Eminem made a surprising appearance at 92nd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 9). The rapper was met with both confused faces and a standing ovation from the Oscars audience when he performed his 2002 hit “Lose Yourself,” which notably won The Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 2002 Oscars.
Before hitting the stage, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda introduced a video compilation of previous Academy Best Original Song winners, taking a moment to reflect on importance of music in film. The video closed with an extended clip of Em acting in his 2002 film, 8 Mile. Much to the audience’s surprise, the rapper and his backing band then appeared on a platform that lifted from underneath the stage to perform the film’s soundtrack hit.
The crowd’s initial confusion garnered some hilarious shots, which were immediately circulated on Twitter. One reaction that was particularly laughable was from 77-year-old film director, Martin Scorsese.
Despite the crowd’s initially puzzled faces, Eminem received a standing ovation at the end of his Oscars performance.
Later on, he thanked The Academy for the opportunity on Twitter.
“Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity,” he wrote on Sunday (Feb. 9). “Thanks for having me [The Academy]. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here.”
Most recently, Em released his surprise 11th studio album, Music To Be Murdered By. Spanning across 20 tracks, the record featured collaborations with Young M.A., Royce Da 5’9”, White Gold, Ed Sheeran, Juice WRLD, Skylar Grey, Black Thought, Q-Tip, Denaun, Anderson .Paak, Don Toliver, KXNG Crooked and Joell Ortiz.
Commercially, Music To Be Murdered By reached No. 1 in 12 countries, marking Eminem’s 10th consecutive No. 1 album in the United States. Lyrically, the record sparked controversy with Ariana Grande fans, Lord Jamar and more.
See some more reactions to Eminem’s 2020 Oscars performance below.