Eminem has long since been getting tattoos that tell his life story. He has tattoos of his uncle, his ex-wife, numerous ones of his daughter, and two separate tattoos that make up a whole, of D12, a band which consists of Em and five other band mates. One of these band members, Proof, was killed in a Detroit nightclub in 2006 and Eminem has made mention of this in his new book The Way I Am, which was released just this past month. But Eminem has gone even further than to simply reminisce on Proof and the impact he had on him.
Shortly after Proof’s death, Eminem took what little space there was left on his left arm and inked the name “Proof” down his forearm. Proof was not only a D12 band member and an artist in his own right, he was also Eminem’s best friend, and had been for a very long time. In Eminem’s movie 8 Mile, Proof is depicted through the character Future, who is a mentor and friend to Rabbit, Eminem’s character.
Eminem had a very hard time dealing with the death of his friend and he speaks in his new book that it was difficult to make it out of bed some days, let alone do anything else such as produce music. He has since taken the opportunity to speak out about gun control and how the death of his friend, along with other family members, has made him realize the danger in the carrying and use of guns.
What makes this Proof tattoo even more of a dedication to the former rapper is that Proof himself had this exact tattoo in exactly the same spot. Eminem also has a new album coming out in December which will be called Relapse and it’s rumored that there will also be a song on there that is in dedication to Proof.
It’s all so sad and tragic to lose a good friend like that. Hope the ‘Hereafter’ is real and that all who have lost loved ones wil meet them again one day.
All the best to Eminem.