>
Eminem nodded respectfully to a long list of hip-hop idols, both well-known and obscure, during his inaugural address at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday.
In total, the rap legend took about three and a half minutes to name more than 100 names after accepting the honor at the 37th annual ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
The Detroit rapper also performed during the five-hour show with the help of special guests Ed Sheeran and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, with a set list that included My Name Is, Rap God and Sing For The Moment, Stan, Forever and Not. anxious.
Respect: Eminem recognized many of his hip-hop heroes, more than 100 in all, during his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction address delivered Saturday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles
Eminem was inducted into the Hall of Fame by his mentor, Dr. dre.
The legendary hip-hop producer and NWA rapper took eight minutes to unwrap his protégé’s many accolades and share some of their histories together, according to The Detroit News.
After revealing that he didn’t even know Eminem was white when he first heard him rap, Dre revealed that he faced resistance when he first came up with the idea of signing him to his record label.
“While everyone around me had their doubts, I knew his gift was undeniable,” Dre said, adding: “His raw, dark and humorous lyrics coupled with impeccable cadence stood out from anything I’d ever heard before, and he was hungry. We were both.’
Dre continued, “My rebuttal to those naysayers went something like this: “He’s going to be the best-selling artist on our label.” I didn’t know he would become one of the best-selling music artists of all time.”
Eminem’s mentor, Dr. Dre, inducted his protégé into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and completed many of his achievements
Acceptance Speech: Decked out in an all-black leather jacket and hood, Eminem was joined onstage by his early collaborator Denaun Porter
From there, he shared his long list of achievements throughout his career, which has spanned 11 solo studio albums since 1996, including: ‘220 million albums sold, 13 No. 1 albums, Grammy Awards, an Emmy, an Oscar, the titles of best- selling music artist of the 2000s and best-selling hip-hop artist ever.”
Decked out in an all-black leather jacket and hood, Eminem was joined onstage by his early collaborator Denaun Porter, while his 10-minute medley of six songs showcased different sides of his creativity.
When it came time for his introductory speech, the father of three was clearly honored to be in the company of such other great artists past and present.
“This shit is crazy. So I wrote down some shit tonight that I’ll never remember, so I had to read it from the paper and sh**, but it comes from the heart,” he began his speech. “I realize what an honor it is for me to be here tonight, and what a privilege it is to make the music I love, and the music that essentially saved my life.”
Rock the house: Porter was also one of the artists to perform with the Detroit rapper during his six-song medley that lasted about 10 minutes
Pop Star Ed Sheeran Also Joined Eminem For His Hall Of Fame Performance
After pausing to ask where Dre had gone, the fifteen-time Grammy winner called him “the man who saved my life, ladies and gentlemen, Dr. motherf***in’ Dre.’
He continued, “So I’m probably not supposed to be here tonight for a few reasons. One of them is that I’m a rapper, and this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And there’s only a few of us that’s already initiated, but there’s only a few of us.”
“Second, I almost died of an overdose in 2007, and that kind of sucked,” he added, before drawing attention to his daughter. “Hailie, stop your ears: ’cause drugs were damn good, and I thought we were doing the right thing, man, but I had to screw it all up and take too much. G** damn it. Okay Hailie,’ he said.
After another pause, he regained his composure and continued:Paul, did I say, I said drugs were delicious, right? And lastly, I really had to fight my way through man trying to break through in this music, and I’m so honored and I’m so thankful that I can even do hip-hop music here, man, because I love it so much am.
Eminem went on to voice the many musical artists who inspired his career.
Walk This Way: Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler showed off his rock ‘n’ roll credentials as he joined Eminem on the Hall of Fame stage
My musical influences are many, and they say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it took a whole genre and culture to raise me. They say that success has many fathers, and that is certainly true of me. So whatever my impact has been on hip-hop music, I never would have done or could have done this without some of the groundbreaking artists I’m about to name.”
It’s at this point that Eminem read aloud that list of over 100 names, in alphabetical order, starting with 2 Live Crew and moving on to YZ, which took over three minutes to complete.
Among the more recognizable names were the Notorious BIG, 2Pac, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and his mentor, Dr. Dre, which he attributed to helping him achieve all of his success in music.
Eminem joins a short list of rappers inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, NWA, Tupac Shakur, the Notorious BIG, Jay- Z and LL Cool J.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will air on HBO and HBO Max on November 19.
Humbled: ‘My musical influences are many, and they say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it took a whole genre and a whole culture to raise me,” said the 15-time Grammy Award winner.