who are the characters in 8 mile based on
8 Mile (film) The film, set in 1995 and based heavily on Eminem's real life upbringing, is an account of a young, aspiring white rapper named Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (Eminem), who lives in a trailer park in Warren, Michigan, and his attempt to launch a career in hip-hop, a genre dominated by African-Americans. The film's title is derived from 8 Mile Road, the highway that runs along the border between predominantly black city of Detroit and Wayne County, and its predominantly white Oakland County and Macomb County suburbs.