This past week, Eminem and Complex Media released a new documentary to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Shady Records. Not Afraid: The Shady Records Story takes the viewers back to the earliest beginnings of the record company, even before Eminem became the world wide star he is today. The documentary focuses a lot on Eminem’s relationship with his manager and Shady Records’ co-founder Paul Rosenberg. Together, they tell the story of Shady Records’ rise and continued relevance.
Em and Paul’s unique friendship is at the heart of not only Eminem’s rise into superstardom, but also Shady Records’ march to hip-hop dominace. Spearheading a label that went from a mere platform to release music into a powerhouse that allowed their artists to blossom into producers, Eminem and Rosenberg have even been compared to Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin for their contributions to the rap world at Def Jam.
Many other stars pop up to discuss how they were impacted and influenced by Eminem and his label, including frequent collaborators 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Royce da 5’9″ and Mr. Porter from D-12. Additionally, Complex’s Editor-In-Chief, Noah Callahan-Bever, elaborates on his longtime relationship with Eminem and the joys of watching Shady Records rise through the years.
With all empires, there has to be a rise and and an inevitable fall. The documentary also takes a candid look at how Shady Records went from “literally running rap” in the mid-2000s, to how factors such as the death of Eminem’s best friend and fellow D-12 member, Proof and Em’s battle with addiction threatened to bring the whole label down. And finally how Shady Records is back on track with additions like Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf, as well as Eminem returning to dominant form.
Not Afraid: The Shady Records Story is a great watch for any hip-hop fan. Clocking in at just over thirty minutes, the video unsurprisingly has an excellent soundtrack as it culminates 15 years of amazing Shady music.
Watch the documentary now at:
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