"Shady Bizzness: " Life as Eminem's Bodyguard in an Industry of Paper Gangsters" (17 page)

He called me while he was in a meeting with Slim and D-12, and I
told him that I needed more money because my CCW permits came in,
and I was more qualified, and that I needed more control over security
or I wasn’t getting on the plane the next day. He told me that he had no
intentions of paying me any more money than I was already getting. I told
him that it was nice working with him and Slim, and that since all my
requests and proposals weren’t respected, the relationship had to be cut.
I told him that I was a businessman and that I wasn’t being respected as
such. I wished them much success and said I would continue to buy their
records but that I could no longer work for the minimal wages that they
were paying. I gave them until midnight that night to change my mind
because I could go back to work and make the same amount of money
that they were paying me. Paul responded, “Well, how are you going to
wait until the last minute when we are supposed to fly out to California
at noon tomorrow to shoot the ‘Still Dre’ video?” I gave him a taste of his
own medicine. I said, “Well Paul, everything in this business is last minute,
so get used to it. Again, you have until midnight tonight to change my
mind because I can’t do this under these conditions. ”

That was a big step for me, and I felt good about it. I didn’t have
any regrets. I went upstairs, and I gave my wife the news that Paul didn’t
care to meet the total amount of money I wanted, which was $300 a day.
Comparatively, this wasn’t a lot of money, because some guys get $700 or
more a day, up to a thousand, and there I was getting $185. I was glad I
had made my decision. I went downstairs and got on the Internet, and
lo and behold one of the villains from the past e-mailed me—DT. He
was basically on a positive note, just asking how are you doing hope
everything is going well; I remember a lot of good things about you. Now,
how unexpected was that? I just resigned from Paul and Slim, and DT
happens to send me e-mail. He was one of my biggest nemeses on the
tour when it first started, and now he was trying to be my friend. It was an
eerie feeling because it almost seemed like DT knew what was going on.
I e-mailed him back, letting him know that everything was cool and that
I was just getting ready for the New Year. We corresponded over the next
few days, but I didn’t tell him the news.

The
first person I told was Gus, who commended me and reassured
me that I had done the right thing.They screwed Gus over financially, too.
I called Rowe and told him, and, of course, I told Rock and Noel. I sent
the rest of the people I had met and worked with an e-mail, letting them
know that it was nice to work with them and that I hoped to talk to them
in the future. That was basically how I closed out my resignation because
I didn’t want people to hear anything except for the truth first. I had
resigned, not been fired, and it felt good. About an hour after I resigned, I
got a call from Proof. He told me that I fucked Paul and Slim up with that
news. He said it was right, because they were acting like big shots at the
meeting. I told Proof that was how they always acted. Proof said the first
thing out of Paul’s mouth was, “Damn, I didn’t get a chance to fire him. ”
I knew that is what Paul wanted to do. He wanted to fire me and drag my
name through the mud. He wanted to have something negative on me so
bad he could taste it. I thought that I ended it on a good note, but I found
out otherwise later.

Slim and Paul
flew out to California, and I made preparations to
go back to work. I didn’t feel any regrets, much to my surprise. I was
happy to be back with my family and friends. I was thankful that I wasn’t
a materialistic person because I didn’t get so caught up in the hype
that it hurt me to leave it. I owed it all to my upbringing, to my mom
for instilling a good sense of morals and to my father for always being
straight up with me about life. That’s the one thing I had over Paul and
Slim. They had no father figures. Slim never knew his father, and Paul’s
father left his mother when he was young. I know things happen, but I
was a different type of man. I was a better man than both of them put
together. The two of them didn’t equal half of me, and it showed, and
they knew it. And they say that black fathers aren’t any good! I am here to
tell you that I have the best dad in the world, and the most loving mom,
and because of that I am a good dad and a great man, all blessed by God.
That is something that Paul and Slim didn’t understand and could never
take from me. But they did manage to affect me financially.

I had no idea that this day was going to be what it was. This day
made my whole entire year the worst I ever had. I almost lost everything.
I almost lost my wife, my kids, my freedom, and my religion. What went
down was a shock, a harsh reality. It was like being thrown in a pot of
hot water while you are asleep. You wonder how the hell you got there.
I got a call from the bank where my wife works. Her boss called her and
told her that the checks we cashed had a stop put on them. The three
grand Christmas bonus had been cashed eight days ago. We had already
spent that and invested it. Also, my retainer check had been canceled.
I immediately went through the roof when my wife told me this. Her
boss asked her what we were going to do about the money. We had to
put some money in our account to keep it out of negative status, which
greatly inconvenienced us. All of this because stupid-ass Paul and Slim
couldn’t handle the fact that I didn’t want to work for them anymore.
They did this out of spite. Automatically, right off the bat, I snapped.
I went off. I honestly wasn’t thinking about my wife and my kids. All
I could think about was all of the work that I did for these guys, that I
left my family to work for them, that I stood in front of Death Row and
other dangerous situations and put my life on the line. I thought about
my Christmas bonus, which was short as it was because it was supposed
to have been five grand, but it was only three grand. They canceled the
check eight days after the check was cashed out of spite just because I
didn’t want to work for them.

The
first thing I did was go down to my basement, and I loaded
up my clip. I put on my bulletproof vest. I loaded my second clip and
put it on my belt. I grabbed my tear gas and my baton because at this
point somebody was about to get their ass beat. Someone was about to
get dealt with. I totally got beyond myself. I allowed the devil to step in
and take over my whole mind-set. I was gone; I snapped just that quickly
without even thinking. I stopped and thought and said, “Well, let me call
Paul, ” because I was about to go out on a manhunt. The part that hurt
me the most was that I had been loyal to them throughout the entire
duration. I thought about all of the physical and mental sacrifices I made
dealing with these fools, and this was the thanks I got! I deserved both
of those checks—plus some. I felt disrespected and punked out and like
they were trying to play games with my life. All I could see was red.

Then I realized that that’s what these guys were all about—paper
gangsters, straight bitches. They knew they couldn’t beat me mentally or
physically, so they played the only game they could: big bank take little
bank. And I must say, they got me that time. They pushed a button that
no one ever pushed before because these boys had me ready to lay some
people down. I called Paul, and of course he didn’t answer. Unthinkingly,
I left him a voice mail. I left a verbal threat to do some damage. Not a very
wise choice! Ironically, I had turned into a person I didn’t like. I was doing
something that I said I wasn’t going to do and that was give in to the devil
by chasing the money. They used the money as an object for me to chase
after. For me, it wasn’t just the money; it was the loyalty I had given and
the lack of respect that I received. It was a ton of things, and everything I
had put up with over the months, all the positions I passed up at my job,
missing out on my newborn son’s first year, and a lot more.

These are all the things I could see, and all I could think about
was hurting these guys in a way that their mothers would feel. Paul
didn’t answer the phone, so I left a message saying that they knew exactly
what they had done and had taken money from me that was rightfully
mine, and, “Just because I am a family man, don’t think that I won’t do
something to your ass because I will.The best way to correct this is to give
me my fuckin’ money back. It’s very ironic that y’all hired me to be y’all’s
bodyguard, but now you have to hire somebody to protect y’all from me.
I am not bullshitting, man. I want my money. You will never be able to
go anywhere treating people like this, and you won’t have to worry about
Death Row because the wrath that I’m going to put on your ass, you will
never forget.You and Slim.That’s not a threat, that’s a promise. Now, give
me my fuckin’ money back, and I mean that shit. ”

Right after I left Paul this message on his cell phone, I called Slim,
and I was still madder than a mutha fucka. His wife, Kim, answered his
cell phone and handed it to Slim, who came on the line sounding coy and
acting like he didn’t know what was going on, just like he always does. He
knew damn well what was going on. I questioned him about pulling my
money, and he said I didn’t do shit the whole month of December, and
it was my fault. I told him that I called him daily to let him know that I
was available. Paul got into Slim’s head once again, making him betray
the people who supported him the most. I told him I resigned, and it was
strictly a business decision, but they made it personal. He said, “Fuck you,
Naz, ” and I said, “Oh, it’s like that? Well fuck you, too. ” He was like, “Well,
what are you going to do? I got a gun. ” And I was like, “What the fuck
do you mean what am I going to do? Have you forgotten whom you are
talking to? I got guns! You hired me to protect you because you couldn’t
do it yourself. Man, please get the fuck out of here with that shit. I’m
trying to get my money back. ” He kept testing me and challenging me to
do something or make a move, and I kept telling him all I wanted was my
money back and that I was making the phone call to avoid coming over
there. He was ranting and raving on the phone trying to be hard, and I
told him I was on my way there. He was like, “Whatever!” and hung up the
phone. Little did I know that Paul and Slim were plotting. At this point I
was really mad as hell. I wasn’t sure where Paul was, but I knew that Slim
was home.

Since I had been his bodyguard, I knew his every move before he
even made it. I knew where he hung at, ate at, recorded at, lived at, and
partied. At any given moment, I could find him. I was thinking, Man,
this guy don’t know who he is fucking with. He must think he is dealing
with some type of punk or something. I was outside pacing and mad, just
fuming, and my wife was trying to get me to come back into the house
because I have a family, but I wasn’t trying to hear that shit. All I was
thinking of was hurting Paul and Slim the way I was hurting. It wasn’t
a hurt from the money; it was a hurt from betrayal. I was the realest
person Slim has ever had around him. I didn’t ask him for shit or want
for nothing. I watched his back and cared about him. He fucked me, and
he helped Paul fuck me. Paul, being the big bitch that he is, knew that the
only way he could deal with me was through Slim. He never could deal
with me one on one.That’s why he wouldn’t accept my calls and wouldn’t
talk to me. I intimidated him.

I had all these voices going through my head. I was hearing my
father telling me not to mess up my name—”You’ve got kids! You’ve got a
wife. ” I was feeling totally belittled and discouraged and feeling a lot of
anguish. I wasn’t trying to hear what God had to say or what my wife had
to say. I wanted to handle it my way. I wasn’t trying to hear what my father
had to say. In fact, I was deaf to anything that was going to help me better
this situation. I had become a monster. I had become the person that I
was working for, and that’s sad. The industry had gotten the best of me.

Little did I know that voicemail on Paul’s cell phone would alter
my life. I decided to just get in my truck and drive. I still maintained my
thoughts of hurting Paul and Slim, but rather than act on those thoughts,
I went shopping to occupy some time and to ease my mind. The way I
was feeling, I would have gone over to Slim’s house and literally killed
that boy. I listened to some gospel music to help me to rebuke the devil,
because I had become so evil and enraged at that point that I wasn’t
trying to hear anything. I felt like I had turned my back on God and my
family. I wanted it to be my revenge.

I asked God why he let them treat me this way, and I realized that
it wasn’t God’s fault. It was my fault. Because once they turned me down
the first time I gave them a proposal, I should have resigned then. But
you live and you learn, and one thing I learned from that situation is that
if people don’t take you seriously, then you have to show them just how
serious you are.

After I
finished shopping and calmed myself down, I had come
to my senses. I said to myself that the conversation Slim and I had on
the phone was real fucked up and that he and I had some history now.
We should be able to sit down and resolve this like men. I had come to
a conclusion that I didn’t want to take this into the New Year; I wanted
to start Y2K off right. I reluctantly headed over to his house hearing two
voices: one telling me to stop over at Slim’s house and the other telling
me not to. I realized that I probably should not have gone over there,
but the problem had to be confronted. I went over there, and I was still
wearing my bulletproof vest and carrying my . 40 cal with two fully loaded
clips, my baton, and my tear gas. I went to his house ready to talk with a
sensible mind, but I knew not to underestimate Slim because he could
be high or drunk, as usual. He can be very stupid when he’s impaired.

When I got out of my truck at his house, his truck wasn’t there. I
went up to his door and knocked softly, with my other hand in my pocket
on my . 40 caliber, just in case! After I knocked, I heard everyone in his
mother-in-law’s house scrambling, panicking, screaming, and hollering.
It was obvious that they knew that Slim and I were beefing from our
phone conversation. I heard Kim saying, “Oh, my God, he’s here! He’s
going to do something to us! Call Slim!” Slim was hiding out at a friend’s
house around the corner to avoid seeing me. I told him I was coming
to see him on some street shit, but since I had calmed down, I was only
there to talk to him. But if he wanted to get into some gangster shit we
could have gone that route, too. Unlike Slim, I own CCW permits. All
my shit was legal, and I had a right to defend myself. When Kim finally
decided to open the door, she was the nicest she’s ever been to me. She
was crying. “Naz, what do you want? Slim said you were going to kill
us–you were going to kill Hailey and me and we don’t want any problems.
You guys need to quit this!” I said, “Look, Kim, I came over here to talk
because the conversation Slim and I had on the phone was real fucked
up. Since we have history, we should be able to talk this out. ”

She was like, “Well, he’s not here, ” and I said to her, “No problem.
Just give him the message and tell him to call me so that we can iron
this out. ” I was trying to be a bigger man and do this the right way. It
wasn’t easy for me to do, because some real grimy thugs would have
taken his family hostage or killed somebody for fucking with their money
and livelihood. At the point when I got out of the truck, I felt like I had
allowed the Lord to come back in. I wasn’t a fool, and I wasn’t about to
allow myself to be locked away for thirty years from my sons. I went over
there to be logical and civilized, but if he wanted to be stupid, he was
going to get dealt with. I was going to be leaving in one piece. After giving
Kim the message, I saw Slim pulling up around the corner in his truck.
I was like, “Oh, there he is right there, ” and she was like, “Well, Naz, be
careful, he’s got a gun!” I said, “I am not worried about that because so
do I! I was loyal to him and I just want to talk to him about getting my
money back that he owes me. ” She was like, “You should get out of here!
You should leave!” I told her I could take care of myself, but she still said,
“You should leave!” so I said, “OK. ” I saw Slim sitting at the corner in
his truck like a coward, because I could have been doing anything to his
wife.

When he saw me walking to my truck, he decided to pull up.
I showed him my hands as a peace treaty. I told him that the phone
conversation was sour and that we needed to handle this like men. He
was red in the face and high and obviously nervous. I said we should be
able to handle this without Paul interfering. He wasn’t listening. He was
panicking and yelling, “What are you doing here?” and accusing me of
trying to do something to his family. He was like, “Naz, I got a gun, and I’ll
shoot you!” I was like, “I don’t give a fuck about that. I am the one who
took you to apply for the CCW permit, if you haven’t forgotten!” He told
me to get off his property, and I was like, “This isn’t even your property,
this is your mother-in-law’s property. What you and Paul did to me was
illegal anyway. I just came to talk to you in a civilized manner. Again, how
can I get my money? Let’s do this without Paul being in the picture. Now,
how can I get my money? Because I need my loot!” He was like, “Fuck
you, Naz! Get off my property!” and he was just getting louder and louder
and more nervous because we were the only two people outside at this
point in an all-white neighborhood. I put my hand back in my pocket on
my gun. He saw that what he was saying to me wasn’t bothering me at all.
That was making him more nervous. He was getting louder, to draw the
attention of potential witnesses. His neighbors started to come outside,
and the louder he got, the quieter I got. The entire neighborhood saw
him acting a fool. He was so frantic; he wasn’t trying to hear me out. I
just said, “Man, you are not scaring me, ” and at this time he decided to
pull up his shirt and brandish his weapon. I said, “Oh it’s like that, huh?”
And he was like, “Yeah, the beef is on, nigga. ” And I was like, “Oh, I’m
a nigga now, so it’s like that. ” I slowly started easing my gun out of my
coat pocket.

At that moment, I noticed Kim and Hailey on the porch crying,
and that startled me back to reality. I thought about my family. Then I
realized how it would look, being the only black guy in this all-white
neighborhood with an exposed firearm, legal or not. When all these
neighbors had congregated, I decided to leave. I said, “Slim, I love you,
man. I loved you like a brother, and I don’t appreciate the foul treatment.
” I told him I came to him to talk. I held him down and looked out for
him like he was my own son, and this is the way he wanted to act. I told
him to get Paul out of his head, because he had him brainwashed. I
walked slowly to my truck. I could see all of his neighbors watching to
see what the commotion was about. I could see that he was hurt, because
I was hurt; I am a big enough man to say that my feelings were hurt. It
was sad that we had reached this point. I didn’t come over on any storm
trooper shit. I came to talk. He escalated this to a level where it looked
like I was the bad guy. I was glad I didn’t pull my gun, because I would
have had to take his life. Kim and Hailey saved his life that day, whether
he knows it or not. I saw the twenty-to-one ratio of whites to blacks,
and this one black guy would have been doing some jail time. I decided
to leave. I told him that he would be hearing from my lawyer the next
time he heard from me. I drove away at about five miles per hour so the
witnesses couldn’t say I sped off. That day the Lord was with us both
because it could have been worse. I dread thinking about it.

I replayed that scene in my head and tried to determine whether
my moves had been wise or not. The one thing that kept coming to my
mind was Slim’s last words to me. He said, “Naz, I thought you were my
friend, man. I thought we were friends.You let me go out to California all
by myself, and them muthafuckas could have got me! That ain’t loyalty. I
thought you was my friend!”That’s how I knew he was hurt, too. I told him
I was his friend but that he was taking it to the next level now. I decided
to call the police to see if I could file a police report for him brandishing
a weapon, not to get him locked up but just to have something on him so
that he could know what it was like to feel uncomfortable about a situation.
Little did I know that he and Paul had plotted using the phone message I
made earlier that day. I found that out from the police department. They
asked me if I was Byron, and they told me to go back over to Slim’s house
because they just sent a car over there, and they needed to ask me some
questions. I was like, “Naw, I told you the man just brandished a weapon
and verbally threatened me. I’m not going back over there, but what I will
do is come in there and file a police report. ” They were like, “OK. ” We
both stayed in the suburbs which were 90 percent white, with their share
of racial incidents, and I definitely got my share that day.

The
first thing I did after I got off the phone with the police was go
home, doing the speed limit. I went in the basement and took my weapons
off and took off my vest, and I was tripping on what all had happened. I
regretted ever meeting this guy. This shit turned into something that I
really didn’t have time to deal with. I wondered what lie Slim and Paul
told on me. I told my wife that I was going to the police station to file a
police report and why. She was tripping out, too. She said the sad part
was that Slim was probably feeling guilty, because it wasn’t his doing, it
was Paul’s. I got to the police station, and the police officers automatically
took Slim’s side and didn’t want to hear my side of the story. They said
they weren’t going to let me file a police report. I told them that they were
violating my civil rights and that I would be back with my lawyer.They told
me basically to do what I had to do and that Slim and Paul called them on
a three way and filed a police report.They got a personal protection order
based on the conversation I had with Slim and on the message I left on
Paul’s voice mail. They lied and said I threatened to kill Slim’s wife and
child. I admit, I threatened both Slim and Paul and made promises about
what would happen if I didn’t get my money, but I didn’t involve their
families—that was some bullshit. I now had a restraining order for me to
stay away from Paul and Slim. Paul’s bitch-ass was in New York. And if the
beef was on like Slim said, then why did he need a restraining order? And
I couldn’t make a police report, so it was their word against mine. All the
neighbors and Slim’s family were involved, and with Paul being a lawyer,
he brought Slim’s wife and kids into it to hem me up. Slim bought into it
even though he knew I didn’t say that shit.