Eminem was the main character in 8 Mile.
8 Mile (film) . The film , set in 1995 , is an account of a young 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 rap , a genre dominated by African Americans . Eminem . In November 2002 , he starred in the hip hop film 8 Mile , which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song , for `` Lose Yourself '' , becoming the first rap artist to win the award .