Eminem gave a respectful nod to a long list of well-known and unknown hip-hop idols during his induction speech into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Overall, it took the rap legend about three and a half minutes to name more than 100 names after accepting the honors at the 37th annual ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
The Detroit rapper also performed during the five-plus-hour show with the help of special guests Ed Sheeran and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, with a setlist that included names like My Name Is, Rap God and Sing For The Moment, Stan, Forever and No fear.
Respect: Eminem paid tribute to many of his hip-hop heroes, more than 100 in total, during his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday
Eminem was founded by his mentor Dr. Dre inducted into the Hall of Fame.
It took the legendary hip-hop producer and NWA rapper eight minutes to pick up his protégé’s many awards and share some of their story together, according to The Detroit News.
After revealing he didn’t even know Eminem was white when he first heard him rap, Dre revealed he met resistance when he first entertained the idea of signing him to his record label take.
“While everyone else around me had their doubts, I knew his gift was undeniable,” Dre said, adding, “His raw, dark, and humorous lyrics, coupled with an impeccable cadence, stood out from anything I’ve done.” had ever heard before, and he was hungry for it. It was both of us.”
Dre continued, “My rebuttal to these naysayers went something like this, ‘He’s going to be the best-selling artist on our label.’ Little did I know he was going to be 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 recognized many of his accomplishments
Acceptance speech: Dressed in an all-black leather jacket and hood, Eminem was joined on stage by his early collaborator Denaun Porter
From there, he shared his long list of career achievements, which includes 11 solo studio albums since 1996, including: “220 million album sales, 13 #1 albums, Grammy Awards, an Emmy, an Oscar, the titles of the best best-selling music artist of the 2000s and best-selling hip-hop artist of all time.
Dressed in an all-black leather jacket and hood, Eminem was joined on stage by early collaborator Denaun Porter as his 10-minute, six-song medley covered different sides of his creativity.
When it came time for his introductory speech, the father of three obviously felt honored to be in the company of so many other great artists of the past and present.
“This shit is crazy. So tonight I wrote some shit down that I’ll never fucking remember, so I had to read it off paper and shit, but it’s from the heart,” he began his speech. “I realize what an honor it is for me to be up here tonight and what a privilege it is to make the music I love and the music that basically saved my life. ”
Rock the House: Porter was also among the artists who performed with the Detroit rapper during his six-song medley, which lasted about 10 minutes
Pop star Ed Sheeran also joined Eminem for his Hall of Fame appearance
After pausing to ask where Dre went, the 15-time Grammy winner called him “the man who saved my life, ladies and gentlemen, Dr. motherf***in’ Dre”.
He continued: “So I probably shouldn’t be here tonight for a number of reasons. One of my being a rapper, and that’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And there are few of us who have already been inducted, but there are few of us.
“Second, I almost died from an overdose in 2007, which kind of sucked,” he added, before turning attention to his daughter. “Hailie, cover your ears: ‘Cause the drugs were freaking delicious and I thought we had a good thing going man, but I had to go and screw it up and take too many. Damned. OK, Hailie,” he said.
After another pause, he regained his composure and continued, “Paul, did I say I said drugs are delicious, right? And finally, I’ve had to really fight my way through men to try and break through in this music and I’m so honored and so grateful that I’m even able to be up here and listening to hip hop music do, man, because I love it so much.
Eminem congratulated the many musicians who have inspired his career.
Go 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 diverse and they say it takes a whole village to raise a child. Well, it took a whole genre and a whole culture to raise me. Success has many fathers, they say, and that definitely applies to me. Whatever my influence on hip hop music, I never would have or could have done this shit without some of the seminal artists I’m about to mention.
At this point, Eminem read out this list of over 100 names in alphabetical order, starting with 2 Live Crew and ending with YZ, which took over three minutes to complete.
Some of the better known names included Notorious BIG, 2Pac, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and his mentor Dr. Dre, whom he credited with 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 is scheduled to air November 19 on HBO and HBO Max.
Humbled: “My musical influences are many and they say it takes a whole village to raise a child. Well, it took a whole genre and a whole culture to raise me,” explained the 15-time Grammy winner