Eminem Co-Signs YBN Cordae, Explains "Lose Yourself" Performance At Oscars

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 202246.8K Views

Eminem performs onstage during the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 9, 2020. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP)

Eminem talks his "Lose Yourself" performance at the Oscars 17 years later and the new generation of rappers.

For some reason, the Oscars allowed Eminem to touch the stage to perform his hit single, "Lose Yourself" seventeen years after it won the award for Best Original song. It stirred up social media with both confusion and excitement but unfortunately, not even that was able to help the Oscars' record-low ratings.

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"I kinda figured maybe since I didn’t get a chance to do it at the time, maybe it would be cool," he explained to Variety. "Back then, I never even thought that I had a chance to win, and we had just performed “Lose Yourself” on the Grammys with the Roots a couple of weeks before the Oscars, so we didn’t think it was a good idea. And also, back at that time, the younger me didn’t really feel like a show like that would understand me."

The rapper later dispelled rumors that the reason he turned it down was that they asked him to perform a censored version of the song. He did say that the timing of the performance perfect since he is fresh off of the release of his latest album.

Em also gave some rare insight into his listening habits. After being asked about the new generation of rappers, he revealed that Young M.A., who appeared on Music To Be Murdered By, was one artist he's into right now. Along with Griselda, he revealed one more artist that he's feeling. "YBN Cordae, he’s dope," he said.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.