers the tough questions so many fans desire to know. This book goes deeply within the reach of Eminem's early years, the Detroit Rap Scene, what it is like to be a struggling artist in Detroit and his rise to the top with many added bonuses.

Isabelle's insight alone gives the book credibility, but she digs much deeper showing how Eminem and the Detroit Rap Scene have impacted our American culture. This book is more than a well-documented biography of the rapper's life. Isabelle has been given her readers a level of access to Eminem that I feel no other journalist has come close to. Her insight takes the reader deep into the heart of the Detroit ghetto long before Eminem was a superstar. "

 

Purchase your copy at:

-paperback version

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eminem-and-the-detroit-rap-scene-isabelle-esling/1111259329?ean=9781937269265

-Nook Book

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eminem-and-the-detroit-rap-scene-isabelle-esling/1111324120?ean=2940014354790

Who is Donna Kshir?

Donna is a Bestselling, Platinum Level Expert Author, Executive Producer, Child Abuse Prevention Advocate, Animal Rights Advocate, Radio Talk Show Host, President and Chief Development Officer at Dreamcatchers for Abused Children. Donna's goal is to educate society on domestic violence, teen dating violence and child abuse by creating a series of educational books. Currently she has 12 published books, and recently opened her own publishing company; K-Pott Books. For more information, email Donna at: donnakshir12@gmail.com.

Official Donna Kshir website:

http://donnakshir.webs.com/