Eminem - Eminem's Proof Tribute Surfaces Online

EMINEM pays tribute to his late best friend, rapper PROOF, in his new memorial track DIFFICULT, which leaked online on Thursday (30Dec10).

The hip-hop star was left devastated when his D12 bandmate was murdered in 2006 and he has been struggling with the tragedy for the last four years.

The Without Me hitmaker opens up about his ongoing heartbreak in Difficult, revealing he still is haunted by memories of his childhood pal.

He raps, "I continuously stare at pictures of you/ I never got to say 'I love you' as much as I wanted to, but I do/ Yeah, I say it now when you can't hear me/ What the f**k good does that do me now?/ But somehow I know you're near me...

"Everyone else is just trying to pick up the pieces/ Man, how could you touch so many f**king lives and just leave us? They say grievance has its way of affecting everyone different/ If it's true, how the f**k I'm supposed to get over you?"

Eminem also admits to keeping an item of clothing Proof wore, continuing: "And this may sound a little strange, but I'mma tell it/ I found a jacket that you left at my wedding, I picked it up to smell it/ I wrapped it up in plastic until I put it in glass and hang it up in the hallway so I can always look at it."

According to MTV.com, Eminem previously honoured Proof - who was gunned down at the age of 32 in his native Detroit, Michigan - in his song You're Never Over.