Nobody to Become a Somebody


I am just a normal teenager with a huge dream that no one believes that I can achieve. I am just the average teenager off the streets just trying to practice my raps to become number one. I practice day in and day out no matter the situation or occasion. I will be at home practicing my raps, making lyrics for new songs and even making new mix tapes.

My whole dream is to rap battle my lifelong role model, Eminem. He is the number one rapper on the streets and made it huge, everything that is my dream. Eminem is not his only name though, his real name is Marshall Mathers. When he was a teenager, my age, he would walk around and rap battle anyone to improve his skills and that is exactly what I do now. My number one thing on my bucket list is too go head to head against him in a rap battle and beat him fair and square.

It was back in October 31st, 2008 when I realized my dream was to become a professional rapper. It never came to me until I heard my first Eminem song “Till I Collapse.” I would listen to his songs every day and every moment that I could to get down the rhyming game. I also would research him and his lifestyle since he was my role model for anything. No matter what, it was just about him and how I could be just like him. Everything he did I just felt was the right thing to do.

Since October 31st, 2008 it has been three years, so its 2011 now. All I heard about was
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Eminem this, Eminem that, Eminem on the front of the newspaper and Eminem on Peoples magazine. Why couldn't that be me? That is the official point I would do anything to achieve it. I would go write lyrics, listen to lyrics and make remixes, and rap on the side of the road with random people that want to throw some raps around.

Well one day there was this lady throwing some raps to this short cripple guy that couldn’t help himself at a Marathon down in the hood. Everyone is crowded around them listening to the lady. I walk around to listen to them and the little crippled guy had no chance, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get some practice in. I barge in the middle of the circle and start free styling, “You need a nickel to buy your daily food, the pickle? Well here’s the root, all your rhymes remind me of a toot. You smell like hay, but we all know that’s not possible. You have no money to afford to pay for hay. So why stay, if you don’t have the raps to play.” Everyone just cheered for me and it felt great! I felt like a famous person and everyone else were my biggest fans. But when I was admiring myself the other person backed up and did not say anything since she had no comeback.

I left the scenery of the street rap battle to go head to my job with my friends Jake, Konner and Mason. We all work at a Waffle House downtown. As we are on our walk to work we see this billboard that says “Underground rap battles, next week Wednesday. The hippest and hottest rappers will be there. Everyone here is a someone so don’t be a no one and come on down and get big.” Konner mentions that to me and I knew this is my chance to get up the ladder.

We get to the Waffle house to start our shift and I just could not work. All that was in mind was how this is a God sent opportunity. Hours and hours go by and we are finally out of work and look for more people to spit rhymes with. Everyone was inside, could not find anyone
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But we managed to see this woman. She was gorgeous. I ask her to come back to my place to hang out and she decided that she wanted too and we got to know each other. She preached to me how there is a rap battle next week and i could not believe my eyes. She is perfect. I let her know that I am going into that rap battle and hopefully to win and she said she will support me all the way.

Days and days have gone by and it is only one day away from the rap battle. I have been practicing my raps and lyrics over and over to win this thing. This is all i ever wanted in my life and it is finally almost here. I do all I can to pass time so the day goes by faster, faster, faster and faster. So i thought it would be a good to just go out to eat at Burger King for a good burger and go home. When i reach home I go lay down since it is finally night time. Right then i fall asleep peacefully right away.

It is the night of the rap battle and I am with my friends walking downtown to the hall where it is at. The hall is a non-common bar where people hang out and meet new people. When we walk inside we see everyone there. It was extremely packed and barely any room to walk or stand. You can just smell the bar and the lingering smell of pop spilt all over and the smoke, even though you are not supposed to smoke in the hall. We walk back stage where I prepare for my battle and I can hear Eminem battle against Lil boosie. I hear Eminem rap “One pac, two pac, three pac, four. Three pac, two pac, none.” and you could hear the crowd go insane. Dang, everyone loved him. The referee says “alright everybody, who took the crown? Lil boosie?” and you could hear the crowd kind of scream and then the referee says “or my boy Eminem?” and everyone just went crazy and yelled, “WOOOHOOOOO OHHHHHHHH!” and it was clear. The almighty Eminem beat Lil Boosie and the battle was over and I was next.

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As I am preparing for this battle I was extremely nervous and felt I was going to puke. I
flew to the bathroom like a racehorse and puke in the stall eight times and realized I am way over my head and cannot do this. I needed to leave, but as I got out of the bathroom I have seen Michelle, the girl I met that one day. She really came and that gave me the drive to finish what I am about to start. I hear the referee say, “Up next, Eminem verse Tommy Bailey.”

My heart stopped and sunk into my belly faster than last night’s dinner, as I walked to the stage. I walk past the curtain to see my role model and enemy, Eminem, and I saw the crowd, my friends Konner, Mason and Jacob, I saw Michelle again and lastly the referee. The referee asked me heads or tails and I chose tails and it was tails. He asked me “Would you rather go first or second?” and I said “Second” but he said “To bad, Eminem goes second.” I just sat there confused and started to rap.

“You’re big, I am small. You rap like a pig, I rap faster than Jamaal. You are tall, I am short. When I am done with you, you will fall; in the standings but do not worry there’s a landing spot. It just happens to be past me, looks like you will end in last.” Everyone cheered my name and I could not believe it. I never had such a big group of people think I was good, but we did not know who won yet because Eminem still had to go. I give the microphone back to the referee so he could give it to the all-star and he started to rap.



“Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy can’t you see? Your raps just don’t faze me. You stand and crumble and all your raps sound like a mumble. You dream about being me, but the first rule in rapping is you got to have the money.” The music stopped and no one cheered. I think to myself, “Did I just win?” I run over to Eminem take the microphone and yell “Put your
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hands up if you a true playa” and everyone glared at me and started to cheer. That is when I knew for a fact I beat the number one rapper and put me somewhere on the board of greatness.
The referee grabs our hands and puts mine in the air first and everyone screams “YESSSS!!” and then puts my hand down and puts Eminem’s hand in the air and some people screamed “YESS!!” but the referee put his hand down and put my hand up and said “looks like we have a winner!!” I was so in shocked, I thought I was going to pass out, but thankfully I did not and after a little while I headed back home.

The day after the battle I went walking to the Waffle House where I have to take my shift. On my way there something incredible happened. A manager talked to me and wanted to be my agent and help me rap and get famous. Without a doubt I had to take this opportunity and start my dream of becoming a rapper.

A few years went by since the day that manager talked to me and since then, he has become my best friend and the best manager ever. I live in a multi-million dollar mansion on the coast of California and have the number one selling album out in the music industry. To top that off I have a wife named Michelle, the only reason I did not leave that rap battle from being too nervous. I owe it all to her and my life was perfect.