From Infinite to Kamikaze: A Novel

THE INTERVIEW 2018 - ROYCE DA 5'9

Anderson Cooper: "So you and Marshall performed several times together before The Slim Shady LP came out that February of '99. Why did Proof become his hype man during the Slim Shady Tour?"

Royce: "While we'd been workin' on the album, Dre was impressed with my writing skills so he put me on his team and I stayed back in L.A. to keep workin' on the 2001 joint with him. So Marshall got Proof to step in onstage."

Anderson Cooper: "But you happened to be there for this particular show in L.A.?

Royce: Yeah, I just came out for support, y'know? Since I was living out there at the time. I met them all at the hotel a few hours before the show, to catch up and pre-game and shit."

Anderson Cooper: "What was Marshall's demeanor like that day, before the show?"

Royce: "He was...anxious. Not about the show or nothin'. He'd been waitin' on Lex all day. She'd been in the studio workin' with Linkin Park on their debut album and she was supposed to meet up with us at the hotel and come to the show, so he was like checkin' his phone and the clock all afternoon."

Anderson Cooper: "And what happened when she called and told him she couldn't make it to the show?"

I shook my head and sighed as I remembered that evening.

Royce: "He was pissed. We all heard him on the phone but he went in the bathroom to finish talkin' to her. And when he came out, he was like 'fuck this shit' and chugged like a fifth of Bacardi. I honestly don't know how he didn't pass the fuck out right then and there. Paul was like, tryin' to rein him in but there was no talkin' him down."

Anderson Cooper: "Why do you think he was so mad? I mean, plans change for couples all the time. Do you think he was already used to getting his way at this point and was angry that she wasn't doing what he wanted?"

Royce: "Nah, I don't think it was that. You wouldn't really understand unless you'd seen them together before. They was like...one person when they was in the same room. Like an extension of the other person or some shit. I never seen a vibe so strong between two people in my life. But like...they was also both busy as shit around that time, you know? So they hadn't been in the same room for...weeks, is what I heard. So I know he was just real disappointed. That mixed with the drugs and alcohol....was a bad combination."

Anderson Cooper: "Was this the first time they'd ever fought like this?"

Royce: "The first time I seen, yeah. They didn't fight. So for him to be that pissed at her....was kind of a big deal. Cuz you know we all fucked with Lex hard. And we knew she'd be there if she could. But...she was workin', you know? And we all respected that."

Anderson Cooper: "Did it affect his performance at all?"

Royce: "Nah, I mean...he killed it. He always killed it. He was like an animal onstage. He just took that anger or frustration, disappointment, whatever you wanna call it and put it all into that performance. It ended up bein' a great show."

Anderson Cooper: "And what happened after the show?"

I took a deep breath. This was nothing that the public didn't already have an idea about. Rumors had been all over the Internet for months. Marshall didn't give a fuck anymore. It was in the past. Shit was so different now. And he had given me the okay to say any and everything. Almost encouraged it. Like he wanted to get all this shit off his chest so he could just move on with his life.