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Awards

Eminem Opens 2024 MTV VMAs With ‘Houdini’ & Jelly Roll-Assisted ‘Somebody Save Me’ Alongside Slim Shady Clones

Marshall makes another VMAs moment.

Eminem performs on stage during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Sept. 11, 2024.

Eminem performs on stage during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Sept. 11, 2024.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Eminem added another MTV VMAs moment to his mantle when he opened the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards in style on Wednesday night (Sept. 11).

The rapper — who received eight nominations this year — kicked off the show at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., where he entered from the aisles in a blond wig alongside a phalanx of Slim Shady look-alikes.


Em stormed out of the tunnel with a dynamic performance of his The Death of Slim Shady lead single “Houdini,” which notched him his highest charting Billboard Hot 100 hit (No. 2) this decade.

The real Slim Shady — in an overdone wig and black rain jacket — got the crowd turned up, with even Taylor Swift getting to her feet and dancing along.

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The fun was quickly sucked out of the UBS Arena when the scene switched to Jelly Roll’s guest appearance via a screen for his “Somebody Save Me” collaboration with Eminem. The Detroit rap icon ditched the blond wig and dug into the poignant record, which finds him pouring out his soul and expressing regrets for the times he wasn’t present for his children, and the missteps he took as a parent.

“Somebody Save Me” reached No. 27 on the Hot 100 and was the third single from The Death of Slim Shady. It’s a great week for Eminem fans, as he’s got even more music on the way. Earlier this week, Em announced plans for his The Death of Slim Shady: Expanded Mourner’s Edition, which is slated to arrive on Friday (Sept. 13) and make for a spooky Friday the 13th.

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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Here’s Why Eminem Is Credited on Justin Bieber’s ‘SWAG’ Album
Renell Medrano; Travis Shinn

Justin Bieber and Eminem

Rb Hip Hop

Here’s Why Eminem Is Credited on Justin Bieber’s ‘SWAG’ Album

Slim Shady received a lyricist credit on "Yukon," which also features background vocals from 2 Chainz.

Justin Bieber returned with his R&B-leaning SWAG album on Friday (July 11). Among the surprises sifting through the 21-track LP, fans discovered that Eminem (Marshall Mathers) is listed as a composer-lyricist on “Yukon.”

However, it’s not what one might think when it comes to a traditional writer or guest vocalist credit on a particular song.

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