Free "Shady Bizzness: " Life as Eminem's Bodyguard in an Industry of Paper Gangsters" by Byron Williams Page A

a little shook
up, and we were nervous because we had to stay out in LA. I brought the
situation to the table to Jimmy Iovine and told him what was going on,
but he blew the whole thing off like, “Oh, those guys, they’re always doing
that. They’re just fucking with you guys, they’re just trying to intimidate
you. Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to them. I’ll tell Suge to tell those guys
to stop fucking with you because Suge is not sending those guys to do
that. ” I said, “Even if he’s not, the point is they are from Death Row
Records, and they are fucking with us. I mean damn, man, how are we
supposed to take that? We’re just out here so Slim can finish his album. ”
I was just trying to get this man back to his daughter and his wife safely,
that was my whole task.
    I just kept getting frustrated because everybody kept blowing it off
like, “Aw, man, don’t worry about it. It isn’t no big deal, they do this shit all
the time. ” I’m like, “Yo, I’m not about to take no chances like that, man!
I can’t afford to take no chances without knowing what’s going on. ” So
shortly after that we went home for about a week or so to kind of let things
cool off out there, and Slim did some recording here at home. I was home
and really looking at this situation and I’m like, Yo, man, this situation
is really getting crazy man, this shit is getting crazy! I don’t want to be
involved in something this crazy. I’m just trying to make some money;
I’m just trying to get my label on. I was trying to get the Wadsquad out
by doing something independent myself. I didn’t realize how hard it was
going to be to get that done.
More Stress
    During our stay in California, I decided to go to school. I
figured
with all the drama building, I better be prepared for the worst. Every
morning, from 8:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. , I attended a law enforcement
academy that certified me in executive protection. This process took two
months to complete. This was done on my own out of loyalty to Slim.
This certification would allow me to carry a concealed weapon legally
throughout the US. I was certified to kill, but only if my life or my
client’s life were in endangered. I was granted arrest powers, as well. In
doing this, I felt that my stock should go up and requested a raise. Paul
took the liberty to thank me for my efforts in protecting Slim and then
denied the raise. They even denied reimbursement for my certification.
I just continued to roll with the punches. My job went beyond being his
bodyguard. I was his part-time assistant, part-time accountant, chauffeur,
mentor, main supporter, and friend. I went beyond the call of duty. I was
the only one that had some control over his negative impulses. However,
as he blew up, so did his head. Paul did his best to keep up the confusion
between Slim and
I. I was partially used as Paul’s fall guy until I wised up. There were times
in California where I would spend my own money on Slim, because Paul
and Slim’s accountant didn’t want him to have money. And when Slim did
have money, he would lose it all. He’d lose his head if it wasn’t attached.
Over a period of time, Slim lost about $1, 200, three cell phones, and a few
verses to songs—and it usually fell back on me to do the searching. Overall,
Slim was a decent guy at times. He would try to sign every autograph until
everyone was satisfied. There were times when he seemed human. For
example, he wanted to watch Ice-T perform from the crowd, even though
he was on the same tour. I made it happen. He was like little kid at a concert
for the first time. Nobody bothered him. There were difficult times, like
when I refused to take part in his drug activities. I never liked him using
the drugs, because I didn’t want the responsibility of notifying the next
of kin if he OD’d. A few years ago, I was a drug treatment counselor and,
from my analysis, Slim had all the symptoms of