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.
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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!’”
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