Eminem Throws It Back At The VMAs By Recreating Iconic Slim Shady Performance

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1487 Views
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2024 MTV Video Music Awards - Show
ELMONT, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: Eminem performs on stage during the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for MTV)
Em's still got it.

24 years ago, Eminem brought his massive hit "The Real Slim Shady" to grace the MTV Video Music Awards. He and a whole host of doppelgängers took to the streets and then entered Radio City Music Hall, making their way to the main stage. It's an iconic moment not just in VMAs history, but also when it comes to the Detroit legend's performance repertoire. As such, it's no surprise that his return to the ceremony's stage (opening the show for the first time since 2010) chose to pay tribute to it. Furthermore, Em donned a blond wig and walked among the audience at the UBS Arena before joining his blond lookalikes and D12's Mr. Porter onstage, performing "Houdini" and "Somebody Save Me" featuring Jelly Roll.

Of course, this also fits in pretty well with the themes of Eminem's new album, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). On that LP (and its upcoming extended version), he tackles his alter ego and tries to find a balance between his real self and his exaggerated artistic expressions. This is nothing new for Marshall Mathers. But it definitely carries a more overtly and critically nostalgic context compared to something like The Marshall Mathers LP 2 or Music To Be Murdered By.

Eminem's MTW VMAs Performances, 24 Years Apart

Nevertheless, this VMAs performance and its homage to its 24-year-old predecessor was quite heartening to witness. Eminem actually reflected on the 2000 VMAs in his 2008 book The Way I Am. "‘The Real Slim Shady’ was my biggest hit then, and the 2000 VMAs were a real milestone," he wrote. "I can’t front, I was nervous about that performance.

"When I saw all those lookalikes walking out of Radio City Music Hall, I was trying to be as cool as I could and keep my composure," Eminem continued. "But for at least the first 30 seconds of the song I could not shake my nerves off. I watched a DVD of that night recently, and I can see how tense I was. That was one of those moments when I was thinking, ‘Hey, I think I’ve made it in rap. I’m a big-time rapper, rapping big-time!'"

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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