KEY POINTS

  • Eminem opened up about his 2020 Oscars performance 
  • The rapper also shared that he and his team decided to not perform at the Oscars in 2003 even though he won back then
  • The win made him realize that the Oscars give trophies to real winners

The most-shocking moment at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards came when Eminem suddenly appeared on tee stage and performed “Lose Yourself” from the movie “8 Mile.” The performance took everyone by surprise and a lot of praises were heaped on the musician for an extraordinary performance.

Speaking in an interview with Variety, the 47-year-old rapper opened up about his performance at the star-studded ceremony. The “Rap God” hitmaker noted that he did not get a chance to perform when he won the Oscar for “Lose Yourself” in 2003 and thought it would be amazing if he could do it this time.

Eminem also shared that he never thought he would win an Oscar for that particular song and they performed the track at the Grammys, so he and his team thought that it would be unwise to take the stage at the Oscars back then.

“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 did not think it was a good idea. And also, back at that time, the younger me did not really feel like a show like that would understand me,” Eminem said.

At the time, the “Love The Way You Lie” singer was not ready to believe that he even had a chance at winning and when he found out that his track actually received the accolade even though he was not present there, the rapper could not contain his excitement. The win also made him realize that the ceremony gave awards to the real winners.

“But then when I found out I won, 'That is crazy!' That to me shows how authentic and real that award is — when you do not show up and you still win. That makes it very real to me,” Eminem said.

Apart from “8 Mile,” movies like “Frida,” “The Wild Thornberrys Movie,” “Gangs Of New York,” and “Chicago” were also nominated for the award.

In related news, the Oscar for the Original Song in 2020 went to “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from the movie “Rocketman.” The song was composed by Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The song was up against the likes of “Stand Up,” “Into The Unknown,” “I’m Standing With You,” and “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away.”

Eminem
Eminem performs at Samsung Galaxy stage during Lollapalooza at Grant Park on Aug. 1, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images/Theo Wargo