How did a white rapper from Detroit become one of the best rappers of all time, in a predominately black environment?   He read the dictionary.

Marshal Mathers or Eminem is the biggest selling artist of the past decade and he did it because he went to lengths few others would and knew what his craft required.

Eminem get’s mad when people say things can’t be done in rap, he takes it personally and shows them they are wrong.

People say that the word orange doesn’t rhyme with anything and that kinda pisses me off.  I can think of a lot of things that rhyme with orange . . . you just have to think about the science of breaking down words.

When asked about reading the dictionary Eminem said he wanted to have all words at his disposal.

I wanna have all these words at my disposal, in my vocabulary at all times when ever I need to pull them out, ya know somewhere they’ll be stored liked locked away in my brain.

Eminem says he thinks about words and rapping all day everyday.  He says he drives himself crazy with it.  He has boxes full of paper with his ideas on them.  He calls it “stacking ammo.”

What does all this have to do with sales nothing.   But it has everything to do with success.   Being the best is being one step away from obsession.  It is being personally connected to your craft.  It’s setting the rules, living outside of the rules and making your own decisions.  Being the best is about putting in an unreasonable amount of effort and that has everything to do with sales.

If you want to be the best, read the dictionary.