Trivia
- The song is based on Eminem’s two-year probation sentence, which he received in April 2001 after pistol-whipping bouncer on June 4, 2000, at the Hot Rock nightclub in Warren, Michigan. Eminem claimed he saw Guerra kissing his then-wife, , and ultimately pleaded guilty to the concealed weapons charge. While sentencing Eminem, the judge stated that he took into consideration the fact that the gun was unloaded and was not pointed at anyone. During the two-year probation period, Eminem was ordered to refrain from alcohol or controlled substances unless prescribed by a doctor, submit to drug tests administered by his probation officer, avoid contact with Guerra, refrain from “assaultive behavior,” undergo counseling, and not own or possess firearms or any other weapons — the latter serving as the main theme of “We As Americans.”
- Eminem originally wanted the song to open the album, but after the track leaked alongside other planned Encore material in December 2003, it was removed from the main tracklist and used as a bonus track instead. It’s unclear whether this earlier version of the album was already titled Encore or if it retained the same final-show theme, though using “We As Americans” as the opener suggests a different direction.
Words from Eminem
““We As Americans” [and] “Love You More” […] ended up on the bonus disc because they leaked and that disappointed me. So, I had to start over, which felt like a mountain I had to climb. You climb half the mountain, and then all of a sudden, you get knocked back down. “We As Americans” was going to start the album, then “Bully.” […] If that would’ve been on Encore, and the other couple songs that leaked, to me it would’ve been right there with The Eminem Show as far as its caliber.